use, all unanimously depose, viz. That before the times of Christianity all these parts of Europe worshipped Odin and the Gods of the EDDA.

Nevertheless, if it were neceffary to anfwer an objection, which the bare perufal of the EDDA alone, and the Remarks I have added, will fufficiently obviate; the reader need only caft his eyes over fome Fragments of Poetry of the ancient northern SCALDS, which I have tranflated at the end of this book: He will there find, throughout, the fame Mythology that is fet forth in the EDDA; although the authors of these pieces lived in very different times and places from thofe in which Sæmund and Snorro flourished.

Thefe doubts being removed, it only remains to clear up fuch as may arise concerning the fidelity of these different tranflations. I freely confefs my imperfect knowledge of the language in which the EDDA is written. It is to the modern Danish or Swedish languages, what the dialect of Ville-hardouin, or the Sire de Joinville is to modern French*. I fhould have been frequently at a lofs, if it had not been for

i. e. As the language of CHAUCER OF

PIERCE PLOWMAN, COMpared to modern English.

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the affiftance of Danish and Swedish verfions of the EDDA, made by learned men fkilful in the old Icelandic tongue. I have not only confulted these translations, but by comparing the expreffions they employ with thofe of the original, I have generally afcertained the identity of the phrase, and attained to a pretty ftrong affurance that the fenfe of my text hath not escaped me. Where I fufpected my guides, I have carefully confulted thofe, who have long made the EDDA, and the language in which it is written, their peculiar ftudy. I ftood particularly in need of this affiftance, to render with exactness the two fragments of the more ancient EDDA, namely, the SUBLIME DISCOURSE OF ODIN, and the RUNIC CHAPTER; and here too my labours were more particularly affifted. This advantage I owe to Mr. ERICHSEN, a native of Iceland, who joins to a most extenfive knowledge of the antiquities of his country, a judgment and a politeness not always united with great erudition. He has enabled me to give a more faithful tranflation of thofe two pieces than is to be met with in the EDDA of RESENIUS.

I am however a good deal indebted to this laft. J. P. RESENIUS, profeffor and magiftrate of Copenhagen towards the end of the laft century, was a laborious and learned

man,

man, who in many works manifefted his zeal for the honour of letters and of his country. He published the firft edition of the EDDA, and we may, in some respects, say it is hitherto the only one. This edition, which forms a large quarto volume, appeared at Copenhagen in the year 1665, dedicated to King Frederick III. It contains the text of the EDDA, a Latin tranflation done in part by a learned Icelandic priest, named MAGNUS OLSEN or OLAÏ, and continued by TORFAEUS; together with a Danish verfion, by the hiftoriographer STEPHEN OLAï, and various readings from different MSS.

With regard to the text, Refenius hath taken the utmost care to give it correct and genuine. He collated many MSS. of which the major part are ftill preferved in the royal and univerfity libraries; but what he chiefly made the greatest use of, was a MS. belonging to the King, which is judged to be the most ancient of all, being as old as the thirteenth, or at least the fourteenth century, and ftill extant. Exclufive of this, we do not find in the edition of Refenius any critical remarks, calculated to elucidate the contents of the EDDA. In truth, the Preface feems intended to make amends for this deficiency, fince that alone would fill a volume of the fize of this book; but, excepting

cepting a very few pages, the whole confifts of learned excurfions concerning Plato, the best editions of Ariftotle, the Nine Sybils, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, &c.

From the manufcript copy of the EDDA preserved in the university library of Upfal, hath been published a few years fince, a fecond edition of that work. This MS. which I have often had in my poffeffion, feems to have been of the fourteenth century. It is well preferved, legible, and very entire. Although this copy contains no effential difference from that which Refenius has followed, it notwithstanding afforded me affiftance in fome obscure paffages; for I have not scrupled to add a few words to fupply the fenfe, or to fupprefs a few others that feemed devoid of it, when I could do it upon manufcript authority: and of this I must beg my readers to take notice, whenever they would compare my verfion with the original: for if they judge of it by the text of Refenius, they will frequently find me faulty, fince I had always an eye to the Upfal MS. of which Mr. SOLBERG, a young learned Swede, well versed in these fubjects, was fo good as to furnish me with a correct copy. The text of this MS. being now printed, whoever will be at the trouble, may eafily fee, that I have never followed this new light, but when

when it appeared a furer guide than Resenius. M. GORANSON, a Swede, hath published it with a Swedish and Latin verfion, but he has only given us the first part of the EDDA: Prefixed to which, is a long Differtation on the Hyperborean Antiquities; wherein the famous RUDBECK feems to revive in the person of the Author *.

Notwithstanding thefe helps, it must be confeffed, that the EDDA hath been quoted by and known to a very small number of the learned. The edition of Refenius, which doubtlefs fuppofes much knowledge and application in the Editor, prefents itself under a very unengaging form; we there neither meet with obfervations on the parallel opinions of other Celtic or Gothic' people, nor any lights thrown on the customs illuded to. Nothing but a patriotic zeal for the Antiquities of the North can carry one through it. Besides, that book is grown very scarce; but few impreffions were

*The Latin Verfion of M. GORANSON is printed at the end of this Volume, by way of SUPPLEMENT to M. MALLET'S Work. The curiofity of the fubject, and literal exactness of the Verfion, it is hoped will atone with the Reader of tafte, for the barbarous VOL. II.

coarfenefs of the Latinity. In a piece of this kind, claffic elegance is less to be defired than fuch a ftrict minute (even barbarous) faithfulness, as may give one a very exact knowledge of all the peculiarities of the original. T.

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