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CONCERNING LAPLAND. 157
the commencement, and during the earlier part of the laft cen-
tury, the Laplanders were immerfed in the darknefs of paganifm,
and without the leaft tincture of letters. It was Frederick the
Fourth, king of Denmark, who afcended the throne in 1619,
that firft began to introduce the light of the gofpel amongft them.
For this purpofe he eftablifhed a religious miffion, which has been
continued by his fon, Chriftian the Sixth, Frederick the Fifth his
grandfon, and Chriftian the Seventh, the prefent fovereign, his
great grandfon. They are now, as Mr. Leems tells us, well in-
ftructed in the Chriftian religion, and have the New Teftament
in their own tongue. The miffionary mentions with rapture the
names of fome Laplanders who could repeat by rote the whole
catechifm, and large portions of the gofpel, with a part of the
pfalms, both in the Lapland and Danith tongues ; particularly a
venerable old man of feventy years of age, who was able to recite
a great part of the catechifm, though he never knew a letter in
his life, nor had ever committed any thing to memory before.
This inftance of the power of memory does not appear at all in-
credible. The Arabs, and other paftoral tribes, who are in the
habit of amufing their leifure by telling and liftening to tales,
will remember them though very long, and rehearfe them with
great fidelity, after one hearing. It is conjectured by Julius Ceefar,
that one of the chief reafons why the ancient Druids did not com-
mit their inftructions to writing was, that their pupils might im-
prefs them better on their memories. It was the opinion of So-
crates, as appears from the Phzdo of Plato, that knowledge was
more
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