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672 VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND.
But even here the fciences have been fubject to the fame revolutions, which they have
experienced every where elfe. The luftre in which they had maintained themielves fo
long, was fucce:ded by the moft profound obfcurity. ‘To give a clearer idea of this, I
fhall borrow the expreffions of the learned bifhop of Sakilholt, Dr. Finneus, on this
occafion, who compares the ftate of the fciences in Iceland to the four flages of human
life, in his well-written Hift. Eccl. Iflandize. ‘Vheir infancy extended to the year 1056
when the introdution of the Chriftian religion produced the firft dawn of light. They
were in their youth till 1110, when fchools were fir{t eftablifhed, and the education and
inflruétion of youth began to be more attended to than before. Their manly age lafted
till about the middle of the fourteenth century, when Iceland produced the greateft
number of learned men. Old age appeared towards the’end of this fame fourteenth
century, when the fciences gradually decreafed, and were almoft entirely extiné, no
work of any merit appearing. Hiltory now drooped her head, their poetry had no
relifh, and all other fciences were enveloped in darknefs. ‘Lhe fchools began to de-
cay, andin many places they had none at all. It was very uncommon for any one to
under{tand Latin, and few priefts could read their breviary and rituals fluently.
But this was not alone the cafe in Iceland, the greater part of Europe experienced
the fame change. For the dawn of a brighter day, which had begun to {pread from
Greece over Italy and the fouthern part of Europe, after the taking of Conftantinople
by the Turks in 1453, had not yet penetrated to the north. Whatever bore the name
of learning was not only defpifed; but fo grofs was their ignorance, that men of the
higheft rank, both fpiritual and temporal, were incapable of writing their names. We
cannot wonder at this in Iceland, when the hiftory of the church affords fo many ex-
amples of bifhops who were prefent at councils, at the conclufion of which they caufed
to be written under the acts, guoniam Dominus N. Epifcopus /cribere nefcit, ideo eju, loco
fubferipfit N. N. We were alfo informed, that the ignorance of this age was fo great,
that {carce any Swedifh king before Guftavus I. knew how to write his name. In the
annals of Konungaoch Hofdinga /tyrelfe (fuppofed to be written by bifhop Brynolf
Cariffon, who died at Skara in 1430) it is faid, no more ought to be required of a
fovercign, than to know how to read, underftand, and explain his letters.
The reformation produced here, as in moft places, a new dawn of knowledge. Some
time beforea printing prefs had been brought to Iceland, bifhop Giflur propofed to open
a new fchool in the convert of Videy, which had been feized by the crown; but as
this had been defigned for a dwelling-place to the king’s receivers of the cuftoms,
Chriftian Il. commanded, in the year 1552, that a fchool-houfe fhould be built near
each of the cathedral churches ; that at Skallholt for forty fcholars, and that at Hoolum
tor thirty-four ; but they have fince been reduced, the one to thirty-four, and the other
to twenty-four {cholars. Each of thefe {chools was to be provided with a reétor and an
afliftant teacher ; aad the king appropriated as much land to thefe foundations, as was
fuflicient to afford tolerable falaries to the teachers, and board, books, and cloathing to
the {cholars gratis, fo long as they remained at {chool.
Great pains have fince been taken to appoint men of known abilities as teachers to
thefe {chools ; and young men are fo well inftructed there, that few of the clergy ftudy
any where elfe. Many Icelanders, however, ftudy at Copenhagen; and in the year
1773, there were no lefs than fifty-four at that univerfity, where excellent regulations
have been made for the f{upport of poor{tudents. Some likewife ftudy in foreign uni-
verfities ; and between 1760 and 1770 a native of Iceland, Paul Widalin by name,
died at Leipfic, who was univerlally beloved and efteemed there. A Mr. Thorolti,
who
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