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678 VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND.
means of Gudmundr Olfon, who prevailed upon his brother Helge Olfon to leave Ices,
landand come to Sweden, whither he brought a confiderable number of manufcripts.
Great additions were afterwards made to thefe collections by Arngrim Johnfon, Jonas
Wigfufen, Lopt Jofephen, Gudmund Gudmunderfon, and Thorvaldr Brockman, who
were all employed as tranflators by the college of antiquities. Jonas Eghardfen, Magnus
Benedictfen, Ifleif ‘Thorleiffen, Ejnar Ejnarfen, Arnas Hakanfen, Francis Jacobfen, and
‘Vhord Thorlakfon have alfo very much enriched the colle¢tion, both when the college
of antiquities was at Upfala, and when it was afterwards transferred to Stockholm.
The attention of the Danifh court was at laft excited: King Chriftian V., in 1685,
difpatched Thomas Bartholin to Iceland with an order to the bailiff Heidemann, to aflitt
him in collecting Icelandic antiquities: he forbad at the fame time, in the ftricteft man-
ner, any manufcripts, hiftories, or other accounts relating to Iceland, to be fold to fo-
reigners, or carried out of the country.
Stockholm, as well as Copenhagen, became therefore poffeft of a-confiderable num-
ber of Icelandic writings ; but the latter court not fatisfied with what they had already
obtained, difpatched Arnas Magnaus and Paul Widalin to Iceland in 1712; where they
fought for whatever might remain there with fuch extreme care, that it is almoft im-
poifible to get fight of any manufcript hiftory in the whole country ; and notwithftand-
ing the pains I have taken, I could only obtain an imperfect copy of the Sturlunga Saga,
which I purchafed.
It is in vain, therefore, that one now enquires for ancient Icelandic chronicles in Ice-
land ; for befides the fine collection in the Swedifh archives of antiquities, there is a
very admirable collection of them in the library of the academy at Copenhagen, which
was a gift of Arnas Magnaus; befides feveral {mall colleGtions of lefs importance in the
hands of private perfons.
I have already mentioned the Icelandic hiftories which have been publifhed: fome
of them have been printed in Iceland, among which thofe printed at Skallholt are very
rare; but the greateft part have been publifhed in Sweden, though fometimes from very
imperfect manutcripts. Olof Rudbeck the elder, Verelius, the two Peringfkolds, Ren-
hielm, Biorner, Salan, and Brokman, have however acquired a great deal of merit by
the care and diligence which they beftowed upon them. None of thefe editions how-
ever can be compared, in point of elegance and criticifm, to thofe publifhed in Copen-
hagen, by the Magnaanian college, the continuation of which is expected with great
impatience by the literary world.
LETTER XVII.—tTo BARON AXEL LEJONHUFWUD.
Of the Icelandic Poetry.
Stockholm, Dec. 12, 1775.
Ir is with the utmoft pleafure that I prepare to obey your commands, in communi-
cating to you a fhort account of the Icelandic poetry; I only lament that my circum-
{cribed knowledge on a fubjeé& which is furrounded with fo many obfcurities, will not
permit me to make my account as perfeét as I could with, and as the importance of the
fubject requires ; I regret this inability fo much the more, as I am to fubmit my thoughts
to the eye of fo great a connoiffeur; but if even my obfervations fhould not be very
important, J willconfole myfelf for it, as they will, however, be a proof of my readinefs
to comply with your wifhes.
Though the opinion of fome men of learning, that writing in verfe has been earlier
practifed in Europe than writing in profe, may appear extraordinary at firft, yet it
8 feems
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