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VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND. Ao
7°29
I afterwards found the fame kind of {teganography mentioned ina little work afcribed
to Rhrabanus Maurus, under the title of De Inventione Litterarum, and which is fo
celebrated on account of the proof contained in it of the runes of the Marcomans.
After letters became more univerfally known among the people, the fubtle monks how-
ever, defirous of knowing fomething which the vulgar were unacquainted with, invented
various myfterious ways of writing in this manner, which they not only make ufe ot
among themfelves, but introduced in their public writings. ‘This tafte met with ad-
mirers among our anceftors in Sweden, and thence we find fo many kinds of what are
called vil/runes, which were unintelligible to the vulgar. Seein the Bautil, N° 25, 205,
331, 361, 539 568, 571, 5725 581, 648, 748, 767, 817, 819, 822, 1001, 1088, and
many more in Vormius. Perhaps what we call among us hel/inge runes, have alfo no
other origin, as the greater part of them only differ from the common runes, by having
the ftaff taken away. It is however remarkable that our gravers of runes even made
ufe of this cryptography in monuments erected to the memory and honour of the
deceafed.
It is further afked, if there are any external or internal traces of the copier having
confidered all the above-mentioned pieces, or at leaft the three firft parts as a connected
work ?
The anfwer to this may be found in the title of the book, which is at length in the
Goranfon edition, and runs thus:
Bok theffi heiter Edda. Henne hever fam fetta Snorri Sturlo {. epter theim heelti,
fem her er fhipat. En fyrft fra Afum ok ymi; tharnaeft fkalld fkapar mal ok heiti
marga hluta. Sidaz heettartal, er Sworri hever ort um Hakon k. ok Skula Hertuga ;
that is, This book is called Edda; and has been compofed by Snorre Sturlefon, in the
manner it now ftands, viz. firft of the afes and ymi, afterwards the language of poetry,
and its appellations of various things. Liaiftly, a differtation of the verfifications Snorre
made upon King Hakan and Duke Skule.
I mentioned in my letter to Mr. Lagerbring, that the Rubric was written in a later
hand; which is right fo far as has been added after the Edda itfelf was begun, which
may be feen by the narrow {pace left for it, fo that it has forced the copier to bring the
laft line into that immediately preceding it. Befides, I clearly perceived that the manu-
{cript was very old, and that no reafonable eye-witnefs could believe it was written in
1541, as Mr. Schloczer conjectures. But as it had been written with red ink, which
had preferved its colour better than the black, I then believed the hand had been fome-
what younger; but as I have now very. minutely compared the writing in the Rubric
with that of the Edda, I think I may fafely affirm, that they are both written by one and
the fame hand. From hence it Rlione that he who copied the Edda confidered the
above-mentioned articles, and no others, as effential parts of it.
Iam come to the principal queftion, whether Sturlefon is the author of the Edda?
Here Mr. Schloczer feems to have taken moft pains, to prevent me from deceiving the
learned world in this point.
Becaufe Mr. Schloczer has found that moft antiquarians exprefs themfelves with a
kind of circum{pection when they fpeak of the Edda and its author, and inftead of pofi-
tively declaring Sturlefon the author, as Arngrim and fome others have done; only fay,
Creditur, exiftimatur auctor fuifle ; that is, he believes the matter to be at leaft dubious,
if not totally groundlefs.
I will not infift upon it, that there is at leaft more affirmation than negation in thefe
expreffions, efpecially as it is ufual, on mentioning an evidently falfe opinion, to add,
falfo creditur, or fomething fimilar, For Mr, Schloczer himfelf remarks very judici-
oully,
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