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Runic　Inscription。　Few　of　their　Temples　were

cover'd；　and　the　largest　observ'd　by　Wormius　（at

Kialernes　in　Island）　was　120　foot　in　length；　and　60

in　breadth。



〃The　next　Monument　of　Age　is　their　Edda

Islandorum；　the　meaning　of　which　Appellation　they

that　publish　the　Book　hardly　pretend　to　understand。

As　far　as　I　can　give　the　Reader　any　satisfaction；

he　is　to。　know　that　Island　was　first　inhabited　（in

the　year　874）　by　a　Colony　of　Norwegians；　who

brought　hither　the　Traditions　of　their　Forefathers；

in　certain　metrical　Composures；　which　（as　is　usual

with　Men　transplanted　into　a　Foreign　Land）　were

here　more　zealously　and　carefully　preserv'd　and

kept　in　memory　than　by　the　Men　of　Norway　themselves。

About　240　years　after　this　（A。　D。　1114）

their　History　began　to　be　written　by　one　Saemund；

surnam'd　Frode　or　the　wise；　who　（in　nine　years'

travel　through　Italy；　Germany　and　England）　had

amass'd　together　a　mighty　Collection　of　Historical

Treatises。　With　these　he　return'd　full　fraught　into

Island；　where　he　also　drew　up　an　account　of

the　affairs　of　his　own　Country。　Many　of　his

Works　are　now　said　to　be　lost：　But　there　is　still　an

Edda；　consisting　of　several　Odes　（whence　I　suspect

its　Name　is　derived）　written　by　many　several　hands；

and　at　different　times；　which　bears　his　Name。

The　Book　is　a　Collection　of　Mythological　Fables；

relating　to　the　ancient　State　and　Behaviour　of　the

Great　Woden　and　his　followers；　in　terms　poetical

and　adapted　to　the　Service　of　those　that　were　employ'd

in　the　composure　of　their　old　Rhymes　and　Sonnets。



〃There　is　likewise　extant　a　couple　of　Norwegian

Histories　of　good　Authentic　Credit；　which　explains

a　great　many　particulars　relating　to　the　Exploits　of

the　Danish　Kings　in　Great　Britain；　which　our　own

Historians　have　either　wholly　omitted　or　very

darkly　recorded。　The　former　of　these　was　written

soon　after　the　year　1130；　by　one　Theodoric　a　Monk；

who　acknowledges　his　whole　Fabrick　to　be　built

upon　Tradition；　and　that　the　old　Northern　History

is　no　where　now　to　be　had　save　only　ab　Islendingorum

antiquis　Carminibus。



〃　'Tis　a　very　discouraging　Censure　which　Sir

William　Temple　passes　upon　all　the　Accounts　given

us　of　the　Affairs　of　this　Island；　before　the　Romans

came　and　Invaded　it。　The　Tales　（says　he）　we　have

of　what　pass'd　before　Caesar's　Time；　of　Brute　and

his　Trojans；　of　many　Adventures　and　Successions；

are　cover'd　with　the　Rust　of　Time；　or　Involv'd　in

the　Vanity　of　Fables　or　pretended　Traditions；

which　seem　to　all　Men　obscure　or　uncertain；　but　to

be　forged　at　pleasure　by　the　Wit　or　Folly　of　their

first　Authors；　and　not　to　be　regarded。　And　again；

I　know　few　ancient　Authors　upon　this　Subject　（of

the　British　History）　worth　the　pains　of　perusal；　and

of　Dividing　or　Refining　so　little　Gold　out　of　so　much

course　Oar；　or　from　so　much　Dross。　But　some

other　Inferiour　People　may　think　this　worth　their

pains；　since　all　Men　are　not　born　to　be　Ambassadors：

And；　accordingly；　we　are　told　of　a　very　Eminent

Antiquary　who　has　thought　fit　to　give　his

Labours　in　this　kind　the　Title　of　Aurum；　ex　Stercore。

There's　a　deal　of　Servile　Drudgery　requir'd

to　the　Discovery　of　these　riches；　and　such　as　every

Body　will　not　stoop　to：　for　few　Statesmen　and

Courtiers　（as　one　is　lately　said　to　have　observ'd　in

his　own　Case）　care　for　travelling　in　Ireland；　or

Wales；　purely　to　learn　the　Language。



〃A　diligent　Enquirer　into　our　old　British　Antiquities

would　rather　observe　（with　Industrious　Leland）

that　the　poor　Britains；　being　harass'd　by

those　Roman　Conquerours　with　continual　Wars；

could　neither　have　leisure　nor　thought　for　the

penning　of　a　Regular　History：　and　that　afterwards

their　Back…Friends；　the　Saxons；　were　（for　a　good

while）　an　Illiterate　Generation；　and　minded　nothing

but　Killing　and　taking　Possession。　So　that

'tis　a　wonder　that　even　so　much　remains　of　the

Story　of　those　Times　as　the　sorry　Fragments　of

Gildas；　who　appears　to　have　written　in　such　a

Consternation；　that　what　he　has　left　us　looks　more

like　the　Declamation　of　an　Orator；　hired　to　expose

the　miserable　Wretches；　than　any　Historical　Account

of　their　Sufferings。〃



Palgrave　asserts　that　reading　and　writing　were　no

longer　mysteries　after　the　pagan　age；　but　were　still

acquirements　almost　wholly　confined　to　the　clergy。



The　word　〃clericus〃　or　〃clerk；〃　became　synonymous

with　penman；　the　sense　in　which　it　is　still　most

usually　employed。　If　a　man　could　write；　or　even

read；　his　knowledge　was　considered　as　proof　presumptive

that　he　was　in　holy　orders。　If　kings　and　great

men　had　occasion　to　authenticate　any　document；　they

subscribed　the　〃sign〃　of　the　cross　opposite　to　the　place

where　the　〃clerk〃　had　written　their　name。　Hence

we　say；　to　sign　a　deed　or　a　letter。



Books　（MSS。）　were　extremely　rare　amongst　the

Scandinavian　and　northern　nations。　Before　their

communication　with　the　Latin　missionaries；　wood　appears

to　have　been　the　material　upon　which　their

runes　were　chiefly　written：　and　the　verb　〃write；〃

which　is　derived　from　a　Teutonic　root；　signifying　to

scratch　or　tear；　is　one　of　the　testimonies　of　the　usage。

Their　poems　were　graven　upon　small　staves　or　rods；

one　line　upon　each　face　of　the　rod；　and　the　Old　English

word　〃stave；〃　as　applied　to　a　stanza；　is　probably

a　relic　of　the　practice；　which；　in　the　early　ages；　prevailed

in　the　West。　Vellum　or　parchment　afterwards

supplied　the　place　of　these　materials。　Real　paper；

manufactured　from　the　pellicle　of　the　Egyptian　reed

or　papyras；　was　still　used　occasionally　in　Italy；　but

it　was　seldom　exported　to　the　countries　beyond　the

Alps；　and　the　elaborate　preparation　of　the　vellum；

upon　which　much　greater　care　was　bestowed　than　in

the　modern　manufacture；　rendered　it　a　costly　article；

so　much　so；　that　a　painstaking　clerk　could　find　it

worth　his　while　to　erase　the　writing　of　an　old　book；

in　order　to　use　the　blank　pages　for　another　manuscript。

The　books　thus　rewritten　were　called　〃codices　rescripti；〃

or　〃palimpsests。〃　The　evanescent　traces　of

the　first　layer　of　characters　may　occasionally　be

discerned　beneath　the　more　recent　text　which　has　been

imposed　upon　them。



In　Ireland；　first　known　as　the　Isle　of　Saints；　was

founded　in　the　seventh　century　a　great　school　of

learning　which　included　writing　and　illuminating；

which　passed　to　the　English　by　way　of　the　monasteries

created　by　Irish　monks　in　Scotland。　Their　earliest

existing　MSS。　are　said　to　belong　to　that　period。　In

the　Irish　scriptoriums　（rooms　or　cells　for　writing）　of

the　Benedictine　monasteries　where　they　were　prepared；

so　particular　were　the　monks　that　the　scribes　were

forbidden　to　use　artificial　light　for　fear　of　injuring　the

manuscripts。



Most　interesting　and　entertaining　are　the　observations

of　Falconer　Madan；　a　modern　scholar　of　some

repute。　Of　the　history　of　writing　in　ink　during　the

〃Dark　Ages〃　he　says：



〃In　the　seventh　and　eighth　centuries　we　find　the

first　tendency　to　form　national　hands；　resulting　in

the　Merovingian　or　Frankish　hand；　the　Lombardic

of　Italy；　and　the　Visigothic　of　Spain。　These　are

the　first　difficult　bands　which　we　encounter；　and

when　we　remember　that　the　object　of　writing　is　to

be　clear　and　distinct；　and　that　the　test　of　a　good

style　is　that　it　seizes　on　the　essential　points　in

which　letters　differ；　and　puts　aside　the　flourishes

and　ornaments　which　disguise　the　simple　form；　we

shall　see　how　much　a　strong　influence　was　needed

to　prevent　writing　from　becoming　obscure　and　degraded。

That　influence　was　found　in　Charles　the　Great。



〃In　the　field　of　writing　it　has　been　granted　to　no

person　but　Charles　the　Great　to　influence　profoundly

the　history　of　the　alphabet。　With　rare

insight　and　rarer　taste　he　discountenanced　the　prevalent

Merovingian　hand；　and　substituted　in　eclectic

hand；　known　as　the　Carolingian　Minuscule；　which

way　still　be　regarded　as　a　model　of　clearness　and

elegance。　The　chief　instrument　in　this　reform　was

Alcuin　of　York；　whom　Charles　placed；　partly　for

this　purpose；　at　the　head　of　the　School　of　Tours　in

A。　D。　796。　The　selection　of　an　Englishman　for

the　post　naturally　leads　us　to　inquire　what　hands

were　then　used　in　England；　and　what　amount　of

English　influence　the　Carolingian　Minuscule；　the

foundation　of　our　modern　styles；　exhibits。



〃If　we　gaze　in　wonder　on　the　personal　influence

of　Charles　the　Great　in　reforming　handwriting；　we

shall　be　still　more　struck　by　the　spectacle　presented

to　us　by　Ireland　in　the　sixth；　seventh　and　eighth

centuries。　It　is　the　great　marvel　in　the　history　of

writing。　Modern　historians　have　at　last　appreciated

the　blaze　of　life；　religions；　literary；　and　artistic；

which　was　kindled　in　the　'Isle　of　Saints'　within

a　century　after　St。　Patrick's　coming　（about　A。　D。

450）；　how　the　enthusiasm　kindled　by　Christianity

in　the　Celtic　nature　so　far　transcended　the　limits　of

the　island；　and　indeed　of　Great　Britain；　that　Irish

mi