King of Sweden. We have the authority of Saxo Grammaticus, that Skiold, one of the first Kings of Denmark, fought a duel for a beautiful young woman, and obtained her for a wife. That author relates many duels of the fame kind. It was indeed common among the Scandinavians, before they became Chriftians, to fight for a wife, and to carry off the defired object by force of arms. No cause of war between neighbouring kings was more frequent. Fridlevus King of Denmark fent a folemn embaffy to Hafmundus King of Norway, to demand in marriage his daughter. Hafmundus had a rooted averfion to the Danes, who had done much mischief in

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his country. Go," fays he to the ambaffadors," and demand a wife where you are lefs hated than in Norway." The young lady, who had no averfion to the match, intreated leave,to speak. "You feem," faid fhe, "not to confult the good of your kingdom in rejecting so potent a fon-in-law, who can carry by "force what he is now applying for by "intreaties." The father continuing obftinate, difmiffed the ambaffadors. Fridlevus fent other ambaffadors, redoubling VOL. I. 3 &

his

his intreaties for a favourable answer. Hafmundus faid, that one refufal might be thought fufficient; and in a fit of paffion put the ambaffadors to death. Fridlevus invaded Norway with a potent army; and, after a desperate battle, carried off the lady in triumph.

The figure that women made in the north of Europe by their courage, their beauty, and their chastity, could not fail to produce mutual efteem and love between the fexes: nor could that love fail to be purified into the most tender affection, when their rough manners were fmoothed in the progrefs of fociety. If love between the fexes prevail in Lapland as much as any where, which is vouched by Scheffer in his history of that country, it must be for a reason very different from that now mentioned. The males in Lapland, who are great cowards, have no reafon to defpife the females for their timidity; and in every country where the women equal the men, mutual esteem and affection naturally take place. Two Lapland odes communicated to us by the author mentioned, leave no doubt of this fact, being full of the tendereft fentiments

that

So fhall we quickly end our pleafing pain;

Behold my mistress there,

With decent motion walking o'er the plain.
Kulnafatz my rain-deer,

Look

Could I but know, amid what flowers,

Or in what shade fhe stays,

The gaudy bowers,

With all their verdant pride,

Their bloffoms and their fprays,

Which make my mistress disappear,

And her in envious darknefs hide,

I from the roots and bed of earth would tear.

III.

Upon the raft of clouds I'd ride,

Which unto Orra fly:

O' th' ravens I would borrow wings,

And all the feather'd inmates of the sky:

But wings, alas, are me deny'd,

The ftork and fwan their pinions will not lend,"

There's

There's none who unto Orra brings,

Or will by that kind conduct me befriend.

IV.

Enough, enough! thou haft delay'd
So many fummers days,

The best of days that crown the year,
Which light upon the eye-lids dart,
And melting joy upon the heart:
But fince that thou fo long haft ftay'd,
They in unwelcome darkness disappear.
Yet vainly doft thou me forsake;
I will purfue and overtake.

V.

What ftronger is than bolts of steel?

What can more furely bind?

Love is fironger far than it ;

Upon the head in triumph fhe doth fit;

Fetters the mind,

And doth control

The thought and foul.

VI.

A youth's defire is the defire of wind;

All his effays

Are long delays:

No iffue can they find.

Away fond counsellors, away,

No more advice obtrude:

I'll rather prove

The guidance of blind love;

To follow you is certainly to ftray:

One fingle counfel, tho' unwife, is good.

In the Scandinavian manners here defcribed, is difcovered a ftriking refem

blance