16 G. Stki'hens, 



wedh Sadelen bundit, och giordt narr och gäck aff honom, p. 29(5. — 

 at the måghe shi Folcket en blix for öghonen, p. 279, (= bedraga dem). 

 The above rapid glance over 100 years shows, in Sweden as every- 

 where else in olden times, that a century does great things, but not 

 over-much. A large share of the book-language remains stationary. 

 Some old forms stand side by side with the new. Other things take a 

 sudden leap to »modern» forms, and these are sometimes in fact very 

 old. As usual, outland words and idioms come in. Every writer also, 

 as in all times and countries, largely influences the word-flow b}^ his 

 own constructions and the many words lie himself makes^ some of which 

 remain. Then from the conflux of all kinds of people to the press, we 

 have stores of provincial forms and sounds and vocables. In this way 

 we follow the development, till the centralizing and unifying influences 

 become more and more organized and powerful. 



After this out-look we may now take up the Djefvulens Frästelse, 

 and Erik Nilsson's supplement thereto, the Ars Moriendi, which I some- 

 times also use, naming it B when necessarj'-. 



In this first Swedish book the contractions are few and simple; a 

 dash over a letter means m, n, or e; z marks th, t, dh, es or s; ä and 

 Ö are here first given by ä and ö; å is not markt, only now and then 

 by aa, but aa does not therefore mean à, for we have such things as 

 far and faar, which is not får, and skal and skaal, which is not skål. 

 Misprints in both Nilsson's booklings are very few. His Foreword to the 

 Frästelse is as follows, leaf a ij : «Werdoghastom j gudh fadherr ok herra 

 Herr Jap xaedh gudhz nadh ärchebiscop j vpsala etc. Ericus nicolai Canik 

 iher same stadhz medh alle ödhmywkth sik syälfi'wan redheboen tyl 

 tiänisth ok wurdhoghet. Swa som then thulugha mannen sancte iob 

 hafifuer sakth tha är me??niskenne liff ekke araiath en en stridh här oppa 

 jordherike job vij. Thenna stridhenne, som the helgha skrift'th bewisär. 

 föra menniskenne oppa iij hennes fiende som ära. werdhin ok kroppen 

 ok dyäff'wlen medh sith sälskap. Men. j blandh the?«na iij then störsthe 

 ok Starkeste fiende som menniske?* haffuer den är dyäffwlen Thy jngen 

 makth oppa iorderike kan liknas widh honom job xli Thy säght;r sancte 

 paulus wy fekthom ekke ellerr stridhom moth människiom som ära aif 

 köth ok blodh Men wy stridhom moth the höfl"di?«giar ok moth the wel- 

 logha ok moth the regerare som regera mörkredh här j werdhinne. ad 

 ephe. VI. Thenne fienden gaar kringhon« werdinna swa som eth grömth 



