DENMARK DENNEll. 



643 



foreign improvements were adopted. Denmark has 

 always been more distinguished for its naval than its 

 land forces. The Datiish admiralty deserves the 

 general gratitude for the publication of the charts 

 prepared under the direction of Paul de Lowenorn, 

 and greatly increased in value by learned illustra- 

 tions. Further improvements were made in this 

 department by U. S. Rosenwinge, who died in 

 1820. The numerous editions of Lous's nautical 

 works, among a people who despise all theory, if it 

 cannot be reduced to practice, bear witness to their 

 practical excellence. The investigation of the an- 

 tiquities of the country has received much attention 

 from the following scholars, some of whom are still 

 living: Viborg, N. E. P. Grundtvig, Sandtvig, 

 Thorkelin, Thorlaclus, Nyenip and Rhabeck. The 

 two last published Contributions to the History of 

 Danish Poetry (Copenhagen, 1800 8 in 4 vols.), 

 and, with Abraliamson, the Collection of Poems of 

 the Middle Ages. 



The poetry of the Danes, in modern times, has 

 been splendid. It began with religious pieces and 

 national songs, of which the Danes have a great 

 number, and may be considered as having commenc- 

 ed with Andr. Chr. Arreboe, who died in 1637. 

 The Hexaemeron of Arreboe is extremely heavy. 

 Andr. Bording (died 1677) took Opite for his pat- 

 tern. Poetic vigour, however, is wanting in him and 

 in his successors, Jens Steno Schestedt (died 1698), 

 Paul Pettersen, the poet of the people, William Kelt, 

 who flourished about 1703, Nicholas Kingo (died 

 1703, while bishop), who celebrated the achievements 

 of the Danish kings in a heroic poem, and George 

 Lorterap, (died 1722). Much improvement was in- 

 troduced about the middle of the eighteenth century, 

 by the ardent enthusiasm of Louis Holberg, a Nor- 

 wegian. He deserves to be particularly mentioned 

 here, as an original comic and satirical poet. (For a 

 further account of his works, see Holberg.) The 

 society established in 1758, for the advancement of 

 the fine arts, and the improvement of taste, brought 

 into notice the works of men of talents, among whom 

 tiie original Ch. B. Tullin (who died in 1765) was 

 most distinguished. In the second half of the eigh- 

 teenth century, a warm literary controversy com- 

 menced, and many estimable poets, including several 

 Norwegians, made successful attempts in various de- 

 partments of literature. Even at present, however, 

 they are much given to the imitation of foreign 

 models. 



Among late poets most distinguished, are the tra- 

 gedian and lyric poet, John Ewald(q. v.) ; N. Weyer 

 (1788, a poet of much talent; he is the author of 

 Poet. Forsoeg, Copenhagen, 1789); the lyric poet and 

 dramatist, Rahbeck ; the satirical and comic poets, 

 Guldberg, and John. Herm. Wessel the latter the next 

 comic writer after Holberg, and famous for his 

 comedy, Love without Stockings, and many comic 

 poems. Rahbeck published the fourth edition of his 

 poems in 1817. Other distinguished poets are P. A. 

 Heiberg, En. de Falsen (died 1808), the lyric and 

 dramatic Brun, Th. Thaarup (q. v.), who wrote much 

 for the stage, J. C. Tode, Ch. Lovinus, Sander, 

 Pram, the successful poet of the people, Frimann, 

 Rein-Storm (the last are Norwegians), a female writer 

 named Brun, who has written spirited poetry in the 

 German language, Jens Baggesen, a lyric poet, full 

 of animation and strength, though at times heavy, 

 and Oehlenschlager, whose best pieces are Ha- 

 kon Jarl, Planatoke, Axel und fFalburg, Correg- 

 eio, Aladdin, The Shepherd's Boy. The last men- 

 tioned poets are to be numbered, also, among Ger- 

 man authors, as they all write in that language like- 

 wise. B. S. Ingemann now shares the public favour 

 with Oehlenschlager. Of late years, much has been 



translated from the German. An epic poem, called 

 the Deliverance of Israel, in eighteen cantos, by J. 

 M. Herz, which obtained the prize of the society of 

 fine arts, notwithstanding this honour, seems to have 

 met but a cold reception from the public. Copen- 

 hagen could probably boast of the youngest author- 

 ess in Europe. Virgilia Christ. Lund, at the age of 

 only ten years, published in 1820, a piece called Two 

 for One, and subsequently a small dramatic piece, 

 The Faithless Maid Discovered. The irritability of 

 poets is nowhere more striking than in Denmark 

 where they are constantly quarrelling. This pole- 

 mical spirit is very strong in N. F. Sev. Gruntvig, 

 by whom two quarto volumes of the Chronicles of 

 Denmark, by Saxo Grammaticus, have been trans- 

 lated into Danish (Copenhagen, 181819), and given 

 to the public. 



The musical productions of Denmark have been 

 inferior in richness and abundance to the literary. 

 Thorwaldsen (q. v.) has roused the ambition of his 

 country to aspire to excel in the fine arts. Under 

 his direction, many promising Danish youth, as, for 

 instance, Freund, have been and are still receiv- 

 ing instruction. Lahde has published sketches of 

 the works of Thorwaldsen, with poetical explan- 

 ations by Oehlenschlager. Intellectual activity is 

 kept up, in Denmark, by many excellent periodi- 

 cals. There are many well-ordered literary societies ; 

 and lately the study of the Scandinavian language 

 and antiquities has grown so fashionable, that a Scan- 

 dinavian literary society was instituted at the com- 

 mencement of the present century. The Transac- 

 tions of this Society amount already to 16 vols. (Co- 

 penhagen, 1819), and contain a variety of excellent 

 treatises. The Arnae-Magnaean commission, and 

 the royal society for the preservation of antiquities, 

 protect the monuments of antiquity that belong to 

 the country ; and the promotion of mental cultiva- 

 tion is intrusted to the northern society of science, 

 the society for the encouragement of the fine arts 

 and of taste, the society of medicine and rural 

 economy. 



All these attempts of the Danish literati have been 

 encouraged by the government. The measurement 

 of a degree from Lauenburgh to Scagen has been 

 continued without intermission, under the direction 

 of professor Schumacher. It is conducted on strictly 

 scientific principles, and the instruments are excel- 

 lent, made by Reichenbach, and furnished by the go- 

 vernment. This measurement will perhaps deter- 

 mine, at last, whether confidence ought to be placed 

 in the French surveyors, or the English under Mudge, 

 or in neither of them. The government assist in the 

 publication of many excellent works, because the 

 Danish public is so small that they would not pay 

 the expense of printing them. In this way the 

 Flora Danica, for example, is published ; also Thor- 

 lacius and Werlauf s editions of the Norwegian His- 

 tory of Snorro Sturleson, and the Law of Lagaboter 

 Gulething, by king Magnus. The inquiries into the 

 origin ot the northern languages, which Rask it 

 is well known, has sought for on Caucasus itself, 

 were encouraged by the government, which has also 

 promoted the publication of Nyerup's Catal. Librtrum 

 Samscritanorum, ft/as Bibl. Univ. Hafniensis vel dedit 

 vel paravit Nath. fPillich (Copenhagen, 1821). The 

 collection of medals at Copenhagen received its pre- 

 sent importance from the care of the reigning king. 

 The fund ad usus publicos is applied to the support 

 of distinguished young men on scientific journeys. 

 In the year 1829, Mr Bowring was in Copenhagen, 

 collecting materials for an English translation of 

 ancient Danish ballads, and the most celebrated 

 lyrical pieces of modern Danish poets. 



DENNER, BALTHASER, acelebrated portrait paiu- 



