RUN 



R U N 



There is extant a coin of king Offa with a Runic in- 

 fcription, which fhews, that this character had been ufed by 

 the Saxons as well as their Scandinavian brethren. 



There are alfo Runic infcriptions in this ifland ; one in 

 Cumberland, and another in Scotland. See Hickes' Thef. 

 Ling. Sept. 



But the converfion of the Saxons to Chriitianity, which 

 happened before the feventh century, entirely banifhed the 

 common ufe of thofe characters, which were efteemed un- 

 hallowed and necromantic ; and with their ancient fupcr- 

 ftitions, which yet prevailed for fome time in the popular 

 belief, abolifhed in fome meafure their native and original 

 vein of poetical fabling. They fuddenly became a mild 

 and poliihed people, addicted to the arts of peace and theex- 

 ercile of devotion ; and the poems they have left us are 

 chiefly moral rhapfodies, fcriptural hillories, and religious 

 invocations, intermixed even with frequent allufions to the 

 old Scaldic fables and heroes. See Scalds. 



We may here obferve, that the enchantments of the 

 Runic poetry are very different from thofe in our romances 

 of /airy. The former chiefly deal in fpells and charms, 

 luch as would preferve from poifon, blunt the weapons of 

 an enemy, procure victory, allay a tempeft, cure bodily 

 difeafes, or call the dead from their tombs ; in uttering a 

 form of words, or inferibing Runic characters ; whereas 

 the magicians of romance are chiefly employed in forming 

 and conducting a train of deceptions. In the incan- 

 tations of the former there is an air of barbaric horror : 

 the latter often prefent vifions of pleafure and delight ; and 

 although not without their alarming terrors, fometimes lead 

 us through flowery forelts, and raife up palaces glittering 

 with gold and precious (tones. The Runic magic is more 

 like that of Canidia, in Horace ; the romantic refembles 

 that of Armida, in Taflb. The operations of the one 

 are frequently but mere tricks, in comparifon of that 

 fublime folemnity of necromantic machinery, which the 

 other fo awfully difplays. 



In the tenth and eleventh centuries the Runic gave way 

 to the Roman character ; till at length the mifiionaries fuc- 

 ceeded in totally abolifhing them, as tending to retain the 

 people in their ancient fuperftitions. It is faid that the 

 Goths, when they became Chriiliaus, manifelled a blind 

 and indilcreet zeal in deftroying fcveral ancient monu- 

 ments, and burning a great number of books, becaufe they 

 were written with thofe characters ; and that about the 

 year iooi, the Runic characters were quite laid afide in 

 Sweden, and the Roman letters taken in their room, the 

 Swedes being perfuaded to adopt this meafure by the pope, 

 and by Sigfrid, a Britifh biihop. In Spain they were for- 

 bidden in 1 136 by Alphonfo, king of Cailille and Navarre, 

 and condemned by the council of Toledo in 11 15. They 

 are, however, (till retained among the mountaineers of 

 one province in Sweden. Mallet's Northern Ant. vol. i. 

 p. 359, &c. 



It is fuppofed they were called Runic, as being myfleri- 

 ous and fcientifical, like the Egyptian hieroglyphics. See 

 Wormius de Literatura Runica ; and Hickes's Thefaurus 

 of the ancient Northern Languages. 



In feveral parts of Sweden, itones may be met with, 

 which were formerly fet up as obclifks in memory of the 

 dead ; and thefe monuments are marked with the ancient 

 northern letters called Runor, or the Runic characters. In 

 tome places the characters vary from the Runic, parti- 

 cularly iu free-flones found in Helfinglai a, of winch Mr. 

 Celfius has given us a defcription, with an explanation. 

 See Philof. Tranf. N° 445. feet. 3. 



From thefe Helfingland infcriptions an alphabet of fix- 

 teen letters may be derived, which i„ very lingular. In 



other alphabets different founds are generally denoted bj 

 different figures ; but here the fame character, according 

 to the diverfity of its place and altitude between two paral- 

 lels, denotes different founds. 



But thefe characters, however different they may appear 

 at the firft fight from the Runic, may eafily be derived 

 from them ; or, vice •uerfd, the Runic may be derived from 

 the Helfingic, if thefe be fuppofed the mod ancient. The 

 fubtracrion of a perpendicular line in the firit cafe, or its 

 addition in the latter, brings the two characters to a near 

 refemblance. 



The infeription, which Mr. Celfius confiders, was pub- 

 lifhed in Monf. de la Motraye's Travels, but erroneoufly. 



Runic Staffs were a kind of calendars or compendious 

 almanacs uled in the North, marked out by lines upon 

 fhort pieces of board or fmooth flicks ; fome of which 

 bear the appearance of great antiquity. They were called, 

 in the North, rim-Jlocks and prim-Jlaffs ; and exhibited, by 

 different line9 or marks, the falls and feftivals, the golden 

 number, Dominical letter, epaft, &c. Dr. Plot, in his 

 Hiitory of Staflordfhire, p. 418, &c. defcribes one of 

 thefe inltruments under the name of a clog, and illuftrates 

 the conftrudtion of it by a figure. He oblerves, that this 

 kind of almanac is a remain of the Danifh government, and 

 that it was (till in ufe amonglt the meaner tort of people. 

 Thofe which he met with in Staflordfhire had only the 

 prime and immoveable feafts upon them ; whereas others of 

 a more perfedt kind, preferved in the cabinets of the curious, 

 have likewife the Dominical letters. And of thofe im- 

 perfecta ones there are two kinds ; fome public, of a larger 

 fize, which were commonly hung at one end of the mantle- 

 tree of the chimney, for the ufe of the whole family, as 

 Wormius informs us they difpofed of them in Denmark ; 

 and others private, of a fmaller fize, which they carried in 

 their pockets. This chronological inftrument is fometimes, 

 by an evident corruption, called runjlock. 



RUNJETZ, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the 

 circle of Chrudim ; nine miles N. of Chrudim. 



RUNIUS, John, in Biography, one of the molt cele- 

 brated of the Swedifh poets, was born at Weft Gothland 

 in 1679. Having received the early parts of his education 

 at Skara, he went, in 1700, to Upfal, and after com- 

 pleting his fludies, was appointed by count Stromberg 

 to be his fecretary. He died at Stockholm of a confump- 

 tion in 17 13, in the 35th year of his age. He is faid to 

 have written Swedifh poetry at the age of 18, which dif- 

 piayed great beauty, and afterwards produced a variety of 

 pieces on different fubjefts, which added very greatly to his 

 poetical fame. He wrote with fo much care, and his verfi- 

 Gcation is fo fmooth and plcafing to the ear, that he is ac- 

 counted by the Swedes one of the molt fuccefsful of their 

 poets. " Some of his poems are faid to he very excellent, 

 but many of them bear evident marks of carelefliiefs and 

 haite, for he experienced the common lot of genius, having 

 been doomed, throughout life, to druggie with all the ills 

 of poverty ; and his diltrclles would have prefled upon him 

 much heavier, had he not been frequently relieved by count 

 Stromberg." His poems, which lie began to collect in his 

 life -time, when he found that they were in general requell, 



were publifhed, after his deceafe, under the title of " Du- 

 daim," Stockholm, 17 14, in two parts; the firft contains 

 facred poems, and the fecond epithalamia, epitaphs, and 

 congratulatory odes. In 1733 both pails weir reprinted, 

 wild tin- addition of a third, containing pieces on different 

 fuhjects, among which were feveral poems written in Greek, 

 French, and German. Gen. Biog. 



RIINKEL, in Geography, a town of Germany, in the 

 county of VVied-Runkel, Utuated on the Lahn, and con- 

 fining 



