mer times. 



NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 247 



fcating, climbing fteep rocks and forging iron. The other part 

 of their education confifted in writing the Runic chara&er, blow- 

 ing the horn *, and compofing fongs, and odes. Hence king 

 Harald Haardraade, fpeaks thus of himfelf; • 



" Ithrottir kan ek attae, 



Ygs fet ek lid at fmida, 



Faeur er ek huaft a hefti, 



Hefik fund numit ftundum, Noble exer- 



Skrida kan ek a fkidum T e 



Skyt ek ok raek me at nytir, 



Tho laetr geraar i gordum 



Gollrings ved mer fkolla. 

 Which is thus translated by Wormius, " Exercitia o&o novi, 

 ftrenue dimicare audeo, equo viriliter infidere valeo, aliquando et 

 natare confuevi, in foleis ligneis currere novi, jaculandi et remi- 

 gandi arte bene polleo, attamen virgo Ruflica me fpernit. 



Rognauld Kolfon, count of the Orkneys, writes thus of himfelf 

 and his arts. 



" Taft em ek aurr at ofla 



Ithrottir kan ek niu 



Tyni et tradla runum 



Tid er mer bok og fmider 



Skrida kan ek a ikidum 



Skyt ek ok rx rua nytir 



Huort veggia kan ek huggin 



Harpfkatt ok brog thaetta. 

 i. e. Ludum fcacchicum exercere promptus fum, exercitia noran 

 calleo, novi exarare litteras runicas, affuetusfum libroetarti fabrili, 



* Next to founding the horn, which is a kind of hautboy, they have a mufical 

 inftrument, which the Norwegian farmers call lang-leek; this has fix brafs wires 

 ftretched upon a founding board about four feet long, and fix inches broad j the found 

 of which will hardly pleafe a delicate ear; but the peafant prefers it to a ghittar, or 

 lute. But the violin is the inftrument moft admired by our peafants, and is fome* 

 times made ufe of in thefe parts not very feafonably, I mean in the houfe of mourn- 

 ing, where they will fit at the head of the coffin playing all day long, perhaps to 

 drive away melancholy. They do the fame when the corps is carrying to church in 

 a boat, which is frequent in the weftern parts. But this is not fo ftrange, as an old 

 and fuperftitious cuflom in fome places in the diocefe of Chriftianfand; where they 

 afk the dead perfon why he died? if his wife was not kind to him? or his neighbours 

 civil to him? m fome places in Lardal in the diocefe of Bergen, every one that come* 

 into the room where the corps is, falls on his knees at the coffin, and begs forgive- 

 nefs from the deceafed if they have ever offended him. The reverend H C A?che 

 has told them that it is very foolifh, and too late to afk forgivenefs at fucb a time' 

 but he can hardly break oft fuch an iftVeterate cuftom; 



in 



