NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



the freeholder that can pay his taxes, governs his houfe and pof- 

 feilions with as much power and authority as a nobleman; no- 

 body directs or controuls him. This gives them a certain free- 

 dom and generofity of mind ; and if the liberal arts, as I men- 

 tioned above, had here fuch encouragements, as in fome other 

 countries, I do not doubt but that they would make a very great 

 progrefs in a fhort time ; and amongft an equal number of any 

 other nation, our Norwegians would undoubtedly be found of a 

 fuperior genius, to adorn the republic of letters. As a proof of 

 this I will appeal to the writings of fome of our moft eminent 

 authors, whofe works are partly printed and partly in manufcript s 

 fuch are Arctander, Ailac, Berndfen, Bielcke Borck, Brinck, 

 Brunfmand, Camftrup, Cold, Dafs, Ewertfen, Engelbrecht, Fail- 

 ing, Gunnerus '*, Hagerup, Heitmand, Herileb, Hoi berg, Juel> 

 Kraft, Kragelund, Ramus, Schoning, Sperling, Spidberg, Unda- 

 lin, &c. not to mention a great number of very learned Ice- 

 landers whom I do not take notice of here, though they are of 

 Norwegian extra&ion. It is true we have not in Norway, ac- 

 cording to the German faying, fo much Schul-witz or learning, 

 as Mutter- witz or natural- genius. Of our poffeffing the latter 

 there cannot remain the leaft doubt with thofe who have con- 

 verfed with the Norwegians ; for their brains are not frozen up, 

 as the ignorant may imagine, but rather like the air they breathe, 

 clear and penetrating. We find by experience, that thofe who 

 live fartheft up the country, near Tronheim, are the moft inge- 

 nious f. If one enters into converfation with a Norwegian 

 peafant about any fpiritual or temporal affairs, that may come 



* This Norvegian, born in Chriftiania, at prefent Mag. Legens, at the univerfity 

 of Jena, is reckoned by many learned people to be one of the greateff. metaphy- 

 ficians and philolbphers in this learned age, which appeared particularly in the year 

 1748, when he publifhed a demonftration of the exiftence of a God, and the unity 

 of his Being •, correcting and amending the fyftems of thofe who wrote before him 

 on this important fubjedt, with great modefty and ftrength of reafoning. He fhews 

 them how deficient their arguments are to confute Atheifls and Sceptics. See 

 C. Evon Windheim Gottings Philofoph. Biblioth. vol. 1. p. 299, and particularly 

 p. 324, where one of his adverfaries writes of him thus : " I think they have with 

 jufHce ranked Gunnerus among thofe profound philofophers who have left the others 

 far behind," 



*j- Meanly they feek the blefling to combine, 



And force that fun, but on a part to mine 9 



Which not alone the fouthern wit fublimes, 



But ripens fpirits in cold northern climes j 



Which from the firft has fhone on ages paft, 



Enlights the prefent, and fhall warm the laft. 



Pope's Essay on Criticism. 



Part II. S f f within 



