68 THE KING'S MIRROR 



penhagen, and for half a century longer the Norwegians 

 were unable to do anything to promote the publication 

 of historical materials. However, four years after the 

 Soro edition had come from the press, a society of Norse- 

 men at the University of Copenhagen was organized, the 

 purpose of which was to further the cause of Norwegian 

 autonomy. After Norway in 1814 resumed her place 

 among the nations of Europe, it was only natural that 

 Norwegian scholars should be attracted to the Old 

 Norse treasures of the middle ages. So far as the means 

 of the impoverished state would allow, publication of 

 the sources of Norwegian history was undertaken. The 

 first Norwegian historian of distinction was Rudolf Key- 

 ser, professor in the University of Christiania. In his 

 efforts to draw the attention of his countrymen to the 

 glories of earlier centuries, he was soon reenforced by 

 his younger contemporary, the fiery and industrious 

 scholar and investigator Peter Andreas Munch, who, 

 though his work is somewhat marred by the fervor of 

 his patriotism, has not yet found a superior among the 

 historians of the North. Soon a third was added to these 

 two: Carl R. Unger, a man of remarkable abilities as a 

 linguist. These three now undertook to edit a series of 

 Old Norse texts, among which was the King's Mirror, 

 which was published under the auspices of the Univer- 

 sity of Christiania in 1848. 



The Christiania edition is based on the main manu- 

 script of the Speculum Regale, the manuscript 243 B of 

 the Arnamagnean collection. This was produced in Nor- 

 way some time during the last quarter of the thirteenth 



