2 6 
TRAVELS 
of infcriptions at Trolhatta, become fometimes fo digreftive from 
their fubjed, that travellers are found mutually reviling, and 
making perfonal allufions to one another. At laft the poor book 
itfelf was rudely attacked by the malignity of certain fplenetic 
perfons, who were not fatisfied with making many peevifli com¬ 
ments, but even went the length of mutilating it, by tearing out 
Lome of its leaves. On my return through that place in 1800, 
the infeription I had left in 1799 was not to be found. The 
reafon why it had been implicated in the fame fate with others, 
and torn out, I am wholly at a lofs to imagine. I do not re¬ 
coiled: the very words, but I am certain that there was nothing 
in the fentiments that could be juft matter of offence to any 
body. What I faid was to this effed: that the catarads and 
works at Trolhatta were objeds which abundantly compenfated 
to two Italian travellers the want of any thing curious in the 
fouthern parts of Sweden, and which could make them forget 
the beauties of their native country. I replaced my infeription 
with the addition of the following beautiful lines by the Abbe 
Delille :— 
x ' . ■' 
Que ne peut point de l’art l’adivite feconde! 
C’eft par elle que l’homme eft fouverain du monde, 
De la nature en vain tu crois naitre le roi, 
Mortel! fans le travail rien n’exifte pour toi. 
Ce globe n’eft foumis a ta vafte puiffance, 
Qu’ a litre des conquets, et non pas de naiflance. 
Et 
