one honest or just action these seven this blessed Parliament) I know no years: Therefore they cannot say honest man but is a kin to the unwhen they die, whose ox, or whose dones; no trade but is undone, no ass, have I taken ? city but is undone; none but knavish Quiet Man. The scripture says, committee-men, parliament-men, ex "Love one another," not kill one another: And again, "He that saith he loves God, and hateth his brother, is a lyar; for how can he love God, whom he never saw, and hate his brother, whom he seeth every day." I hate none, nor will fight with none; for I have learned to know from whence comes wars, strifes, and dissentions, even from their own lusts. I have no enemy worse than myself: Let me fight with my own evil aftections, and conquer them; not for religion, otherwise than the three children in the fiery furnace, We have a God able to deliver us. I hold it unlawful to take up arms against my king, nay, wicked and diabolical; and therefore take him Derick. Well-meaning Man. I believed him at the first, and could not be persuaded that his words, and his intentions, had been died of two several colours; but now I see he is a mere jugler, an impostor, and a parricide, a thief, and therefore deserves to be tried by the known laws, and to be hanged,drawn, and quartered, that is my verdict. Enslaved Man. Never were men made such slaves of, although the law of the land says, that no man shall be destroyed, disseized, or banished, but by the judgment of his peers: Yet we are bridled, saddled, and rid hackney at their pleasure; every lousy rascal in the army shall command our persons and purses; so the devil rides the army, the army rides the parliament, the parliament rides the people, and they, like patient asses, must undergo all the burden, or else be imprisoned, sequestered, plundered, taxed, and undone. I say he deserves death. Lost All. I am sure I am plundered of all, they have not left me worth a groat; what with free quarters, sessments, and the devil and all; I have lost all that I dearly earned, and laboured for with the sweat of my brows, and now I must beg in my old days; hang him, I say. Undone Man.. I am not alone undone, many a thousand are undone as well as I the undones are now the greatest family in England, (thank cise-men, and their vermin, the soldiers thrive in these days; they get, and grow rich, whosoever looses: Well, I think this Parliament was begotten in an ill hour, for we never enjoyed happy days since they first sat; they have undone king, church, and people, and brought all in bondage, from the highest to the lowest, (themselves excepted) I say, he deserves to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. Foreman of the Jury. You are all agreed then to give in your verdict? Omnes. We are all agreed; guilty, guilty. Crier. Make way there for the jury. Righteous Judge. Parliament, hold up thy hand; masters of the jury, look upon the prisoner; is he guilty of this treason, rebellion, bloodshed, felony, &c. in manner and form, as he stands indicted, or not guilty? Foreman. Guilty, guilty, my lord. Righ. Judge. Parliament, thou hast heard the heinous accusation that hath been proved against thee; what canst thou say for thyself to award the sentence of death from passing on thee? Purl. The jury have dealt falsly; I appeal to Synod, Scot, and Independency, to plead my cause. Judge. There is no appeal from this court; besides, Synod, Scot, and Independency, are parties, and subborned, and as very thieves as thyself; if thou hast any thing to say, speak, for now the sentence of death is passing upon thee. Parl. O hold, hold, good, my lord, have mercy upon me; I beseech your honour forbear sentence, even for reformation sake, the directory, and new catechism. Good Lord deliver me. Judge. Here is no place of mercy for thee: God's vengeance cannot be dispensed withal, no privilege will help thee bere; this is à court where justice must take place. Parl. I beseech your lordship for the mercy of this honourable bench, let me have the benefit of the clergy, a psalm of mercy, I beseech you; my mind ever more at liberty than when I could live according to my own ideas. Here I had brought every thing to my own standard. I could labour or rest, sleep or keep awake, when I pleased-I could ei ther undertake serious things or amuse myself with trifles-Every oc cupation had its due time and order. After being forced from this happy situation, I passed several days in searching through the remains of the city to find a suitable place of resi dence. After several days enquiry, I was fortunate enough to find a place where I could, in some degree, bring my things in order, and resume, in a very great measure, my former man ner of living. Judge. No, thou hast robbed the clergy, and hadst no mercy on thy brother, neither must thou expect any mercy from this court; therefore hear thy sentence: thou hast been indicted and arraigned of enmity against God and the King, of treason, rebellions, bloodsheds, thefts, &c. for thy trial thou hast put thyself upon thy country, which country hath found thee guilty. Thou hast had liberty to plead for thyself, to award the sentence of death, but canst not: for thy guilt is so palpably apparent and gross, that all the subtlety, craft, and policy thou canst devise, cannot obscure thee from the eve of justice: Among those great misfortunes, for this court, upon thy trial, hath from which a new era may be dated, found out thy villany, treason, blood- I think we have much right to reckon shed, sacrilege, theft, and how thou the fire of Copenhagen. Here, as art guilty of all that is laid to thy in the centre of the kingdom, every charge: therefore, the sentence of convenience was to be met with this court is-That thou shalt return conducive to the ornament or strength to the place from whence thou of the whole Danish territory.— camest, and from thence be drawn on However, even after the course of a sledge to the place of execution, three weeks from the time when the there be hanged, drawn and quar- fire first commenced, scarcely a day tered:-Look to him jailor. passed without the hazard of new dangers. For instance, when we heard of the flames bursting out afresh in any part of the city, while the most expeditious means were used to quench them, it was not uncommon to hear of another accident of the same description in quite a different part. Hence, fresh ap prehensions were entertained, and new predictions of calamity were broached, so that numbers of people were deprived of rest several nights together. To others these accidents -appeared so very unaccountable, that they foretold nothing less than the destruction of the whole place. Some minds were so embittered that they insisted there must be incendiaries amongst us, and that they ought to be sought out and punished accord ing to their demerits. But I have long since learned, by experience, that one misfortune generally brings another with it, and that one fire is commonly followed by another. I am certain that this happened twice at least in Bergen: and that as the inhabitants of that place had also made the same observation, whenever Parl. Good, my Lord, the King's pardon, I beseech you. Judge. No, you must receive no message from him:-take him away jailor. All rebels that make war against their king, The LITERARY LIFE and TRAVELS of I [Continued from p. 274] T was extremely mortifying to me to leave my old lodging and my landlord, and particularly my study, in which I had fitted up every thing to my own taste; a place too where I had passed so many years of my life with so much pleasure and tranquillity among my books and manuscripts. In fact, I was more affected by the loss of my dwelling, than by that of my property; as I always found my account in passing my life in stillness and quietness; nor was a fire happened there, they of course generally prepared for another. deterred by the difficulties connected with it. Having weighed these obBut after time had in some degree stacles, and having overcome them, worn off the edge of the calamity, at least in my own mind, and feeling and measures were adopting for re- of course that I should by this meabuilding with as much dispatch as sure recommend myself to my counpossible, then we knew something of try, I was induced to undertake it the number of wise-heads which from the importance of the thing Copenhagen contained. There were itself or at least I determined to try as many projectors as heads, and as whether my zeal and abilities would many architects as labourers-and as be equal to the task. many senates as houses. One would The whole work, when happily have thought the whole city to have been a Collegium Politicum, so great were the number of statesmen which seemed to have sprung out of the ashes. Scarcely a pilot was then to be found who did not pretend to know more of every thing than steering of a ship. Scarcely a shoemaker could be persuaded to stick to his last; yet when money was called for to realize some of these plans, and I which was laid upon every house, never was there more difference of opinion. Amidst this general stir, I was resolved not to be idle: I accordingly drew up my thoughts upon what I had seen and heard, and had afterwards the pleasure of hearing that the king himself had read it through several times. Of course I experienced much pleasure in thinking that so small a trifle had engaged the attention of so great a monarch. At length, every thing being settled as well as could be expected after so great a change as the fire had occasioned, I was in a situation to prosecute my studies afresh; and by the following winter I had completed the work which had been long in hand, in 1720, it appeared under the title of "A Description of the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway." It was three times printed in the course of two years, that is to say, twice in Danish and once in the German languages. brought to perfection, consisted of three parts. The first contained the history of the Danes from the foundation of the kingdom till the reign of. Christian II. In this first part I examined very carefully the sources from whence the celebrated Hirtfeld borrowed his history, by which means I not only corrected numerous errors, but was enabled to make many improvements. Those manuscripts, books and documents, from whence I derived most assistance, I have mentioned in my preface-and the great number of historians quoted in the margin, are a sufficient indication of the magnitude of the materials out of which my own history is drawn. The second part appeared in the following year. The exploits of Christian the Fourth occupy nearly one half, and which I have borrowed mostly from manuscripts and unpublished documents, and among them many letters written in his majesty's own hand, which renders this part extremely valuable. The third part contained the history of Frederick the Third. To this was added an index to the whole, and instead of a preface, I added some thoughts on the historians of the north. A considerable portion of this history likewise consists of documents, private letters and other manuscripts; and I can add with truth that I have thus produced a history of the Danish people truly original. In consequence of this success, I was encouraged to undertake a more arduous and important work, and ac- From the moment I first conceived cordingly resolved upon commencing the idea of writing this history, I was a history of Denmark from the earli- sensible I should want a number of est period to the present time. This memorials, manuscripts, &c.; on was a work of such difficulty that no that account I spared no pains in one had before undertaken it. Every searching for them all over the kingone, who wished to afford so much dom, and I have the pleasure to add, service to their country as this, was that those persons who were ac quainted with my design, vied with each other in their endeavours to accominodate me. In the next place, I undertook to revise all my plays, both printed and in manuscript. In the new edition, consisting of five parts, there is twenty-five different pieces. Those which have never been played, are, Rasmusberg; the Invisible; Noble Ambition, or the Folly of aspiring after Titles; the Happy Shipwreck; the Panic, &c. All my comedies are philosophic and moral; though, judging from the titles only, they might be supposed mere levities. that you may at any time much sooner find a gentleman than a commoner. But leaving others, I will speak only of myself; some people imagine that my narrow and recluse way of life is owing to mere avarice; but to do away this objection, I believe I give away as much every year to the poor, as would maintain an idle footman. I have very clean and handsome apartments;-I wear very good clothes:-I often purchase new books; and lastly, that I might be justified from all suspicion of avarice, I have consigned over the whole of my property for the good of In my first letters I have men- the state. A plan for an establishtioned an introduction to the history ment, consistent with this intention, of the rights of nations. I also men- has been already arranged, and this tioned, that at first it was by no means I shall lay before you: I presume popular; however, after the course that it promises the public consi. of a few years it became so scarce, derable benefit. that as no copies were to be procured at any price, two more editions have been printed. The title to the last edition I altered. It is now "The System of the Nature and Rights of Nations;" the last edition has an index also which was wanting in the former. I still study as much as my weak state of body will allow. I write, read, and think, in as great a degree as my residence in a city will permit, and which you know is fruitful in almost every thing that can prevent person from studying. But what will probably surprise many person is, that in the midst of all this smoke, I live in a manner like a hermit. These works will sufficiently prove that I have not spent my time in idleness; but to what advantage, belongs to others to determine. As I always assign two or three hours you enquire in your last into the par- of an afternoon to recreation, and ticulars of my present situation, I either take a walk or visit a friend must inform you that I still con- The rest of the day I devote party tinue my former manner of living; to labour, and partly to music; in and, notwithstanding my circum- these changes, my only and greatest stances are so much bettered that pleasure consists. to history and geography, which is I could expend much more, I never For the improvement of youth, I not this as laughable as when I first since I have begun to attach myself tion of Christianity, to the Reformato Mercury, that I have not been tion by Luther." This work has sold faithful to Minerva? Quis locus ingenio, nisi quis se carmine solo ceret? extremely well, notwithstanding the Universal Histories before. My book world was pretty well-stocked with possesses many advantages over others; the errors of the fathers are by no means concealed; and even when heretics have deserved praise, I have not withheld it from them. Popes of Rome that credit which has been their due. Besides this, I have all along availed myself of the assistance of profane history. Every where I have taken care to discover the causes of insurrection and distur bances among the different parties, and to shew how heresies have originated with them, &c. Certainly I persuaded myself that I should now leave my studies entirely; because I well knew that very few men are able to perform offices so dissimilar to each other. In fact, I have not denied to the And as I knew likewise that my new office would most certainly prevent me from publishing any more for some time, I have endeavoured to encourage others under my jurisdiction to pursue this mode of displaying their talents to the world, by promising a reward to the most meritorious writer. By so doing, I have endeavoured to soften the objections of those who look upon me as a person misplaced in my new office. Those indeed who think I ought not to have left off writing for the sake of the place I hold, judge with too much rigour. What! after almost forty years continual drudgery may I seek no relaxation? People in general, who have been in similar situations most commonly do so without At length, being doubtful whether my health would permit me to publish much more, I began to encou rage the young students of the school in the composition of short poems, upon moral subjects. This was warmly engaged in at first; but time cooled that ardour, and I found that new motives, if not new men, would be wanting to continue any exercises of this kind. incurring any blame. This is my My next work was "A Compariusual apology. However, after I be- son between the history and exploits came treasurer, I laid by all other of a number of eminent men among kind of reading, and for some months the Orientals and the Indians, after read nothing but treatises on arith- the manner of Plutarch." I afterwards metic My natural propensities for other pursuits, however, it is not in my power to extinguish altogether. Some sparks were still glimmering among the ashes, which at length kindlad the former flame; and what -the poet said of another, I may now apply to myself -tenet insatiable multos Scribendi cacoëthes, et aegre in corde senescit. brought forward a Description of my birth-place, Bergen, in Norway.The remarkable events which have occurred there, and the many parties by which Bergen has been used as a theatre of civil contention afford ample matter for description. Leaving books, I assure you that my office as treasurer often obliges ceipts and letters, and to make a me to pass many days in writing re expenditure. number of entries as to income and Hence I have since divided my time Besides this, I have between Mercury and Minerva; and the trouble of attending to my estate never have I found myself more dis- of Brorup, in Zealand, which you posed to follow my studies than in know I purchased some years ago. autumn and the beginning of winter. Sometimes I am consequently obliged Having turned my mind to the to hear the complaints of the peasants, writing of an ecclesiastical history and sometimes to contend with my in the Danish language, and which neighbours. I however have taken had been some time in hand, I have special care to avoid law-suits, by lately completed, and published it accommodating differences in as under the title of "An Universal friendly a manner as possible.Church History, from the promulga- But in the country this will not always |