ANDERS rHYXELL'S HISTORY 01' SWEDEN

Is a more interesting work than might have been imagined, from the little connexion Sweden has possessed with the more cultivated parts of Europe, and the consequently remote and, to our view, resultless character of its heroes and revolutions. The source of this attraction is to be found in the artistical treatment of his subject by ANDERS FRYEELL ; who directly avows this ob- ject in his preface. At first sight, nothing would seem to be much less attractive than a history of the Scandinavian myths, with the almost equally fabulous account of the early Scandinavian period ; and in the late instance of Mr. LAING'S translation we had occa- sion to observe the heaviness and dryness of the best of the original Sagas. Yet the Swedish historian has contrived to impart to this period a good deal of interest, by a judicious imitation of the chroniclers. Discarding the minuteness, digressions, and mere muster-roll of names in the Sagas, and selecting only those more important parts which a critical or poetical mind would deem at- tractive to a modern reader, ANDERS FRYSELL presents them in the style and spirit of his authorities ; rendered more natural, probably, by that primitive cast of mind which seems still to obtain in the far North of Europe. By this means, the early history of the country is made "as amusing as a fairy tale." The judgment of the reader is not offended by unnatural credulity or covert sarcasm, nor his attention wearied by incongruity between the subject and the narrator's mind. We read it as we read a juvenile story, or a legend originating in good faith ; whilst the information upon reli-

gion, manners, and institutions, is still conveyed to us, but without the formality of a disquisition.

This plan of reflecting the original authorities in a reduced and improved form, is in a measure continued to as late a period of the history as the writer has completed, and with the advantage of presenting a fuller view of the story. In the case of multifarious and formal documents, the selected narrative of a trained and judi- cious mind will generally convey a more distinct and vivid impres- sion than the mass could obtain if they were compelled to peruse the original papers. At the same time, much that is characteristic must often be omitted in a classical narrative, as not accordant with the general style ; and something that is essential will so escape in condensation as not to be recognized by one unacquainted with the original. Attar of roses preserves the essential part of many millions of flowers, but the form and colour of the flowers are gone. The artistical treatment of ANDERS FRYXELL, with, very probably, the scanty number of his authorities, has enabled him to overcome much of this evil: the impression left on the reader's mind is probably as full as if he had read the originals. On the other hand, the proper history rather suffers. The introduction of episodical characters and incidents, with occurrences, interesting, but of the nature of news or gossip, breaks the narrative of national events, and will in some measure compel the reader who desires to obtain a distinct view of them to reconstruct the work for himself by marking the more chronicle-like sections for omission in his second reading. Some feeling of this kind seems to have been pre- sent to FRYXELL'S mind, as he intimates that more of the state- paper will be visible in his later narratives. The author at the outset has judiciously divided Swedish history into three great epochs, which thus impress the leading features, like an outline-map. The first epoch, ending in 1061, embraces the fabulous and Pagan period ; and is treated with brevity, though by no means curt. The next is the Roman Catholic period ; limited by FRYXELL to the accession of GUSTAVUS VASA, in 1521, though strictly the Lutheran was not established till some years later : and, except the conquest of Sweden by CHRISTIAN of Denmark, and his horrible tyrannies that led to the insurrection under Gus- TAVUS, the Catholic period is also passed over rapidly. The third or Lutheran epoch might extend to the present time; the author from his preface would seem to contemplate 1660 as a resting- point ; which would leave out CHARLES the Twelfth. At present he stops with the deposition (in 1569) and subsequent death (in 1577) of ERIK, the eldest son and successor of GUSTAVUS VASA.

With the reign of this great monarch, and the events which led to it, the European history of Sweden may be said to commence ; though the European importance of the country has ever depended rather upon the personal character of the sovereign than upon the people. FRYXELL has therefore judiciously treated this period at considerable length : the character of CHRISTIAN of Denmark—his conquest of Sweden by means of intestine divisions and his own hypocritical arts—the murder of the principal nobility and leading men opposed to him in the " blood-bath " of Stockholm—with the other tyrannies that led to the insurrection under GUSTA.VUS VASA, and the reign of that sovereign—occupy nearly the whole of the second volume ; almost as much space being devoted to half a cen- tury as to the preceding thousand years. But the intrinsic character of the events, and the great results to Sweden that flowed from them, do not render this elaboration tedious, but the contrary. Something, too, must perhaps be allowed to association. The ad- ventures of GUSTAVUS in Dalecarnia, and the revolt of the Dale- men, together with the Alfred-like tale of his working in the mines, and a few other incidents to "adorn the tale," have been the theme of novelists and poets in this country. It is true that the hero has not been fortunate in his British Scalds ; but they have done enough to preserve some popular interest in him, though not to preserve themselves. Those who have read BROOKE'S rather rhetorical tragedy of Gustavus Vasa, or the Deliverer of his Coun- try, will be able to compare the poetical with the historical version of events, and to see how very little the invention of the dramatist has improved the reality. Ile may also mark some specks rather than traits in the conduct of GusTAims, such as HumE desiderated in ALFRED the Great to mark his connexion with humanity.

The long period of time over which the history extends renders the traits of character and manners in the volume very various ; the nature of which our extracts will partly indicate.

A COMPRESSED VIEW OF SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY.

All nations have sought by means of a mythology to explain the origin and government of the world, the destiny of man in this life, and his state after death. The belief and ideas entertained by the early Scandinavians on these points may be found detailed in an ancient work entitled the Edda. Ac- cording to that work, there was in the beginning of time, neither earth, ocean, nor sky, but one huge gulf, called Ginnungagap. On the one side of this gulf Jay Niflhem, a region of frost and cold ; on the other Muspelshem, where Sur- tur. reigns, the region of fire and light. When the vapours from Niflhem met the rays from Muspelshem, they obtained life and became a great giant, called Ymer. This giant was evil, as were all his descendants, who were called Rim- tussar. But the three Gods, Odin, Vile, and Ye, killed Ymer ; in whose blood all the Rimtussar were drowned save Bergelmer, who with his wife saved him- self in a boat, and continued the race of the Rimtussar. Ymer's burly was carried by the Gods into Ginnungagap, and of it they made the earth. The blood was turned into sea and lakes, the bones became mountains, the hair grew into forests, the beard into grass, and the teeth became stones. The skull was raised above the earth, and became the firmament. A dwarf was placed under each corner, called East, West, South, and North. The Gods then took sparks from Muspelshem, and placed them as stars in the sky. In the centre of the earth they raised a strong castle made of Ymer's eyebrows. This castle was called Midgard, and there the Gods resided; but the giants were permitted to dwell without on the sea-coasts. The Gods once found on the shore the trunks of two dead trees. Of these they formed the first human beings, Ask and Embla, from whom the human race have since descended; and they dwelt with the Gods in Midgard.

THE STORY OF KING ARE THE OLD.

The sixteenth King of the Ynglingar race was called Ane. He feared war, and therefore remained quietly at home in his own kingdom ; being much ad- dicted to sacrifice. He was conquered and driven out by two foreign Kings, but survived them both, and returned to the throne in Umtata. The last time he was one hundred years old. It is said that he then every tenth year sacri- ficed one of his sons to Odin, that he might live long ; and that he received ten years' life for each son. Thus be sacrificed nine sons, and lived to one hundred and ninety ; but was so weak that he was obliged to lie in bed, and to suck nourishment from a horn like an infant. He, notwithstanding, desired a still longer life, and therefore ordered that his tenth son should be sacrificed: but this the Swedes would not permit, and thus Ane died of old age, without sick- ness or pain ; whence such a death has been called after him Aneeot, and waa considered little commendable by our forefathers.

The following, besides its trait of manners, is curious as ex- hibiting the mode in which the tumulus was formed; the centre- being apparently left open, and filled up last.

THE BURIAL OF HARALD THE DANE.

When King Ring saw the chariot empty, he understood that King Harald. was slain ; he therefore caused a cessation of arms to be blown on the trum- pets, and offered the Danish army peace and quarter : which they accepted.. The next morning Ring caused the field of battle to be carefully searched for King Harald's corpse; which was not found till the middle of the day, under a heap of slain. Ring caused it to be taken up, washed, and honourably treated according to the custom of those times, and laid it in Harald's chariot. A great mound was then raised, and the horse which had drawn Harald during the battle was harnessed to the car, and so the royal corpse was drawn into the mound. There the horse was killed ; and King Ring caused his own saddle to be brought in, and gave it to his friend King Harald, praying him to use it in riding to dwell with Odin in Walhalla. After this, he caused a great funeral feast to be celebrated, and at its conclusion begged all the warriors and chief men who were present to honour Harald by gifts and ornaments. Many precious things were thrown in, large bracelets, and excellent arms; after which the mound was carefully closed and preserved. And King Ring remained sole governor over the whole kingdoms of Sweden and Norway.

When we exchange the Pagan for the Christian period, the stories lose some of their genuine raciness, and take a monkish air, re- minding one of 1:Amu's preference of a national over what may be called a professional literature. The art of FRYXELL, however, is maintained in the telling.

THE STORY OF TORSTEN.

It is said that Bishop Adalward converted a shepherd boy of the name of Torsten win served a peasant in West Gothland. When Torsten after- wards tended the peasant's cattle in the woods, he occupied himself the whole day with serious contemplations and prayers, before a great stone in place of an altar; permitting the cattle meanwhile to wander untended through the wood. Nevertheless, they assembled each evening of their own accord, and none of them was ever missing. The peasant, who was a heathen, hated Torsten for his Christianity ; and when he could find no other cause of complaint against him, crept secretly into the wood, and bound one bf the oxen to a tree. As this animal was wanting at night, the peasant accused the lad ; and, as a punishment for the crime he had invented against him, had him sacrificed on the same stone where he had held his solitary devotions. But from this time forth the peasant's animals began to pine, grew thin, and died; and many thought that this was a punishment for the death of the innocent. Once, as the man had killed an ox, and had already drawn off the hide, his wife began again to lament over Torsten's death, saying, that he was a saint who now dwelt in heaven. The peasant laughed aloud at this, saying, " I no more believe Torsten to be alive now than this ox which I am hewing asunder." But behold ! at these words the killed and flayed ox raised himself suddenly on his four legs; thus, to- the astonishment of all beholders, bearing witness to the sanctity of its former guardian. A little chapel was afterwards erected on this spot to Torsten's honour ; where many miracles are said to have been performed especially upon, the sick cattle of the West Gothland peasantry.

A TRAIT OF NORTHERN MANNERS, circa 1430.

In this manner every attempt failed to help Erik again to the Swenish crown ; and the numerous negotiations which were held for the same purpose were followed by equal failure of success, from Erik's want of sense and honesty, however much the faithful and honest Hans Krtipelin laboured for him. He had long before lost all respect in Denmark. It once happened that the power- ful and illustrious Olof Tott met the King's mistress, damsel Cecilia, riding in a gay and gallant carriage, or Kann as it was then called ; and Herr Olof, not knowing her, took off his hat and saluted her respectfully, as if she bad been a lady of quality. His servants began to smile at this ; and when Olof Tott learnt whom he had saluted, he overturned her carriage in his wrath, drew damsel Cecilia out of it, and giving her three blows with the side of his sword, told her to carry his compliments to King Erik and say, that " she should. part him and Denmark." The want of morals went to such a length, that Dorothea, another of the King's mistresses, bore openly in her seal the words "Dorothea, King Erik's concubine."

The tyrant CHRISTIAN'S career in after life seems to have led to some stories of his infancy similar to those of our RICHARD the Third. His training appears to have been better known than that of the last of the Plantagenets, and to have been of an odd kind according to modern and Southern ideas.

CHRISTIAN IN EARLY LIFE.

He had inherited a difficult temper from King John, who was often extraor- dinarily affected during his latter years, and sometimes even entirely out of his- senses. Many strange things are also related of Christian's birth; that he came into the world with his hand firmly clenched and full of blood, and several similar stories. Once, when his nurse had left him, a monkey, belonging to the King his father, took the little Prince and carried him to the outer roof of the castle, and then back again, without injury. He showed a hard and cruel temper during his earliest childhood. Kiug John boarded him first with Hans the bookbinder, a respected citizen in the town ; and while the Prince eat and slept there, a learned priest was to go there every day to instruct him : but Hans and his wife were soon weary or the unmanageable boy, and gave up the charge. He was now sent to live entirely with the priest; who by all his exhort- ations and severe punishments could never bring the Prince to obedience and discretion. Christian showed in particular a passion for climbing up on the highest walls and roofs : his tutor warned him, "that he who wants to climb. the highest will fall the lowest "; but Christian answered, that " low places only suit low people, but high places were for the high." For this remark the priest punished him severely; but as soon as he was gone Christien recom- menced his old pursuits. Afraid at last ever to leave him at home alone, the priest took him with him to church for both matins and vespers, and then left him to stand among the other children like a choir-boy. This was more, how-

ever, than King John could endure ; who therefore sent for a learned German called Master Conrad, who succeeded in instructing the Prince so far that be was able to write Latin, which was not common at that time. But he showed no great taste for study; and when he became a little older he paid no atten- tion to Master Conrad, but lived according to his own pleasures and tastes, which were not good. There were many who took part with the future Sove- reign in his excesses, seduced him into more, and helped him in their conceal- ment; by which means they sought to gain his favour and profit by it. This company bribed the porters of the palace, so that they often remained out all night, rambling about the town, and bursting here and there into houses, in which they acted many a violent, foolish, or ridiculous scene ; but they chiefly frequented those places in which the best wine and most entertainment were to be found, passing their time in every sort of excess. All this gave rise to a bad report concerning the Prince, which at last reached King John's ears. He called the young Prince to his presence, reproached him severely, and made him serious representations; adding, besides, so expressive a punishment with his whip, that Christian, on his knees, was obliged to beg his father's forgive- ness and promise amendment in future; but King John put little trust either in these promises or the Prince Christian, whom he expected would become a vicious man.

A TRAIT OF CHRISTIAN'S TYRANNY IN SWEDEN.

Christian bid hold of Sir Lindorm Ribbing in donkilping, and beheaded him and his servants. Shortly after, seeing by chance Sir Lindorm's two little boys, the one eight and the other six years old, and fearing their revenge at a future period, he determined to make away with them both. The eldest boy 'ruled out first and was beheaded. The younger looked at the streaming blood and the red stains on his brother's clothes, without knowing what it meant ; but when he was led out he turned with childish innocence to the executioner. and said, "Dear man, don't stain my shirt like my brother's, for then mamma will whip me." The executioner, melted at these words, threw the sword from him, and said, "I would rather blood my own shirt than thine." But the tiger-hearted Christian, who had been an eye-witness of this heart-rending spectacle, was not to be touched by it ; in a fury, he called for a more savage servant, who struck off the heads of the innocent child and the compassionate executioner.

The recorded atrocities of this tyrant raise a wish in the reader's mind that he should have fallen under the swords of the Swedes; but his own conduct worked out for him a severer fate. On his return to Denmark, while his tyranny to his subjects increa- sed, his ill success in his foreign wars weakened his power, and the Danish nobility deposed him. He then became for some years & vagrant. Having endeavoured on several occasions to recover his dominions, he was at last compelled to surrender to the Danish General, upon terms obtained by a rage de guerre on his part.

"Frederick and the Council were in a strait as to whether they could break the conditions already made. Bishop Knot opined that they might be broken ; producing some frivolous reasons as the pretext. These were accepted; and it was determined that Christian should be a prisoner for life in the Castle of Sonderburg, in the island of Femern. King Frederick and his son were even forced to give the Danish nobles a written promise that they would never re- lease that feared and detested prince. "The consultations lasted five days ; during which Christian was obliged to lie before Copenhagen and wait. Some Senators at last came on board, Baying that Frederick was in Flensburg, and there was waiting for Christian. The ships hoisted anchor and steered in that direction ; but he Saw with alarm that they passed that town, and perceived that he had been deceived. He wept bitterly, and lamented that he had fallen into the hands of men who cared neither for oaths, promises, nor seals ' : but none heeded his complaints. Ile was carried deep into the dungeons of Sonderburg Castle, and a dwarf, who was in his service, given him as his only companion. They were left in a dark and narrow prison-vault, in want of every convenience; the door was walled up, with the exception of one small aperture, through which and a little iron-barred window the unhappy prisoner received food and light, but a very scanty allow- ance of both.

"Thus he passed twelve years without the slightest change or improvement. In 1544 the door was opened, and he received fresh air and other conveniences, still under the same strict watch. But in 1549 none thought there was more to fear from an old man now sixty-eight. He was therefore carried to Kallund- borg Castle, where he received permission to entertain himself with hunting or whatever else he pleased. Thus he lived for ten years longer; and ended in 1559 his long, changeful, and instructive life."

Even of this monster it should be observed that we have his history only from his enemies, and they an exasperated class and nation. The object of this policy in Denmark was to raise the peasants and destroy the power of the aristocracy : something of a similar purpose is traceable in his bloody proceedings in Sweden. In both countries the masses leaned to him ; and the Danish pea- santry were always ready to second his efforts to recover the throne. Under such circumstances, we may be sure that his crimes have lost nothing in the narration ; and though these, after every allowance, are more revolting than anything since the tyrants of the Roman Empire, something should be ascribed to the manners of his age and country—more to the insanity that he appears to have inherited from his father.