-ox^ 61 y~<>- 3. Boðsbréf Rasks til Englendíngaj til að styrkja hið íslenzka Bókmentafélag. Leith á Skotlandi 21. Scptembr. 18151. For a pretty long lime all the Gothic nations, in æmulation of one another, liave taken a peculiar care lo preserve the antiqvities of the whole tribe of their common ancestors, as being nearly connected with their national glory and a material branch ol' ancient history, very nsefull to keep up the public spirit and interesting to men of letters. IJut I wonder how they could overlook the noblest of all those sacred rclicks and carelessly leave it to the all destroying injuries of time. This most valuable remainder of Gothic antiqvity, almost the only one preserved in Iceland, is certainly the ancient general language of all the kingdoms of the North, which is still spoken throughout that island to a truly astonishing degree of purity and ele- gance. This I may pretend to ascertain for, having travelled through the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden and parts of Norway in order to study the ianguages and philological antiqvities of the North, I have now spent these two years in travelling around the island of lceland to inqvire into the present state of that remarkable language and in every corner ol' the counlry I have been able to converse with tlie natives in the ancient scandinavian tongue, and I have found.them reading still the old sagas of the champions of the heroic age, nay there are some songs of Edda celebrating the exploits of the heathen deities still understood by every peasant boy with exception of a few difficull words. But as tlie poverty of the people has increased, printing almost is fallen into disuse, and the literature and language are certainly in a declining state; the most valuable productions of wit and learning of later times, exisling only in manuscripts and in danger of being lost for ever. As for instance a most excellent poetical translation of Milton’s I’aradise lost, of which only the two flrst books have been published. Witli a view therefore to preserve the language, literature and knowiedge in the island I have invited all lovers of learning in the country to establish a society with annual gifts to publish such masterpieces as are written in later times and to procure sucli new books as are wanting but necessary to keep up and increase learning and useful information in every way of Iife, and they have subscribed in considerable number in proportion to the scanty population. But as the Icelandic or old Scandinavian is the source of part of the English and Scottish, and besides the Anglosaxon (the chief-source of both) is so very nearly related to it, and in itself so difflcult and confused, owing only to the incessant irruptions of the ancient Scandinavians, that, if I may believe my own experience at the compiling of a new Anglosaxon Grammar, I imagine, il will never ’) l’rentað eptir frumrituðu uppkusti, með liciidi liasks.

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