Was this plant confidered in the fame favourable light among the Scandinavians, or honoured by them with the fame obfervances? Nothing like this appears.

is mentioned in this one place of the EDDA, as a little inconfiderable fhrub, that was made use of by a malicious Being to perpetrate great mischief. I am afraid therefore, that the reasoning of our elegant and learned Author will be found here to amount to this, viz. “In GAUL the Miffeltoe was the Inftrument of GooD, in the north the inftrument of EVIL; therefore the Gauls and the northern nations muft have been the fame people; and there appears a ftriking conformity between them both in their opinions on this fubject."One might rather infer that there was an effential difference and oppofition between the religious tenets of these two nations and that therefore they were, ab origine, two diftinct races of men.-But it will perhaps be urged, How fhould the followers of ODIN think of affixing any peculiar arbitrary qualities to the MISSELTOE at all, if they had not this notion from the Celtic Druids?-I answer, From the Celtes they probably learnt all they knew about the Miffeltoe: but as they entertained fo different an opinion concerning this plant, it is plain they could never have the Druids for their inftructors. The truth probably is, The Gothic nations, in their firft incurfions upon the neighbouring Celtes, had obferved the fuperftitious veneration that was paid to this plant by their enemies; and. their own religious modes being different, they therefore held it in contempt and abhorrence:-So in fucceeding ages, when Chriftianity was established in Gaul and Britain, the Scandinavians (still Pagans) turned ther facred rites into ridicule. Thus Regner Lodbrog, in his DYING ODE, fpeaking of a battle, (fought perhaps against Christians) fays, in ridicule of the Eucharift,

"There we celebrated a MASS [Missu. In.] of 66 weapons * ! "

*Five Pieces of Runic Poetry, p. 32.
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VOL. II.

Some

Some of the Celtic nations (the Britons for inftance) have a traditionary opinion that the dominions of their ancestors were once extended, much farther north, than they were in the time of the Romans; and that they were gradually difpoffeffed by the Gothic or Teutonic nations, of many of thofe countries, which the latter afterwards inhabited. Whether

this tradition be admitted or not, it is certain that the Gothic and Celtic tribes bordered on each other; and this, no less than through the whole boundary of Gaul and Germany. Now the frequent wars, renewals of peace, and other occafions of intercourfe in confequence of this vicinage, will account to us for all that the Gothic nations knew or practifed of the Celtic customs and opinions. Perhaps it would be refining too much upon the paffage in the EDDA, to explain it as an allegory; or to fuppofe that the disturbance wrought among the Gods by the Miffeltoe, was meant to express the oppofition which Odin's religion found from the Druids of the Celtic nations. Such an Interpretation of this ancient piece of Mythology would be neither forced nor unnatural: but it is not worth infifting upon.

To return to KEYSLER, he fays (p. 305.) that there are "plain veftiges of this ancient Druidical "reverence for the MISSELTOE ftill remaining in fome "places in Germany; but principally in Gaul and "Aquitain: in which latter countries, it is cuftomary "for the boys and young men on the last day of De"cember, to go about through the towns and villages, finging and begging money, as a kind of New

year's gift, and crying out, Au GUY! L' AN NEUF! "To the Miffeltoe! The New Year is at hand !"— This is a curious and ftriking inftance; and to it may be added that rural custom still.observed in many parts of England, of hanging up a Miffeltoe-bush on Christmas Eve, and trying lots by the crackling of the leaves and berries in the fire on Twelfth Night.All these will easily be admitted to be reliques of Dru

idical fuperftition, because all practifed in thofe very countries, in which the Druids were formerly eftablifhed.-KEYSLER then proceeds to attribute to the fame Druidic origin, a cuftom practifed in Upper Germany by the vulgar at Chriftmas, of running through the streets, &c. and ftriking the doors and windows (not with MISSELTOE, for that plant does not appear to be at all used or attended to upon the occafion, but) with HAMMERS (Malleis, Lat.) crying GUTHYL, GUTHYL.Now Guthyl or Gut Heylt, he owns is literally Bona Salus; and therefore might moft naturally be applied to the birth of Chrift then celebrated: but, because the words have a diftant resemblance in meaning to the Omnia-Sanans, by which the Gauls expreffed the MISSELTOE, according to Pliny; therefore he (without the leaft fhadow of authority) will have this German term Guthyl, to be the very Gallic name meant by that author: And his reafons are as good as his authority: viz. " Because, (1ft) he fays, The language of the Gauls, Germans, Britons, and northern nations, were only different dialects of ONE COMMON tongue; (2dly) Because the German name for this plant Miftel, as well as our English Miffeltoe, are foreign words, and BOTH DERIVED from the Latin Vifcum.". That the ancient language of the Gauls, ftill preserved in the Welsh, Armoric, &c. is or ever was the fame with those dialects of the Gothic, the Saxon, German and Danish, &c. believe who will. But that our English name Miffeltoe, as well as the German Miftel, are words of genuine Gothic original, underived. from any foreign language, is evident from their being found in every the most ancient dialect of the Gothic tongue: viz. Ang-Sax. ❤ızılzan. Island. [in. EDDA] Miftilteinn. Dan. & Belg. Miftel, &c. &c. We fee then what little, ground this paffage of the EDDA now affords us for fuppofing the Gothic nations of Scandinavia and Germany, to be the fame people

Anglice Good Heal; or Good Health,

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with

with the Celtic tribes of Britain and Gaul; or for calling the Icelandic and Gothic EDDA, a System of Druidical or CELTIC MYTHOLOGY: For as for the present German inhabitants of Holface calling the MISSELTOE the branch of fpectres," that proves no more that their ancestors revered it as falutary and divine; than its being anciently reprefented in the north as the death of Balder proves it to have been intitled there to the Druidical character of Omnia Sanant.

THE

THE TWENTY-NINTH FABLE.

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Hermode's Journey to Hell.

ALDER having thus perished, FRIG GA, his mother, caufed it to be published every where, that whofoever of the Gods would go to Hell in fearch of Balder, and offer DEATH fuch a tanfom as fhe would require for reftoring him to life, would merit all her love. HERMODE, fura named the Nimble or Active, the son of Odin, offered to take this commiffion upon him. With this view he took Odin's horfe, and mounting him, departed. departed. For the Ipace of nine days and as many nights, he travelled through deep vallies, fo dark, that he did not begin to fee whither he was going, till he arrived at the river of Giall,

* In this, as well as the preceding chapter, the Latin Verfion of Goranfon differs exceedingly from the French of M. Mallet (which is here followed) owing, I fuppofe, to the great variations in the diffe rent copies, which they respectively adopted.

T.

dat