fhall forget the ties of confanguinity; life fhall become a burthen; adultery fhall reign throughout the world. A "barbarous age! an age of fwords! an

66

age of tempefts! an age of wolves! "The bucklers fhall be broken in pieces;

and thefe calamities fhall fucceed each "other till the world fhall fall to ruin." Then will happen fuch things as may well be called Prodigies. The Wolf FENRIS will devour the Sun; a fevere lofs will it be found by mankind. Another monster will carry off the Moon, and render her totally ufelefs the Stars fhall fly away and vanish from the heavens *: the earth and the mountains shall be feen violently agitated; the trees torn up from the earth by the roots; the tottering hills to tumble headlong from their foundations; all the chains and irons of the prifoners to be broken and dafhed in pieces. Then is the Wolf Fenris let loofe; the fea rufhes impetuoufly over the earth, because the great Serpent, changed into a Spectre, gains the fhore. The thip Naglefara is fet afloat: this veffel is conftructed of the nails of dead men for which reafon great care fhould be taken

* Goranfon has it, Stella de cælo cadunt. See other variations in his Latin Verfion; which feems, in fome refpects, more fpirited than that of M. Mallet, here followed.

T.

not

not to die with unpared nails; for he who dies fo, fupplies materials towards the building of that veffel, which Gods and men will wish were finished as late as poffible. The Giant Rymer is the pilot of this veffel, which the fea breaking over its banks, wafts along with it. The Wolf Fenris advancing, opens his enormous mouth; his lower jaw reaches to the earth, and his upper jaw to the heavens, and would reach ftill farther, were space itself found to admit of it. The burning fire flashes out from his eyes and noftrils. The Great Serpent vomits forth floods of poifon ; which overwhelm the air and the waters. This terrible monfter places himself by the fide of the Wolf. In this confufion the heaven shall cleave asunder; and by this breach the Genii of Fire enter on horfeback. Surtur is at their head: before and behind him sparkles a bright glowing fire. His fword outshines the Sun itself. army of these Genii paffing on horfeback over the bridge of heaven, break it in pieces: Thence they direct their course to a plain; where they are joined by the Wolf Fenris, and the Great Serpent. Thither alfo repair LOKE, and the Giant RYMER, and with them all the Giants of the Froft, who follow Loke even to Death. The Genii of Fire march firft in battle array, forming a moft brilliant squadron on this VOL. II. M plain;

The

plain; which is an hundred degrees fquare on every fide. During thefe prodigies, HEIMDAL, the door-keeper of the Gods, rifes up; he violently founds his clanging trumpet to awaken the Gods: who inftantly affemble. Then ODIN repairs to the fountain of Mimis, to confult what he ought to do, he and his army. The great Afh Tree of Ydrafil is fhaken; nor is any thing in heaven or earth exempt from fear and danger. The Gods are clad in armour; ODIN puts on his golden helmet, and his refplendent cuirafs; he grafps his fword, and marches directly against the Wolf Fenris. He hath THOR at his fide: but this God cannot affift him; for he himself fights with the Great Serpent. FREY encounters SURTUR, and terrible blows are exchanged on both fides; 'till Frey is beat down; and he owes his defeat to his having formerly given his fword to his attendant Skyrner. That day alfo is let loose the dog named Garmer, who had hitherto been chained at the entrance of a cavern. He is a monfter dreadful even to the Gods; he attacks TYR, and they kill each other. THOR beats down the Great Serpent to the earth, but at the fame time recoiling back nine fteps, he falls dead upon the spot *,

*The Reader will obferve that our ingenious Author has reprefented this fomewhat differently above, in p. 133.

'T.

ODIN is

At the

fuffocated with floods of venom, which the Serpent vomits forth upon him. devoured by the Wolf Fenris. fame inftant VIDAR advances, and preffing down the monster's lower jaw with his foot, feizes the other with his hand, and thus tears and rends him till he dies. LOKE and HEIMDAL fight, and mutually kill each other. After that, SURTUR darts fire and flame over all the earth; the whole world is presently confumed. See how this is related in the VOLUSPA. "Heimdal "lifts up his crooked trumpet, and founds " it aloud. Odin confults the head of "Mimis; the great Ash, that Ash fublime " and fruitful, is violently shaken, and fends "forth a groan. The Giant bursts his "irons. What is doing among the Gods? "What is doing among the Genii? The "land of the Giants is filled with uproar: "the Deities collect and affemble together. "The Dwarfs figh and groan before the "doors of their caverns. Oh! ye inha"bitants of the mountains; can you fay "whether any thing will yet remain in "exiftence? [The Sun is darkened; the "earth is overwhelmed in the fea; the " shining stars fall from heaven; a vapour, "mixed with fire, arifes: a vehement heat "prevails, even in heaven itself *."]

The paffage in Brackets is given from the Latin of Goranfon, being omitted by M. Mallet.

M 2

THE THIRTY-THIRD FABLE.

The Sequel of the Conflagration of the World.

N hearing the preceding relation, Gangler afks, What will remain after the world fhall be confumed; and after Gods, and Heroes, and Men shall perish? For I understood by you, adds he, that mankind were to exift for ever in another world. Thridi replies, After all these prodigies, there will fucceed many new abodes, fome of which will be agreeable and others wretched: but the best manfion of all, will be Gimle (or HEAVEN) where all kinds of liquors fhall be quaffed in the Hall called Brymer (A), fituated in the country of Okolm. That is also a most delightful palace which is upon the mountains of Inda*, and which is built of shining gold. In this palace good and juft men fhall abide. In Naftrande (i. e. the shore of the dead) there is a vaft and direful ftructure, the portal of which faces the

*This and the preceding names are very different in the Edition of Goranson.

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north.