«bodies with his horrid beak. The veffel of the "Gods is fet afloat. "The veffel comes from the eaft: the hoft of Evil "Genii + arrives by fea: Loke is their pilot and di«rector. Their furious fquadron advances, escorted "by the Wolf Fenris: Loke appears with them ‡. "The black prince of the Genii of Fire § iffues "forth from the fouth, furrounded with flames: the "fwords of the Gods beam forth rays like the Sun. "The rocks are shaken, and fall to pieces. The fe"male Giants wander about weeping.' Men tread «in crowds the paths of death. The heaven is split *afunder. New grief for the Goddess who defends Odin. "For Odin advances to encounter Fenris; the fnow"white flayer of Bela |, against the black' prince of the Genii of Fire*. Soon is the spouse of Frigga beaten down. 86 "Then runs Vidar, the illuftrious fon of Odin, to avenge the death of his father. He attacks the "murderous monster, that monster born of a Giant ; "and with his fword he pierces him to the heart. "The Sun is darkened: the fea overwhelms the earth: the fhining ftars vanish out of heaven: the "fire furiously rages: the ages draw to an end: the flame afcending, licks the vault of heaven." Mufpelli Incola. Bartholin. A ftanza is here omitted, being part of what is quoted above in the 32d fable, p. 163: as alfo one or two ftanzas below. T. Surtur. Ifland. orig. The reader will obferve fome variations be tween the verfion here, and that given of this fame ftanza in p. 13. they are owing to the different readings of the original. SC. FREY. * Sc. SURTUR, T. 1. Many Many other pieces of poetry might be quoted to fhew, that the Scandinavians had their minds full of all these prophecies, and that they laid great ftrefs upon them. But the generality of readers may poffibly rather take my word for it, than be troubled with longer extracts. It will be of more importance to remark, that what we have been reading is, for the most part, nothing else, but the doctrine of ZENO and the Stoics. This remarkable refemblance hath never been properly confidered, and highly deferves a difcuffion. The ancients univerfally affure us, that the Stoic philosophy established the exiftence of an eternal divinity, diffufed through and pervading all nature; and being, as it. were, the foul and primum mobile of matter. From this divinity, proceeded as emanations from his effence, together with the world, certain intelligences ordained to govern under his directions, and who were to undergo the fame revolutions as the world itself until the day appointed for the renovation of this univerfe. The fires concealed in the veins of the earth, never cease to dry up the moisture contained therein, and will, in the end, fet it all on flames. " A "time will come, fays "SENECA, when the "world, ripe for a re"novation, fhall be "wrapt in flames; when "the oppofite powers "fhall in conflict mutu"ally destroy each other; "when the conftellations "fhall dafh together: "and when the whole "universe, plunged in "the fame common fire, "fhall be confumed to "afhes." (Senec. Confol. ad Marciam. cap. ult.) This general deftruction was to be preceded by an inundation: And in this respect, the EDDA perfectly agrees with Zeno. SENECA treats this fubject of a future deluge at large, in his Quæft. Natural. Lib. 3. c. 29. which he afferts muft contribute to purify and prepare the earth for a new race of inhabitants, more innocent and virtuous than the prefent. But But the confummation of the world by fire, was the point moft ftrongly infifted on by the Stoics. Thefe verfes of Seneca's kinfman LUCAN are well known. — Hos populos fi nunc non ufferit Ignis, That is, "IF these people are not as yet to perifh by fire; the time will nevertheless come when they fhall be confumed along with the Earth and the "Sea: the whole world will become one common << funeral pile." i. e. ruin, and the laft day of the world fhall come, the fouthern pole fhall crufh, as it falls, all the regions "of Africa. The north pole fhall overwhelm all the "When the laws of nature fhall be buried in 66 coun * countries beneath it's axis. The affrighted Sun fhafl "be deprived of its light; the palace of heaven fall"ing to decay, fhall produce at once both life and "death, and fome KIND OF DISSOLUTION SHALL IN "LIKE MANNER SEIZE ALL THE DEITIES, and they "fhall return into their original chaos, &c." In another place, SENECA explains what he means by this Death of the Gods. They were not to be abfolutely annihilated; but to be once more re-united, by diffolution, to the foul of the world; being refolved and melted into that intelligence of fire, into that eternal and univerfal principle, from which they had originally been emanations. It was, without doubt, in this fenfe alfo that our northern philofophers understood the matter. We may, from analogy, fupply this circumftance with the greater confidence, as the poets have been ever more attentive to adorn and embellish the received doctrines, than to deliver them with precision. But laftly, what must render this parallel more compleat and ftriking, is, that according to the fchool of ZENO, no less than in the Icelandic prophecies, this tremendous fcene is fucceeded by a new creation, evidently drawn in the fame colours by both. The world, fays SENECA, being melted and re-entered into the bofom of Jupiter, this God continues for fome time totally concentered in himfelf, and remains concealed, as it were, wholly immerfed in the contem plation of his own ideas : Afterwards we see a new world fpring from him, perfect in all its parts; animals are produced anew; an innocent race of men are formed under more favourable aufpices, in order to people this earth, the worthy abode of virtue. In fhort, the whole face of Nature becomes more pleafing and lovely. (Senec. Epift. 9. & Quæft. Nat. L. 3. c. ult.) The EDDA gives us the fame descriptions in other words. They likewife occur in the poem of of the VOLUSPA, above quoted; and the fame doctrine is very confpi cuous in the following ftanzas from the fame piece t. "THEN" (i. e. after the death of the Gods, and the conflagration of the world) "we fee emerge "from the hofom of the waves, an earth cloathed * with a most lovely verdure. The floods retire: the "eagle foars wherefoever he lifts, and seizes his fishy prey on the tops of the mountains. "The fields produce their fruits without culture; << misfortunes are banished from the world. Balder " and his brother, thofe warrior Gods, return to inhabit the ruined palaces of Odin. Do ye con"ceive what will then come to pass? "The Gods affemble in the fields of Ida; they "discourse together concerning the heavenly palaces, "whofe ruins are before them: they recollect their "former conversations, and the ancient difcourfes of « Odin. "A palace more refplendant than the Sun rifes to "view; it is adorned with a roof of gold: there the "affemblies of good men fhall inhabit; and give "themselves up to joy and pleasure, throughout all "ages." The diftance between Scandinavia and thofe countries where the Stoic philofophy prevailed, is certainly great, and muft have been greater ftill in former ages than the pre fent, when commerce and books lend wings to opinions, and diffuse them in afhort time thro' the world. On the other hand, the fyftem now under confideration is not such as Vid. Bartholin, ubi fupra, p. 596. where the original and a literal Latin Verfion may be feen our French author has only felected fome of the ftanzas, which he has taken the liberty to transpose. Hoder. T. all |