fountain of the PAST, draw up water thence, with which they bedew the Ash, to prevent its branches from growing withered and decayed. Of fo purifying a nature is that water, that whatever it touches becomes as white as the film withinfide an egg. There are upon this fubject very ancient verfes, to this effect, "The great "and facred Afh is befprinkled with a "white water, whence comes the dew "which falls into the valleys, and which fprings from the fountain of PAST"TIME." Men call this the Honey-dew, and it is the food of bees. There are alfo in this fountain two fwans, which have produced all the birds of that fpecies. REMARKS ON THE EIGHTH FABLE.. (A) Adminifter ju"ftice."] We fee in the preceeding fable, that the Gods affemble together in the open air, in a valley : Here is their principal refidence, under an AfhTree. In this, as in other things, the Gods are made to conform themselves to the manners of men. The ancient Gothic and' Celtic nations for a long time had no other place of rendezvous, than fome tree remarkable for its fize and age. The ftates of Eaft Friezeland, even fo late as the thirteenth century, affembled under three large oaks which grew near Aurich; and it is not more than three centuries ago, that most of the German princes held their conferences under trees +. The averfion thefe people had for inclofed places; the fear of putting themselves into the power of a perfidious † Vid. Keysl. Antiq. Sept. p. 78, 79, 80. T. : chieftain, who, fortified in his caftle, was ftronger than the laws and magistrates and laftly, that ancient impreffion, not even yet worn entirely out, with which their religion had infpired them in favour of trees; thefe are probably the caufes of the fingular custom here alluded to in the EDDA, (B) Do you, or do 66 you not, understand this?"] To this I can only answer in the negative. This whole defcription is most certainly allegorical. We meet in it indeed with fome glimmering rays of light, but they are fo tranfient and fo broken, that one may fairly own, the whole is unintelligible. One of the tranflators of the EDDA will have Minis to be Minos; I am no more warranted by reason to oppose him in this, than he was to entertain fuch a conceit, (c) The evil Fai"ries." Here we have a compleat theory of Fairyifm. In this paffage of the EDDA we have the bud and germ (as it were) of what the anci* and po ent romances pular fuperftitions have fo widely branched, and applied to fuch a variety of things. All the Celtic and Gothic' tribes have had a great veneration for the Fairies, or Destinies; and not without reason, fince every man's fate or fortune was in their hands. The romances inform us, that there were two kinds of them, the Good and Bad; but they diftinguish them no farther. The three principal, according to the Edda, are the PRESENT, the PAST, and the FUTURE; a circumftance which is wanting in the Greek fable of the *The romances in which the FAIRIES and DESTINIEs are used as fynonymous, are not thofe of Gothic origin, but rather the Oriental tales and fables. The FAIRIES of our own northern ance.tors, are pro perly what are called throughout this work the DWARFS: whereas our author applies the word Fees (FAIRIES) in nearly the fame fenfe as the Latin Nympha and Parca; and perhaps this may be the fenfe in which it generally used by his countrymen. The Norne, however, of the Edda, feem to be evidently the fame with the Weird Sifters, fo famous in Gothic History and Romance. See Bartholin. Caufa Contempt. Mort. p. 60. Junii Etymol. Ang. (Verb. WERDE,) T. Parca, Parca, and which is in itself not badly imagined. The Romans, who enlarged their heaven, and increased the number of their Gods, in proportion as they extended their empire; having adopted thefe northern ** divinities, confecrated to them divers monuments, fome of which have been recovered. Thefe monuments agree very well with the EDDA §. They almost always prefent to view three females: the oracles these pronounced had rendered them famous. They were efpecially reforted to at the birth of a child. In many places there were caverns, where the people fancied they might enjoy the pleasure of their prefence, and hear them fpeak. Some places in France retain ftill the name of the FAIRIES OVEN, the FAIRIES WELL, &c. Saxo, the Grammarian, fpeaks of a chapel, where king Fridleif went to confult them about the fate of his fon Olaus, and he adds, that he faw three young women fitting there. Sax. 1. 6. This fuperftition, fo general throughout Europe, hath prevailed almost as long as that relating to witches and forcerers. We fee, in the process or trial of the famous MAID OF ORLEANS, that fhe was accused of going often to a certain oak in a folitary place, to confult the FAIRIES (Fr. Fees.) These Fairies were, I believe, as to their origin, deified propheteffes. The Celtic and Teutonic' women had a peculiar talent for improving all förts of fuperftition; and turning every thing into omens. Those who had moft diftinguished themfelves in this art, were deified, and became Goddefles after their decease; and as they had predicted the fate of men on earth, were believed ftill to do it in heaven. This error is very ancient. In the time of Vefpafian, there was, according to Tacitus, a female named Velleda, half a Prophetess, and half a Fairy, who, from the top * Fr. Cekiques. § Vid. Keyfl. Ant. p. 33. 270, 396. 446. of a tower where the lived reclufe, exercised far and near, a power equal to that of kings. Latè imperitabat are the words of the hiftorian. The moft illuftrious warriors undertook nothing without her advice, and always confecrated to her a part of the booty. V. Tacit. Hift. 1. 4 & 5. In general, one may obferve, that the worship paid to women, hath always had here in Europe great ad * that vantage over that which was directed to men. The religious, refpect which was here paid to the Fairies or Deftinies, is of all the doctrines of the ancient religion *, which hath longest prevailed. Thefe fabulous divinities have furvived all the Gods and Genii, both of the Celts and Romans, and though at last banished every where else, have found a kind of afylum in our romances. Fr. La Religion Celtique. To the inftances given by our Author (in Note A). of the Gothic nations affembling under Trees, may be added the following in our own country, viz. The Wapentake of SKIRE-AKE in the Weft-riding of Yorkshire, is thought to have taken its name from a remarkable Oak, to which the inhabitants repaired upon public occafions, as at a general Convention of the District, &c. See Thorefby's Ducat. Leod. p. 84. 150.So Berkshire is thought to have been denominated from BEROKE, a bare, or difbarked Oak, to which, upon particular emergencies, the inhabitants were wont in ancient times to refort and confult about public matters. Camd. Brit. (by Gibfon, I Ed. p. 137.)- The Tranflator of this Book knows a Manor in Shropshire, where the ManorCourt is held to this day under a very aged Afh-tree : there the Steward calls over the Copy-holders, and forms a Jury; and then adjourns the Court to a neighpouring inn, for the dispatch of business, T1 THE NINTH FABLE. Of the Cities which are in Heaven. G ANGLER fays to Har, You tell me very wonderful things; but what are the other holy cities to be feen in heaven? Har replies, There are many other very fine cities to be feen there. In one of them, called Alfheim (A), dwell the luminous Genii, but the black Genii live under the earth, and differ from the others ftill more in their actions than in their appearThe luminous Genii are more fplendid than the Sun; but the black Genii are darker than pitch. In these parts there is also a city called Breidablik, which is not inferior to any other in beauty; and another named Glitner, the walls, columns and infide of which are gold, and the roof of filver *. There alfo is to be seen the city Himinborg, or the Celestial Mount, fi-. tuated upon the frontiers, at the place ance. * The Edda of Goranson fays Afgulli, of gold. T. where 4 |