E 105 .D395 Copy 1 ^,B) UlBRAIiY OF CONGRESS,! 'i ' I I ^^*. K VQ S" \ ^ I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f :it> :o> . >> > ^z S> :,3^JS>:^ i??*>iS* > y ol^ >., iiJ ► 3B>S (■i "'■ S^ >5II3^ y-^.^l^ -> Sl^ 5^x2^ ^>^t:> ;: ::>::; !£>>;. i^T^ ]sr^ ^ s"]^ ":-?s^3i» -).>3^- ^-C^ ^^i^fc >\^ _:::3i^>>> >i»>I> 30 .>>z^ jss> .>Ci>' sC^ > '> 3^^ j>> >T5]^^ 'T^Xf J^- >>y>_7jl> >0 >~>~Tlfc ^~>S ?>I^fc ~ ^ifcs^ j> •,>7~"^fc|» »^>^^ >o^^~ ZSEK)'-'' i;>>^T|| 0>X> j?jn» m^^^ >'T>'"^»lfc> "^vW >> y »?5> >>> > >^^ O 3.>52> ^T^^ ■3 3*1> T^fc "» ;> ^-->> "T^K* ,^ .^v> s."»'^~^ > 3 > > ^■t^T"^^ "v^^ .:> ^ > •> ^ ^ ~>v' y yj ^ :> y^ >^i>y ^->>^>? mmm^mrmk llji ^fM |g|- ^! ^■: 55 > > > 3 3t) -*.^ ii '»3^- 3 ^) " ^ Z> 3 ' 3'^3 >"> 5 -^ 3 3jsri> ^'^S!^~> -■'•5 ^ Z3>3 )3 3 3 ^J ~c ~Tfc "~> } '.^"S"^ O ■>.- ■> ^ ^^ i)'> ^ ■ '^^i-.:^ ~','^ ' 3 3 ^^ ^ T>) ' 3 3 •)'>333 '>:)^ -'-313 :*■■'■ 3 Z>l^3 • '--' '- 335^ ^ -^: '^ - ^ =^ "~> ^j^'^w^ ri)^ '•"3^^ 'v>"^ 'J3i>'~^ ''■' 3 3 ). 3 Z)^-" 2>> ■- \ ~]> ^ j^'j^'^^p'^ >DO ) J]> :])► !).'''- ~3 ^3i^3'^''iv'. 3 3 J) 3 3--^ -^ "' L„3 I> 3 0>Z>'Z3O )!>■> > 3 3 ])^II> "3g&;>'^'^\JI 33 3) 3 _3^ ')) _)., ^) ' ^^, " I^ r3 >j)>>3»:5D^ . D-.J ' 3.3 3^3 ' 3S> ::* '''*■ ---= ^"^ ? 3 33 > '■J3'! W0^. )> 5'.'^ •->_:j> 3» i>ji« r> !^*^ >3 )) '^3 ';::>^Z>_ 131^ > i ^" J > >-z>z '^ ■> 33lJ^ ^ -> .-&5'I>^ '~TU> "> . '^C^ -^^ > » J) * _3^ ^^ oer. ^ >>) '3:JE> -•- !>-• "::> :s>^v ^2!^ ~3i >>^.0>3,^_> '^^ 3^3 :^n> '5' 5 r^ I §3; > '^3T!5 ► 3fe>^^fr> '^ 3^ > ^iX) '3 ^ v33 3) : >1> 33 _I3- • • . - JI^ _z^ .>>v> ^>->>:> T>' ^ ► :^>^ ~>» 3 ' ^ ^> -3^ Z > 3 i3> j_^ ' >> ' ~v*'^2i "^ ' "^:> -^-^ ■ "^-5*^ -•:i>'' ^ > a>s>) 'T> >^ ~ ■■~^,-Z^ ■■.! l> JOtj> >st> ":j?^> ■>3'I > ' 1>3} 3 >^ > 33 » 3^ 3"3 33^3': 1> "5^^ » _>i»> j»:^> ■ >:>'!: > 2»>^ ^ »:>^^^ 33 ~2> ^^1) ^>3 ^ ^^^3 ;>^>p .^^^ ?^ ► ^» ^ >^ : Z>71> ^ -^ i 1> ■^>^ ► ^^f%> ^'■ffi> :^ ^^^ ^ ^^ ^^ ^> 3 3^> ■^ ^? »>^0:>5> >m> >0^ 320) ^ 3>3 33 31> 3 3 3 3 ^ ^ ^ > :>) ^^ :-:»>^> >->^'_Z3 > >»j> i>>3> >:2> ^y > 3'3> ' ^ 3D " ~yyy>y 35®>. >3^:: ► 3>3 3^ >3 ' 3) 33 ' ^^ ">j>j»5:> :^:a> ^O ZJ ► • ^^ ^r> >:3> ^30 ~> ^^3 :>z> : ;> > >:> >^i>> >^> ^3^> ^>2> ^>3^ ::)3> Z3>3 T^3 3~3 : > ^>3d ^»3j> ■>:!) » J> ^3> 33 33^ 33 33 < ^^ ^;^^:)> ys^> .>^^ ::s>r> ^^ ^:>> i>:^ "-^ 3 Z>> J -> _j>._j> -^-:» >>■ >>*> p'^Z^ ^■2» ::»»> >z> > '-y ~5 3^ > ^ 3:5' ■>3^ :> > ■ ^2> ^:3» 3>S 3^^ 55 i^ 3 > 3 ^ ^^ ^ -^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^ > 3 >3 X:> Z>5> 3^ yj> !» ' '^^^^i. ^^ l>^ ■ >r55> ■: ^^;> _ ■§> "^ ;; r7>:> :>^ -1IS>3> ^ '^ ~ >3> .>^ 1 > j>__^ ^^ ^-Tb :5Si ^>^ ^^^'SCfc"^ ' ^~>:> ^^ 3>^ ' ~^ 3 "■5$*- ^O^O'^^ 133 X>3 ^^ 3J 33^33 ^ ■V ":>J> : 3>3 ^^j^> :^^- '^^ ^' ->r>-- ,_; -»• 3o?> > T>52> ^> >:z> J^^ j?^ ~; o:> ^2> > ~> > "^ ►~> '^•►^ ^ > ,>Z* .; i»;:>'^i> ■> T>o X >:> "!3£^ .>73> ^ 6^> >^ °^> i^ ) ^ ^ '~3 1^^ =^^ '•^ > "'33 3*^oe> > 3^ ^^Bll-!)^ > 33 3> ^3^5S^ 3 3 337>Z! j>3^ ^ >>D > ^>> jr>j!> '^^y>^y^y^ l>^ x> ^>^TTk ") :> > 5^ ^^m "^ _3^^, '2>:>* -33i^''?3> 3>^ ._ I3»7|> >>' x:>Z>°" s ^ 23 ► i>''>"-^' ' j>*> ^ - >I> ^^ ^j> ~~ =V^"=^^^'°"^ :>> ^ ► >:'>> c>^-^: ^ : USQ^-^*"^ ' C» 2> Z >>':'^ >:> 3 >^-^ > ■ ^ ^S»^fc' ^ 8»>i53fc • ~^ :^ > - >> - >3>^^5^ 3_5 ^^ ■ ^^K^fe'JT^^ ::3D'i> 3l>?S3fc "33 3~3^ > >^ T> :> 3»v> ■ . ^'> 3 33!ll)v"t^^ >^ 5) 3>>53> 0:5 X>S^ ?^.^^ : y^^: ^ 3:3»>3^^ ' 3r2^ ' ->.3J S^ 3a» v^ ' ^ ~~;%)j ST^"^ > > r>^ ->>. '^^^^''^^ > 5> . t 3K*> T5)» :>^>, 5^T>r^ '.^3?^ ^ . :3 ■ ) - )^ 31» >7> 3^ 13 3)3^ 3l»>3 > 33: > 33: >3:>3^ S53 >>x> : Z38>3 ^'^S ^■vt> - ' 3l>3 >!3 >>:i> "3^y>'^v:> ^ ) o>> ^^> ) r^ » y> ^ Zs» 3 i> » 5 ^3::^ > >• 5> °~>>s )'°^fc •> 1 >> >>' jl»» ) :t> >^ x^ I38> > IS>» ">>"; ■ ^ >j:3 >> • x> — ^" \. tv^^^ — ) " V r>' •3>>->' :>3:S* >- >> •: ^jgjp^ "5^ -NX > 5)>^ ■>^ ^ >:> =^ V '-^=^^ ~ . .r> ■S3S>» \S^ ^"^ »> isq*^ ^^"""^ifc ^,--, ■O-i V^ :>> ^ I>>-fil>Z* - ^ )>;>>> ' 3:»j) >>^ >'^-s> ^ 3BO Z S^ > >'3>>::^ • :>. '■> >,,.>» ^ 3rs> )' "ss^Bi t. > "> . ^SsjfcTi ■'^^ 3Bfc i > ■>>3>^ ^ ^) .IT) — ¥?r^fc^^ :> '^> > Ti^i^'^^^ ^' ^ 30fc"> ~~Bfc 3»D^ ) ")) 3> -^^J o..>x >-^ >:3>jBt)» ^^' ^:> 3l>3 ' ^^ ^3)2>:> ■ > >:> ■ .2) ^^»^ ^, ^^ NOTES ON A REVIEW J i \^ OF ^0 "THE PEE-COLUMBIAN DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY THE NORTHMEN,' NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW FOR JULY. BY REV. B. F.DE COSTA. ADVERTISER PRESS : CHARLESTOWN, MASS., 18G9. <• THE IsORTH AMERICAN REVIEW AND THE SAGAS. The princii^al article of literary criticism in the editorial department of the North American for July, is that which has for its subject the au- thor's work on "The Pre-Columbian Discovery of America by the Northmen." The article ex- tends through eight pages of the Review^ and finds fault with the work in question as regards several points, though at the same time agreeing with the author as to the unfairness of Mr. Ban- croft in his treatment of the subject. The critic concedes the discovery of America by the Northmen, but objects to the use made of various expressions in the narratives, which the author, in common with the Northern Antiqua- rians, has applied to certain localities. In fact, he does not wish the Sagas to be used as a log- book. In this the author agrees with the critic, and feels free to acknowledge that he ought to have made this appear as prominent in his work as in his discussions and lectures. In treating with those who objected to the authenticity of the narratives, he has indeed met them on their own ground, and shown that, while the language of the Sagas is at times general, it is nevertheless correct in details. He will by no means admit that the language is not sufficiently exact to en- able us to identify tlie principal localities. The old map of Stephanius, in Torfaeus' Grotdandia, also justifies this view. That tlie Northmen were familiar with Cape Cod is very clear, Avhile they also indicate that they had explored the range of hills that runs from Milton to the vicinity of Mount Hope Bay. The critic likewise speaks as if his author had suppressed the fact that there were other views in regard to the latitude of the Vinland Colony than those of Rafn and his fellow laborers ; yet Torfaeus, Peringskiold, Malte Brun and others, are distinctly alluded to as giving a different view. (See p. 32, N.) He also objects that the author represents Mount Hope Bay as a lake, whereas the state- ment is that the tourist " will at first take Mount Hope Bay for a lake." As a trifling objection, the critic also mentions the fact that the author refers to Torfceus' Gron- landia as containing much information on the subject, and again says that he does not appear to know of ^orfsBus' Vinlandia. The first work, as every one conversant with the literature of the subject knows, has nothing about Vinland of im- portance, but the map abeady referred to ; while the other work treats directly of the subject. But it might have been guessed, even, that the author meant to say Vinland instead of Greenland, as Vinland was the place he was talking ahout. (See page xlix.) At any rate, such was the case, this bedng one of those errors that occasionally creep in, especially when the printer Is at work at Al- bany, and the author is summering in the Bay of Fundy. This correction made, it will appear that the author was unacquainted with neither of the works in question, works that every tyro in this department must know. As a work of refer- ence it has, however, been superseded, and in, Antiquitates AmericancB^ Torfseus is so little re- ferred to that his name does not appear in the index. Again, it is asked if anything has been added to the knowledge of the subject during the last thirty years, and if not, that the fact should have been stated. This is written by the critic, with the statement staring at hiin from the fore-front of the book, " that the aim of the present work is to place within the reach of the English-read- ing historical student every portion of the Sagas essentially relating to the Pre-Columbian Discov- ery of America by the Northmen." Does not a line of remark like this show how hard pressed the critic was for something to say ? These, however, are but general observations, and we now come to notice more substantial mat- ters. Let us turn then to his first indictment, and ascertain what it is worth. The critic makes this discovery, that " The most important circumstance bearing upon the historical authority of the Sagas, he [the author] only alludes to in the most incidental manner, and evidently with no appreciation of its importance. We refer to th^ fact that there are disorepanciee between the Sagas relat* iog t9 Erio and bis &oiis asd tkcee rel&tloK to Ibor^JOfi, 8 of guoh r nature at to leave no doubt but that they mast have come to ue from two wholly distinct sources. Tor- fffius was the first to direct attention to these dif^orepan- cies, and at the same time remarking that they were of a nature to confirm rather than to disprove the statements. The Eric Sagas were evidently composed in Greenland, while those relating to Thorfinn had their origin in Ice- land. The discrepancies are of themselves of little conse- quence, but they serve to establish the important fact, that the Sagas of Eric and of Thorfinn must be received as two independent authorities, llhd Mr. De Costa so arranged his book as to have brought this main lact dis- tinctly beiore the reader's eye, he would have greatly added to its value. As the Sagas are piinted, there is nothing whatever to indicate that tlie Saga of Thorfirn has anything to distinguish it from those that precede it." Such is the sweepiDg declaration. Let us, therefore, see what it is worth. The charge covers two points, one relating to the distinct character of the narratives and the other to the coincidence. Now on both of these points the author was explicit where, (on page 49,) he gives an account of the different manu- scripts, and says : " The differenees are evidently such as would not appear in the case of three writers who had banded together for the purpose of carrying out a historical fraud. The Saga of Thorfinn was written in Iceland, while that of Eric was composed in Greenland." Moreover, the disagreements were particularly- pointed out. On the other hand it is declared in tliiB Introduction, (p. liv.) " These occasional contradictious in aowise detract from the historic value of the documents themselves, which, even in their very truthfulness to the times, give every evidence of authenticity and great worth. To this gen- •ral appearance of truthfalness we may, however, add tb« force of those undesigned coincidences between writ- ers widely separated and destitute of all means of know- ing what has been already said. The same argument may- be used with the Sagas which has been so powerfully em- ployed by Paley and others in vindicating the historical chpracter of the New Testament. In these narratiTes, as in those of Taul and John, it may be used with over- whelming effect." We give the reader these quotations, and leave him to judge of the value of the assertion that the author " betrays an entire misconception of the problem he had to solve," confident that most persons will feel that what he said was sufficient, and that the charge is distinctly hypercritical. But the most convincing proof of the author's " misconception of the problem he had to solve," appears in the view of the literary character of the Sagas themselves. In fact the critic wishes us to understand that the Sagas relating to Amer- ica are simply prose versions of some old songs. In order to reach this conclusion, he brings in Sturleson's Heimskringia, and quotes the language of the great historian of the north, so far as it an- swers his purpose, to show that /?« used ballads in the preparation of his work. The critic writes : " Some things, he says, were found in old fam- ily registei'd, and ' part is written down after old songs and ballads which our forelathers had for their amusement.' " He afterward says that " no one can examine the history of Snorre Sturleson without seeing that it must be to a certain extent simply a prose rendering of old ballads." He then goes on boldly to speak as follows : 10 " Now the Sagas which relate to the discovery of Amer« ica show precisely the same characteristics. Thus, when Thorhall was carrying water to his ship he sang a song; and when he and his companions were about to sail north around Wondorstrand, they sang again; and both of these songs are preserved in the Saga of ThorfiBn. So when Thorfinn's people chased the Uuiped they sang. Who can doubt those verses, and instead of being songs that were actually sung on those occasions, were but frag* ments of the original ballad of which the narratives are merely prose abridgments, and that these portions chanced to be preserved simply becauoe they struck the ear of the later annalist." Thus he affects to have made out a case. But allowing, for the time, that his view of Sturleson's work is correct, let us see what his inference is Worth. Now if the Yinland Sagas were of the same origin as the Heimskringla, we ought to find in them the same characteristics, and yet while the cotemporary portions of Heimskringla are fairly interlarded with poetical extracts the Vin- land Sagas can boast of but four fragments of this sort. And these even show no indications ■whatever of the truth of the critic's theory. The first is in the voyage of Biarne, where occurs a verse from a poem by Heriulf, and it is simply said that he composed the song from which the verse was taken. In the verses of Thorhall, in Karlsefue's voyage, there is nothing whatever to indicate that the prose accompanying the verses also existed formerly in verse. Examine the case of the song of (he " Uniped" and there is the s:ime lack of evidence, as any one can see by turning to the author^s work. II The truth is that songs of this sort were often composed on the spur of the moment, just as the three last appear to have been. Those acquaint- ed with the origin and history of Icelandic verse know very well that such compositions were always expected of persons of spirit, and that a man who could not readily compose a song was hardly to be counted upon in a fight. The two persons alluded to in Karlsefne's voyage un- doubtedly composed the verses attributed to them, as is distinctly stated to have been the case with Heriulf. Indeed there is no more reason to infer that the Vinland Sagas were first com- posed in verse than the Landnama book, of such well known origin and authorship, which also contains poetical extracts. In this connection it is to be remembered, that in the Landnama book the poetical extracts do not occur until we enter upon the second part. The first part does not contain a line of verse. Yet the first was composed in its present form in the eleventh century, while the latter portion was not written until the fourteenth, a period in which the application of the ballad theory ])e- comes positively absurd. This work likewise con- tains two more extracts from the poem Havger- dinger, which is quoted in the Saga giving the first voyage to America by Biarne, and they show conclusively that it was a well known song, diflT- erent parts of it being quoted by different writers, just as prose writers of the present day quote from Shakspeare or Tennyson. 12 Furthermore, the critic's very absurd theory- might be applied with equal reason to the Sagas in general, when we should find ourself con- fronted with the fact that the verses often have no application to the subject, while, again, as in the Grettir Saga, we stumble upon unfortunate. anachronisms, which attribute customs to the eleventh century that had expired in the ninth. The critic's theory would actually revolutionize all the accepted views of Old Northern literature, being not much more favorable in its effect than Mr. Bancroft's exploded mythological theory. The critic says that portions of Heimskringla, with poetical extracts, are cotemporary with the Vinland Sagas, and that the latter must " have been committed to writing in their present form at a period certainly as early as that in which the Heimskringla was composed." Yet, though all these Sagas may have been committed to writing at the same period, this does not prove an identity of origin. And again, if they were &0/A of a poetical origin, and committed to writ- ing at the same period, why do they not possess the same characteristics ? For instance the Heimskringla is full of mythology and poetry, wiiile the Vinland Sagas have no taint of mythol- ogy and only four cases of verse. This shows that they are of a different age. Part of the material of Heimskringla, as is well known, exist- ed many generations before Karlsefne, who came upon the stage when poetry in the North had passed its prime, and Christianity had brought in 13 letters. Hence the Vinlar.d Sagas, whatever may have been the date of their committal to writing, belong exclusively to the Christian age. But the critic must also tell us, if the Vinland Sagas are prose versions of old ballads, how it was in this reduction of the two separate nar- ratives about which he says so much, that hoth of the writers happened to retain in verse the song of Thorhall, and that both retained the two same fragments f This feature of the case is alone enough to brand his criticism with the stamp of shallowness that it richly deserves. It has thus been shown that, even were the critic in question correct in his view of the origin of Ileimskringla, he has not a shadow of reason or authority for attempting to reverse the judgment of Scandinavian scholars regarding the historic character of the Vinland narratives ; especially when we know that the very winter before Karl-^ sefne's voyage, the people of Greenland were en- tertained by recitals of history. But now the author has to show that tlie critic is wrong in his estimate of Sturleson's work. In order to prove this, let us hear what Sturleson has to say, as the critic's quotation, already given, is too scant. The great " Herodotus of the North" thus speaks in his Introduction : " In tliis book I have had old stories written down, as I have heard them told by intelligent people;" and again, " Some of this is found in ancient family registers, in which the pedigrees of kings and other personages of high birth are 14 reckoned up, and part is written down after old songs and ballads which our forefathers had for their amusement." Now at the first glance this might appear, to favor the notion of the critic, yet an intimate acquaintance with Sturleson's work sheds fresh light upon the above declara- tion. Therefore let another testify on this point, and this shall be no other than Sturleson's able and accomplished translator, Mr. Laing. On this point he writes as follows : " The translator intended at first to have left out these poems or scaldic pieces altogether. They are not essen- tial to Snorre's prose narrative of the events to which they refer. They are iiot even mithorities for the facts he details, sdihovigh. he quotes them in that view; for they only give the summary or heads of events of which he gives the more minute accounts. They appear to he catch- words or preliminary verses for aiding the memory in recurring to some long account or Saga inj^rose, of which they are the compendium or text." In this opinion Mr. Laing and his son agree; and now which is the better qualified to give a decision, Mr. Laing, who impartially, and for years, studied the internal structure of Sturle- son's work with the best aids of the originals in the libraries of the North, together with the advice and help of living teachers, or the critic of the North American Review ? Certainly there can be but one opinion among competent judges i and thus, however we treat the assumptions of the critic, they fall to the ground. <^(y.' <^^ CCC czs Cct ^c .CC ex CO C CL< CCC oc c. c C(< c c c c c'^^ <^cc^ ■ < ^-'"^ Cjii, tij- ^ ^C^- ^^' ■- c Cl '■< CsdC ffO ^"^^ f^ ^^C'CC^c < ;-^ V;? V__ ^»=^ <- J^^' <-<:<:<:<. «cill<: ^^^fe" ^ - ^t^-S C ^k" f*^ r *^ *E^^ *" ^3E- < 'Cc c ^ — ~ <-' c ^^^°^ «- ^t--'' ^ cccc^- ^^^^ ^ ^ • *^ ^ ( err ^^ (- t >- ^^»^ ^ c ^ c .< c