Page:The New Monthly Magazine - Volume 095.djvu/278

Rh anecdotes of flying midnight huntsmen,—of trees that turn at night into whole colonies of little elves,—of castles suddenly sinking into the earth, and their site becoming lakes. Such, it is said, was the origin of Dallerup Lake, in Zealand. The lord of the castle, who was "an ungodly and wicked person," persisted in his evil courses in spite of all the remonstrances made to him by a monk. So one night, as he and his two brothers were drinking and carousing, behold! the castle "sank suddenly deep into the ground," and a lake, which has remained ever since, appeared on the vacated spot!

Kammerraad J. C. Riise has published many volumes of what he terms "Historical and Geographic Archives," a "Library for Young People," and similar instructive works. Paggaard is a writer on geology, and Martensen on theology. Bille, of travels and voyages; his "Reise omkring Jorden," "Voyage round the World," is a work much esteemed. C. F. Allen, the professor of Danish history at the university of Copenhagen, has published one of the best histories extant of his own country; it has already gone through three editions. He brings his history down to the death of King Frederick VI., who was succeeded by Christian VIII. Of the good old Frederick, Professor Allen truly says, "that he had seen many sorrowful days, but had ever sought to promote the welfare of his people, whose love had followed him to the grave."

Professor Carl Christian Rafn, the president, and Professor Wegener, the vice-president, of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, stand high among the leading literati of Copenhagen. Professor Rafn has translated several Icelandic sagas, and is the author of the celebrated and very learned work, entitled "Antiquitates Americanæ."

There remains now only to mention the female writers of Denmark. The list is a short one; for, however clever, well-informed, and superior the Danish ladies may be, few of them have chosen to emerge from the privacy of domestic life, and place their names before the world. Nor are the names of those few by any means so well known as are the names of some of the authoresses of a neighbouring country. None have attempted to rival that charming Swedish writer, the late Baroness Knorring—Miss F. Bremer—or the still brighter in Swedish literature, that most talented and admirable writer, Madame Emilie Flygare Carlén.

Upwards of two hundred years ago, a learned Danish lady, Birgitte Thott, published several translations of Greek and Latin works, which were more valued then than original compositions. She does not appear to have had any imitators or followers in her literary career, for we do not hear again even of one stray female writer, until the earlier part of this present century; when Mrs. Hegerman Lindencrone appeared as an authoress, and distinguished herself much as a translator from the German, and an original writer. Among her poems may be mentioned one on the death of Foersom, the Danish translator of Shakspeare. The Countess Gyllenborg, before spoken of, who publishes in conjunction with her celebrated son, J. L. Heiberg; Miss Cecilie Beyer, the able translator of some of Calderon's plays, and who has also written pretty lyric poems; and Miss Fibige, said to be the authoress of the work entitled