Volume 6

Travels in various countries of Europe, Asia and Africa / By Edward Daniel Clarke.

  • Clarke, Edward Daniel, 1769-1822.
Date:
1810-1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels in various countries of Europe, Asia and Africa / By Edward Daniel Clarke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    445/630 (page 391)
    volume1. Frantzen was Professor of History and the Belles Lettres. We had before seen him at Gamla Carleby, during our journey in the North of Finland, when he was in search of a wife, as we have before mentioned2. Upon the occasion of our present visit, we found him in his little study, surrounded by his books; among which, to our surprise, we observed Addison's Spectator, the works of our poet Gray, Coiuper s Poems, and several other of our English Poets, all in their original language. Observing that we noticed his collection of English Authors, he said, “We Scandinavians are able to appreciate the beauties of English literature, because the thoughts and feelings of your writers are so nearly akin to our own.” The truth of this remark will best be exemplified by an effusion of the Professor’s own muse, taken from one of the public Newspapers, which he kindly presented to us, upon our asking him for a specimen of his poetry3. It has all the characteristic pathos of English poetry; being, in fact, com¬ posed in the style, and nearly in the metre, adopted by some of our own Poets; such, for example, as Gray, in one of his Odes4 5; also Merrich'% Cotton6 7, Burns1; and also by Miss Carter, (1) SeeVol. V. Chap. XIV. pp. 532—535. (2) Ibid. p. 517- (3) The “ @t0cfi)0lttt$ fOffol, (No. 214.)” for Thursday, Sept. 19, 1793— “ Xf)OV$tCt$Cit, ten 19 ©cptem&et, 1793.” It had, for signature, the initial and ter¬ minal letters of his name, thus written : “ F——n.” (4) See Gray’s Ode, f< ’Twas on a lofty vase’s side,” &c. Vol. I. p. 6. edit, by Mathias. (5) See his Paraphrase of the 122d Psalm— “ The festal morn, my God, is come.” Also on the 65th Psalm— “ Ye works of God, on him alone, &c. (6) See his Fire-Side: “ Dear Chloe, while the busy crowd,” &c. (7) See his Ode on Despondency : “ Oppress’d with grief,” &c.