e accompanied them. But you will see
enough to be convinced of the infinite superiority of your own bards; nor
do I know, that any of the nations of the continent (unless perchance
Italy, which now about began to be honoured by Dante) were able at that
time to write better than the English. The French, I am well assured,
were not. One thing is observable in the Elegy on Edward the First,
which is, that the poet, in order to do the more honour to his hero, puts
his eulogium in the mouth of the Pope, with the same kind of fiction as a
modern bard would have raised up Britannia or the genius of Europe,
sounding forth his praises. Considering the destruction which our
merciless monarch made among the last sons of ancient genius, it may be
looked upon as a just judgment upon him, that he had no better than these
miserable rhimes to disgrace his memory.

With regard to your Specimens, should they not yet be put to the press, I
should take it for a great favour if you would indulge me with a sight of
them in MS., or at least the Dissertation to be prefixed to them; an
indulgence that would not be abused, and which, under whatever
restrictions you please, would oblige, dear Sir,

Your very affectionate and faithful servant,
THOMAS PERCY.

_Eastern_ _Maudit_, _Dec._ 31, 1763.

* * * * *

The same to the same.

DEAR SIR,

It is with pleasure I perform all your requests: inclosed you have the
transcript from Wormius which you desired. As his book relates only to
the Runic letters and ancient manner of writing, it did not fall within
his subject professedly to treat of the Islandic prosody; he has,
therefore, only described one species of verse out of innumerable others,
and this, as it were, by the bye and by way of specimen. He refers to
the _Edda_, or old Islandic book of prosody, for the rest; this book I
have not seen.--There is another _Edda_, which I have, that explains the
Islandic mythology, and of this I shall publish, ere long, a translation,
with some curious notes and dissertations of _M. Mallet_, the present
historiographer to the King of Denmark, as you may remember I have hinted
in the preface to my specimens of Runic Poetry.

When may one hope to see your _Dissertatio de Bardis_? I am fond of the
subject, and have great expectations of your manner of handling it. I
thank yo