primitive inhabitants of the world lived in
a southern climate where Paradise spontaneously arose, I am led to infer,
from various circumstances, that the first dwelling of man happened to be
a spot like this which led him to adore a sun so seldom seen; for this
worship, which probably preceded that of demons or demigods, certainly
never began in a southern climate, where the continual presence of the
sun prevented its being considered as a good; or rather the want of it
never being felt, this glorious luminary would carelessly have diffused
its blessings without being hailed as a benefactor. Man must therefore
have been placed in the north, to tempt him to run after the sun, in
order that the different parts of the earth might be peopled. Nor do I
wonder that hordes of barbarians always poured out of these regions to
seek for milder climes, when nothing like cultivation attached them to
the soil, especially when we take into the view that the adventuring
spirit, common to man, is naturally stronger and more general during the
infancy of society. The conduct of the followers of Mahomet, and the
crusaders, will sufficiently corroborate my assertion.

Approaching nearer to Stromstad, the appearance of the town proved to be
quite in character with the country we had just passed through. I
hesitated to use the word country, yet could not find another; still it
would sound absurd to talk of fields of rocks.

The town was built on and under them. Three or four weather-beaten trees
were shrinking from the wind, and the grass grew so sparingly that I
could not avoid thinking Dr. Johnson's hyperbolical assertion "that the
man merited well of his country who made a few blades of grass grow where
they never grew before," might here have been uttered with strict
propriety. The steeple likewise towered aloft, for what is a church,
even amongst the Lutherans, without a steeple? But to prevent mischief
in such an exposed situation, it is wisely placed on a rock at some
distance not to endanger the roof of the church.

Rambling about, I saw the door open, and entered, when to my great
surprise I found the clergyman reading prayers, with only the clerk
attending. I instantly thought of Swift's "Dearly beloved Roger," but on
inquiry I learnt that some one had died that morning, and in Sweden it is
customary to pray for the dead.

The sun, who I suspected never dared to shine, began now to convince me
that he came forth only t