and the Scandinavian collections both contain the
same kind of poems, and especially epic poems, elegies and laments,
moral poems, war songs, aphorisms, riddles, some of which continue to
puzzle the wisest of our day.

[45] The most ancient fragments of this epic are found in the _Edda_ in
verse; a complete version exists in Icelandic prose ("Volsunga Saga") of
the twelfth century; the German version ("Nibelungenlied") is of the end
of the same century.

[46] "Lay of Skirni."--"Corpus Poeticum," i. p. 114.

[47] "Alta-Kvida."--"Corpus Poeticum," i. p. 48. This is one of the most
ancient poems in the collection.

[48] "Alta-Kvida."--"Corpus Poeticum," i. p. 51.

[49] A single example will be as good as many: "One of the Viking
leaders got the nickname of Boern (Child) because he had been so
tender-hearted as to try and stop the sport of his followers, who were
tossing young children in the air and catching them upon their spears.
No doubt his men laughed not unkindly at this fancy of his, and gave him
the nickname above mentioned." C. F. Keary, "The Vikings in Western
Christendom," 789-888, London, 1891, 8vo, p. 145.

[50] "Hymis-Kvida."--"Corpus Poeticum," i. p. 222.

[51] The most valuable monuments of Anglo-Saxon literature and art are
contained in the following MSS.:

I. _Poetry._--MS. of "Beowulf," preserved in the British Museum, Cotton.
Vitell. A. xv., written towards the end of the tenth or beginning of the
eleventh century. It contains also the fine poem of "Judith," &c.

A fragment of a poem on Waldhere, preserved in the Copenhagen Library.

The Exeter MS., "Codex Exoniensis," written in the tenth or eleventh
century and given, in 1046, by Leofric, first bishop of Exeter, to the
cathedral library of this town, where it is still preserved. It contains
a variety of poetic pieces (Christ, St. Guthlac, Phenix, Wanderer,
Seafarer, Widsith, Panther, Whale, Deor, Ruin, Riddles, &c.).

The "Codex Vercellensis," preserved at Vercelli in Lombardy, containing:
Andreas, The Departed Soul's Address to the Body, Dream of the Holy
Rood, Elene, &c., written in the eleventh century.

The Bodleian MS., Junius xi., containing a poetical version of part of
the Bible, some of which is attributed to Caedmon, written in the tenth
century.

The Paris Anglo-Saxon Psalter (Bibliotheque Nationale, Lat. 8824),
written in the eleventh century, 50 psalms in prose, 100 in verse.

II. _Prose._--The Epinal MS. containing an Ang