Page:Northern Antiquities 2.djvu/47

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man, who in many works manifested his zeal for the honour of letters and of his country. He published the first edition of the Edda, and we may, in some respects, say it is hitherto the only one. This edition, which forms a large quarto volume, appeared at Copenhagen in the year 1665, dedicated to King Frederick III. It contains the text of the Edda, a Latin translation done in part by a learned Icelandic priest, named Magnus Olsen or Olaï, and continued by Torfaeus; together with a Danish version, by the historiographer Stephen Olaï, and various readings from different MSS.

With regard to the text, Resenius hath taken the utmost care to give it correct and genuine. He collated many MSS. of which the major part are still preserved in the royal and university libraries; but what he chiefly made the greatest use of, was a MS. belonging to the King, which is judged to be the most ancient of all, being as old as the thirteenth, or at least the fourteenth century, and still extant. Exclusive of this, we do not find in the edition of Resenius any critical remarks, calculated to elucidate the contents of the Edda. In truth, the Preface seems intended to make amends for this deficiency, since that alone would fill a volume of the size of this book; but,