Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/221

Before closing this chapter we must mention two eminent historians, who, although they belong to a somewhat later period, still may very properly be treated in connection with Gram and Langebek. Peder Frederik Suhm (1728-98) belonged to an old noble family, and was at first destined for the court or for a judicial career, but his early developed taste for scientific pursuits, particularly for history, the favorite study of his childhood, was victorious, and having as a very young man married a wealthy lady, his circumstances were exceptionally favorable for the realization of the plan of his life, the plan that had the most charm for him, and which as a child he had given expression to by saying that he wanted to become an author like Holberg. He surely did not become that, but he was a man of indefatigable application and profound learning, and he is very justly surnamed "the first friend of the sciences in Denmark," for he not only did excellent literary work himself, but he also gave liberal and substantial aid to men of science and to scientific undertakings. His chief work is his great history of Denmark, which, though it only extends to the year 1400, still contains fourteen volumes. Notwithstanding all the excellences of the work, there is a lack of system in the treatment. The author handles his materials with a certain clumsiness; but still it is a work to which there are but few parallels. On account of the vast amount of original material it contains it is of inestimable value, and must always remain one of the most important works for historical reference. Suhm has also written a great number of dissertations and edited a multitude of other works, short, moral, critical, and economical essays, idyls, stories, dialogues, etc,., work in which he sought recreation when he was tired of historical studies. The most remarkable are his old Norse tales, which made a certain sensation, not only because they were new, but also on account of their sentimental style, which was anything but genuine Norse, but they happened to satisfy the taste of that period. Suhm was assisted in his labors by the Norwegian scholar,