xcii RICHARD CLEASBY. 1842,43.

much, I cannot but add that I reserve to myself the liberty of dealing with the whole subject, both
as regards remarks and translation—anything I did in the latter I should especially be desirous of
accompanying with a critically correct text as far as existing documents allow—in such a manner
as may most accord with the future course of my studies ; but I cannot at the same time for a
moment on this account seek to interfere with Mr. Laing's entering the field, which is an open and
public one, and elucidating the theme after his own views, which may possibly in some respects
differ from mine, and may probably cast a new and valuable light on the subject, since he has been
so successful in his treatment of modern Norway and Sweden.'

Truly an admirable letter. As for Mr. Laing's venture on the Sagas, it only came
to translating the Heimskringla from the Norwegian translation of Aall. With all his
merits, Mr. Laing was no Icelandic scholar, and though Cleasby was, we know that his
whole undivided strength was unequal during his lifetime to finish his Dictionary.

For some reason, Cleasby on the i5th of October relet his lodgings in Vesterbro,
and moved into others, 4, Gammel Strand, where he remained the winter over, working
away at the Dictionary with his two secretaries, taking walks with them and other of
his friends in the hours of relaxation, and very often asking them out to dine with him
in the suburbs. It was about this time that Gislason's eyes began to fail. On the
26th of November Cleasby wrote to his father to say that ' the hard weather, and my
leading amanuensis being threatened with blindness and not able to write so much,
threw more labour on me, and made it difficult for me to fix the time of my return/
As yet, however, Gislason worked on with Pjeturson, and the monthly payments of
20 dollars each continue. On the 8th of December we find the following entry,
enclosed in deep black lines : ' Anniversary of a day of severe bereavement.' On that
day, the year before, he had lost his mother. On the 22nd, the day after the shortest
day, he enters, ' Took my two amanuenses, Gislason and Pjeturson, to dine at Fredericks-
berg, and drank Balder's health in commemoration of the recommencement of the
reign of light/ On the 3ist comes the usual entry of 20 dollars each to those two
Icelanders.

On the 2nd of January, 1843, he paid Möller, the stationer, six dollars four
marks for ' a book for inserting substantives' and ' cut slips of paper/ and on the
nth, 'to the same for a book for the words ú—jafn, all, at, ný;' but, strange to say,
he has omitted to enter the amount. On the 2yth he notes : ' The half-yearly meeting
of the Nordisk Oldskrift Selskab : the Crown Prince'—the late King of Denmark—' pre-
sided, and cut a much better figure than I expected from what general report says
of him. He took a good deal of interest in the thing, and was sometimes smart/
Shortly before this he had written to his brother Anthony that he could not come home
for the Athenæum election, but hoped he should be elected; and on the 2yth he heard
from him that his election had taken place. On the loth of March he enters : ' My
amanuensis Gislason entered the Fredericks Hospital to-day, to put himself under
the care of Dr. Möller for his eyes/ On the 8th of April he lent Pjeturson 50 dollars.
It had been very cold that year, and it was not till the 26th of April that he notes
the coming of the first swallow. On the ist of May he paid Gislason 20 dollars
for this month of May, previous to his departure; and on the 3rd left two cases at