beauty, but we must, I think, reject them from the category of the true products of heathenism. The latter stanzas of the Völuspâ include that one (the 64th), to which Professor Bugge has taken exception; it includes, too, the verse containing the unusual, and not truly Gothic, word dreki, dragon.

We can easily understand why, in this one matter of hope in the future, and in the world beyond the grave, the decaying heathen creed was likely to be infected by the new-born Christian one. The same breath of an immense hope, which Mr. Symonds" pictures blowing over the fields of Italy, with the coming of Christianity, reached in time to the snow-fields of the North, and it is in virtue of this hope that the prophetic eye of the ValaSees arise, a second time,

Earth from ocean, green again;

Waters fall once more, the eagle flies over,

And in the fell fishes for his prey.

striking a note which is foreign to the gloomy religion of the German race.

The point of criticism from which I have drawn this outline of the true Eddaic belief is, as I said at the beginning, that of the general student of belief; always regarding the matter in its comparative aspect, and not resting, if I could help it, upon single examples of the facts I wished to make prominent.

This method must certainly be the beginning of Eddaic criticism, or of the criticism of any mythology; though I do not mean that criticism 41 "Studies in Italy and Greece."

can end there. We have to examine first the whole history of the people, to seize their national characteristics and their tone of thought, before we can judge of the probability that any myth did, or did not, spring up spontaneously among them.

I have not space left to enter into a detailed examination of the facts which Professor Bugge has brought forward in support of his thesis. Neither was such a detailed examination part of my original plan. Some points I think he has satisfactorily established; and as regards the details of the stories we must admit, in these instances, that they have been taken from Christian or classical myths. An example in point is the myth of all nature weeping to get Baldr out of Hel's home. This detail is clearly not essential to the original myth of Baldr, and might easily have been drawn from elsewhere. In certain instances, however, I think Professor Bugge makes his facts bear a greater weight of testimony in favour of his theory, than is legitimately theirs. We have to consider whether his argument may not be legitimately turned round, and where Professor Bugge asserts that the heathen myths were influenced by Christianity, and imported by the Vikings into Scandinavia, we may ask whether the Vikings cannot have brought their mythology to England, or, still more probable, whether the heathen English may not have possessed myths of just the same kind as those contained in the Eddas? I will give one example of what I mean, and with that example end.

How does the case stand for the theory that the death of Baldr by the mistletoe was a Jewish

Christian legend? Had Baldr been a widely worshipped god among the German people, even if he had been (which we must remember Grimm denies) originally a god of war; still, from the form which the legend of him took, it is quite sure that he would come to be confounded with Christ; and that while his character was modified to resemble that of the Saviour of mankind, the history of Christ would be modified to take in some facts of

the myth of Baldr. It is in the highest degree probable, therefore, that as the mistletoe had been chiefly instrumental in the death of Baldr, it would be made chiefly instrumental in that of Christ. Therefore it helps the argument of Professor Bugge no single step to show that there was a tradition saying that the cross was made of mistletoe; unless this tradition can be shown to have a source elsewhere than in England or in Germany. Without that

link of evidence, which is wanting to Professor Bugge's argument, the fact tells the other way. The belief in England and Germany that the cross was made of mistletoe would, without the intervention of the Eddas, be an extraordinary fact needing to be accounted for; and surely not adequately accounted for on Professor Bugge's theory. The Eddaic myth of Baldr, however, is a sufficient explanation of that belief.

THE POPULAR LITERATURE OF OLD

JAPAN.

BY C. PFOUNDES, F.R.G.S., M.R.S.L.

(Read 25th May, 1881).

(ABSTRACT.)

THE Popular Literature of Old Japan, is but one of the many interesting branches of Oriental research, of which but little is known generally; and I venture to think, that the intellectual life and literature cultivated amongst Asiatic peoples, is worthy of much greater attention, than has been hitherto bestowed upon such matters in England.

The literature and intellectual occupations of some thirty-five millions of people, must surely be of sufficient importance to claim examination, the more especially that of such a nation as the Japanese.

We must admit the wonderful extent to which their artistic colouring, and quaint design, has entered into our own decoration, and even our fashions; and I would therefore claim for this people, that they possess a very high degree of mental culture, great artistic instinct, and literary refinement. Nor can we overlook the fact, that they possess an ancient classical literature in common with other Eastern Asiatic nations, that have an aggregate· population of some hundreds of millions.

There

Our compatriots in the East, and other foreign residents, take but little interest in the people amongst whom they are placed, and rarely devote themselves seriously to the study of the literature and intellectual life of the natives. seems to be a general absence of mental energy, or sufficient inducement, in some cases a want of special training, and ample leisure, amongst the majority of the residents, to prompt them to essay to span the wide gulf that separates the AngloSaxon from the Asiatic. Wrapped in the mantle of our insular egotism, the native is too often despised by our countrymen abroad; and instead of confidence being inspired in the minds of the higher class of natives, these learn, too often, to avoid the alien intruder and his surroundings, and keep him at a distance from the homes of the refined and cultivated natives.

I feel assured, Japan will prove an almost inexhaustible mine of wealth to the industrious Orientalist; and the Sanskrit texts, the existence of which has been more widely made known by the learned Max Muller, is but an instance of this. That valuable discoveries will be made yet, in other directions, I have been long ago convinced; and my own impression, that missing links of Chinese literature will be found in Japan, are supported by no less an authority than Alexander Wylie, Esq.,

and others.

Nearly a score of centuries ago the Japanese had frequent communication, officially and otherwise, with China, and in the earliest times the Japanese were great travellers; even the leaders of marauding