little vague, can hardly refer to anything but
an expedition of Waldemar to Bremen in 1208. The whole History was in
that case probably finished by about 1208. As to the order in which its
parts were composed, it is likely that Absalon's original instruction
was to write a history of Absalon's own doings. The fourteenth and
succeeding books deal with these at disproportionate length, and
Absalon, at the expense even of Waldemar, is the protagonist. Now Saxo
states in his Preface that he "has taken care to follow the statements
("asserta") of Absalon, and with obedient mind and pen to include both
his own doings and other men's doings of which he learnt."

The latter books are, therefore, to a great extent, Absalon's personally
communicated memoirs. But we have seen that Absalon died in 1201,
and that Bk. xi, at any rate, was not written after 1202. It almost
certainly follows that the latter books were written in Absalon's
life; but the Preface, written after them, refers to events in 1208.
Therefore, unless we suppose that the issue was for some reason
delayed, or that Saxo spent seven years in polishing--which is not
impossible--there is some reason to surmise that he began with that
portion of his work which was nearest to his own time, and added
the previous (especially the first nine, or mythical) books, as a
completion, and possibly as an afterthought. But this is a point which
there is no real means of settling. We do not know how late the Preface
was written, except that it must have been some time between 1208 and
1223, when Anders Suneson ceased to be Archbishop; nor do we know when
Saxo died.

HISTORY OF THE WORK.

Nothing is stranger than that a work of such force and genius, unique in
Danish letters, should have been forgotten for three hundred years, and
have survived only in an epitome and in exceedingly few manuscripts. The
history of the book is worth recording. Doubtless its very merits, its
"marvellous vocabulary, thickly-studded maxims, and excellent variety of
images," which Erasmus admired long afterwards, sealed it to the vulgar.
A man needed some Latin to appreciate it, and Erasmus' natural wonder
"how a Dane at that day could have such a force of eloquence" is a
measure of the rarity both of the gift and of a public that could
appraise it. The epitome (made about 1430) shows that Saxo was felt to
be difficult, its author saying: "Since Saxo's work is in many places
diffuse, and many th