It is with pleasure I perform all your requests: inclosed you have the
transcript from Wormius which you desired. As his book relates only to
the Runic letters and ancient manner of writing, it did not fall within
his subject professedly to treat of the Islandic prosody; he has,
therefore, only described one species of verse out of innumerable others,
and this, as it were, by the bye and by way of specimen. He refers to
the _Edda_, or old Islandic book of prosody, for the rest; this book I
have not seen.--There is another _Edda_, which I have, that explains the
Islandic mythology, and of this I shall publish, ere long, a translation,
with some curious notes and dissertations of _M. Mallet_, the present
historiographer to the King of Denmark, as you may remember I have hinted
in the preface to my specimens of Runic Poetry.
When may one hope to see your _Dissertatio de Bardis_? I am fond of the
subject, and have great expectations of your manner of handling it. I
thank you for your friend's preface; though he is not much master of
English style, the particulars he produces are curious. I have turned to
my learned friend Mr. Lye's edition of _Junii Etymologicon Anglicanum_
for the etymology of such words as your friend mentions, and I find
nothing, that does not confirm his derivations; I have not time now to
descend to particulars, but shall be glad to hear from you as soon as
agreeable. One so much master, as you are, of British antiquities,
whether historic or poetical, can never want means of entertaining,
Dear Sir, your very affectionate servant,
THOMAS PERCY.
_Easton Maudit_, _April_ 10, 1764.
P.S. Pray, are the Welsh romances, you have described, in prose or
verse? If they are in prose, then let me ask if you have ever seen any
in verse? I take it, these subjects were treated in verse before they
came to plain prose in most nations. This, at least, I find to be the
case in the old Erse and Islandic languages, as well as in the more
modern Italian, French, Spanish, and English tongues. I have got curious
specimens in the last I mentioned. Pray is the word St. _Great_, or
_St._ _Greal_, in the first article of your curious letter?