Animadversions on a pretended Account of Danmark

CHAP. II.

Of Denmark in particular, and the Island of Sealand.

BUT to what end have we la∣bour'd hitherto, in the fore∣going Chapter? Let the Country be never so large, if at the same time it be barren, the extent of it signi∣fies little. Sealand is that unhappy Province, whose Fertility cannot be commended by the Author, it having no Bread Corn (p. 8.) except Rye, which he owns to be in good quan∣tity. I hitherto thought that when a Field was sown with Grain, if the Crop answer'd the utmost expectati∣on of its owner, the Field might be commended for its fertility; and if upon the Authors arrival, he did not find Wheat got ready on purpose for him, it was because Rye Bread,

being more acceptable to the Danish Nation, and agreeing better with their health and constitution, the Farmer hoped to make a better Mar∣ket of his Rye amongst his Country∣men•• than he should do of Wheat, to fatten Green Geese or cram Capons for his worship.

And indeed, we shall find as lit∣tle reason, for his being disgusted at the air of the Country, which he says is but indifferent, p. 8. especially in and near Copenhagen, occasion'd by frequent Fogs, and its low Scituation. Any body who has been in Sealand, must allow the air to be very good; Copenhagen has only the inconvenience which all populous Citi••s are subject to, in not having it quite so clear as in the Country; though the wholesomness of it appears by the healthiness of the Inhabitants: And as to Fogs (which they are seldom troubled with) no man ought to complain of them, who may very probably have lived in Dublin.

He is just to the Country for six Lines, in telling us the face of the

Land is pleasant, &c. p. 9. and that there is a most excellent Port belonging to Copenhagen; but he presently comes to himself and says, they have no other Ports in the Kingdom; nor indeed much occasion in Sealand, since they have no Commodities to ship from them.

Notwithstanding this Gentleman's Intelligence, there are very good Sea∣ports throughout all Danmark, of which I shall mention the following only, each of them capable of har∣bouring Vessels of 200 Tun or more; in Sealand; Corsoer, Callundborg, Hol∣beck, Wordingborg, &c. In Funen; Nyborg, Assens, Kierseminde, &c. In Jutland; Aalborg, Aarhus, Horsens, Rinkiobing, &c. In Fal••••er, Laland, &c. Nakskow, Nykiobing, &c. too many here to enumerate. And then from Sealand there is a considerable quantity of Corn sent every year to Norway, and the last year but one, viz. 1692, abundance likewise was carried to Holland; the reason why there may not be so much exported at present, as has been heretofore, is be∣cause, contrary to what he affirms,

p. 10. That the number of the Inhabi∣tants are not encreased, The Inhabi∣tants of Copenhagen are twice as many as they were 20 years ago.

Corn indeed would be much scarcer, if the Kings Game were so arbitrary as he pretends, p. 9. to make them; and those sacred things might range the Fields, and no man dare to touch them. The Countrymen I'll assure you, Sir, are not obliged to you for the Law you have newly made them; since they have in Danmark hitherto had an equal liberty, as in other Countries, to disturb their Enter∣tainment.

Come we now to the business of their Eating, in which the Reflector seems to be extreamly curious. Some one Bur•••••• of Copenhagen has un∣doubtedly d••soblige•• him with an ill Dinner, which was a wonder; for their way of Eating and Drinking is so far above Meanness, that it rather inclines to Luxury; three or four Dishes of several Meats, is but a com∣mon Dinner for the middle People, and generally their Supper equals it.

Nay, the very Boors throughout all Danmark and Norway, will not be satis∣fied, if they have not their three Meals a day, and those commonly of warm Meat; so that when the Coun∣tryman in England is contented with his Bread and Cheese to Supper, the Danish and Norsh Peasants must have their Pot on the fire, or else they will go to their Feather-beds (than which, our Author says, no man can have better, p. 88.) with great uneasi∣ness. 'Tis true Meat and Fish when salted is more acceptable to the Danes, as well as other Northern People, and agrees better with their constitution; and it would be a hardship instead of a deli∣cacy to them, to have so much fresh Meat as is customary in England. But was the Diet of the Burghers even as hard as he describes it, yet, I am credibly informed, that the Servants of a Publick Minister there (who shall be nameless) would have been very glad to partake of it, since their Ma∣sters house-keeping was so far from abounding, that they found too fre∣quent occasions to complain openly.

And whereas the Author of the Ac∣count says, p. 10, 11. that if the Inspectors of the English Markets should come to those of Copenhagen, they would find the Victu∣als had enough to be sent only to the Pri∣sons; those poor Servants would have been infinitely obliged, should they in pity have commanded an Officer to stop, and set his Basket down now and then at his Excellency's.

Their Peasants live as plentifully as in other Countries, they have good Flesh and salt Fish, white Meats, Roots, &c. but what signi∣fies all this (according to our Author, p. 11.) since necessary fresh Fish is wanting? I could heartily condole their condition, if my Tenants in Northampton and Leicestershire would not take exception; for if they found me once so indulgent to the Peasants of another Nation, they would cer∣tainly expect a double barrel of Colchester Oysters by the next Carri∣er; and without a Cods-head, Smelts or Turbet, I might e'ne go to plow my self for Hodge and Sawney.

But what is most admirable to me is, that there can be any thing fit to eat throughout all Danmark, since according to this Author's descripti∣on, p. 11. it seems to be exempted from part of the common promise which God made to Noah, and Man∣kind, that while the Earth remaineth, Seed-time and Harvest, and Cold and Heat, and Summer and Winter, and Day and Night shall not cease, Gen. 8. 22. For he says, p. 11. that at Copen∣hagen, and in all Denmark they never have Spring, and seldom Autumn. This assertion could proceed only from such a one, as in his preface he calls a very Traveller, or at least an ill na∣tur'd and unthinking Person, since so many People are able to confute him, as have ever lived there but a twelve-month. Then for those three months of June, July and August, which he calls Summer, he has provided suffi∣cient Plagues for them; first the in∣terposition of thick vapours, &c. p. 11. which upon examination, will be found to be only Clouds in his own understanding. Secondly, his plague

of Flies, of which he has seen whole Bushels swept together in one Room, p 12. A BushelSir! (if of Winchester measure) will hold a great many Flies: and what makes this seem more incredi∣ble is, that Domitian the Imperial Fly∣killer, though in Italy, (a very hot Country) when he had taken his half peck, thought he had had very plentiful game.

The City of Copenhagen does not more abound in Flies, than it is on the contrary wanting in Fish; for the Author, p. 12. never knew a Sea Town of that consequence worse served with it; the Baltick indeed is not so well sto∣red with Fish, as some other Seas; but yet in Copenhagen there is Sea Fish, asCod, Flounders, &c. brought from o∣ther places, and sold there very cheap; the reason why it is not still cheaper, by being brought thither as it might be in greater plenty, is because their fresh∣water fish is in vast quantities, and as he says, p. 92. makes full amends, there be∣ing the best Carp, Tench, Perch and Craw∣fish, that are to be found any where.

He now leads us to a Description of the City of Copenhagen, p. 12. for (it seems) when he has done that, he shall have little more to say of any other in the King of Danmark's Dominions, there being no other belonging to him, much better than our Town of St. Albans. Per∣haps the Gentleman did not Travel much in the Country, and so speaks on∣ly as to his own Knowledge; but other People who have seen more, are of Opinion, and think that Ribe, Aar∣huus, Aalborg, Odense, &c. besides several Cities in Norway, and other of the Kings Dominions, as Bergen, Trund∣hiem, Christiania, Gluckstadt, Flensborg, Hadersleben, &c. if they were allotted an Impartial Surveyor, would appear to be much better than our Town of St. Al∣bans, which at present stands so fair in this Authors good graces.

But though Copenhagen is the best place belonging to the King as Dan∣mark, Yet it is no Antient City, nor a very Large one, it comes nearest to Bri∣stol, and increases in buildings daily. p. 12. Copenhagen was founded in the twelfth Century, Anno 1168. and as to its

largeness it may most properly be compared with Dublin, which is the second City in the King of England's Dominions. He is just to the Port of Copenhagen, in about a Page and an half, p. 13, 14. but it is, that he may find the greater faults with the other things that belong to it. The Air (he says) is bad, by reason of the stink of the Chan∣nels, which are cut through the City. p. 14. In the 8th Page he attributes the badness of the Air to the Fogs and low Scitua∣tion, but here to the Channels, which are indeed rather an Ornament and Convenience to it, than otherwise: Heretofore there might some small offence proceed from them, when they were in the nature of Fleet-ditch, in London: But now, by the Order of his present Majesty, they are cut quite through the City, the Sea going in on one side, and out at the other; and are so very large, that a stout Man of War may ride cross the City and round the Castle.

The Works of the Town, he says, are only of Earth and Sods, p. 14. So much the better; Stone Walls, we know, are

of no great strength against Cannons: And when he tells us, ib. These Works are in tolerable good repair; he should in common justice have said something of the extraordinary good order they are kept in. The Buildings (as he de∣scribes them) ib. are generally mean, being Cage-work; not considering, that Cage∣work is more in esteem there than Plai∣ster, as being more convenient and durable, and contrived generally so as to appear very handsome; not but that there are abundance of very good Brick Houses, that are built by the Citizens, as well as others more mag∣nificent belonging to the Nobility.

As to the publick Buildings, King Christian the 4th did more than all the succeeding Princes, (says our Author.) It is very strange, that King Christian should do more than all his Successors put together; p. 15. which all (after this bluster)if added together, will amount to but two only, the Father and Son; of which the Son has augmented the Beauty of the City very considerably. The great Objection against them all is, that they have forgot, or delayed

the building of a Pallace, the Kings House of Residence being the worst in the world, p. 15. As for new Buildings, the present King is content with the Garden∣house of Rosenborgh, and with the de∣licious Castle of Friderickborg, till his Affairs will permit him to finish a Pal∣lace, that has been long designed to be built by the Sea side, near the Kings New Market. In the mean time the old Castle is acceptable enough to their Majesties, by reason of that affection which is naturally born to things that have been possest, and are left by se∣veral Ancestors; this Castle being ve∣nerable for its Antiquity, part of it having been the first House that was built in Copenhagen. Certainly this Pallace ought to be preserved, at least, to show the Citizens how much they are at present advanced, and to what height his Majesty has raised them; since Sub∣jects now are not satisfied with such Buildings and Apartments, as have been, and are thought sufficient for the Royal Family and their Predecessors. This signal instance should have been brought by our Author, to prove the

Pride of absolute Monarchs, and the Misery of the Danish Nation, viz. in his own words p. 15. That several of the Noblemen, as his high Excellency Gui∣denlew, the Great Admiral Juel, with others, are infinitely better lodged than the whole Royal Family.

Had the Author been resolved to do Danmark the least favor or justice, he might as well have spoken a little of the Curiosities that were in Copen∣hagen, as without reason, have spent his time in blaming its Air, Buildings and Fortifications. For certainly in Copenhagen a Traveller may find many things worth his observation; the Change is none of the worst; the Arse∣nal one of the best in Europe; the Ca∣nals very fine; the Round Steeple of Tri∣nity Church, built according to the dire∣ctions of Christian Longomontan, the Dis∣ciple of Tycho Brahe, and Professor of Mathematicks in Copenhagen, is without question a most noble piece of Curiosi∣ty, the like is not to be found else∣where; for a Coach and Horses may ascend to the top, and yet the height of it comes very near that of the Monu∣ment

of London. This Steeple consists of Arches, and over the Church, which is all of Brick without any Timber, is the Li∣brary of the University as large as the Church. But as for the University of Copen∣hagen he never so much as takes any no∣tice of it here. Politics and Satyr took up his time so much, that he had no leisure for the Belles Letters, or gentiler Learning, p. 255. so he gives us no Account of the Kings Library, nor of several others be∣longing to the University; which as they are very considerable for other things, so particularly for the preservation of the Antiquities of those Northern Nations: Nor of the admirable Musaeum, be∣longing to the King of Danmark, which is in the same Pallace with the Royal Library, full of all the most ex∣quisite Raritics of Art and Nature; and which, after the learned Olaus Wormius's death, was so considerably augmented with his famous Closet, one of the best in the world, for the many curious Antiquities it contained, which he bequeathed to the King, and of which the Learned World has a printed account in a large Folio.

He speaks nothing of the Beauty, Largeness and Magnificence of the Churches both within and without; nor of the extraordinary height of the two Steeples belonging to the Churches of the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas; nor of the fine Organs, especially that of St. Mary's Church, lately made by a Danish Master; which for its prodigious largeness is fearcely to be parallell'd any where amongst the Protestants. Neither doth this curious Gentleman mention the Kings New Mar∣ket, a very fine and large place, in the middle of which stands the Kings Statue on Horseback, very artificially cast in Lead; and is surrounded with the finest Palaces of the Town, as Count Guldenlew's, Admiral Juel's, &c. But most of all this Authors neg∣ligence is to be admired, that he dis∣dains to speak a word of the great new work on Christians-haven; which is a new City by it self, lying on the Island of Amack, but joyn'd to Copen∣hagen. This new Work is a vast Fortifica∣tion opposite to the Cittadel of Copen∣hagen, which is situated near the Cu∣stom-house, and Entrance of the Har∣bour;

so that on both sides these two Fortresses command both the Port and almost all the City round about, and render the Fortifications of the City it self so much the stronger, and in a manner impregnable. And in this new work of Christians-haven, two things are very considerable. First, that all the Ground contained in the Fort is, by incredible labour and industry, made out of the midst of the Water; and then, that this Ground is of so considerable an extent, that a Town may be built upon it: And it is said, that his Danish Majesty hath appointed this to be the Dwelling-place of the Jews of Copenhagen.

By these instances, (which yet are not all that are worth a mans curiosity in Copenhagen) the impartial Reader may guess, how unjust the Author has been in his description of this antient and Royal City, and how far he may rely upon the rest of his Relations of these two Northern Kingdoms and annexed Provinces: Seeing when he pretends to describe Copenhagen, he mentions nothing of Christians-haven; just as if he should speak of London, and forget Southwark.