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their conquerors tremble; that hatred which is always mixed with fear, may have given birth to the charge of their being canibals and magicians. Excess of fear fascinates and dazzles the sight more certainly than the sorceries of which they were accused: and their enemies may have encouraged this opinion partly through superstition, and partly to set off their own courage. The probity for which this people was so famous, proves pretty plainly that the picture was over-charged. In process of time, the subject of these ancient wars was forgotten; love performed the office of mediator between both people, their mutual shyness insensibly wore off, and as soon as they began to see one another more nearly, all these prodigies vanished away.
After all, I do not pretend to decide whether the first inhabitants of these countries were all of them, without any mixture, of Germanic origin, Cimbri and Teutones. For although to me this appears very probable with regard to Denmark, it cannot be denied that the Finns and Laplanders anciently possessed a much more considerable part of Scandinavia than they do at present. This was the opinion of Grotius and Leibnitz. According to them, these people were formerly spread over the southern parts of Norway and Sweden,
