iS43, 44- RICHARD CLEASBY. xcv

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middle of March, 1844. In the meantime he had gone on swimmingly with his
Dictionary, and as Gislason's health was still weak and Pjeturson's not much better,
on the 4th of November a young man of the name of Brynjolfr Snorrason, an
Icelander, was engaged to assist; and after that the payments of 20 dollars are
regularly' made monthly to the three amanuenses. So the year passed on, and on
the 22nd of December we have the usual entry, 'Took Gislason and Pjeturson to
dine with me at Fredericksberg, and drank Baklcr's health in commemoration of
the reiofn of darkness having a^ain cnven way to that of liirht;' but on the 2^th

o o ij o y o⁷ *--*

he received an unwelcome letter from Anthony, stating that his father's health
was precarious; and on the 2Qth another, speaking so unfavourably of his state
that Cleasby determined to leave for London immediately. He was just in time
to catch the last steamer of the season for Kiel, and departed that clay, having first
packed up all his papers and sent most of them to the University Library, and the
two control books and remaining slips to his friend Capt. Röcler. Before he went he
paid up his amanuenses for December, and two of them in advance for January. On
the 6th of January, 1844, he reached London,—having travelled extra post through Lower
Germany, and by rail from Cologne,—where he happily found his father much better than
he had been or than he expected to find him. On the 2yth of the month he wrote to
Pjeturson, telling him that though he found his father better, his health was so weak that
he might have to stay a month or two in England. He hoped, however, to return to
Copenhagen, ' Saa snart vi skrive Martz,' and to be ready to set to work again. In the
meantime he hoped both Pjeturson's and Gislason's health would mend, and that they
would be prepared to work during the coming spring and summer. As for himself, he
was doing what little work he could in London. Soon after this letter his father's health
somewhat mended, and Cleasby determined to return to Copenhagen for a while. On
the 5th of March, ' after taking an affectionate leave of my dear father, who, though very
weak, appeared a good deal better than he had been, and after having received assur-
ances from Dr. Arnott that there was no danger at present,'' Cleasby started for Dover,
and took the steamer for Ostencl. In spite of the ice, which was thick on the Belts, he
reached Copenhagen on the I5th, and immediately pays his amanuenses as usual. On
the 28th he wrote to his father to say that he should be back by the middle of April.
On the 29th he enters : ' Thorwaklsen died suddenly this evening at the theatre during the
overture;' and on the 3Oth, ' Thorwaldsen's funeral took place to-day. The king, queen,
and whole royal family attended at the service, and 7000 or 8000 persons at least
followed in the procession. That may be said of him which can be said of few, that he
has not left his like behind him/

All this time the winter had been very severe, and it was not till the 9th of April
that the ice which filled up the harbour of Copenhagen moved off. On the 151!!
Cleasby wrote to his father that he should leave on the 22nd. On the roth he writes :
' Rafn sent me the first part of a to f of Egilsson's MSS. of the Poetic Dictionary, 699
sides in 4to;' and on the 2Oth, 'had a conversation with Rafn to-day concerning
Egilsson's Poetic Dictionary, and told him I thought 500 or 600 dollars would be fair