1844- RICHARD CLEASBY. xcvii

' Dercs gode Brcf af 27 ult. fand mig i den dybcste Bedrovelsc, ti min kjærc Fadcrs lange Liclclser
tog en Kndc den 31 Aug., kl. 5, formidclag, til hvilkcn Tid det bchagede Forsynet at beröve mig
min nærmeste Slægtning og ælteste (sic) og beste Ven! jeg maa sögc Understöttelse under dette
haarde Slag i clen trostendc Tankc at jeg ved min Nærværelse og uafladelige Opmærksomheder
bidrog alt mueligt til at lindre den tunge Prove hann gik igjcnncm, og i den kjærlige MedlÍdelse
og Condolence of mine Vcnncr; Gud alenc er den som veed hvad er det Beste!

' Det har gjort mig meget onclt at höre saa daarlige Eftcrretningcr om Snorrason, alligevcl er
det ikke mcgct andct end hvad vi var besörgct om forlcden Host, naar De huskc, en Reise op til
Island var anseet som nodvendigt for Ham, indtil i Vintcrens Löb hann blev saa hurtigt ok uvrgntet
bedrei jeg haaber dog hann vil kommc sig snarcre end De syncs formode. Den andre (sic) unge
Mancls Indvielse bliver om saa nodvendigcrc.

' Saa snart visse Affaircr ere arrangercdc, hvilkc vil nodvendigt krævc min förste Opmærksom-
hed har jeg i sind at rcisc til Kjobcnhavn og haaber ved min Ankomst at höre bcdre Efterrctning
om Gislasons Oien hvilket jeg tænker vil sandsynligt fölge en bedre Tilstand af den almindelige
Sundhcd ; det vil være meget vigtigt at hann yde den Tjencste hann kann i den kommendc Vinter.
. . . Ilaabcncle indcn temmclig kort Tid at sec Dcm igjen jeg forblivcr Deres hengivne

' R. CLEASBY.'

The death of his father plunged Cleasby into business, and it was some time before
he could think of his Icelandic Dictionary in the pressure of family affairs. He had to
go hither and thither, to Brighton and to Westmoreland, where, as far as we can discern,
the family property came to him ; and what with executorships and business letters,
it was long before he could see his way. It is amusing, however, to see how strong his
water-drinking propensity was, for on his return from Westmoreland, in September 1844,
we find him stopping at Harrogate to drink its abominable sulphur spring, which he
confesses did him little good. At last, on the 2nd of October, he broke away from
London, laden with presents for his Copenhagen friends, in which city he arrived on the
yth. There he 'found all in order at' his 'lodgings, 159 Gammel Strand, but that
unfortunately very little had been done in the Icelandic, Snorrason having been ill
again, and Pjeturson had very little time; Gislason not yet returned from his water-
cure/ Under these circumstances it was necessary to engage other assistance, and so
on the 23rd of November we find this entry : ' Snorrason left off to-day writing into the
slips, and it was agreed that the money he had had, 40 dollars in June and August,
should be considered as his payment up to this time.' On the 25th of the same month
we read, ' An Icelander, Fridriksson—who had for Gislason written out the words out
of the Collection of Fragments, No. 655, and assisted Snorrason latterly in writing them
into the slips—came to-day and began to write them on in my rooms, commencing
with S.'

So the year came to an end, which, if it brought him an increase of means, added
much to the burden of his correspondence. His Diaries are now full of notices on
letters of business, and his time for Icelandic must have been much straitened. Still
he went bravely on, and his new amanuensis seems to be the best he had. This
year the 22nd of December passes over without that annual party to drink ' Balder's
health/ The nieht was now drawing near from which there was to be no return

o o

of light. Before the year was out he was called home by business, and on the
28th of December he paid up FVidriksson, Pjeturson, and Thorlacius, set them