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taming, when I patted through the town, only eight ftudents. The cathedral is a largeold brick building, which has nothing remarkable, except fome coftly monuments of aprivate Danilh family. The church which formerly belonged to the convent of Recolets,contains the fepulchres of John and Chriftian II.

John afcended the throne in 1481, on the death of his father Chriftian I,, and in1497, renewing the union of Calmar, obtained the crown of Sweden, which the Swedes ,however, did not long permit him to enjoy. He died on the 12th of February, 1513,having on his death-bed admonilhed his fon Chriftian II.; admonitions which had noeffeCl on a breaft already corrupted by power, and impatient for dominion. John wouldhave aCted more wifely had he endeavoured to render the infant mind of his fon capa-ble of receiving the impreflions of virtue, and had not fhamefully negleCted his educa-tion ; a crime highly reprehensible in a father, but unpardonable in a fovereign, whois perhaps rearing a tyrant for his fubjeCts, and entailing on his country a feries of evils,for which he is himfelf chiefly accountable. Hiftorians agree in reprefenting John as awife and prudent prince, inclined to peace, but enterprizing in war; and as generallymoderate and humane; admitting, however, that he perpetrated occafional ads of vio-lence and cruelty, derived from a fpecies of melancholy madnefs, that preyed upon hismind, and at times deprived him of his fenfes.

His fon, the cruel and unfortunate Chriftian II., is entombed near his father, undera plain grave-ftone, fomewhat raifed, but without infcription. Fie was born at Nyborg ,on the 2d of July 1481 ; and difcovered in his youth fymptoms of a lively genius andgood underftanding, which, if properly cultivated, might have rendered him the orna-ment, inftead of the difhonour, of his country. The young prince was entrufted to acommon burgher of Copenhagen , and afterwards removed to the houfe of a fchool-mafter, who was a canon of the cathedral. In this fituation his chief employment con-fifted in regularly accompanying his mailer to church, where he diftinguifhed himfelfbeyond the other fcholars and chorifters in chaunting and finging pfalms. He was af-terwards configned to the tuition of a German preceptor, a man of learning, but a pe-dant ; under whom, however, he made a confiderable proficiency in the Latin tongue.From this humble education Chriftian imbibed a tafte for bad company, and was accuf-tomed to haunt the common taverns, to mix with the populace, to fcour the ftreets, andto be guilty of every excels. The King at length, informed of thofe irregularities, re-proved him feverely; but as the Prince had already contracted habits, which weregrown too ftrong to be eradicated, thefe admonitions were too late. He feigned, how-ever, contrition for his paft behaviour, and again won the affections of his father by hismilitary fucceffes in Norway , and by an unwearied application to the affairs of govern-ment.

During the firft years of his reign, which commenced in 1513, his adrniniftraticmwas in many refpetts worthy of praife; and the excellence of many of his laws has in-duced Holberg * to affirm, that if the character of Chriftian II. was to be determined byhis laws, and not by his aCtions, he would merit the appellation of Good, rather thanof Tyrant . Happy would it have been for himfelf and his people, had he continued toreign on the fame principles.

At firft all his enterprizes were crowned with fuccefs : he abridged the power of theDanifh nobility, and exalted the regal prerogatives ; he obtained the crown of Sweden ,by conqueft, and was even proclaimed hereditary fovereign of that kingdom. A pru-dent and temperate ufe of thefe advantages might have enfured him a long and undif-

* Dari. Gef. vol. ii. p. 94.

turbed;