As things are at present, this is, perhaps, all for the best. The complaint lies against the original neglect of the Frisian; and its _gravamen_ is the sad tale it so silently tells of previous centralization--by which is meant arbitrary and unjustifiable oppression; for at no distant time back, the Frisians must have formed a very considerable proportion of the Sleswickers, and, at the beginning of the Historical period, the majority. And yet it was not thought of Christianizing them through their own tongue; a tongue which, because it has never been systematically reduced to writing, conscientious clergymen say is incapable of being written. As if the Frisian of Friesland, the Frisian of the south, had not been the language of law and poetry for more than eight hundred years, and, as if it were a bit harder to write, or print, the northern dialect of the same, than it was for Scotland to have a literature. For the tongue is no growth of yesterday. It may, possibly, be as much older as any other tongue of the Peninsula as the Welsh is older than the English. That it is older than some of them is certain. Amateur investigators of it there are, of course. Outzen, the pastor of Brekkelum, was the father of them; and honourable mention is due to the present clergyman in Hacksted. As a general rule, however, the religion of Sleswick has been centralized. The literature, as far as it has been collected, consists of a wedding-song of the fifteenth century, to be found in Camerarius, with addition of, perhaps, a dozen such _morceaux_ as the following approaches to song, epigram, and ballad, respectively. 1 Læt foammen kom ins jordt to meh, Ik hêv en blanken daaler to deh, Di væl ik deh vel zjönke, Dæ sjællt du beh meh tjönke, Læt foammen, &c. 2 Ik[21] væl for tusend daaler ej Dat ik het haad of vaas, Den lüp ik med den rump ombej En vöst ekj vær ik var. 3 DER FREYER VOM HOLSTEIN. Diar kam en skep bi Sudher Siöe Me tri jung Fruers ön di Floot. Hokken wiar di fördeorst? Dit wiar Peter Rothgrun. Hud säät hi sin spooren? Fuar Hennerk Jerkens düür. Hokken kam tö Düür? Marrike sallef, Me Krük en Bekker ön di jen hundh, En gulde Ring aur di udher hundh. Jü nöödhight höm en sin Hinghst in, Död di Hingst Haaver und Peter wün. Toonkh Gott fuar des gud dei. Al di Brid end bridmaaner of wei, Butolter Marri en Peter allüning! Jü look höm ün to Kest En wildh höm nimmer muar mest. _Translated._ 1. Little woman come in the yard to me, I have a white dollar for thee; I will give it you So that you think of me. 2. I would not for a thousand dollars, That my head were off, Then should I run with my trunk, And know (wiss) not where I was. 3.