Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1985, Qupperneq 237
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books “sequenti anno”; the first book mentioned is “Chronicon Cario-
nis Philippi”.7 Bishop Gudbrandur clearly had in mind the Melanch-
thon-Peucer version, newly published as a whole in 1572. If he got a
copy, it may have been used by Arngrimur Jonsson (see below), who
had close relations with Bishop Gudbrandur and with Holar.
Arngrimur Jonsson cites Carion’s Chronicles by name in two pas-
sages of his Rerum Danicarum Fragmenta (1596). The first deals with
the Danish (or Jutish) king Godefridus, who invaded Frisia but then
fled on learning of Charlemagne’s intention to defend that land.8 Cari-
on is cited, correctly, as giving the date 798 for these events; see 1572,
p. 329; 1573, p. 468; 1595, f. 129v. The other passage contains an
allusion to the history of the Normans, concerning whom AJ refers to
“Kranzius in sua Norveg(ia) et Cario lib. 4. in Caroli Crassi vita” for
fuller details, since he is concentrating strictly on Danish matters.9
There can be no doubt that AJ used some form of the Melanchthon-
Peucer revision. In the original version of Carion Godefridus is not
mentioned and the information on the Normans is too scanty to deser-
ve reference; see 1532, f. 120r. The Danish edition of 1595 is excluded
because it does not have, in its section on Carolus Crassus (see f.
134r), the information that AJ refers to. AJ’s editor refers to a Latin
edition of 1584, which it was not possible for this writer to examine,
since the Royal Library possesses no copy from that year. In a note to
page 35621"22 of the same volume the editor writes: “Who the ‘exteri’
may have been, referred to by AJ as having dated the death of Empe-
ror Ludovicus to 874, is not clear; Chronicon Carionis (1584, p. 514)
has the year 876, and so has D. Chytræi Chronologia, 1586, p. 290.”10
In 1572, p. 337, however, as well as in 1573, p. 484, the death of Louis
the Second is put in the year 874. This may indicate that AJ used one
of these editions rather than the 1584 edition which apparently gives
the wrong date.
Arngrimur Jonsson also mentions the chronicle in a letter to Ole
Worm dated August 11, 1638. He writes that the Edda is ascribed both
7 Bréfabok Gudbrands byskups Porlåkssonar, birt af hinu l'slenzka bokmenntafélagi
(Reykjavik 1919-42), p. 79.
8 Arngrimi Jonæ, Opera Latine Conscripta, ed. by Jakob Benediktsson, Bibi. Arn.
IX-XII (Copenhagen 1950-57), Vol. I, p. 355.
9 Ibid., p. 357.
10 Ibid., Vol. IV, p. 244.