Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.2007, Blaðsíða 147

5.4 Activity in Sweden: the College of Antiquities 117
lege of Antiquities, Johan Hadorph, was a fine man but that Rudbeck,
Verelius and Reenhielm were just dreamers.69 Later he corresponded
with Peringskiold and also was in contact with Sparfwenfeldt and the
librarian Benzelius (Jørgensen 1931: 150).
Torfæus’s amanuensis, Asgeir Jonsson, contacted the Swedes him-
self in 1691 through Guømundur Olafsson and offered his help with-
out the knowledge of Torfæus (Kålund 1916: xxxii note, Schiick
1932-44: IV, 20-21).70 Later he was recommended by Torfæus for
a position at the College of Antiquities and it appears from Pering-
skiold’s annual personnel reports to the Chancery that the position in
question was that of GuSmundur Olafsson, who died in 1695. Asgeir
Jonsson had planned to travel to Sweden in the autumn of 1697. There
were now no Icelanders left at the College of Antiquities since Guø-
mundur GuSmundsson had also died in 1697 (see above). Asgeir stayed
with Arni Magnusson over the winter while he awaited a final answer
and a cash advance for the journey, but nothing came of the matter
because he was not satisfied with the salary offered.71
69 Extract from Celsius’s diary, Danske Samlinger 2. R. IV 255. See Jørgensen 1931:
149-150.
70 The offer was made in a note Asgeir Jonsson appended to a letter from Torfæus
to Guømundur Olafsson. The application no doubt made its way further up the
hierarchy, for Guømundur translated it into Swedish. The translation is appended
to the letter, which can be found in the archives of Vitterhets-, Historie- och An-
tikvitetsakademin (Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities,
shelf-mark Ab 20).
71 Torfæus wrote to Arni Magnusson about this in a letter of 13.2.1696: “Secret-
erer Utterklo schrifar mer til at gefa ser anleding um einn Islendschann i Gvendar
Olafssonar stad, bydur 200 rde. in specie eda meir; jeg schrifa honum thil at jeg
vite engann, sem par til duge utann ydur, sem echi er at faa, og par næst Asgeir,
po jeg kunne illa at missa hann; jeg begiere i Ion 300 rdr., och bestallnings breff
mætte mer thilsendast. Jeg see her enga promotion firir hann” (‘Secretary Utterklo
has written to me to ask for an Icelander in place of Guømundur Olafsson, he is
offering a salary of 200 riksdaler in specie or more; I have told him that I know of
no one suitable other than you, who are not available, or otherwise Asgeir, although