SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

90 Saga-Book of the Viking Society
When Arni had to visit Iceland in r685 for personal
reasons in connection with his father's death he had
explicit instructions from Bartholin to collect and bring
back with him all the manuscripts he could possibly lay
his hands on,
Many of the larger codices and other important
manuscripts had already heen sent out of the country and
been deposited in the royal collection in Copenhagen and
in the libraries of private collectors both in Denmark and
in Sweden. But the farms and the cathedral libraries of
Skalholt and Holar were still a happy hunting ground for
an ardent and avid collector like Arni, who scorned no
written scrap whether of paper or vellum, and would beg,
borrow or buy -- the method did not matter.
It is not known how fruitful this first visit was, but
undoubtedly Bartholin must have been fairly impressed
with the results, because he sent Ami on a similar errand
to Norway and Lund in r689 to r690'
After his return to Copenhagen Ami still kept up his
collecting and was untiring in writing letters to friends
and relations in Iceland urging them to send him
manuscripts. His great opportunity finally came when
he was appointed by the King, together with lawman
Pall Vidalin, to carry out a general survey of conditions
in Iceland and enquire into administrative, judicial and
trade affairs. This task took ten years, the greater part
of which Arni spent in Iceland.
After Bartholin's death Ami became librarian and
secretary to the Danish statesman Moth, who greatly
appreciated his gifts and learning. It seems certain that
it was due to Moth's influence that Ami was appointed
professor designatus at the University of Copenhagen late
in the year r694, shortly after he had left on a mission to
Germany which lasted for two years. The primary
object of this visit was to inspect and report on a collection
of books which had been offered to the University and it
would normally have lasted only a short time but Ami