HOLBERG, hiWh6rN. LUDNIC, Baron (1684 )754). A Danish poet, novelist. and historian, horn at Bergen. Norway. Ile is called the 'father of Danish comedy.' Left an orphan in child hood, he proved an eager student in spite of poverty and diseouragements, and sup ported himself precariously as tutor for some years, in the course of which he visited Holland, Germany, and England, and studied for two years at Oxford. Ile lectured in the I'lliVer,ity at Co penhagen. where hi, scholarship was recognized, though not remunerated.
in 111;11111.4H atil'aCted tie' attention of King Frederiek IV., and 110!berg received a traveling scholarship that took him through a great part of Europe. largely on foot. He returned to Den mark in 1716, and in 1718 published in Intro duction to Naturist and Popular Laic, NV1liell brought him a professorship in the University of Copenhagen and a modest competence. Thus cased, his genius welled up in the serio comic epic Pe;ler Nara (1719), a brilliant satire on contemporary manners, followed by five others, hardly less successful. In 1721 he Nva, made director of the first. Danish theatre in Copenhagen, for \Odell lie wrote during 1722 five (-lassie comedies and in 1723 ten others. Ilk best comedy, Henrik and Peraille, Wong, to 1724. The theatre failed. and Milberg closed his dramatic career by publishing his col le•ted comedies in 1731. Adapting himself to a change in the national spirit, he turned to history, philosophy and satire, writing much that is now forgotten, and also the famous satire, Sub terranean Journey of Niels Klini (Niro Der Subterranean', 1741), which was thrice translated from Latin into Danish, ten times into German, three times into Swedish. English, and Dutch. twice into French ameI /111s.:inn, and
once into Hungarian. He published also five vol umes of Letters (1; -1S-5-1). Ile shares with Vol taire the prei;minence in European literature in his generation. He made Danish a literary lan guage, and won for it aristocratic recognition. llis influence has endured for two centuries. Edi tions of Ids works are countless; the best edition of the Comedies is by Lichtenberg (Copenhagen, 1881 et s•q.). The 1101berg Society, founded at Copenhagen in 1342, oversaw (1818-54) a critical edition of Hollierg's comedies in eight volumes. There are biographies by Prutz (Stuttgart. 1857) ; Smith (Copenhagen, 1858) : and Ilorn (ib.. 1884). Consult also: Milberg C011 COMIn• bait(' ti ur fir Moll, re ( Pad-4,1864) ; Brandes, llo1lirrq seine Zeitgenossen (Berlin, 1885).
HOLBORN, 115'Inirn. A district and street in London. The name is derived from Dld or thole Bourne, the former name for a part of the Fleet, which ran through a valley. The depression is now by the famous Holborn Viaduct, an iron st•ueture 27 yard- wide and 657 long. built in 1869 to facilitate communication by avoiding the ascent of Holborn llill. Criminals formerly passed through Ilulhorn on their way to execution, and according to an old custom received a nose gay at Saint Sepulchre's Chureh. near Newgate Prison, from which the thoroughfare leads west to New Oxford street. I in Holborn are Bar nard's• Eurnivall's, and Staple Inn. and near it are Ely Chapel, Gray's Inn, and Lincoln's Tnn. Alilton at one thee lived on the western portion of the street. called High Holborn. A number of pieturesque old houses stand on this street, which survived the Great Fire.