Sverga Divi, in Hindu mythology, is a section of genii who execute the immediate commands of Lidra, the Indian sun-god. They seem not to have a large form, since they often ask human help in order to defend them against the Assurs, or evil genii.
Sviartovit (Slavic, ho/y warrior'), the most cele- brated deity of the ancient Baltic Slavonians, whose temple and idol were at Arkona, the capital of the island of Kiigen. This last stronghold of Slavonic idol- atry was taken and destroyed, A.D. 1168, by Waldemar I, king of Denmark. See Slavonians.
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Svidor and Svipall, in Norse mythology, are sur- namos of Odin.
Svipul, in Norse mytliology, was one of the beauti- ful WalUnrs. or female spirits who order the battle.
S'Waddle (irn, to hamltige, ffTrapyai'ow; but nSU. ill Lam. ii, 23, means to bea?- upon the palm), to swathe an infant with cloths in order to keep its tender limbs from injury, a practice common iu the East (Ezek. xvi, 4; Luke ii, 7). See Biutii.
Swaddlers, an absurd nickname given by the Irish Koinan ('attiolics to the early I\[ethodists. It is saiil to have originated from John Cennick preaching a sermon on the Habe " wrapped in swadilling-clothes," the ignorant Roman Catholics who heard it or heard of it supposing the '•swaddling-clothes" to he an invention of the Protestants. In the year 17;5.S a ballad-singer named IJutler actually raised riots in Dublin and else- where to the cry of "l"'ive pounds for the head of a swaddler!" and he and his allies called themselves " Antiswaddlers."
STwahili Version. The Swahili, which was for- merly ilescriljcd as Kimtihdi (that is, " according to Swahili"), is spoken at Zanzibar and for a considerable distance down the East Coast of Africa, besides being likely to become an important means of communication with inland tribes. The language is evidently an off- shoot of tlie Kaffir family, but is strongly impregnated with Arabic words, being a connecting-link between the two opposite families of speech. A tentative translation of the New Test, was made by the Rev. Dr. Krapf when in Eistern Africa a few years ago, but he never so far perfected his work as to render it prudent to propose its publication. Independently of Dr. Krapf's work, the at- tention of others had been drawn to this important sub- ject; and when the Rev. Dr. Steere returned to England in 18G9 he brought with him a translation of St. Matthew and the book of Psalms, which he had himself prepared during a residence of several years at Zanzibar. In the same year the (Jospel of St. Matthew was printed; and as this was the tirst time any part of the Scriptures had been published in that language, and the circulation must of necessity be limited, only a small edition was issued. In 1871 the book of Psalms was printed, which was followed in 1875 bv the pui)lication of St. John's Gospel, and in 1877 by that of St. Luke, the latter as translated by the late missionary Rebmaini, but with the orthography made to conform to that of bishop Steere. From the Report for the year 1877, we see that a proposal was made to use the Arabic characters for this version, but the committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society could not approve of it, inasmuch as the weight of evidence went to show that any natives who were acquainted with the Aral)ic characters could read the pure Arabic versi(ni,wliilc for the rest the Kisnaheli in Roman characters was far simpler. Altogether the missionaries circulated in about nine years (i. e. since the publication of St. JIatthew in 18(1!) to March 30, 1878) 4048 copies. Thus encouraged, bishop Steere is preparing a translation of the other books of the Bible. (B. P.)
S-waim, John Sanford, a minister of the Meth- odist E|iiscopal Church, was l)orn at Chatham, N. J., May 1, 180tJ, and united with tiie Cluirch at tlie age of fourteen. He was admitted on trial in tlie Philadelphia Conference in 1834, and continued actively engaged in the pastorate until 18()3. He then entered tlie Chris- tian Commission, and was appointed to Hilton Head. In 1864 he was made supernumerary, and appointed missionary to Jacksonville, Fla. Finding the climate j congenial to his health, he continued to reside there un- til his death, Nov. 18, 187.5. See Minutes of Annual I Conferences, 1876, p. 42.
Swaim, Samuel Budd, D.D.. an able minister of the Baptist tlenomination, was born at Pemberton, N, J., June 22, 1809, and was a graduate of Browu Uui- ,
versity in the class of 1830 and of the Newton Theolog- ical Institution in the class of 1833. He was ordained at Haverliill, Mass., Nov. 7, 1833. For some time he was professor in Granville College (now Denison Uni- versity). In 1838 he took charge of the F'irst Baptist Churcii in Worcester, Mass., where his ministry was au eminently successful one, and continued sixteen years. From 1864 to 1862 he was pastor in West Cambridge, and then became an agent for the American Baptist Home Missionary Society, His death took place Feb. 3, 1865. (J. C. S.)
S'wain, Charles "W., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born at New Bedford, Mass., Oct. 22, 1793. He united with the Church in Richmond, Clermont Co., O., in 1819, and in 1831 was admitted on trial into the Ohio Conference, and in due time received deacon's and elder's orders. He was actively engaged in the ministry (excepting one year's service as agent of the Ohio Wesleyan University) until the fall of 1855. In 1856 he took a superannuated relation, and made his home in F^aston until his death, April 25, 1870. Mr. Swain assisted in organizing a temperance society in New Richmond, O., as early as Sept. 1, 1829, the first of the kind west of the Alleghany Mountains. See Min- utes of Annual Conferences, 1870, p. 166.