Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/141

 when on shore, and from necessity subsisting in guest-quarters in inland districts, we see the first rudiments of the institution of a standing army, or body guard, or body of hired men-at-arms. The kings, from the earliest times, appear to have kept a herd, as it was called, or court. The herdmen were paid men-at-arms; and it appears incidentally from several passages in the sagas that they regularly mounted guard,—posted sentries round the king's quarters,—and had patroles on horseback, night and day, at some distance, to bring notice of any hostile advance. We find that Olaf Kyrre, or the Quiet, kept a body of 120 herdmen, 60 giesters, and 60 house-carls, for doing such work as might be required. The standing armed force, or body guard, appears to have consisted of two classes of people. The herdmen were apparently of the class udal-born to land, and consequently entitled to sit in Things at home; for they are called Thing-men, which appears to have been a title of distinction. The giester appears to have been a soldier of the unfree class; that is, not of those udal-born to land, and free of, or qualified to sit in, the Things. They appear to have been the common seamen, soldiers, and followers; for we do not find any mention of slaves ever employed under arms in any way, or in any war expeditions. The giesters appear to have been inferior to the thingmen or herdmen, as we find them employed in inferior otfices, such as executing criminals or prisoners. The victories of Swein, and Canute the Great, are ascribed to the superiority of the hired bands of thingmen in their pay. The massacre of the Danes in 1002, by Ethelred, appears to have been of the regular bands of thingmen who were quartered in the towns, and who were attacked while unarmed I and attending a church festival. The herdmen appear not only to have been disciplined and paid troops, but to have been clothed uniformly. Red was always