Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/100

 92 CHRONICLE OF THE saga vii. name spoken, he thought the speaker had some mes- sage or business of his own to execute ; but when he heard of peace, and the frontiers between Norway and Sweden, he saw from what root it came, and sprang up, and called out that the man should be silent, for that such speeches were useless. There- upon Biorn sat down ; and when the noise had ceased Earl Eognvald stood up and made a speech. He spoke of Olaf the Thick' s message, and proposal of peace to Olaf the Swedish king; and that all the West Gotland people sent their entreaty to Olaf that he would make peace with the king of Norway. He recounted all the evils the West Gotlanders were suf- fering under ; that they must go without all the things from Norway which were necessary in their house- holds ; and, on the other hand, were exposed to attack and hostility whenever the king of Norway gathered an army and made an inroad on them. The earl added, that Olaf the Norway king had sent men hither with the intent to obtain Ingigerd the king's daughter in marriage. When the earl had done speaking Olaf the Swedish king stood up and replied, and was altogether against listening to any proposals of peace, and made many and heavy reproaches against the earl for his impu- dence in entering into a peaceful truce with the thick fellow, and making up a peaceful friendship with him, and which in truth he considered treason against him- self. He added, that it would be well deserved if Earl Eognvald were driven out of the kingdom. The earl had, in his opinion, the influence of his wife Inge- borg to thank for what might happen ; and it was the most imprudent fancy he could have fallen upon to take up with such a wife. The king spoke long and bitterly, turning his speech always against Olaf the Thick. When he sat down not a sound was to be heard at first.