Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/253

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 245 live without disturbance from foreign kings, but s ag a vn. now we hear the king of Norway is going to attack us, to which is added the fear of the people that the Swedish king will join him; and now King Canute is in England." The earl then produced King Canute's letter and seal, confirming all that the earl asserted. Many other chiefs supported this business ; and in consequence of all these persuasions the people re- solved to take Hardaknut as king, which was done at the same Thing. The Queen Emma had been prin- cipal promoter of this determination ; for she had got the letter to be written, and provided with the seal, having cunningly got hold of the king's signet : but from him it was all concealed. Now when Harda- knut and Earl Ulf heard for certain that King Olaf was come from Norway with a large army, they went to Jutland, where the greatest strength of the Danish kingdom lies, sent out message-tokens, and summoned to them a great force ; but when they heard the Swe- dish king was also come with his army, they thought they would not have strength enough to give battle to both, and therefore kept their army together in Jutland, and resolved to defend that country against the kings. The whole of their ships they assembled in Lymfiord, and waited thus for King Canute. Now when they heard that King Canute had come from the West to Lymfiord, they sent men to him, and to Queen Emma, and begged her to find out if the king was angry at them or not, and to let them know. The queen talked over the matter with him, and said, " Your son Hardaknut will pay the full mulct the king may demand, if he has done any thing which is thought to be against the king." He replies, that Hardaknut has not done this of his own judgment. " And therefore," says he, " it has turned out as might have been expected, that when he, a child, and with- out understanding, wanted to be called king, the H 3