Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/330

 322 CHRONICLE OF THE saga vii. where he began to show hostilities against the men who were the best and most powerful; and even against King Canute, whom all are bound to serve according to their ability, and in whose scatt-lands he set himself down. He did the same to Olaf the Swe- dish kino-. He drove the earls Swend and Hakon away from their heritages ; and was even most tyran- nical towards his own connections, as he drove all the kings out of the Uplands: although, indeed, it was but just reward for having been false to their oaths of fealty to King Canute, and having followed this King Olaf in all the folly he could invent ; so their friend- ship ended according to their deserts, by this king mutilating some of them, taking their kingdoms him- self, and ruining every man in the country who had an honourable name. Ye know yourselves how he has treated the lendermen, of whom many of the worthiest have been murdered, and many obliged to fly from their country ; and how he has roamed far and wide through the land with robber bands, burning and plundering houses, and killing people. Who is the man among us here of any consideration who has not some great injury from him to avenge ? Now he has come hither with a foreign troop, - consisting mostly of forest-men, vagabonds, and such marauders. Do ye think he will now be more merciful to you, when he is roaming about with such a bad crew, after committing devastations which all who followed him dissuaded him from? Therefore it is now my advice, that ye .remember King Canute's words when he told you, if King Olaf attempted to return to the country ye should defend the liberty King Canute had promised you, and should oppose and drive away such a vile pack. Now the only thing to be done is, to advance against them, and cast forth these male- factors to the wolves and eagles, leaving their corpses on the spot they cover, unless ye drag them aside