Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/354

 346 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA VII. ClIAl'TER CCLIV. Of King Olaf's sanctity. Chapter CCLV. Of Einar Tambar- sk elver. When these laws were promulgated the minds of the people were instantly raised against them, and murmurs were heard among them. They who had not taken part against King Olaf said, " Now take your reward and friendship from the Canute race, ye men of the interior of Drontheim who fought against King Olaf, and deprived him of his kingdom. Ye were promised peace and justice, and now ye have got oppression and slavery for your great treachery and crime." Nor was it very easy to contradict them, as all men saw how miserable the change had been. But people had not the boldness to make an insurrection against King Swend, principally because many had given King Canute their sons or other near relations as hostages ; and also because no one ap- peared as leader of an insurrection. They very soon, however, complained of King Swend ; and his mother Alfifa got much of the blame of all that was against their desire. Then the truth, with regard to Olaf, became evident to many. This winter many in the Drontheim land began to declare that Olaf was in reality a holy man, and his sanctity was confirmed by many miracles. Many began to make promises and prayers to King Olaf in the matters in which they thought they required help, and many found great benefit from these invocations ; some in respect of health, others of a journey, or other circumstances in which such help seemed need- ful. Einar Tambarskelver was come home from England to his farm, and had the fiefs which King Canute had given him when they met in Drontheim, and which were almost an earldom. Einar had not been in the the class of witnesses in the jurisprudence of the middle ages called compurgators, who testified not the fact, but their confidence in the statements of the accused; and from which, possibly, our English bail for offenders arose.