Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/361

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 353 working regained their health. King Olaf's first SA GA v n - miracles are clearly written down, although they oc- curred somewhat later. It is reckoned by those who have kept an exact ^P-3 K account, that Olaf the Saint was king of Norway for of King fifteen years from the time Earl Swend left the coun- an ^ ££& try; but he had received the title of king from the people of the Uplands the winter before. Sigvat the scald tells this : — " For fifteen winters o'er the land King Olaf held the chief command, Before he fell up in the North : His fall made known to us his worth. No worthier prince before his day In our North land e'er held the sway. Too short he held it for our good : All men wish now that he had stood." Saint Olaf was thirty-five years old when he fell, according to what Are hinn Frode the priest says, and he had been in twenty pitched battles. So says Sigvat the scald : — " Some leaders trust in God — some not; Even so their men ; but well I wot God-fearing Olaf fought and won Twenty pitched battles, one by one, And always placed upon his right His Christian men in a hard fight. May God be merciful, I pray, To him — for he ne'er shunned the fray." We have now related a part of King Olaf's story, namely, the events which took place while he ruled over Norway ; also his death, and how his holiness was manifested. Now shall we not neglect to mention what it was that most advanced his honour. This was his miracles ; but these will come to be treated of afterwards in this book. King Swend, the son of Canute the Great, ruled Chapter over Norway for some years ; but was a child both in 0f the a^e and understanding. His mother Alfifa had most Drontheim o o people. sway in the country ; and the people of the country VOL. II. A A