Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/388

 380 CHRONICLE OF THE saga viii. and very expert in all exercises, and a well-spoken man withal. Every one who knew him said he had every quality which became a good chief. Swend Ulfsson waited upon King Magnus while he lay in the Goth a river, as before mentioned, and the king received him kindly, as he was by many advised to do ; for Swend was a particularly popular man. He could also speak for himself to the king well and cleverly ; so that it came at last to Swend' s entering into King Magnus's service, and becoming his man. They often talked together afterwards in private con- cerning many affairs. Chapter One day, as King Magnus sat in his high seat and Swend many people were around him, Swend Ulfsson sat Slated an u P on a footstool before the king. The king then earl - made a speech : — " Be it known to you, chiefs, and the people in general, that I have taken the following resolution. Here is a distinguished man, both for family and for his own merits, Swend Ulfsson, who has entered into my service, and given me promise of fidelity. Now, as ye know, the Danes have this summer became my men, so that when I am absent from the country it is without a head ; and it is not unknown to you how it is ravaged by the people of Vendland, Courland, and others from the Baltic, as well as by Saxons. Therefore I promised them a chief who could defend and rule their land ; and I know no man better fitted, in all respects, for this than Swend Ulfsson, who is of birth to be chief of the country. I will therefore make him my earl, and give him the government of my Danish dominions while I am in Norway; just as King Canute the Great set his father, Earl Ulf, over Denmark while he was in England." Then Einar Tambarskelver said, " Too great an earl — too great an earl, my foster-son!" The king replied in a passion, " Ye have a poor