Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/175

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 163 in Halogaland, and endowed it with property and saga xn. revenues. Kins: Ey stein sent a verbal messas^e to the most in- Chapter XVI telligent and powerful of the men of Jemteland, and of King invited them to him ; received them all as they came, Eysteui. with great kindness ; accompanied them part of the way home, and gave them presents, and thus enticed them into a friendship with him. Now as many of them became accustomed to visit him and receive gifts from him, and he also sent gifts to some who did not come themselves, he soon gained the favour of all the people who had most influence in the country. Then he spoke to the Jemteland people, and told them they had done ill in turning away from the kings of Nor- way, and withdrawing from them their taxes and allegiance. He represented to them how many useful things they could get from Norway, and how incon- venient it was for them to apply to the Swedish king for what they needed.* By these speeches he brought matters so far, that the Jemteland people of their own accord offered to be subject to him, which they said was useful and necessary for them; and thus, on both sides, it was agreed that the Jemtelanders should put their whole country under King Ey stein. The first beginning was with the men of consequence, who persuaded the people to take an oath of fidelity to King Ey stein ; and then they went to King Ey stein, and confirmed the country to him by oath ; and this arrangement has since continued for a long time. King Eystein thus conquered Jemteland by his wis- dom, and not by hostile inroads as some of his fore- fathers had done. King Eystein was the handsomest man that could CHArxEn be seen. He had blue open eyes ; his hair yellow and of King* Eystein's people of this district^ which they cannot get from the Baltic coast of Sweden. M 2
 * The dried fish of Norway are a necessary article of food to the