Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/26

 14 SAGA IX. CHRONICLE OF THE commander of the army. There was a young and beautiful girl called Maria, a brother's daughter of the empress Zoe, and Harald had paid his addresses to her; but the empress had given him a refusal. The Vseringers, who were then in pay in Constanti- nople, have told here in the North that there went a report among well-informed people that the empress Zoe herself wanted Harald for her husband, and that she chiefly blamed Harald for his determination to leave Constantinople, although another reason was given out to the public. Constantinus Monomachus* was at that time emperor of the Greeks, and ruled along with Zoe. On this account the Greek em- peror had Harald made prisoner, and carried to prison. Chapter Whcu Harald drcw near to the prison King Olaf King * the Saint stood before him, and said he would assist rade d ^^^^* ^^ ^^^^ ^P^^ ^^ ^^^ street a chapel has since putting out been built, and consecrated to Saint Olaf, and which the G^reek chapcl has stood thcrc ever since. The prison was so emperor, coustructcd that thcrc was a high tower open above, but a door below to go into it from the street. Through it Harald was thrust in, along with Haldor and Ulf. Next night a lady of distinction with two servants came, by the help of ladders, to the top of the tower, let do^vn a rope into the prison, and hauled them up. Saint Olaf had formerly cured this lady of a sickness, and he had appeared to her in a vision, and told her to deliver his brother. Harald went immediately to the Yaeringers, who all rose from their seats when he came in, and received him with joy. The men armed themselves forthwith, and went to Avhere the emperor slept. They took the emperor Zoe about the year 1042, to have survived her, and to have died 1054. No mention is made by historians of this emperor having been Winded by his body-guards, as stated in the next chapter.
 * Constantine X. Monomachus appears to have married the empress