Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/48

 36 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA IX. Chapter XXXVI. Of Harald. with bonders and men of the levy. When King Swend came to them they begged for mercy, and offered ransom for themselves. So says Thorleik the Fair : — " The stern king's men good offers make. If Swend will ransom for them take; Too few to fight, they boldly say Unequal force makes them give way. * The hasty bonders for a word Would have betaken them to the sword. And have prolonged a bloody strife — Such men can give no price for life." King Harald was a great man, who ruled his king- dom well in home-concerns. Yery prudent was he, of good understanding ; and it is the universal opinion that no chief ever was in northern lands of such deep judgment and ready counsel as Harald. He was a great warrior ; bold in arms ; strong and expert in the use of his weapons beyond any others, as has been before related, although many of the feats of his manhood are not here written down. This is owing partly to our uncertainty about them, partly to our wish not to put stories into this book for which there is no testimony. Although we have heard many things talked about, and even circumstantially related, yet we think it better that something may be added to, than that it should be necessary to take something away from, our relation. A great part of his history is put in verse by Iceland men, which poems they pre- sented to him or his sons, and for which reason he was their great friend. He was, indeed, a great friend to all the people of that country; and once, when a very dear time set in, he allowed four ships to transport meal to Iceland, and fixed that the shippund should not be dearer than 100 ells of wadmal.^ He permitted woven by the country-people in Iceland ; and being their only native product of value, rents, taxes, and prices were, until a late period, valued in wadmal.
 * Wadmal was a coarse woollen home-made cloth, undyed, spun and