Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Heinemann Volume 2).djvu/199

 the sword; if he is like to be caught in the morning, you hold it wiser to wait till eventide.

[Looking earnestly at him.] And what would you do, my lord Bishop?

Speak not of me; my work is to build up thrones in this land, not to sit on them and rule.

[After a short pause.] Answer me one thing, my honoured lord, and answer me truly. How comes it that Håkon can follow the straight path so unflinchingly? He is no wiser, no bolder than I.

Who does the greatest work in this world?

The greatest man.

But who is the greatest man?

The bravest.

So says the warrior. A priest would say: the man of greatest faith,—a philosopher: the most learned. But it is none of these, Earl Skule. The most fortunate man[1] is the greatest man. It is