King Sigurd, on the other hand, summoned to him all lendermen, and also the house-servants of the lendermen, and named out of every district a number of the bondes from the south parts of the country, so that he had collected a large army about him; and proceeded with all this crowd northwards along the coast to Halogaland, and intended to use all his power to make Sigurd Hranason an outlaw among his own relations.For this purpose he summoned to him the Halogaland and Naumudal people, and appointed a Thing at Hrafnista.King Eystein prepared himself also, and proceeded with many people from the town of Nidaros to the Thing, where he made Sigurd Hranason, by hand-shake before witnesses, deliver over to him the following and defending this case.At this Thing both the kings spoke, each for his own side.Then King Eystein asks the lagmen where that law was made in Norway which gave the bondes the right to judge between the kings of the country, when they had pleas with each other."I shall bring witnesses to prove that Sigurd has given the case into my hands;and it is with me, not with Sigurd Hranason, that King Sigurd has to do in this case." The lagmen said that disputes between kings must be judged only at the Eyra Thing in Nidaros.
King Eystein said, "So I thought that it should be there, and the cases must be removed there."Then King Sigurd said, "The more difficulties and inconvenience thou bringest upon me in this matter, the more I will persevere in it." And with that they parted.
Both kings then went south to Nidaros town, where they summoned a Thing from eight districts.King Eystein was in the town with a great many people, but Sigurd was on board his ships.When the Thing was opened, peace and safe conduct was given to all; and when the people were all collected, and the case should be gone into, Bergthor, a son of Svein Bryggjufot, stood up, and gave his evidence that Sigurd Hranason had concealed a part of the Laplanders' taxes.
Then King Eystein stood up and said, "If thy accusation were true, although we do not know what truth there may be in thy testimony, yet this case has already been dismissed from three Things, and a fourth time from a town meeting; and therefore Irequire that the lagmen acquit Sigurd in this case according to law." And they did so.
Then said King Sigurd, "I see sufficiently, King Eystein, that thou hast carried this case by law-quirks (1), which I do not understand.But now there remains, King Eystein, a way of determining the case which I am more used to, and which I shall now apply."He then retired to his ships, had the tents taken down, laid his whole fleet out at the holm, and held a Thing of his people; and told them that early in the morning they should land at Iluvellir, and give battle to King Eystein.But in the evening, as King Sigurd sat at his table in his ship taking his repast, before he was aware of it a man cast himself on the floor of the forehold, and at the king's feet.This was Sigurd Hranason, who begged the king to take what course with regard to him the king himself thought proper.Then came Bishop Magne and Queen Malmfrid, and many other great personages, and entreated forgiveness for Sigurd Hranason; and at their entreaty the king raised him up, took him by the hand, and placed him among his men, and took him along with himself to the south part of the country.In autumn the king gave Sigurd Hranason leave to go north to his farm, gave him an employment, and was always afterward his friend.After this day, however, the brothers were never much together, and there was no cordiality or cheerfulness among them.
ENDNOTES:
(1) These law-quirks show a singularly advanced state of law.
and deference to the Law Things, amidst such social disorder and misdeeds.-- L.
23.OF KING OLAF'S DEATH.
King Olaf Magnuson fell into a sickness which ended in his death.
He was buried in Christ church in Nidaros, and many were in great grief at his death.After Olaf's death, Eystein and Sigurd ruled the country, the three brothers together having been kings of Norway for twelve years (A.D.1104-1115); namely, five years after King Sigurd returned home, and seven years before.King Olaf was seventeen years old when he died, and it happened on the 24th of December.
24.MAGNUS THE BLIND; HIS BIRTH.
King Eystein had been about a year in the east part of the country at that time, and King Sigurd was then in the north.
King Eystein remained a long time that winter in Sarpsborg.
There was once a powerful and rich bonde called O1af of Dal, who dwelt in Great Dal in Aumord, and had two children, -- a son called Hakon Fauk, and a daughter called Borghild, who was a very beautiful girl, and prudent, and well skilled in many things.
Olaf and his children were a long time in winter in Sarpsborg, and Borghild conversed very often with King Eystein; so that many reports were spread about their friendship.The following summer King Eystein went north, and King Sigurd came eastward, where he remained all winter, and was long in Konungahella, which town he greatly enlarged and improved.He built there a great castle of turf and stone, dug a great ditch around it, and built a church and several houses within the castle.The holy cross he allowed to remain at Konungahella, and therein did not fulfill the oath he had taken in Palestine; but, on the other hand, he established tithe, and most of the other things to which he had bound himself by oath.The reason of his keeping the cross east at the frontier of the country was, that he thought it would be a protection to all the land; but it proved the greatest misfortune to place this relic within the power of the heathens, as it afterwards turned out.
