登陆注册
4909400000027

第27章

Olaf was by no means an unmerciful man,--much the reverse where he saw good cause. There was a wicked old King Raerik, for example, one of those five kinglets whom, with their bits of armaments, Olaf by stratagem had surrounded one night, and at once bagged and subjected when morning rose, all of them consenting; all of them except this Raerik, whom Olaf, as the readiest sure course, took home with him; blinded, and kept in his own house; finding there was no alternative but that or death to the obstinate old dog, who was a kind of distant cousin withal, and could not conscientiously be killed. Stone-blind old Raerik was not always in murderous humor. Indeed, for most part he wore a placid, conciliatory aspect, and said shrewd amusing things; but had thrice over tried, with amazing cunning of contrivance, though stone-blind, to thrust a dagger into Olaf and the last time had all but succeeded. So that, as Olaf still refused to have him killed, it had become a problem what was to be done with him. Olaf's good humor, as well as _his_ quiet, ready sense and practicality, are manifested in his final settlement of this Raerik problem. Olaf's laugh, I can perceive, was not so loud as Tryggveson's but equally hearty, coming from the bright mind of him!

Besides blind Raerik, Olaf had in his household one Thorarin, an Icelander; a remarkably ugly man, says Snorro, but a far-travelled, shrewdly observant, loyal-minded, and good-humored person, whom Olaf liked to talk with. "Remarkably ugly," says Snorro, "especially in his hands and feet, which were large and ill-shaped to a degree." One morning Thorarin, who, with other trusted ones, slept in Olaf's apartment, was lazily dozing and yawning, and had stretched one of his feet out of the bed before the king awoke. The foot was still there when Olaf did open his bright eyes, which instantly lighted on this foot.

"Well, here is a foot," says Olaf, gayly, "which one seldom sees the match of; I durst venture there is not another so ugly in this city of Nidaros."

"Hah, king!" said Thorarin, "there are few things one cannot match if one seek long and take pains. I would bet, with thy permission, King, to find an uglier."

"Done!" cried Olaf. Upon which Thorarin stretched out the other foot.

"A still uglier," cried he; "for it has lost the little toe."

"Ho, ho!" said Olaf; "but it is I who have gained the bet. The _less_ of an ugly thing the less ugly, not the more!"

Loyal Thorarin respectfully submitted.

"What is to be my penalty, then? The king it is that must decide."

"To take me that wicked old Raerik to Leif Ericson in Greenland."

Which the Icelander did; leaving two vacant seats henceforth at Olaf's table. Leif Ericson, son of Eric discoverer of America, quietly managed Raerik henceforth; sent him to Iceland,--I think to father Eric himself; certainly to some safe hand there, in whose house, or in some still quieter neighboring lodging, at his own choice, old Raerik spent the last three years of his life in a perfectly quiescent manner.

Olaf's struggles in the matter of religion had actually settled that question in Norway. By these rough methods of his, whatever we may think of them, Heathenism had got itself smashed dead; and was no more heard of in that country. Olaf himself was evidently a highly devout and pious man;--whosoever is born with Olaf's temper now will still find, as Olaf did, new and infinite field for it! Christianity in Norway had the like fertility as in other countries; or even rose to a higher, and what Dahlmann thinks, exuberant pitch, in the course of the two centuries which followed that of Olaf. Him all testimony represents to us as a most righteous no less than most religious king.

Continually vigilant, just, and rigorous was Olaf's administration of the laws; repression of robbery, punishment of injustice, stern repayment of evil-doers, wherever he could lay hold of them.

Among the Bonder or opulent class, and indeed everywhere, for the poor too can be sinners and need punishment, Olaf had, by this course of conduct, naturally made enemies. His severity so visible to all, and the justice and infinite beneficence of it so invisible except to a very few. But, at any rate, his reign for the first ten years was victorious; and might have been so to the end, had it not been intersected, and interfered with, by King Knut in his far bigger orbit and current of affairs and interests. Knut's English affairs and Danish being all settled to his mind, he seems, especially after that year of pilgrimage to Rome, and association with the Pontiffs and Kaisers of the world on that occasion, to have turned his more particular attention upon Norway, and the claims he himself had there.

Jarl Hakon, too, sister's son of Knut, and always well seen by him, had long been busy in this direction, much forgetful of that oath to Olaf when his barge got canted over by the cable of two capstans, and his life was given him, not without conditions altogether!

About the year 1026 there arrived two splendid persons out of England, bearing King Knut the Great's letter and seal, with a message, likely enough to be far from welcome to Olaf. For some days Olaf refused to see them or their letter, shrewdly guessing what the purport would be.

同类推荐
  • 佛说父母恩难报经

    佛说父母恩难报经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 朱舜水文选

    朱舜水文选

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 童蒙诗训

    童蒙诗训

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 益州记

    益州记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 陶记略

    陶记略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • Records of a Family of Engineers

    Records of a Family of Engineers

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我在手游中炼僵尸

    我在手游中炼僵尸

    一个神魔大战中,古天庭的逃兵,偷得王母至宝,重建了仙界,寿命接近大限时,为了长生,他在万仙禁区九幽山,布下一盘惊天棋局。万余年后,当第一个棋子落下,棋局开始…………神兽后裔,天庭遗老,绝代魔帝,僵尸真祖,新晋天尊……实力强大者,往往盲目自信,身处局中,却还想着算计他人,何其可笑?……王禹,一个中二手游陪练,带着两个老客户,因为一个手游,卷入了惊天仙局。挡我道者死!作为棋子,要想活下去,唯有拼命,唯有砸烂了这棋盘,砸出了这棋手,方能在这棋局中,觅得一线生机。而他所依靠的,唯有自己在手游中炼制的僵尸……
  • 穿越之嬷嬷难当

    穿越之嬷嬷难当

    别人穿越都是小仙女小公主,自己是穿到一个嬷嬷身上是什么鬼!还要求刷地图刷进皇宫。嬷嬷就嬷嬷吧,叶青青握拳:黑猫左护法鹦鹉右护法,叶嬷嬷来也!
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 诸天寰宇天下

    诸天寰宇天下

    从地球灵气苏醒时间出现的少年至尊,还未君临天下便被人算计,来到了遮天的世界。持我战戈,抗然成帝,跨越时空,斩圣灭神。
  • 中国:拓展发展中国家的现代化途径·国外战略智库纵论中国的前进步伐(之九)(国家全球战略智库系列专题报

    中国:拓展发展中国家的现代化途径·国外战略智库纵论中国的前进步伐(之九)(国家全球战略智库系列专题报

    本书以“中国:拓展发展中国家的现代化途径”为主题,围绕“一带一路”倡议、区域全面经济伙伴关系协定、亚洲基础设施投资银行这三个国际性的议题,译介国外智库最新的文章论点,力图跟踪反映美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新加坡、瑞士、英国等世界主要国家知名智库对中国这一正在崛起的世界性领导力量的看法和认知,意在为国内从事相关研究的学者以及政策决策人员提供第一手的参考资料。
  • 千年迷局之修仙

    千年迷局之修仙

    一夜醒来后,王凡发现整个世界都变了,过往的一切都消失不见,父母,亲友,所有的痕迹都无影无踪,没有来的及陷入悲痛的王凡,就被工地内夜夜传来“咚,咚”奇怪响声、喃喃低语声、女子的哭泣声所吸引,这一切究竟是道德的沦丧,还是世界的扭曲,一个千年的迷局,正悄然展开......
  • 最后的卡苏巴菲拉

    最后的卡苏巴菲拉

    拥有五色龙族之选的少女啊!战斗吧!战斗到最后一刻吧!歌唱吧!唱起末日的丧歌!毁灭亦是拯救……
  • 做自己想做的事

    做自己想做的事

    做你想做的事,说你想说的话。不要随波逐流,真实地面对自己,尊重内心的感受,这也是人生一大快事。冲破世俗的罗网,冲破内心的矛盾,真实地做一次选择。有勇气和魄力、有意识和毅力的人,才能从生活的沼泽地中走出来。只有找到自己想做的事情,你才会改变现状。不要害怕吃苦、不要一味地去依赖他人的帮助或馈赠,而应当依靠自己的辛勤劳动。《做自己想做的事》一书没有讲述玄妙高深的道理,而是从积蓄知识力量、进行创造性地思考、积极开发潜能、追求个性的成熟、培养坚强意志、控制情绪和维护健康等方面,给正在苦练内功的你、提供全方位的信息和指导。本书的每一章节都非常实用,给你提供工作或生活上所需的各种建议。
  • 犬类人

    犬类人

    作为大一新生,燨燨那该死的好奇心作祟,想加入了一个校园神秘组织。于是,她手贱地点了一下接受测试,被带到100年后的人类末日,与她曾经饲养的爱犬King重逢了,但是这不科学啊!谁来告诉她,她的爱犬怎么会变成人?还是这个世界的七大区大BOSS之一……