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early kings of norway(古挪威的国王)-第12章

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some); in charge of it; who; on short counsel; and arrangement about this 

questionable   kingdom   of   his;   lifted   anchor;   made   for   Sandwich;   a   safer 

station   at   the   moment;   〃cut   off   the   feet   and   noses〃   (one   shudders;   and 

hopes     not;   there   being    some     discrepancy      about    it!)  of  his   numerous 

hostages   that   had   been   delivered   to   King   Svein;   set   them   ashore;and 

made      for   Denmark;       his   natural     storehouse      and    stronghold;     as   the 

hopefulest first thing he could do。 

     Knut   soon   returned   from   Denmark;   with   increase   of   force   sufficient 

for the English problem;   which latter he now  ended in a victorious;  and 

essentially; for himself and chaotic England; beneficent manner。 Became 

widely known by and by; there and elsewhere; as Knut the Great; and is 

thought   by   judges   of   our   day   to   have   really   merited   that   title。   A   most 

nimble;     sharp…striking;      clear…thinking;     prudent     and   effective    man;    who 

regulated this dismembered and distracted England in its Church matters; 

in   its   State  matters;   like   a   real   King。  Had   a   Standing   Army   (_House 



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Carles_);   who   were   well   paid;   well   drilled   and   disciplined;   capable   of 

instantly   quenching   insurrection   or   breakage   of   the   peace;   and   piously 

endeavored   (with   a   signal   earnestness;   and   even   devoutness;   if   we   look 

well)   to   do   justice   to   all   men;   and   to   make   all   men   rest   satisfied   with 

justice。 In a word; he successfully strapped up; by every true method and 

regulation;   this   miserable;   dislocated;   and   dissevered   mass   of   bleeding 

Anarchy into something worthy to be called an England again;only that 

he   died    too   soon;   and    a   second   〃Conqueror〃         of   us;  still   weightier   of 

structure; and under improved auspices; became possible; and was needed 

here! To appearance; Knut himself was capable of being a Charlemagne of 

England and the North (as has been already said or quoted); had he only 

lived   twice   as   long   as   he did。   But   his   whole sum  of   years   seems   not   to 

have exceeded forty。 His father Svein of the Forkbeard is reckoned to have 

been   fifty   to   sixty   when   St。   Edmund   finished   him   at   Gainsborough。  We 

now   return   to   Norway;   ashamed   of   this   long   circuit   which   has   been   a 

truancy more or less。 



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                             CHAPTER IX。 



                KING OLAF THE THICK…SET'S VIKING DAYS; 



     King   Harald   Graenske;   who;   with   another   from   Russia   accidentally 

lodging     beside    him;   got   burned    to  death    in  Sweden;     courting    that 

unspeakable Sigrid the Proud;was third cousin or so to Tryggve; father of 

our   heroic   Olaf。   Accurately   counted;   he   is   great…grandson   of   Bjorn   the 

Chapman; first of Haarfagr's sons whom Eric Bloodaxe made away with。 

His little 〃kingdom;〃 as he called it; was a district named the Greenland 

(_Graeneland_); he himself was one of those little Haarfagr kinglets whom 

Hakon Jarl; much more Olaf Tryggveson; was content to leave reigning; 

since they would keep the peace with him。 Harald had a loving wife of his 

own; Aasta the name of her; soon expecting the birth of her and his pretty 

babe;    named     Olaf;at   the  time   he   went   on   that  deplorable     Swedish 

adventure;      the  foolish;   fated   creature;   and    ended    self  and   kingdom 

altogether。 Aasta was greatly shocked; composed herself however; married 

a   new   husband;   Sigurd   Syr;   a   kinglet;   and   a   great…grandson   of   Harald 

Fairhair; a man of great wealth; prudence; and influence in those countries; 

in   whose    house;   as  favorite   and   well…beloved     stepson;   little  Olaf  was 

wholesomely and skilfully brought up。 In Sigurd's house he had; withal; a 

special    tutor  entertained    for  him;   one   Rane;   known     as  Rane    the  Far… 

travelled; by whom he could be trained; from the earliest basis; in Norse 

accomplishments and arts。 New children came; one or two; but Olaf; from 

his mother; seems always to have known that he was the distinguished and 

royal article there。 One day his Foster…father; hurrying to leave home on 

business; hastily bade Olaf;  no other being by;  saddle his horse for   him。 

Olaf   went   out   with   the   saddle;   chose   the  biggest   he…goat   about;   saddled 

that; and brought it to the door by way of horse。 Old Sigurd; a most grave 

man; grinned sardonically at the sight。 〃Hah; I see thou hast no mind to 

take commands from me; thou art of too high a humor to take commands。〃 

To which; says Snorro; Boy Olaf answered little except by laughing; till 

Sigurd saddled for himself; and rode away。 His   mother Aasta appears to 



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have   been     a   thoughtful;   prudent      woman;      though   always      with   a  fierce 

royalism at the bottom of her memory; and a secret implacability on that 

head。 

     At the age of twelve Olaf went to sea; furnished with a little fleet; and 

skilful sea…counsellor; expert old Rane; by his Foster…father; and set out to 

push   his   fortune   in   the   world。   Rane   was   a   steersman   and   counsellor   in 

these incipient times; but the crew always called Olaf 〃King;〃 though at 

first;   as   Snorro   thinks;   except   it   were   in   the   hour   of   battle;   he   merely 

pulled   an   oar。   He   cruised   and   fought   in   this   capacity  on   many  seas   and 

shores; passed several years; perhaps till the age of nineteen or twenty; in 

this   wild    element     and   way    of  life;  fighting    always     in  a  glorious    and 

distinguished   manner。   In   the   hour   of   battle;   diligent   enough   〃to   amass 

property;〃   as   the   Vikings   termed   it;   and   in   the   long   days   and   nights   of 

sailing; given over; it is likely; to his own thoughts and the unfathomable 

dialogue   with   the   ever…moaning   Sea;   not   the   worst   High   School   a   man 

could   have;   and   indeed   infinitely   preferable   to   the   most   that   are   going 

even now; for a high and deep young soul。 

     His first distinguished expedition was to Sweden: natural to go thither 

first; to avenge his poor father's death; were it nothing more。 Which he did; 

the    Skalds     say;   in   a   distinguished      manner;      making      victorious     and 

handsome battle for himself; in entering Maelare Lake; and in getting out 

of    it  again;   after   being     frozen    there   all   winter;   showing      still  more 

surprising; almost miraculous contrivance and dexterity。 This was the first 

of his glorious victories; of which the Skalds reckon up some fourteen or 

thirteen     very    glorious     indeed;    mostly     in   the   Western     and    Southern 

countries; most of all in England; till the name of Olaf Haraldson became 

quite famous in the Viking and strategic world。 He seems really to have 

learned the secrets of his trade; and to have been; then and afterwards; for 

vigilance;   contrivance;   valor;   and   promptitude   of   execution;   a   superior 

fighter。 Several exploits recorded of him betoken; in simple forms; what 

may be called a military genius。 

     The principal; and to us the alone interesting; of his exploits seem to 

have   lain   in   England;   and;   what   is   further   notable;   always   on   the   anti… 

Svein side。 English books do not mention him at all that I can find; but it 



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is fairly credible that; as the Norse records report; in the end of Ethelred's 

reign; he was the ally or hired general of Ethelred; and did a great deal of 

sea…fighting;   watching;   sailing;   and   sieging   for   this   miserable   king   and 

Edmund Ironside; his son。 Snorro says expressly; London; the impregnable 

city;   had   to   be  besieged     again    for  Ethelred's    behoof    (in   the  interval 

between Svein's death and young Knut's getting back from Denmark); and 

that   our   Olaf   Haraldson   was   the   great   engineer  and   victorious   captor   of 

London on that singular occasion;London captured for the first time。 The 

Bridge;   as   usual;   Snorro   says;   offered   almost   insuperable   obstacles。   But 

the engineering genius of Olaf contrived huge 〃platforms of wainscoting 

'old walls of wooden houses; in fact'; bound together by withes;〃 these; 

carried    steadily    aloft  above    the   ships;   will  (thinks    Olaf)   considerably 

secure them and us from the destructive missiles; big boulder stones; and 

other;   mischief   profusely   showered   down   on   us;   till   we   get   under   the 

Bridge with axes and cables; and do some good upon it。 Olaf's plan was 

tried;   most   of   the   other   ships;   in   spite   of   their   wainscoting   and   withes; 

recoiled on reaching the Bridge; so destructive were the boulder and other 

missile showers。 But Olaf's ships and self got actually under the Bridge; 

fixed all manner of cables there; and then; with the river current in their 

favor;   and   the   frightened   ships   rallying   to   help   in   this   safer   part   of   the 

enterprise; tore out the important piles and props; and fairly broke the poor 

Bridge; wholly or partly; down into the river; and its Danish defenders into 

immediate surrender。 That is Snorro's account。 

     On a previous occasion; Olaf had been deep in a hopeful combination 

with   Ethelred's   two   younger   sons;  Alfred   and   Edward;   afterwards   King 

Edward the Confessor: That they two should sally out from Normandy in 

strong   force;   unite   with   Olaf   in   ditto;   and;   landing   on   the   Thames;   do 

something effectual for themselves。 But impediments; bad weather or the 

like; disheartened the poor Princes; and it came to nothing。 Olaf was much 

in Normandy; what they then called Walland; a man held in honor by those 

Norman Dukes。 

     What amount of 〃property〃 he had amassed I do not know; but could 

prove;     were   it  necessary;    that  he   had   acquired     some    tactical   or  even 

strategic faculty and real talent for war。 At Lymfjord; in Jutland; but some 



                        

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