Part 104 (1/2)
And further:--
”The king came near; He who is dear To all good men Came down the glen, By Leikberg hill.
They who do ill, The Reine folk, fly Or quarter cry.”
20. WAR EXPEDITION OF KING HARALDSON.
Soon after King Eystein began his journey out of the country over sea to the West (A.D. 1153), and sailed first to Caithness. Here he heard that Earl Harald Maddad's son was in Thursa, to which he sailed directly in three small boats. The earl had a s.h.i.+p of thirty banks of oars, and nearly eighty men in her. But they were not prepared to make resistance, so that King Eystein was able to board the s.h.i.+p with his men; and he took the earl prisoner, and carried him to his own s.h.i.+p, but the earl ransomed himself with three marks of gold: and thus they parted. Einar Skulason tells of it thus:--
”Earl Harald in his stout s.h.i.+p lay On the bright sand in Thursa bay; With fourscore men he had no fear, Nor thought the Norse king was so near, He who provides the eagle's meals In three small boats along-sh.o.r.e steals; And Maddad's son must ransom pay For his bad outlook that fair day.”
From thence King Eystein sailed south along the east side of Scotland, and brought up at a merchant-town in Scotland called Aberdeen, where he killed many people, and plundered the town. So says Einar Skulason:--
”At Aberdeen, too, I am told, Fell many by our Nors.e.m.e.n bold; Peace was disturbed, and blue swords broke With many a hard and b.l.o.o.d.y stroke.”
The next battle was at Hartlepool in the south, with a party of hors.e.m.e.n. The king put them to flight, and seized some s.h.i.+ps there. So says Einar:--
”At Hartlepool, in rank and row, The king's court-men attack the foe.
The king's sharp sword in blood was red, Blood dropped from every Norse spear-head.
Ravens rejoice o'er the warm food Of English slain, each where he stood; And in the s.h.i.+ps their thirst was quenched: The decks were in the foe's blood drenched.”
Then he went southwards to England, and had his third battle at Whitby, and gained the victory, and burnt the town. So says Einar:--
”The ring of swords, the clash of s.h.i.+elds, Were loud in Whitby's peaceful fields; For here the king stirred up the strife.-- Man against man, for death or life.
O'er roof and tower, rose on high The red wrath-fire in the sky; House after house the red fiend burns; By blackened walls the poor man mourns.”
Thereafter he plundered wide around in England, where Stephen was then the king. After this King Eystein fought with some cavalry at Skarpasker. So says Einar:--
”At Skarpasker the English horse Retire before the Norse king's force: The arrow-shower like snow-drift flew, And the s.h.i.+eld-covered foemen slew.”
He fought next at Pilavik, and gained the victory. So says Einar:--
”At Pilavik the wild wolf feeds, Well furnished by the king's brave deeds He poured upon the gra.s.s-green plain A red shower from the Perthmen slain.
On westwards in the sea he urges, With fire and sword the country purges: Langtown he burns; the country rang, For sword on s.h.i.+eld incessant clang.”
Here they burnt Langatun, a large village; and people say that the town has never since risen to its former condition. After this King Eystein left England in autumn, and returned to Norway. People spoke in various ways about this expedition.
21. OF HARALD'S SONS.
There was good peace maintained in Norway in the first years of the government of Harald's sons; and as long as their old counsellors were alive, there was some kind of unanimity among them. While Inge and Sigurd were in their childhood, they had a court together; but Eystein, who was come to age of discretion, had a court for himself. But when Inge's and Sigurd's counsellors were dead,--namely, Sadagyrd Bardson, Ottar Birting, Amunde Gyrdson, Thjostolf Alason, Ogmund Svipter, and Ogmund Denger, a brother of Erling Skakke (Erling was not much looked up to while Ogmund lived),--the two kings, Inge and Sigurd divided their courts. King Inge then got great a.s.sistance from Gregorius Dagson, a son of Dag Eilifson by Ragnhild a daughter of Skapte Ogmundson. Gregorius had much property, and was himself a thriving, sagacious man. He presided in the governing the country under King Inge, and the king allowed him to manage his property for him according to his own judgment.