"Great king! whose sword on many a field
Food to the wandering wolf did yield,
And then the thief and pirate band
Swept wholly off by sea and land--
Good king! who for the people's sake
Set hands and feet upon a stake,
When plunderers of great name and bold
Harried the country as of old.
The country's guardian showed his might
When oft he made his just sword bite
Through many a viking's neck and hair,
And never would the guilty spare.
King Magnus' father, I must say,
Did many a good deed in his day.
Olaf the Thick was stern and stout,
Much good his victories brought out."
He punished great and small with equal severity, which appeared to
the chief people of the country too severe; and animosity rose to the
highest when they lost relatives by the king's just sentence, although
they were in reality guilty. This was the origin of the hostility of the
great men of the country to King Olaf, that they could not bear his
just judgments. He again would rather renounce his dignity than omit
righteous judgment. The accusation against him, of being stingy with his
money, was not just, for he was a most generous man towards his friends;
but that alone was the cause of the discontent raised against him, that
he appeared hard and severe in his retributions. Besides, King Canute
offered great sums of money, and the great chiefs were corrupted by
this, and by his offering them greater dignities than they had possessed
before. The inclinations of the people, also, were all in favour of
Earl Hakon, who was much beloved by the country folks when he ruled the
country before.