The Danish king Valdemar assembled in spring (A.D. 1165) a great
army, and proceeded with it north to Viken. As soon as he reached
the dominions of the king of Norway, the bondes assembled in a great
multitude. The king advanced peacefully; but when they came to the
mainland, the people shot at them even when there were only two or three
together, from which the ill-will of the country people towards them
was evident. When they came to Tunsberg, King Valdemar summoned a
Hauga-thing; but nobody attended it from the country parts. Then
Valdemar spoke thus to his troops: "It is evident that all the
country-people are against us; and now we have two things to choose: the
one to go through the country, sword in hand, sparing neither man nor
beast; the other is to go back without effecting our object. And it
is more my inclination to go with the army to the East against the
heathens, of whom we have enough before us in the East country, than to
kill Christian people here, although they have well deserved it." All
the others had a greater desire for a foray; but the king ruled, and
they all returned back to Denmark without effecting their purpose. They
pillaged, however, all around in the distant islands, or where the
king was not in the neighbourhood. They then returned south to Denmark
without doing anything.