The king took the boy by the hair, and plucked it; but the boy seized the king's whiskers, and gave them a tug."Then," said the king, "thou wilt be revengeful, my friend, some day." The following day the king was walking with his mother about the farm, and they came to a playground, where Asta's sons, Guthorm and Halfdan, were amusing themselves.They were building great houses and barns in their play, and were supposing them full of cattle and sheep; and close beside them, in a clay pool, Harald was busy with chips of wood, sailing them, in his sport along the edge.The king asked him what these were; and he answered, these were his ships of war.The king laughed, and said, "The time may come, friend, when thou wilt command ships."Then the king called to him Halfdan and Guthorm; and first he asked Guthorm, "What wouldst thou like best to have?""Corn land," replied he.
"And how great wouldst thou like thy corn land to be?""I would have the whole ness that goes out into the lake sown with corn every summer." On that ness there are ten farms.
The king replies, "There would be a great deal of corn there."And, turning to Halfdan, he asked, "And what wouldst thou like best to have?""Cows," he replied.
"How many wouldst thou like to have?"
"When they went to the lake to be watered I would have so many, that they stood as tight round the lake as they could stand.""That would be a great housekeeping," said the king; "and therein ye take after your father."Then the king says to Harald, "And what wouldst thou like best to have?""House-servants.""And how many wouldst thou have?"
"Oh! so many I would like to have as would eat up my brother Halfdan's cows at a single meal."The king laughed, and said to Asta, "Here, mother, thou art bringing up a king." And more is not related of them on this occasion.
76.THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTRY.
In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala.Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and thither came people from all parts of Svithjod.All the Things of the Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and meetings for buying, which continued for a week: and after Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things and fairs were held there as before.After Christianity had taken root in Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued so, and it lasts only three days.There is then the Swedish Thing also, and people from all quarters come there.Svithjod is divided into many parts.One part is West Gautland, Vermaland, and the Marks, with what belongs to them; and this part of the kingdom is so large, that the bishop who is set over it has 1100churches under him.The other part is East Gautland, where there is also a bishop's seat, to which the islands of Gotland and Eyland belong; and forming all together a still greater bishopric.In Svithjod itself there is a part of the country called Sudermanland, where there is also a bishopric.Then comes Westmanland, or Fiathrundaland, which is also a bishopric.The third portion of Svithjod proper is called Tiundaland; the fourth Attandaland; the fifth Sialand, and what belongs to it lies eastward along the coast.Tiundaland is the best and most inhabited part of Svithjod, under which the other kingdoms stand.
There Upsala is situated, the seat of the king and archbishop;and from it Upsala-audr, or the domain of the Swedish kings, takes its name.Each of these divisions of the country has its Lag-thing, and its own laws in many parts.Over each is a lagman, who rules principally in affairs of the bondes: for that becomes law which he, by his speech, determines them to make law:
and if king, earl, or bishop goes through the country, and holds a Thing with the bondes, the lagmen reply on account of the bondes, and they all follow their lagmen; so that even the most powerful men scarcely dare to come to their Al-thing without regarding the bondes' and lagmen's law.And in all matters in which the laws differ from each other, Upsala-law is the directing law; and the other lagmen are under the lagman who dwells in Tiundaland.
77.OF THE LAGMAN THORGNY.
In Tiundaland there was a lagman who was called Thorgny, whose father was called Thorgny Thorgnyson.His forefathers had for a long course of years, and during many kings' times, been lagmen of Tiundaland.At this time Thorgny was old, and had a great court about him.He was considered one of the wisest men in Sweden, and was Earl Ragnvald's relation and foster-father.
78.MEETING OF RAGNVALD AND INGEGERD.