historical lecturers and essays-第2节

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The　tither　was　winsome　Finn。











and　so　forth；　which　was　still　sung；　with　other　〃rimur；〃　or　ballads；



in　the　Faroes；　at　the　end　of　the　last　century。　　Professor　Rafn　has



inserted　it；　because　it　talks　of　Vinland　as　a　well…known　place；　and



because　the　brothers　are　sent　by　the　princess　to　slay　American



kings；　but　that　Rime　has　another　value。　　It　is　of　a　beauty　so



perfect；　and　yet　so　like　the　old　Scotch　ballads　in　its　heroic



conception　of　love；　and　in　all　its　forms　and　its　qualities；　that　it



is　one　proof　more；　to　any　student　of　early　European　poetry；　that　we



and　these　old　Norsemen　are　men　of　the　same　blood。







If　anything　more　important　than　is　told　by　Professor　Rafn　and　Mr。



Black　｛2｝　be　now　known　to　the　antiquarians　of　Massachusetts；　let　me



entreat　them　to　pardon　my　ignorance。　　But　let　me　record　my　opinion



that；　though　somewhat　too　much　may　have　been　made　in　past　years　of



certain　rock…inscriptions；　and　so　forth；　on　this　side　of　the



Atlantic；　there　can　be　no　reasonable　doubt　that　our　own　race　landed



and　tried　to　settle　on　the　shore　of　New　England　six　hundred　years



before　their　kinsmen；　and；　in　many　cases；　their　actual　descendants；



the　august　Pilgrim　Fathers　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　And　so；　as　I



said；　a　Scandinavian　dynasty　might　have　been　seated　now　upon　the



throne　of　Mexico。　　And　how　was　that　strange　chance　lost？　　First；　of



course；　by　the　length　and　danger　of　the　coasting　voyage。　　It　was　one



thing　to　have；　like　Columbus　and　Vespucci；　Cortes　and　Pizarro；　the



Azores　as　a　halfway　port；　another　to　have　Greenland；　or　even



Iceland。　　It　was　one　thing　to　run　south…west　upon　Columbus's　track；



across　the　Mar　de　Damas；　the　Ladies'　Sea；　which　hardly　knows　a



storm；　with　the　blazing　blue　above；　the　blazing　blue　below；　in　an



ever…warming　climate；　where　every　breath　is　life　and　joy；　another　to



struggle　against　the　fogs　and　icebergs；　the　rocks　and　currents　of



the　dreary　North　Atlantic。　　No　wonder；　then；　that　the　knowledge　of



Markland；　and　Vinland；　and　Whiteman's　Land　died　away　in　a　few



generations；　and　became　but　fireside　sagas　for　the　winter　nights。







But　there　were　other　causes；　more　honourable　to　the　dogged　energy　of



the　Norse。　　They　were　in　those　very　years　conquering　and　settling



nearer　home　as　no　other　peopleunless；　perhaps；　the　old　Ionian



Greeksconquered　and　settled。







Greenland；　we　have　seen；　they　heldthe　western　side　at　leastand



held　it　long　and　well　enough　to　afford；　it　is　said；　2；600　pounds　of



walrus'　teeth　as　yearly　tithe　to　the　Pope；　besides　Peter's　pence；



and　to　build　many　a　convent；　and　church；　and　cathedral；　with　farms



and　homesteads　round；　for　one　saga　speaks　of　Greenland　as　producing



wheat　of　the　finest　quality。　　All　is　ruined　now；　perhaps　by　gradual



change　of　climate。







But　they　had　richer　fields　of　enterprise　than　Greenland；　Iceland；



and　the　Faroes。　　Their　boldest　outlaws　at　that　very　timewhether



from　Norway；　Sweden；　Denmark；　or　Britainwere　forming　the　imperial



life…guard　of　the　Byzantine　Emperor；　as　the　once　famous　Varangers　of



Constantinople；　and　that　splendid　epoch　of　their　race　was　just



dawning；　of　which　my　lamented　friend；　the　late　Sir　Edmund　Head；　says



so　well　in　his　preface　to　Viga　Glum's　Icelandic　Saga；　〃The　Sagas；　of



which　this　tale　is　one；　were　composed　for　the　men　who　have　left



their　mark　in　every　corner　of　Europe；　and　whose　language　and　laws



are　at　this　moment　important　elements　in　the　speech　and　institutions



of　England；　America；　and　Australia。　　There　is　no　page　of　modern



history　in　which　the　influence　of　the　Norsemen　and　their　conquests



must　not　be　taken　into　accountRussia；　Constantinople；　Greece；



Palestine；　Sicily；　the　coasts　of　Africa；　Southern　Italy；　France；　the



Spanish　Peninsula；　England；　Scotland；　Ireland；　and　every　rock　and



island　round　them；　have　been　visited；　and　most　of　them　at　one　time



or　the　other　ruled；　by　the　men　of　Scandinavia。　　The　motto　on　the



sword　of　Roger　Guiscard　was　a　proud　one：











Appulus　et　Calaber；　Siculus　mihi　servit　et　Afer。











Every　island；　says　Sir　Edmund　Head；　and　trulyfor　the　name　of



almost　every　island　on　the　coast　of　England；　Scotland；　and　Eastern



Ireland；　ends　in　either　EY　or　AY　or　OE；　a　Norse　appellative；　as　is



the　word　〃island〃　itselfis　a　mark　of　its　having　been；　at　some　time



or　other；　visited　by　the　Vikings　of　Scandinavia。







Norway；　meanwhile；　was　convulsed　by　war；　and　what　perhaps　was　of



more　immediate　consequence；　Svend　Fork…beard；　whom　we　Englishmen



call　Sweynthe　renegade　from　that　Christian　Faith　which　had　been



forced　on　him　by　his　German　conqueror；　the　Emperor　Otto　II。with



his　illustrious　son　Cnut；　whom　we　call　Canute；　were　just　calling



together　all　the　most　daring　spirits　of　the　Baltic　coasts　for　the



subjugation　of　England；　and　when　that　great　feat　was　performed；　the



Scandinavian　emigration　was　paralysed；　probably；　for　a　time　by　the



fearful　wars　at　home。　　While　the　king　of　Sweden；　and　St。　Olaf



Tryggvason；　king　of　Norway；　were　setting　on　Denmark　during　Cnut's



pilgrimage　to　Rome；　and　Cnut；　sailing　with　a　mighty　fleet　to　Norway；



was　driving　St。　Olaf　into　Russia；　to　return　and　fall　in　the



fratricidal　battle　of　Stiklesteadduring；　strangely　enough；　a　total



eclipse　of　the　sunVinland　was　like　enough　to　remain　still



uncolonised。　　After　Cnut's　short…lived　triumphking　as　he　was　of



Denmark；　Norway；　England；　and　half　Scotland；　and　what　not　of　Wendish



Folk　inside　the　Balticthe　force　of　the　Norsemen　seems　to　have　been



exhausted　in　their　native　lands。　　Once　more　only；　if　I　remember



right；　did　〃Lochlin；〃　really　and　hopefully　send　forth　her　〃mailed



swarm〃　to　conquer　a　foreign　land；　and　with　a　result　unexpected　alike



by　them　and　by　their　enemies。　　Had　it　been　otherwise；　we　might　not



have　been　here　this　day。







Let　me　sketch　for　you　once　morethough　you　have　heard　it；



doubtless；　many　a　timethe　tale　of　that　tremendous　fortnight　which



settled　the　fate　of　Britain；　and　therefore　of　North　America；　which



decidedjust　in　those　great　times　when　the　decision　was　to　be　made…



…whether　we　should　be　on　a　par　with　the　other　civilised　nations　of



Europe；　like　them　the　〃heirs　of　all　the　ages；〃　with　our　share　not



only　of　Roman　Christianity　and　Roman　centralisationa　member　of　the



great　comity　of　European　nations；　held　together　in　one　Christian



bond　by　the　Popebut　heirs　also　of　Roman　civilisation；　Roman



literature；　Roman　Law；　and　therefore；　in　due　time；　of　Greek



philosophy　and　art。　　No　less　a　question　than　this；　it　seems　to　me；



hung　in　the　balance　during　that　fortnight　of　autumn；　1066。







Poor　old　Edward　the　Confessor；　holy；　weak；　and　sad；　lay　in　his　new



choir　of　Westminsterwhere　the　wicked　ceased　from　troubling；　and



the　weary　were　at　rest。　　The　crowned　ascetic　had　left　no　heir



behind。　　England　seemed　as　a　corpse；　to　which　all　the　eagles　might



gather　together；　and　the　South…English；　in　their　utter　need；　had



chosen　for　their　king　the　ablest；　and　it　may　be　the　justest；　man　in



BritainEarl　Harold　Godwinsson：　　　himself；　like　half　the　upper



classes　of　England　then；　of　the　all…dominant　Norse　blood；　for　his



mother　was　a　Danish　princess。　　Then　out　of　Norway；　with　a　mighty



host；　came　Harold　Hardraade；　taller　than　all　men；　the　ideal　Viking



of　his　time。　　Half…brother　of　the　now　dead　St。　Olaf；　severely



wounded　when　he　was　but　fifteen；　at　Stiklestead；　when　Olaf　fell；　he



had　warred　and　plundered　on　many　a　coast。　　He　had　been　away　to



Russia　to　King　Jaroslaf；　he　had　been　in　the　Emperor's　Varanger　guard



at　Constantinopleand；　it　was　whispered；　had　slain　a　lion　there



with　his　bare　hands；　he　had　carved　his　name　and　his　comrades'　in



Runic　charactersif　you　go　to　Venice　you　may　see　them　at　this　day



on　the　loins　of　the　great　marble　lion；　which　stood　in　his　time　not



in　Venice　but　in　Athens。　　And　now；　king　of　Norway　and　conqueror；　for



the　time；　of　Denmark；　why　should　he　not　take　England；　as　Sweyn　and



Canute　took　it　sixty　years　before；　when　the　flower　of　the　English



gentry　perished　at　the　fatal　battle　of　Assingdune？　　If　he　and　his



half…barbarous　host　had　conquered；　the　civilisation　of　Britain　would



have　been　thrown　back；　perhaps；　for　centuries。　　But　it　was　not　to



be。







England　WAS　to　be　conquered　by　the　Norman；　but　by　the　civilised；　not



the　barbaric；　by　the　Norse　who　had　settled；　but　four　generations



before；　in　the　North　East　of　France　under　Rou；　Rollo；　Rolf　the



Gangerso…called；　they　say；　because　his　legs　were　so　long　that；



when　on　horseback；　he　touched　the　ground　and　see