early kings of norway-第24节

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e　he　lost　Largs。　　Snorro's　death　by　murder　had　happened　about　twenty　years　before　Hakon's　by　broken　heart。　　He　is　called　Hakon　the　Old；　though　one　finds　his　age　was　but　fifty…nine；　probably　a　longish　life　for　a　Norway　King。　　Snorro's　narrative　ceases　when　Snorro　himself　was　born；　that　is　to　say；　at　the　threshold　of　King　Sverrir；　of　whose　exploits　and　doubtful　birth　it　is　guessed　by　some　that　Snorro　willingly　forbore　to　speak　in　the　hearing　of　such　a　Hakon。



CHAPTER　XVI。

EPILOGUE。

Haarfagr's　kindred　lasted　some　three　centuries　in　Norway；　Sverrir's　lasted　into　its　third　century　there；　how　long　after　this；　among　the　neighboring　kinships；　I　did　not　inquire。　　For；　by　regal　affinities；　consanguinities；　and　unexpected　chances　and　changes；　the　three　Scandinavian　kingdoms　fell　all　peaceably　together　under　Queen　Margaret；　of　the　Calmar　Union　（A。D。　1397）；　and　Norway；　incorporated　now　with　Denmark；　needed　no　more　kings。

The　History　of　these　Haarfagrs　has　awakened　in　me　many　thoughts：　　Of　Despotism　and　Democracy；　arbitrary　government　by　one　and　self…government　（which　means　no　government；　or　anarchy）　by　all；　of　Dictatorship　with　many　faults；　and　Universal　Suffrage　with　little　possibility　of　any　virtue。　　For　the　contrast　between　Olaf　Tryggveson；　and　a　Universal…Suffrage　Parliament　or　an　〃Imperial〃　Copper　Captain　has；　in　these　nine　centuries；　grown　to　be　very　great。　　And　the　eternal　Providence　that　guides　all　this；　and　produces　alike　these　entities　with　their　epochs；　is　not　its　course　still　through　the　great　deep？　Does　not　it　still　speak　to　us；　if　we　have　ears？　　Here；　clothed　in　stormy　enough　passions　and　instincts；　unconscious　of　any　aim　but　their　own　satisfaction；　is　the　blessed　beginning　of　Human　Order；　Regulation；　and　real　Government；　there；　clothed　in　a　highly　different；　but　again　suitable　garniture　of　passions；　instincts；　and　equally　unconscious　as　to　real　aim；　is　the　accursed…looking　ending　（temporary　ending）　of　Order；　Regulation；　and　Government；very　dismal　to　the　sane　onlooker　for　the　time　being；　not　dismal　to　him　otherwise；　his　hope；　too；　being　steadfast！　　But　here；　at　any　rate；　in　this　poor　Norse　theatre；　one　looks　with　interest　on　the　first　transformation；　so　mysterious　and　abstruse；　of　human　Chaos　into　something　of　articulate　Cosmos；　witnesses　the　wild　and　strange　birth…pangs　of　Human　Society；　and　reflects　that　without　something　similar　（little　as　men　expect　such　now）；　no　Cosmos　of　human　society　ever　was　got　into　existence；　nor　can　ever　again　be。

The　violences；　fightings；　crimesah　yes；　these　seldom　fail；　and　they　are　very　lamentable。　　But　always；　too；　among　those　old　populations；　there　was　one　saving　element；　the　now　want　of　which；　especially　the　unlamented　want；　transcends　all　lamentation。　　Here　is　one　of　those　strange；　piercing；　winged…words　of　Ruskin；　which　has　in　it　a　terrible　truth　for　us　in　these　epochs　now　come：

〃My　friends；　the　follies　of　modern　Liberalism；　many　and　great　though　they　be；　are　practically　summed　in　this　denial　or　neglect　of　the　quality　and　intrinsic　value　of　things。　　Its　rectangular　beatitudes；　and　spherical　benevolences；theology　of　universal　indulgence；　and　jurisprudence　which　will　hang　no　rogues；　mean；　one　and　all　of　them；　in　the　root；　incapacity　of　discerning；　or　refusal　to　discern；　worth　and　unworth　in　anything；　and　least　of　all　in　man；　whereas　Nature　and　Heaven　command　you；　at　your　peril；　to　discern　worth　from　unworth　in　everything；　and　most　of　all　in　man。　　Your　main　problem　is　that　ancient　and　trite　one；　'Who　is　best　man？'　and　the　Fates　forgive　much；forgive　the　wildest；　fiercest；　cruelest　experiments；if　fairly　made　for　the　determination　of　that。

Theft　and　blood…guiltiness　are　not　pleasing　in　their　sight；　yet　the　favoring　powers　of　the　spiritual　and　material　world　will　confirm　to　you　your　stolen　goods；　and　their　noblest　voices　applaud　the　lifting　of　Your　spear；　and　rehearse　the　sculpture　of　your　shield；　if　only　your　robbing　and　slaying　have　been　in　fair　arbitrament　of　that　question；　'Who　is　best　man？'　　But　if　you　refuse　such　inquiry；　and　maintain　every　man　for　his　neighbor's　match；if　you　give　vote　to　the　simple　and　liberty　to　the　vile；　the　powers　of　those　spiritual　and　material　worlds　in　due　time　present　you　inevitably　with　the　same　problem；　soluble　now　only　wrong　side　upwards；　and　your　robbing　and　slaying　must　be　done　then　to　find　out；　'Who　is　worst　man？'　　Which；　in　so　wide　an　order　of　merit；　is；　indeed；　not　easy；　but　a　complete　Tammany　Ring；　and　lowest　circle　in　the　Inferno　of　Worst；　you　are　sure　to　find；　and　to　be　governed　by。〃＇20＇

All　readers　will　admit　that　there　was　something　naturally　royal　in　these　Haarfagr　Kings。　　A　wildly　great　kind　of　kindred；　counts　in　it　two　Heroes　of　a　high；　or　almost　highest；　type：　　the　first　two　Olafs；　Tryggveson　and　the　Saint。　　And　the　view　of　them；　withal；　as　we　chance　to　have　it；　I　have　often　thought；　how　essentially　Homeric　it　was：indeed　what　is　〃Homer〃　himself　but　the　_Rhapsody_　of　five　centuries　of　Greek　Skalds　and　wandering　Ballad…singers；　done　（i。e。　〃stitched　together〃）　by　somebody　more　musical　than　Snorro　was？　　Olaf　Tryggveson　and　Olaf　Saint　please　me　quite　as　well　in　their　prosaic　form；　offering　me　the　truth　of　them　as　if　seen　in　their　real　lineaments　by　some　marvellous　opening　（through　the　art　of　Snorro）　across　the　black　strata　of　the　ages。　　Two　high；　almost　among　the　highest　sons　of　Nature；　seen　as　they　veritably　were；　fairly　comparable　or　superior　to　god…like　Achilleus；　goddess…wounding　Diomedes；　much　more　to　the　two　Atreidai；　Regulators　of　the　Peoples。

I　have　also　thought　often　what　a　Book　might　be　made　of　Snorro；　did　there　but　arise　a　man　furnished　with　due　literary　insight；　and　indefatigable　diligence；　who；　faithfully　acquainting　himself　with　the　topography；　the　monumental　relies　and　illustrative　actualities　of　Norway；　carefully　scanning　the　best　testimonies　as　to　place　and　time　which　that　country　can　still　give　him；　carefully　the　best　collateral　records　and　chronologies　of　other　countries；　and　who；　himself　possessing　the　highest　faculty　of　a　Poet；　could；　abridging；　arranging；　elucidating；　reduce　Snorro　to　a　polished　Cosmic　state；　unweariedly　purging　away　his　much　chaotic　matter！　　A　modern　〃highest　kind　of　Poet；〃　capable　of　unlimited　slavish　labor　withal；who；　I　fear；　is　not　soon　to　be　expected　in　this　world；　or　likely　to　find　his　task　in　the　_Heimskringla_　if　he　did　appear　here。



Footnotes：　_______________________________

＇1＇　J。　　G。　　Dahlmann；　_Geschichte　von　Dannemark_；　3　vols。　　8vo。　Hamburg；　1840…1843。

＇2＇　〃Settlement；〃　dated　912；　by　Munch；　Henault；　&c。　　The　Saxon　Chronicle　says　（anno　876）：　　〃In　this　year　Rolf　overran　Normandy　with　his　army；　and　he　reigned　fifty　winters。〃

＇3＇　Dahlmann；　ii。　87。

＇4＇　Dahlmann；　ii。　93。

＇5＇　_Laing's　Snorro_；　i。　344。

＇6＇　G。　Buchanani　_Opera　Omnia_；　i。　103；　104　（Curante　Ruddimano；　Edinburgi；　1715）。

＇7＇　His　Long　Serpent；　judged　by　some　to　be　of　the　size　of　a　frigate　of　forty…five　guns　（Laing）。

＇8＇　This　sermon　was　printed　by　Hearne；　and　is　given　also　by　Langebek　in　his　excellent　Collection；　_Rerum　Danicarum　Scriptores　Medii　AEri。_　　Hafniae。　　1772…1834。

＇9＇　Kennet；　i。　67；　Rapin；　i。　119；　121　（from　the　_Saxon　Chronicle_　both）。

＇10＇　Knut　born　A。D。　988　according　to　Munch's　calculation　（ii。　126）。

＇11＇　Snorro；　Laing's　Translation；　ii。　p。　31　et　seq。；　will　minutely　specify。

＇12＇　Snorro；　ii。　pp。　24；　25。

＇13＇　Snorro；　ii。　pp。　156…161。

＇14＇　Snorro；　ii。　pp。　　252；　253。

＇15＇　_Saxon　Chronicle_　says　expressly；　under　A。D。　1030：　　〃In　this　year　King　Olaf　was　slain　in　Norway　by　his　own　people；　and　was　afterwards　sainted。〃

＇16＇　_Saxon　Chronicle_　says：　〃1035。　　In　this　year　died　King　Cnut。　。。。　He　departed　at　Shaftesbury；　November　12；　and　they　conveyed　him　thence　to　Winchester；　and　there　buried　him。〃

＇17＇　Munch　gives　the　date　1038　（ii。　840）；　Adam　of　Bremen　1040。

＇18＇　Camden；　Rapin；　&c。　quote。

＇19＇　_Buchanani　Hist。_　i。　130。

＇20＇　_Fors　Clavigera_；　Letter　XIV。　Pp。　8…10。





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