nd Hrollaug; and
they had been for three summers raising a mound or tomb of stone and
lime and of wood. Just as the work was finished, the brothers got the
news that King Harald was coming upon them with his army. Then King
Herlaug had a great quantity of meat and drink brought into the mound,
and went into it himself, with eleven companions, and ordered the mound
to be covered up. King Hrollaug, on the contrary, went upon the summit
of the mound, on which the kings were wont to sit, and made a throne to
be erected, upon which he seated himself. Then he ordered feather-beds
to be laid upon the bench below, on which the earls were wont to be
seated, and threw himself down from his high seat or throne into the
earl's seat, giving himself the title of earl. Now Hrollaug went to meet
King Harald, gave up to him his whole kingdom, offered to enter into
his service, and told him his whole proceeding. Then took King Harald a
sword, fastened it to Hrollaug's belt, bound a shield to his neck,
and made him thereupon an earl, and led him to his earl's seat; and
therewith gave him the district Naumudal, and set him as earl over it
((A.D. 866)). (1)

ENDNOTES: (1) Before writing was in general use, this symbolical way of
performing all important legal acts appears to have entered
into the jurisprudence of all savage nations; and according
to Gibbon, chap. 44, "the jurisprudence of the first Romans
exhibited the scenes of a pantomime; the words were adapted
to the gestures, and the slightest error or neglect in the
forms of proceeding was sufficient to annul the substance of
the fairest claims."--Ed.

9. KING HARALD'S HOME AFFAIRS.

King Harald then returned to Throndhjem, where he dwelt during the
winter, and always afterwards called it his home. He fixed here his
head residence, which is called Lade. This winter he took to wife Asa, a
daughter of Earl Hakon Grjotgardson, who then stood in great favour and
honour with the king. In spring the king fitted out his ships. In
winter he had caused a great frigate (a dragon) to be built, and had it
fitted-out in the most splendid way, and brought his house-troops and
his berserks on board. The forecastle men were picked men, for they had
the king's banner. From the stem to the mid-hold was called rausn,
or the fore-defence; and there were the berserks. Such men only were
received into King Harald's house-troop as were remarkable for strength,