he new Olaf, son of Harald, set himself with
all his strength to mend such a state of matters; and stood by his
enterprise to the end, as the one highest interest, including all
others, for his People and him. His method was by no means soft; on
the contrary, it was hard, rapid, severe,--somewhat on the model of
Tryggveson's, though with more of _bishoping_ and preaching superadded.
Yet still there was a great deal of mauling, vigorous punishing, and an
entire intolerance of these two things: Heathenism and Sea-robbery, at
least of Sea-robbery in the old style; whether in the style we moderns
still practise, and call privateering, I do not quite know. But
Vikingism proper had to cease in Norway; still more, Heathenism, under
penalties too severe to be borne; death, mutilation of limb, not to
mention forfeiture and less rigorous coercion. Olaf was inexorable
against violation of the law. "Too severe," cried many; to whom one
answers, "Perhaps in part _yes_, perhaps also in great part _no_;
depends altogether on the previous question, How far the law was the
eternal one of God Almighty in the universe, How far the law merely
of Olaf (destitute of right inspiration) left to his own passions and
whims?"

Many were the jangles Olaf had with the refractory Heathen Things and
Ironbeards of a new generation: very curious to see. Scarcely ever did
it come to fighting between King and Thing, though often enough near it;
but the Thing discerning, as it usually did in time, that the King was
stronger in men, seemed to say unanimously to itself, "We have lost,
then; baptize us, we must burn our old gods and conform." One new
feature we do slightly discern: here and there a touch of theological
argument on the heathen side. At one wild Thing, far up in the
Dovrefjeld, of a very heathen temper, there was much of that; not to be
quenched by King Olaf at the moment; so that it had to be adjourned till
the morrow, and again till the next day. Here are some traits of it,
much abridged from Snorro (who gives a highly punctual account), which
vividly represent Olaf's posture and manner of proceeding in such
intricacies.

The chief Ironbeard on this occasion was one Gudbrand, a very rugged
peasant; who, says Snorro, was like a king in that district. Some days
before, King Olaf, intending a religious Thing in those deeply heathen
parts, with alternative of Christianity or conflagration, is reported,
on looking down into the valley and the b