odium more and more in that country. Well-deservedly,
as still appears; for their taxings and extortions of malt, of herring,
of meal, smithwork and every article taxable in Norway, were extreme;
and their service to the country otherwise nearly imperceptible. In
brief their one basis there was the power of Knut the Great; and that,
like all earthly things, was liable to sudden collapse,--and it suffered
such in a notable degree. King Knut, hardly yet of middle age, and
the greatest King in the then world, died at Shaftesbury, in 1035, as
Dahlmann thinks [16],--leaving two legitimate sons and a busy, intriguing
widow (Norman Emma, widow of Ethelred the Unready), mother of the
younger of these two; neither of whom proved to have any talent or any
continuance. In spite of Emma's utmost efforts, Harald, the elder son of
Knut, not hers, got England for his kingdom; Emma and her Harda-Knut
had to be content with Denmark, and go thither, much against their will.
Harald in England,--light-going little figure like his father before
him,--got the name of Harefoot here; and might have done good work among
his now orderly and settled people; but he died almost within year and
day; and has left no trace among us, except that of "Harefoot," from his
swift mode of walking. Emma and her Harda-Knut now returned joyful
to England. But the violent, idle, and drunken Harda-Knut did no good
there; and, happily for England and him, soon suddenly ended, by stroke
of apoplexy at a marriage festival, as mentioned above. In Denmark he
had done still less good. And indeed,--under him, in a year or two, the
grand imperial edifice, laboriously built by Knut's valor and wisdom,
had already tumbled all to the ground, in a most unexpected and
remarkable way. As we are now to indicate with all brevity.

Svein's tyrannies in Norway had wrought such fruit that, within the four
years after Olaf's death, the chief men in Norway, the very slayers of
King Olaf, Kalf Arneson at the head of them, met secretly once or twice;
and unanimously agreed that Kalf Arneson must go to Sweden, or to Russia
itself; seek young Magnus, son of Olaf home: excellent Magnus, to be
king over all Norway and them, instead of this intolerable Svein. Which
was at once done,--Magnus brought home in a kind of triumph, all Norway
waiting for him. Intolerable Svein had already been rebelled against:
some years before this, a certain young Tryggve out of Ireland,
authentic son of Ola