elling him
that if he tried to enforce the demand exacted under durance from the
king of Denmark, he should be deprived of the services of religion and be
heavily fined by the papal power for his cruel and unrighteous act. Thus
called to account for his treachery and wickedness, Black Henry was
forced to forego the final cruel exaction of his traitor soul.

Misfortune, however, pursued Valdemar. When in 1227 the peasants of
Ditmarsh refused to pay the tribute they had long paid the Danish crown,
the insult to his weakness was more than the king could endure. He
marched an army into their lands, but only to find himself defeated and
four thousand of his men killed by the rebels, who were strongly aided by
the German princes of Holstein, and especially by Count Adolf, his former
captive. He himself was wounded in the eye by an arrow which struck him
to the ground, and would have been captured a second time but for the aid
of a friendly German knight.

This foeman had been formerly in Valdemar's service, and when he saw his
old royal master helpless and bleeding, he lifted him to his saddle and
carried him to Kiel, where his wounds were healed, means being then found
to send him back to his kingdom.

Valdemar remained on the throne for fourteen years afterwards, but these
were years of peace. War no longer had charms for him and he devoted
himself to the duties of government and to preparing codes of law for the
provinces of his kingdom. In that age there were no general laws for the
whole country.

The laws of Valdemar continued in force for four hundred and fifty years,
and in 1687, when Christian V. framed a new code of laws, some of the old
ones of Valdemar were retained. In them the old custom of the ordeal was
set aside, being replaced by the system of the jury, one form of which
consisted of "eight good men and true" chosen by the king, and another of
twelve men chosen by the people. The laws were lenient, for most crimes
could be atoned for by money or other fines. Three days after the last of
these codes was approved Valdemar died, at the age of seventy-one,
leaving three sons all of whom in turn ruled after him. His son Valdemar,
who shared his imprisonment, had died long before.

_BIRGER JARL AND THE CONQUEST OF FINLAND._

Birger Jarl, who became one of the great men of Sweden about 1250, rose
to such importance in the early history of that kingdom that one cannot
pass him by without saying somethi