第159章

Upon these words Ragnar began to fear lest he should destroy his ancient name for courage by his womanish sorrow; so, shaking off his melancholy garb and putting away his signs of mourning, he revived his sleeping valour with hopes of speedy vengeance.Thus do the weak sometimes nerve the spirits of the strong.So he put his kingdom in charge of Iwar, and embraced with a father's love Ubbe, who was now restored to his ancient favour.Then he transported his fleet over to Russia, took Daxo, bound him in chains, and sent him away to be kept in Utgard.(1)Ragnar showed on this occasion the most merciful moderation towards the slayer of his dearest son, since he sufficiently satisfied the vengeance which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death.This compassion shamed the Russians out of any further rage against such a king, who could not be driven even by the most grievous wrongs to inflict death upon his prisoners.Ragnar soon took Daxo back into favour, and restored him to his country, upon his promising that he would every year pay him his tribute barefoot, like a suppliant, with twelve elders, also unshod.For he thought it better to punish a prisoner and a suppliant gently, than to draw the axe of bloodshed; better to punish that proud neck with constant slavery than to sever it once and for all.Then he went on and appointed his son Erik, surnamed Wind-hat, over Sweden.Here, while Fridleif and Siward were serving under him, he found that the Norwegians and the Scots had wrongfully conferred the title of king on two other men.So he first overthrew the usurper to the power of Norway, and let Biorn have the country for his own benefit.

Then he summoned Biorn and Erik, ravaged the Orkneys, landed at last on the territory of the Scots, and in a three-days' battle wearied out their king Murial, and slew him.But Ragnar's sons, Dunwat and Radbard, after fighting nobly, were slain by the enemy.So that the victory their father won was stained with their blood.He returned to Denmark, and found that his wife Swanloga had in the meantime died of disease.Straightway he sought medicine for his grief in loneliness, and patiently confined the grief of his sick soul within the walls of his house.But this bitter sorrow was driven out of him by the sudden arrival of Iwar, who had been expelled from the kingdom.

For the Gauls had made him fly, and had wrongfully bestowed royal power on a certain Ella, the son of Hame.Ragnar took Iwar to guide him, since he was acquainted with the country, gave orders for a fleet, and approached the harbour called York.Here he disembarked his forces, and after a battle which lasted three days, he made Ella, who had trusted in the valour of the Gauls, desirous to fly.The affair cost much blood to the English and very little to the Danes.Here Ragnar completed a year of conquest, and then, summoning his sons to help him, he went to Ireland, slew its king Melbrik, besieged Dublin, which was filled with wealth of the barbarians, attacked it, and received its surrender.There he lay in camp for a year; and then, sailing through the midland sea, he made his way to the Hellespont.He won signal victories as he crossed all the intervening countries, and no ill-fortune anywhere checked his steady and prosperous advance.

Harald, meanwhile, with the adherence of certain Danes who were cold-hearted servants in the army of Ragnar, disturbed his country with renewed sedition, and came forward claiming the title of king.He was met by the arms of Ragnar returning from the Hellespont; but being unsuccessful, and seeing that his resources of defence at home were exhausted, he went to ask help of Ludwig, who was then stationed at Mainz.But Ludwig, filled with the greatest zeal for promoting his religion, imposed a condition on the Barbarian, promising him help if he would agree to follow the worship of Christ.For he said there could be no agreement of hearts between those who embraced discordant creeds.

Anyone, therefore, who asked for help, must first have a fellowship in religion.No men could be partners in great works who were separated by a different form of worship.This decision procured not only salvation for Ludwig's guest, but the praise of piety for Ludwig himself, who, as soon as Harald had gone to the holy font, accordingly strengthened him with Saxon auxiliaries.

Trusting in these, Harald built a temple in the land of Sleswik with much care and cost, to be hallowed to God.Thus he borrowed a pattern of the most holy way from the worship of Rome.He unhallowed, pulled down the shrines that had been profaned by the error of misbelievers, outlawed the sacrificers, abolished the (heathen) priesthood, and was the first to introduce the religion of Christianity to his uncouth country.Rejecting the worship of demons, he was zealous for that of God.Lastly, he observed with the most scrupulous care whatever concerned the protection of religion.But he began with more piety than success.For Ragnar came up, outraged the holy rites he had brought in, outlawed the true faith, restored the false one to its old position, and bestowed on the ceremonies the same honour as before.As for Harald, he deserted and cast in his lot with sacrilege.For though he was a notable ensample by his introduction of religion, yet he was the first who was seen to neglect it, and this illustrious promoter of holiness proved a most infamous forsaker of the same.

Meanwhile, Ella betook himself to the Irish, and put to the sword or punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar.Then Ragnar attacked him with his fleet, but, by the just visitation of the Omnipotent, was openly punished for disparaging religion.For when he had been taken and cast into prison, his guilty limbs were given to serpents to devour, and adders found ghastly substance in the fibres of his entrails.