pleading always the necessity of his own affairs; with which excuse,
joined to Hakon's readiness in things less important, King Blue-tooth
managed to content himself, Hakon being always his good neighbor, at
least, and the two mutually dependent. In Norway, Hakon, without the
title of king, did in a strong-handed, steadfast, and at length,
successful way, the office of one; governed Norway (some count) for
above twenty years; and, both at home and abroad, had much
consideration through most of that time; specially amongst the heathen
orthodox, for Hakon Jarl himself was a zealous heathen, fixed in his
mind against these chimerical Christian innovations and unsalutary
changes of creed, and would have gladly trampled out all traces of
what the last two kings (for Greyfell, also, was an English Christian
after his sort) had done in this respect. But he wisely discerned
that it was not possible, and that, for peace's sake, he must not even
attempt it, but must strike preferably into "perfect toleration," and
that of "every one getting to heaven or even to the other goal in his
own way." He himself, it is well known, repaired many heathen temples
(a great "church builder" in his way!), manufactured many splendid
idols, with much gilding and such artistic ornament as there was,--in
particular, one huge image of Thor, not forgetting the hammer and
appendages, and such a collar (supposed of solid gold, which it was
not quite, as we shall hear in time) round the neck of him as was
never seen in all the North. How he did his own Yule festivals, with
what magnificent solemnity, the horse-eatings, blood-sprinklings, and
other sacred rites, need not be told. Something of a "Ritualist," one
may perceive; perhaps had Scandinavian Puseyisms in him, and other
desperate heathen notions. He was universally believed to have gone
into magic, for one thing, and to have dangerous potencies derived
from the Devil himself. The dark heathen mind of him struggling
vehemently in that strange element, not altogether so unlike our own