ancestor of all the subsequent kings of Denmark for some 400 years;
himself coming, as we see, only by the Distaff side, all of the Sword
or male side having died so soon. Early death, it has been observed,
was the Great Knut's allotment, and all his posterity's as
well;--fatal limit (had there been no others, which we see there were)
to his becoming "Charlemagne of the North" in any considerable degree!
Jarl Ulf, as we have seen, had a sister, Gyda by name, wife to Earl
Godwin ("Gudin Ulfnadsson," as Snorro calls him) a very memorable
Englishman, whose son and hers, King Harald, _Harold_ in English
books, is the memorablest of all. These things ought to be better
known to English antiquaries, and will perhaps be alluded to again.

This pretty little victory or affront, gained over Knut in _Lymfjord_,
was among the last successes of Olaf against that mighty man. Olaf,
the skilful captain he was, need not have despaired to defend his
Norway against Knut and all the world. But he learned henceforth,
month by month ever more tragically, that his own people, seeing
softer prospects under Knut, and in particular the chiefs of them,
industriously bribed by Knut for years past, had fallen away from him;
and that his means of defence were gone. Next summer, Knut's grand
fleet sailed, unopposed, along the coast of Norway; Knut summoning a
Thing every here and there, and in all of them meeting nothing but
sky-high acclamation and acceptance. Olaf, with some twelve little
ships, all he now had, lay quiet in some safe fjord, near Lindenaes,
what we now call the Naze, behind some little solitary isles on the
southeast of Norway there; till triumphant Knut had streamed home
again. Home to England again "Sovereign of Norway" now, with nephew
Hakon appointed Jarl and Vice-regent under him! This was the news
Olaf met on venturing out; and that his worst anticipations were not
beyond the sad truth all, or almost all, the chief Bonders and men of