HAKON THE GOOD. 21

matter Hakon's success was always incomplete ; now and then it was plain failure, and Hakon had to draw back till a better time. Here is one specimen of the response he got on such an occasion ; curious specimen, mthal, of antique parliamentary eloquence from an Anti- Christian Thing. At a Thing of all the Fylkes of Trondhjem, Thing held at Froste in that region, King Hakon, with all the eloquence he had, signified that it was impera- tively necessary that all Bonders and sub-Bonders should become Christians, and beHeve in one God, Christ the Son of Mary ; renouncing entirely blood sacrifices and heathen idols ; should keep every seventh day holy, abstain from labour that day, and even from food, devoting the day to fasting and sacred meditation. Whereupon, by way of universal answer, arose a confused universal murmur of entire dissent. " Take away from us our old belief, and also our time for labour ! " murmured they in angry astonishment ; " how can even the land be got tilled in that way ? " " We cannot work if we don't get food," said the hand labourers and slaves. " It lies in King j^Hakon's blood, remarked others ; " his