CHAPTER X. REIGN OF KING OLAF THE SAINT. The late two Jarls, now gone about their business, had both, been baptised, and called themselves Chris- tians. But during their government they did nothing in the conversion way ; left every man to choose his own God or Gods ; so that some had actually two, the Christian God by land, and at sea Thor, whom they considered safer in that element. And in effect the mass of the people had fallen back into a sluggish heathenism or half-heathenism, the life-labour of Olaf Tryggveson lying ruinous or almost quite overset. The new Olaf, son of Harald, set himself with all his strength to mend such a state of matters ; and stood by his enterprise to the end, as the one highest interest, including all others, for his People and him. His method was by no means soft ; on the contrary, it was hard, rapid, severe, — somewhat on the model
