vessels which he saw. Then GRYMER stepped forward, and told him his name; adding, that he had spent a whole summer to seek him. "May your ar"rival," replied HIALMAR," be fortunate; and may "health and honour attend you. I will instantly pre"sent you with gold, and the unmixed juice of the "vine." "I cannot," said GRYMER, "accept thy "offers. I came hither with a mind resolved on thy "destruction. Prepare thyself for battle; and let us hasten to give a banquet to the beasts of prey." Hialmar artfully replied, "Let me advise you better; let us unite in strict brotherly confederacy* (B). "Let us not be separated day nor night. Let us not "risk the combat you propose: I have had sufficient "knowledge of such encounters; and had much ra"ther seek to espouse from your country a beautiful "damsel, and to bring her home hither." Grymer, full of indiguation, exclaimed: " Arm, instantly, I say; nor let thy unmanly fear lock up thy sword: let our "bucklers clash together, and be bruised with our "blows." "I have a sister," proceeded Hialmar, "who is most fair to look upon. I will bestow the "damsel upon you in marriage, and her portion shall "be the principality of Biarmland, if you will for once "desist from this slaughter." "I will neither," said Grymer, "accept of thy sister, nor parley any longer. "He must be a coward, who would shun the combat 46 on such conditions: and, besides, that fair princess "would soon be informed of it." Hialmar at length, all enraged, replied" Come on: I have done enough "to elude thy demands: since it must be so, let us ", dye our swords in blood, and try their sharp points "against our well-tempered shields." At that instant he seized his white cuirass, his sword and buckler, so resplendent, as never till then was seen the like. Gry * Confraternité. Fr. mer, mer, on his part, who was to begin the attack, stood ready for the combat. Immediately, by a violent blow of his sabre, he strikes off the border of Hialmar's shield, and cuts off one of his hands: but Hialmar, little affected by that loss, and far from asking quarter, drives his sword with fury; he strikes off the helmet and cuirass of Grymer; he pierces him at once in the breast and sides, and causes the blood to run in such abundance, that his strength begins to fail him. Yet Hialmar complained that his weapon had done too little execution; assured, that could he have grasped it with both his hands, his adversary would soon have bit the earth. Then Grymer raising his sabre with both his hands, let it fall on the casque of Hialmar, and he himself likewise dropt, enfeebled by the loss of blood that flowed in torrents from his gaping wounds. Hialmar's warriors carefully interred the dead body of their chief, and buried his gold along with it (C). Grymer was conveyed on ship-board by his followers; who immediately set sail. Thus ended the combat between these two heroes. By the time that Grymer drew near his own country, his wounds were enflamed, his strength was wasted away, and his life seemed to draw near to its end. On his arrival, the king and his daughter being informed of his danger, that princess chearfully undertook his cure; which having effected, they were united in marriage. A grand banquet was prepared to celebrate their nuptials in the royal hall; and all the courtiers, richly habited, were sumptuously entertained. Wine and Hydromel * flowed plentifully round; and as for Water, it was not so much as thought of. During these nuptials, the joy was great and uninterrupted: the king distributed gold among his guests; and the great men of the realm realm returned to their homes loaded with presents. But above all, the beauteous bride of Grymér overwhelmed her Hero with all kinds of felicity. We must now relate what passed in the interim. Hialmar's warriors, astonished to see their chief fall by the sword of the valiant Grymer, with grief-pierced hearts declared they should never find his equal. They departed home sorrowful and dejected; but at the same time nourished in their bosoms an implacable désire of vengeance. They set sail toward Biarmland, and the violence of the waves favouring their course, they soon beheld the castle of HAREC, Hialmar's father. The sight of this somewhat consoled their grief. Instantly landing, they entered the palace, as the king was coming forth to meet them. This aged prince, seeing his warriors pale and dejected, with downcast eyes, enquired if Hialmar remained on ship-board, and whether he had gamed the fair prize he sought for? "Hialmar," said they," has not received shght wounds in the combat: he is despoiled of life: he hath not even seen his beautiful mistress." The king, struck with consternation, poured forth a deep sigh, and cried, "Certainly, the death of Halmar is a most affecting loss!-Let the Bugle Horn sound "to arms. I will go ravage Sweden. Let every man "who bears a shield, launch his vessel into the sea: let us renew the war; let the 'helmets be broke in "pieces, and let all prepare for the clash of swords." The whole country was unpeopled by the assembling of the 'warriors; who ardently thirsted after battle, that by a speedy vengeance they might give comfort to the shade of Hialmar. The rendezvous being fixed, multitudes repaired thither from every quarter. The most distinguished warriors were covered with entire coats of mail, and their gilded arms cast a resplendent gleam around them. Harec Harec having distributed to others suits of armour of the hardest steel, helmets and cuirasses, swords and darts and shields, put himself at the head of this resolute band, and led them forth to war. They immediately embarked; and, full of courage, set sail; ranging their bucklers, which reflected rays of light, along the sides of their vessels. Their sails were composed of a fine stuff, bordered with blue and scarlet. Harec exhorted them to revenge, and inspired them with intrepid resolution by his warlike discourses. The sol diers seconding his wishes, hoist and spread their sails. with a generous emulation to outdo each other. The billows resound before the prows of the ships as they press forward; the wind redoubles its force; the sea foams and swells; and the white waves dash against the sides of the vessels. They scud along as swift as the lightning; and the mermaids with difficulty follow them, in order to feast on the pitch with which their keels are besmeared. At length the Biarmian Heroes reach the Swedish coast: they cast anchor and moor in the bottom of the haven. Their cables are hove down, and lie floating from their sides. They soon gain the shore in their light shallops; and presently cover themselves with their helmets. Harec again invites them to vengeance, and commands them to lay waste the land with fire and sword. His orders are obeyed; the ravage begins; the flames spread over the country, and the inhabitants lose at once their glory and their lives. Sweden becomes one continued stream of fire. Its heroes are laid low. Nothing is heard but the resounding of the shrill clarion: nothing is seen but heads dissevered by the deep-cutting sword. At length, count ERIC is apprised that war desolates the dominions of his king. That. Hero instantly girds on his sword, to put a stop to these dreadful ravages. He collects together both the free-men and the slaves throughout the kingdom. Soon was this valiant troop in in arms this troop, among whom so many were destined to lose their lives. The two armies joined battle; the swords were blunted on the helmets and shields. The far-sounding trumpet animates the combatants; the darts pierce them through, the sharp iron severs their lin.bs, so that almost all seem devoted to death. A gallant warrior, named GRUNDER, was present at that engagement; whose sword was accustomed to break in pieces the best tempered buckler, and whose slaughter fattened the hungry wolves. He held the rank of Duke in Harec's kingdom: full of ardour in the combat, whether he fought with the sword or lance, he had sent many a fair corpse to the regions of death. This valiant Hero threw himself into the thickest of the battle; and laying prostrate at his feet a multitude of warriors, covered with sweat and blood, he devoted them a prey to the savage beasts. Count Eric, enflamed with rage and vengeance, hastened to oppose the progress of this chief: but a shower of darts laid him in the dust, and forced his immediate followers to retire; the rest of his soldiers, seeing him prostrate on the earth, cast their shields away, and saved themselves by a speedy flight. The conquerors shed rivers of blood among the vanquished, and raising the shout of joy, dreadful to hear, hack with their swords the shields of their enemies. These hastily fly to the woods, leaving the field of battle spread over with the ghastly corpses of their companions; being themselves irresolute and dismayed, having neither targets nor helmets left for their defence; while the victorious Biarmians, regardless either of glory or virtue, proceed to burn the houses every where scattered over the country. King CHARLES is informed that his warriors are perished; that his chieftain Eric himself is destroyed, and that his army are weltering in their blood. He is like |