Icelandic Sagas Vol. 3
25. Earl Magnus the saint came to Egelsha with his men sooner than earl Hacon. And when they saw Hacon's eight warships then earl Magnus thought he knew that foul play must be meant, and all men who had any clear-sightedness, wondered how such a number of armed men could be wanted for any peaceful purpose. Would be revealed, then he went up on the isle to the church to prayer; and was there the night, not for dread or fear's sake, but rather to commit to God all his case. The men of earl Magnus offered to defend him and to fight against earl Hacon, but he answered so: "I will not lay your life in peril for me, and if peace cannot be set between us two kinsmen, then God's will be done; for I will rather thole hurt and treachery than use them against others." For this noble martyr, saying these things, well knew that all guile and deceit recoil on him who does them. Now his men thought that came sooth which he had before said about the treachery of Hacon. But for that earl Magnus knew beforehand as to the duration of his life, whether it were of his own wit or of godly foreshowing, so he would not fly or fare far from the meeting of his foes, and he sought not the holy church for other sake than that of faith. Earl Magnus was awake long in prayer through the night, and took heed for his soul's help and prayed for it carefully; he confided all his business and his own self into God's hand. Next morning he made them sing him mass, and in that mass he received the Lord's Body. And this his deed was needed for the highest proof, that on that spot he should become the sacrifice of God, as the helpful sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ's body and blood was offered up for the good of the whole world. But earl Hacon, who at that time was banished from all fear and love of God, dishonouring the privileges of the Church, was not afraid to go into the holy church violating thus her peace and freedom, so that he showed his wickedness all the more grimly that he did it in a holier place. For ever is sin increased by ill deeds and evil by badness; and the sinner, when he comes into the deep of sins, throws off all fear of God, and the more he is wont to sin, the more bold he gets, and the less he cares what ill he doeth, for then he thinks it little worth however great his misdeeds may be. That same morning that earl Hacon had come up on the isle with his evildoers, he sent four of his men, the worst of his servants, who were most cruel and readiest to evil deeds, to seize earl Magnus wherever he might be. These four, who may rather be called for their cruelty the most harmful wolves than reasonable men, ever thirsting for the outshedding of blood, rushed into the church just about the end of the mass. They snatched at once earl Magnus the saint with great violence, noise, and tumult out of the peace and bosom of holy church, as the gentlest sheep out of the sheep-fold. The holy one was holden of sinful thralls, the righteous one was bound and dragged wrongfully by wrong-doers, and led in that way before the covetous judge earl Hacon. But this the strong champion of God showed so much steadfastness in all these sufferings, that his body neither quaked for fear, nor his heart for dread or grief, for he left this thorny world with all its fruitless flowers. He looked that God would recompence to him his long-suffering with an unspeakable crown; but their cruelty and fury with endless pangs in the hot fire of hell, for such unmanly evil and monstrous covetousness. He was as glad and merry when they laid hands on him as if he were bidden to a banquet, and with such steadfast heart and soul that he neither spoke to his adversaries with any bitterness, wrath, or broken voice.
26. When earl Magnus the saint was come before earl Hacon, he spoke with much steadfastness to Hacon. "Thou dost not well, kinsman," says he, "that thou holdest not thy oaths, and it is much to be looked for that thou hast done this more by the ill will of others and their egging on, than of thy own badness. Now I will offer thee three choices, that thou may'st take one of them rather than that thou shouldst spoil thy oaths, and let me be slain thy kinsman, and guiltless as some will say." Earl Hacon said, "I will first hear then what thou offerest." Saint Magnus says, "This is the first choice, that I shall fare away out of the land to Rome, or right out to Jerusalem, to seek holy places, and so make amends for both of us twain; I shall have two ships out of the land manned with good men, and those necessaries which we need to have. I shall swear never to come to the Orkneys afterwards." That choice was quickly refused by Hacon and his men. Then said saint Magnus: "Now for that our life is in your power, but I know that I have been guilty in many things against all-ruling God, and that I therefore need to make amends: then send me up into Scotland to the friends of both of us, and let me be kept in ward there with two men for a passtime to me; and see thou so to it that I may never come out of that wardship without thy leave." To this they said "Nay" quickly, and found many reasons why it might not be. Then this steadfast knight said, "I am in a great strait about the choice," says he. "Now is that one alone left, which I will offer thee; and God knows that about this I look rather to the salvation of thy soul than to the life of my body; for after all it beseems thee less to quench my life. Let me be maimed in my limbs, or let my eyes be plucked out, and so set me in a dark dungeon from which I may never come out." Then said earl Hacon, "This atonement I take, nor do I ask for aught more." Then earl Hacon's men jumped up and said To this we will not agree, to torture earl Magnus; but we will slay either one of you twain; and ye two shall not from this day forth both rule the lands." Then says earl Hacon, "I will rather rule the lands than die quickly, if ye are so stern in this matter." --- So said Holdbodi of their parley. After that saint Magnus fell to prayers, and looked into the palms of his hands, and poured out many tears in God's eyesight, giving his cause, his life, and himself into the Lord's power.
27. Next to this, when the holy friend of God, earl Magnus, was done and doomed to death, then earl Hacon bade Ofeig his banner-bearer to slay earl Magnus; but he said "Nay" with the greatest wrath. Then earl Hacon forced his cook, whose name was Lifolf, to kill earl Magnus, but he began to weep with a loud voice. Then earl Magnus the saint spoke and said to him, "Thou shalt not weep," says he, "for there is fame for thee in doing such deeds. Be thou of steadfast heart, for thou shalt have my clothes, as is the wont and law of the men of old. Thou shalt not be afraid, for thou doest this by force, and he that forces thee to do it hath greater sin than thou." But when he had said this, then he stripped off him his kirtle, and gave it to Lifolf. After that the blessed earl Magnus asked leave to say his prayers, and it was granted him. Then he fell flat on the earth and gave himself over into God's power, bringing himself to Him as an offering. Nor did he pray for himself alone, but rather for his foes and banemen as well, and he forgave them from all his heart what they had misdone towards him; and he confessed to God all his offences, and prayed that they might all be washed off him by the outshedding of his blood; and he commended his soul into God's hand, praying God's angels to come to meet it, and bear it into the rest of Paradise. Then, when this famous martyr of God had ended his prayers, he said to Lifolf, "Stand thou before me, and hew me on the head a great wound, for it beseems not to behead chiefs like thieves. Strengthen thee, man, and weep not, for I have prayed God that he will pardon thee." After that earl Magnus signed himself with the cross, and bowed him to the stroke. But Lifolf hewed him on the head a great blow with an axe. Then earl Hacon said, "Hew thou a second time." Then Lifolf hewed into the same wound. Then saint Magnus the earl fell on his knees, and fared with this martyrdom from the wretchedness of this world to the everlasting bliss of the kingdom of heaven. And this man whom the man-slayer took out of the world, All-ruling God let rule with him in heaven. His body fell to earth, but his soul was loftily lifted up to the heavenly glory of the angels. That spot on which saint Magnus was smitten with stony and mossy; but a little after his worthiness towards God was revealed, so that since there is there a green field, fair and smooth; and God showed by this token that earl Magnus was slain for righteousness sake, and that he had gotten the fairness and greenness of Paradise on the land of the living. The death-day of earl Magnus the saint is two nights after the feast of Tiburtius and Valerianus; it was on the second day of the week that the worthy earl Magnus was slain, three weeks after Lady Day [Lady Day, 25th of March, and St. Magnus' Day, April 16th.] in Lent. He had then been twelve winters earl with Hacon. Then were kings in Norway Sigurd Jewry-farer, and his brothers Eystein and Olaf. Then had passed since the fall of saint Olaf Harold's son seventy-four [The figures are wrong both in the Orkneyingers Saga and here. They should be eighty-six.] winters. That was in the days of Pope Pascal the second of that name, and of St. John bishop of Holar in Iceland." To the honour of earl Magnus the saint, Master Robert who has written the story in Latin so speaks:
28. "This day is revealed to us, dearest brethren, the death day of the blessed earl Magnus the Martyr, his day of rest and everlasting bliss. Let us be glad and joyful on this high day, for that he craves solemn good-will and special honour of us, who dwell by his halidom [From this it appears that Master Robert, who preached the sermon on the day of the Saint's martyrdom, was an Orkneyinger.] and under his patronage and safe-keeping; and let us look towards his worthiness. For that because of his sublime example and holy life, first bloomed in the reagion of the realm of the Orkneys the fairest dispensations of pure good will, and from the holiest decrees of this gloryful martyr sprung manifold increase of the most seemly virtue. He drove away the throne of the lordship of the Devil out of the northern airt of the world, and established in its stead the tabernacle of Almighty God. He withered and uprooted all ill weeds with his preaching, but let grow up the fairest flowers and the sweetest corn crop of the most helpsome growth. He turned all the bitterness of the Orkneys into the seemliness and sweetness of holy habits. Today he conquered the world and the world's lords, and he ascended a noble victor over the world, taking from his holy master, our Lord Jesus Christ, a crown of glory. Today he was parted from all the weight of bodily weakness, faring through the heavens, and he entered into bliss, having become like to holy men in all glory. Today he threw off the worldly garb of this changeful life, uprising higher than human weakness may reckon; and to him for that is granted heavenly worship, honour and bliss before the eyes of all the Saints. He ascended in truth bright in worthiness, mighty in perfect blessedness, gloriful from the most seemly victory. This the exalted martyr of God, the blessed earl Magnus, adorned with the crown of his own blood, was tortured when there had passed from the incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ one thousand one hundred and four years, [It should be sixteen.] on a Monday, the sixteenth of the kalends of the month of May. Now, my dearest, let us cast away bodily lusts, and keep us from the love of unlawful things, conquering and rising above the attacks of blasphemy; but let us follow the footsteps and life of this the glorious martyr with all the strength of our minds, so far as our feebleness may bring us. Let us follow the ways of his life; let us hold to the pattern of his works, let us strive to be like his life, though it be every day revealed and made plain --- by wondrous miracles and great and glorious tokens, which Almighty God grants to the Northern region for his noble intercession and famous worthiness, both on sea and land, --- that his life and holy virtue is rather more praiseworthy and wonderful than possible to be imitated by our weakness. He appeared on earth that he might became our guardian and intercessor for help and mercy with Almighty God. For this it beseems us who are weighed down with the great load of our sins ever to pay him worship with the special devotion of bounden obedience and honour, that this the exalted martyr earl Magnus may deign to beseech for us with his worthiness and prayers that we may attain to be partakers of the heavenly crown and everlasting glory, which he obtained on the day of his martyrdom. May Our Lord Jesus Christ grant us this, who is honour and bliss, help and health, gladness and glory of all his saints and righteous men; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth one God in three persons world without end. Amen." Master Robert wrote this story in Latin to the worship and honour of saint Magnus the isle-earl, when twenty winters [It is impossible to verify this date, but if it be correct Master Robert must have written his life of St. Magnus in the year 1136.] were passed from his martyrdom.
29. Now we must take up the story and tell of those things which were done after the death of saint Magnus the earl, that so great was the cruelty and hardness of earl Hacon, and so great his wrath and fury against the blessed Magnus, that he no less envied earl Magnus dead than alive. And though the fury and grimness of most men can be soothed after an ill deed is done, still neither ill will nor envy was soothed or sated in the heart of Hacon, for he forbids that earl Magnus should be buried at the church like Christian men, but rather that he should be there hidden in the ground where he was slain.
30. It had been settled at the former meeting of the earls in Hrossey, that when their agreement had been fully strengthened and made steadfast after the judgment of the best men, which they had bound with oaths, that both earls, when they fared from the meeting, which had been fixed in Egelsha, should go to a feast in Paplay, to Thora the mother of earl Magnus. But now after the slaying and death of the earl, then earl Hacon still went to the feast with his men. There was the best of banquets. But when drink took hold on earl Hacon, then Thora went to him and said thus: --- "Now art thou alone come here, lord, but I looked for both of you twain, thee and earl Magnus my son. Now be so with me in my prayer, as thou wilt that all ruling God shall be to thee at doomsday, that thou givest me leave that my son may be buried at church." Earl Hacon looked towards her and shed tears, and said, "Bury thy son, woman, there where it liketh thee." Saint Magnus was then brought to church and buried at Birsay in Christchurch, which earl Thorfinn his grandfather had let be built. Then eftsoons a heavenly light was seen to shine over his grave. Afterwards men who were placed in peril began to vow to saint Magnus the earl, and their need was granted as they themselves prayed for it. At the same time a heavenly fragrance was perceived at his grave, and there sick men got their health. Next to that men made their voyage from the Orkneys and Shetland who were past hope of cure, and watched over his tomb, and all got healing for their hurts; but still men dared not to spread the miracles of earl Magnus much abroad while earl Hacon lived. It is is so said of those men who had been worst in going between the earls, and were most in treachery against earl Magnus, that they most of them had quick ends and a short life, and they died an ill death. After the slaying of of saint Magnus, Hacon Paul's son took under him all the rule in the Orkneys; he made then all men to take oaths of fealty to him, even those as well who had before served earl Magnus. Then he became a great chief, and laid heavy burdens on the friends of earl Magnus, whom he thought had been most against him in their dealings. Some winters after Hacon made him ready for a voyage out of the land; he fared south to Rome, and in that voyage he fared right out to Jewry, as was then palmers' wont; there he sought holy places, and bathed him in the river Jordan. After that he fared back to his own land, and took under him the rule in the Orkneys. He became then a good governor, and kept his realm well at peace. He laid down then new laws, which the freemen liked far better than those which had been before. By such things his friendships began to wax many. Then it came about that those Orkneyingers desired nothing else than to keep earl Hacon in power in the Orkneys, and his offspring. And there we make an end of speaking of Hacon in this book.
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