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Legenda/ry Tales 53
this traffic. Finally the king’s governor of West Goth-
land, Earl Ragnvald, undertook on his own account to
conclude a truce between his province and the Norwe-
gian king.
After this, envoys of Olaf Haroldsson departed to
offer Olof Lapking peace on condition that the boun-
dary between the two kingdoms should be as of old.
Earl Ragnvald accompanied them. But as he feared
the king’s wrath, he would first assure himself of the
aid of the most powerful great-peasant in Uppland,
as in this province a ting (assembly) was to be held
and measures adopted with regard to the overtures of
peace.
The man whose aid Ragnvald sought was the old
and wise Lawman Torgny. There was in each province
an official called "lagman," who presided over the peas-
ants when they assembled to hold a ting, or court, to
make laws, to settle suits, and decide other matters
of importance. It was his duty at the assembly each
year to publish, by word of mouth, the laws of the
province, for as yet they were not written. He had
them committed to memory and was a sort of living
law-book.
Lawman Torgny received Earl Ragnvald and the
Norwegian envoys sitting in his "high-seat." Such an
imposing man the envoys had never seen. His beard
was so long that it reached down to his lap and covered
his bosom. When he had learned the mission of the
visitors he said to Earl Ragnvald : "Wonderful men are
ye, who seek after titles, but know not how to help
yourselves when ye get into a difficulty. It seems to
me more honorable to bei reckoned among the peasants
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