KINGS OF NORWAY. 13 the land with his ships of war. He laid his ships at saga vh. land at Nyamode*, where the troops of the Thing- men were, and gave them battle and gained the vic- tory. So says Sigvald the scald : — " The youthful king stained red the hair Of Angeln men, and dyed his spear At Newport in their hearts' dark blood; And where the Danes the thickest stood — Where the shrill storm round Olaf 's head Of spear and arrow thickest fled. There thickest lay the Thingmen dead ! Nine battles now of Olaf bold, Battle by battle, I have told." King Olaf then scoured all over the country, taking scatt of the people, and plundering where it was re- fused. So says Ottar : — " The English race could not resist thee, With money thou madest them assist thee Unsparingly thou madest them pay A scatt to thee in every way: Money, if money could be got — Goods, cattle, household gear, if not. Thy gathered spoil, borne to the strand, Was the best wealth of English land." Olaf remained here for three years. The third year King Ethelred died, and his sons Chapter Edmund and Edward took the government. Then The tenth Olaf sailed southwards out to sea, and had a battle battle * at Ringsfiord f, and took a castle situated upon a hill where vikings resorted, and burnt the castle. So says Sigvalt the scald : — " Of the tenth battle now I tell, Where it was fought, and what befell.
- Nyamode is supposed to be Newport in the Isle of Wight; more
likely New Romney, the river-mouth of the Rother in Kent. ■j* Ringsfiordr, Grislopolla, Fetlafiordr, Selliopolla, Gunvalldsborg, are localities in Valland, — that is, on the west coast of France, between the Seine and the Garonne, — but which antiquaries do not pretend to fix. The " castle on the heights occupied by vikings " may be Mont St. Michel, and the Karlsar of Chapter XVII. may be the Garonne; but these are mere conjectures of antiquaries on the context.
