106 CHRONICLE OF THE sAGA^x. Olaf had his high seat made on a high bench across the room; he also first had chimney -places in the rooms, and the floors strewed* both summer and winter. In King Olaf s time many merchant toAvns arose in Norway, and many new ones were founded. Thus King Olaf founded a merchant town at Bergen, where very soon many wealthy people settled them- selves, and it was regularly frequented by merchants from foreign lands. He had the foundations laid for the large Christ church, which was to be a stone church ; but in his time there was little done to it. Besides, he completed the old Christ church, which was of AYood. King Olaf also had a great feasting- house built in Nidaros, and in many other merchant towns, where before there were only private feasts; and in his time no one could drink in Norway but in these houses, adorned for the purpose with branches and leaves, and which stood under the king's protection. The great guild-bell in Drontheim, which was called the pride of the town, tolled to call together to these guilds. The guild-brethren built Margaret's church in Nidaros of stone. In King Olaf 's time there were general entertainments, and hand-in-hand feasts, f At this time also much unusual splendour and foreign customs and fashions in the cut of clothes were intro- duced ; as, for instance, costly hose plaited about the the legs. Some had gold rings about the legs, and also used coats which had lists doAvn the sides, and
- Strewing the floors with fresh juniper-tops is still the universal
custom in every house in Norway. It answers the purpose of keeping the dirt brought in on the shoes from soiling the wood of the floors. I The feasts here mentioned in the saga appear to have been regular meetings of fraternities, or guilds, of which the members gave each other mutual protection and aid, and which acted as corporate bodies. Every private citizen in towns belonged to some guild or fraternity bound to avenge his death or injuries as brethren, and thus affording him protection. At the guilds or feasts of these fraternities each appears to have brought his own liquor: they were pic-nic feasts, and they went hand-in-hand through the streets to them like our Freemasons.
