To go to war, to plunder, burn,
deftroy, and iUrmoiint every obftacle
that oppofed their deiigns, they deemed
the ilireft path to immortality ; even
their games gave them an opportunity
of exerciiing their ftrength as weft as
agility of body.
Glimii'lijl, or the art o f wreftling,
was general gmong them ; though
it is mentioned in their old hiftories,
that their heroes fometimes made pfe
o f an artifice which was called Laufe-
tok, and is the fame as what we
call tripping up the heels. Skjl^eJi,
or the art o f fencing, was ftill more
common ; for though they treated one
another pretty roughly on thefe occa-
lions, yet thoie rules o f art were wanting
which a weaker arm may at prefent
apply to his advantage uppp oc-
caiion.
The Manjafna.duifi lyas held In the
higheil; efteem : a man dexterous in
that exercife was held in the Utmoft
veneration by them, and was celebrated
even in their fongs. This was a
kind of iingle combat, to which a map
nfight challenge any one who was dc”
lirou
iirdus to be recorded in the annals of
fame. Life or death was alike indifte-
rent to thefe combatants; and it was
deemed a noble art to undcrftand well
how to fliarpen the inftruments o f
death, as may be feen by Rigjibulu.
Theiituatioii in which thelcelanderS
were, in regard to the kings o f Norway,
who always kept a watchful eye over
them, and fought every opportunity td
fubjLigate them, obliged them to have
recourfe to other ilates for a knowledge
of government and literatnre. For tlus
purpofe they often failed to Norway,
Denmark, Sweden, England, and
Scotland. The travellers, at their rtr
turn, were obliged to give an account
to their chiefs of the ftate of thofe
kingdoms through which they had
pafted. For this reafon hiftory, and
what related to fcience, was held in
high repute, as long as the republican
form of government lafted; and the
great number of Sagas and hiftories
which are to be met with in the country,
if not all equally important, ftiew
at leaft the deiire they had of being
inftrucfted*
F 3 During
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