520 THE THING. 



agreed upon by all there and brought into the law-court 

 shall stand " (Frostath., x. 30). 



To this Thing as well as to lesser Things, every bondi who 

 was a working man had to come. In later times, if the king 

 was not present, his representatives the lendir men were bound 

 to be there. Among these lesser Things were those which 

 dealt with questions relating to paupers. 



" It is customary in Iceland for the bcendr to have a Thing 

 in the autumn in order to deal with the poor ; the one first 

 named among the poor was Thorljot, the father of Thjodolf " 

 (Flateyjarbok, iii. 421). 



In the course of time and towards the latter part of the 

 pagan era there arose from the Herad towns proper (kaup- 

 stad = trading-places), and the people formed a separate class 

 whose interests were not identical with those of the bondi, and 

 who required a special government and Thing. The common 

 law of the towns is known under the name of Bjarkeyjar-rett 

 (town law). Each town had its mot, formed by all house- 

 holders (hilsfastir). 



There were also meetings of people of the Hreyp, which 

 was a tract of country consisting of at least 20 bcendr, who 

 were able to give pay to Thingmen. Their meetings were 

 ordinary or extraordinary. For extraordinary meetings they 

 had to send the cross (or in early times the war-arrow) around. 

 At the meeting the affairs of the poor and other burdens of 

 the community, and the regulations concerning order, were 

 settled. Five men were chosen, who were the representatives 

 or executive power of the community. These men had not 

 necessarily to be landowners. Their duty was to prosecute 

 vagabonds or criminals, and to be present at oath-taking. 



" There shall be lawful Hrepps in this country (Iceland). It 

 is lawful when 20 bcendr or more are in it. If the logrettu-men 

 (law-court men) allow it there may be fewer (boendr) .... 

 Five landowners (boendr) shall be chosen in every Hrepp to 

 prosecute all those who do not fulfil their duties in the Hrepp, 

 and also to divide the tithes and food-gifts (to the poor), or 

 see to the keeping of oaths taken by men. They need not be 

 landowners if all the men of the Hrepp agree. ... If a pauper 



