406 RAMBLES OF A GEOLOGIST. 



ness. Immediately on the decease of the king, bishops and 

 learned men were sent for to sing mass. * * * On Sun- 

 day the royal corpse was carried to the upper hall, and laid 

 on a bier. The body was clothed in a rich garb, with a gar- 

 land on its head, and dressed out as became a crowned mo- 

 narch. The masters of the lights stood with tapers in their 

 hands, and the whole hall was illuminated. All the people 

 came to see the body, which appeared beautiful and animated; 

 and the king's countenance was as fair and ruddy as while he 

 was alive. It was some alleviation of the deep sorrow of 

 the beholders to see the corpse of their departed sovereign 

 so decorated. High mass was then sung for the deceased. 

 The nobility kept watch by the body during the night. On 

 Monday the remains of King Haco were carried to St Mag- 

 nus Church, where they lay in state that night. On Tues- 

 day the royal corpse was put in a coffin, and buried in the 

 choir of St Magnus Church, near the steps leading to the 

 shrine of St Magnus, Earl of Orkney. The tomb was then 

 closed, and a canopy was spread over it. It was also deter- 

 mined that watch should be kept over the king's grave all 

 winter. At Christmas the bishop and Andrew Plytt furnish- 

 ed entertainments, as the king had directed ; and good pre- 

 sents were given to all the soldiers. King Haco had given 

 orders that his remains should be carried east to Norway, and 

 buried near his fathers and relatives. Towards the end of 

 winter, therefore, that great vessel which he had in the west 

 was launched, and soon got ready. On Ash "Wednesday the 

 corpse of King Haco was taken out of the ground : this hap- 

 pened the third of the nones of March. The courtiers fol- 

 lowed the corpse to Skalpeid, where the ship lay, and which 

 was chiefly under the direction of the Bishop Thorgisl and 

 Andrew Plytt. They put to sea on the first Saturday in Lent ; 

 but, meeting with hard weather, they steered for Silavog. 

 From this place they wrote letters to Prince Magnus, ac- 



