Magmts LagabcEtir 299 



with the new religion by Olaf Tiyggvason and St. Olaf, 

 It was not so much the formal change of faith which 

 awoke opposition to these innovators as the Church 

 or canon law which they introduced therewith, laws 

 relating to slavery, to ecclesiastical and moral offences, 

 such as sacrilege, adultery, and so forth. These reforms 

 liad long been incorporated with the Thing laws ; but 

 they came from outside, and were uniform for the whole 

 country. 



The first task which Magnus undertook was the codi- 

 fying of the traditional law ; the second, was the intro- 

 duction of a uniform code for the whole country. This 

 was the essential of his work. But incidentally certain 

 changes were introduced which had the effect of enlarg- 

 ing the kingly power, while it secured the greater inde- 

 pendence in many respects of the peasant class, but 

 destroyed the remaining power of the old aristocracy. 



The chief of these latter changes was the abolition of 

 the picturesque and terrible blood-feud which plays so 

 conspicuous a part in the history of the northern races 

 during their heathen or almost heathen days. We have 

 only to read the Icelandic Sagas to see how large a part 

 the blood-feud occupied in the life of families in those 

 days. The law of private revenge, which was involved 

 in the theory of the blood-feud, always lay rather out- 

 side the regular Thing-law of the country. That is to 

 say, it was recognised by law, but the chief efforts of 

 the Thing legislators were directed to limiting its appli- 

 cation. In Magnus' laws this right of private revenge 

 was abolished ; and with it was abolished the right 

 which families claimed of determining for themselves 

 the blood fine for a murder, the compensation money 



