THE KING'S MIRROR 39 



quent in speech, but he realized the power of the written 

 as well as of the spoken word. It is a fact worth noting 

 that among the Northmen of the thirteenth century 

 learning was not confined to the clergy. While the author 

 nf tVio gVafiji'o Mt'rrnr urges the prospective flierchant to 

 ]egrj| T^fl.tin and Preriph., he fljpo warns him 



hisjmather tongue., King Sverre replied to the ecclesi-/ 

 astical decrees with a manifesto in the Norwegian Ian- - 

 guage in which he stated his position and his claims for f^ 

 the royal office. This pamphlet, which is commonly ^ 

 known as " 4B-Address against the Bishops," was issued 

 about 1199 and was sent to all the shire courts to be 

 read to the freemen. It was a cleverly written document 

 and seems to have been very effective. In spite of the 

 fact that the king was under the ban, ^he^mas.sfi& re- 

 mained loyal. 



Between the political theory of the Address and the 

 ideas of kingship expressed in the King's Mirror there 

 is an agreement which can hardly be accidental. It is 

 more likely that we have in this case literary kinship of 

 tfre first degree. It has been thought that King Sverre 

 may have prepared his manifesto himself, but this is 

 scarcely probable. Some one of his court, however, must 

 have composed it, perhaps some clerk in the royal scrip- 

 torium, for the ideas developed in the document are 

 clearly those of the king. It has also been suggested that 

 the Address and the Speculum Regale may have been 

 written by the same hand; * but the only evidence in 

 support of such a conclusion is this agreement of political 



* This appears to be Heffermehl's opinion. See Historiske Skrifter tilegnede 

 Ludvig Daae, 87. 



