HARALD HARDRADA. 
371 
and a certain amount of Pagan-persecuting—his cha¬ 
racter did not in any way emulate that of his saintly 
brother. The early part of his history reads like a 
fairy tale, and is a favourite subject for Scald songs ; 
more especially his romantic adventures in the East,— 
Cf Well worthy of the golden prime 
Of good Haronn Alraschid 
where Saracens flee like chaff upon the wind before 
him, and impregnable Sicilian castles fall into his power 
by impossible feats of arms, or incredible stratagems. 
A Greek empress, “ the mature Zoe,” as Gibbon calls 
her, falls in love with him, and her husband, Constantine 
Monomachus puts him into prison; but Saint Olaf still 
protects his mauvais sujet of a brother, and inspires “ a 
lady of distinction” with the successful idea of helping 
Harald out of his inaccessible tower by the prosaic 
expedient of a ladder of ropes. A boom, however, across 
the harbour’s mouth still prevents the escape of his 
vessel. The Sea-king is not to be so easily baffled. 
Moving all his ballast, arms, and men, into the after- 
part of the ship, until her stem slants up out of the sea, 
he rows straight at the iron chain. The ship leaps 
