Change in the relations and State in Iceland. writings relating to Thomas, and we much doubt if it occurs in any of the contemporary ones, except this Latin poem, which in its eighth stanza (p. 73) introduces him first as Thomas, honor præsulum, gemma Deo cara. For Icelandic prose, even Arngrim's, pedantic as it is, the expression: "gimsteinninn Thomas Kantuariens " has that peculiar lack of "propriety" of style, which gives it a somewhat comic turn. In poetry it would pass unnoticed, into prose it could hardly have found its way, except by means of a reminiscence, least of all into a context, where the real point of comparison lay in the earthly sufferings of Thomas. 5. THOMAS SAGA AND BISHOP GUDMUND ARASON.of Church The above referred-to visit of Rafn to Canterbury, and importation into Iceland of "life-stories" and records of miracles relating to Thomas of Canterbury, coincide with the beginning of a new era in the life of the Icelandic people. Only a few years after Rafn's return a decided move was made, for the first time in Icelandic history, to vindicate the authority of the Church against, and to assert its complete independence of, all secular jurisdiction. A conflict with constitutional law and long established custom was inevitable. This rapidly led to open hostility between lay lords and spiritual, the former regarding themselves as, what indeed they were, the traditional guardians of the institutions of the commonwealth. When neither side could come to a compromise on a modus vivendi, appeals were made to the archbishop of Drontheim, which only served to add fuel to the fire, as he could act but as a partisan of one side. The only hope of delivery from such a deadlock lay in a counter appeal by the lay lords to the powerful arbitrium of the king of Norway. He, however, in his turn, was not slow to seize the opportunity for the accomplishment of his own ambitious designs on Iceland, by setting one lord against the other, and thus, through division, to reach the goal of supreme power. The reign of law, which hitherto had regulated the relations between Church and State, soon passed into that of unscrupulous ambition and unbridled violence; so that, at last, tired of the resultless struggle, the country threw away, as of little worth any longer, its autonomy, and acknowledged the suzerainty of the King. During this period of suicidal convulsion the hitherto vigorous native literature received its fatal blow. It may seem startling, but historically it is impossible to dissociate this change from the name of Thomas of Canterbury, since undoubtedly the primary impulse emanated from his "life- Bishop Gudstories," and the principal author of it was his avowed primary disciple and imitator, Gudmund Arason, bishop of Hólar, this change. 1203-37 (elected 1201). mund the author of as priest. Already as a priest this personage had earned a great Gudmund name for the saintliness of his life, for his wonder-working powers, and infatuated fanaticism. He had been going about the country consecrating fountains and fords, and healing the sick, and had already risen to the rank of a living saint in the mind of the multitudes, though this devotion found its contrast in the mockery of unbelievers, who would class the bones of his saints among relics of the equine species, and who desecrated his hallowed fountains. as bishop clerical im As soon as he was installed in his see, he took the Gudmund earliest opportunity afforded to assert the principle of insists on the immunity of the clergy from secular jurisdiction, munities. though in his law suits, while he was in priest's orders, he had not once appealed to his bishop, but had prosecuted his cases in accordance with constitutional law. Not only was he the first Icelandic bishop who insisted He was the on these clerical immunities, but he carried his theory in Iceland into practice with a onesidedness as utterly regardless theory. of circumstances as his violence was reckless of consequences. Appeals to "land's law and right" he first bishop to start the mas's exam ple for his guidance. answered by immediate excommunication, which only resulted in violent exasperation and blood feuds, and for himself in an existence on sufferance alternating between flights from one place to another, captivity, and exile. Took Tho- The principle, for which the bishop fought so recklessly and suffered so hard, was an unheard of novelty in Iceland,1 and it is impossible to understand, how it could have been so blindly insisted upon by one man against almost all the best men in the country, unless his fanaticism was fired by the example and, as in those days it was thought, the infallible authority, of the great new saint, whose every miracle was looked upon as a heavenly endorsement of the justice of his actions and the righteousness of his cause. In Gudmund we cannot help recognising Thomas of Canterbury rearisen, smaller only, much more narrow-minded, and even less tractable He was com- than of yore. Let it not be supposed that we are here sidered to be drawing a vague historical inference from fancy only. of Thomas. The historical records relating to Gudmund, the Islen monly con the imitator dinga saga by Sturla Thordson, and the sagas specially written of him, substantiate to the fullest extent the sketch we have drawn in general outline of the bishop and his times. The inference, that Gudmund was chiefly influenced in his action by the lessons of Thomas saga, is corroborated sufficiently by what we have already stated with regard to his bosom friend Rafn's importation of Thomas literature to Iceland, and by the comparison of him to Thomas drawn by Kolbein Tumason, which, being a contemporary record, stands for an expression of the general opinion of those who were 1 A movement in a similar direction, but very different in kind, had been attempted by Gudmund's contemporary, bishop Thorlak, namely, to bring under episcopal control the economical affairs of churches belonging to lay patrons, but was wisely stayed by him, when persuasion could not overcome the resistance of patrons too mighty for him to cope with. Þorláks saga yngri, Bisk. sög., 1., 281-291. This Guðmund well knew; but the meekness of Thorlak was less to his mind than the "masterfulness" of Thomas. capable of forming one. This opinion soon passed into. a current tradition, so that in the bishop's own day the common, and by no means shortlived, belief was that he was another Thomas. In the two older sagas of him, though no deliberate expression is given to that view, yet the under-current thought unmistakably indicates it. But in Arngrim's saga of him this current tradition has blown into full bloom, for there the comparison is carried out with a simplicity that knows no historical scruples. When it is borne in mind, that Arngrim, where he did not follow written books, depended on stories related by the bishop's relatives, Thorkel and Helgi, "who both lived for a very long time after the departure of Lord Gudmund, and told of him so many "notable things which are not found written in books,"1 we are at liberty to take that fact as an evidence of the continuity of the contemporary opinion. adoration. 6. POPULARITY OF THOMAS IN ICELAND.-When Lives Private of Thomas began to circulate in Iceland, it soon became manifest, how popular a saint he was. We have already referred to Rafn's vow, which occurred before A.D. 1200, and does not, of course, represent a solitary exception, but a common rule. Further on we come to refer to him as patron saint of churches, but may here by way of introduction adduce instances of individual cases of adoration. In 1255 Brand Jonsson, abbot of Abbot Ver, prayed for the success of a venturous blood feud Jonsson. undertaken by certain kinsmen and friends of his, among whom was Thorgils Bodvarsson, surnamed "Skarði," of whom more in detail presently, in these words:" Vilda "ek nú, at Guð væri yðr fyrir vápn ok vörð, ok hyljun"armaðr Thomas erkibiskup," pray we now, that God may be your ward and weapon, and Thomas archbishop your intercessor. By this time, of course, the abbot 146. Guðm. saga, Bisk. sög., II., 2 Sturlunga, ed. Vigfússon, II., Brand Thorgils Ecclesiastical honours shown to Thomas. Mass sung for him at Oddi. of Ver was conversant with the events of Thomas's life from both Icelandic and Latin sources. The first time that we actually meet with the name of Thomas saga is in 1258 when, on the 22nd of January, the above-mentioned Thorgils was foully murdered at Hrafnagil in Eyjafjord, in the following circumstances: Thorgils rode to Hrafnagil and had good cheer there, " and his men he disposed about the various homesteads "round. People offered him a choice, as to what enter"tainment he would have for the evening, sagas or dance. He asked, what sagas there were to choose among. He was told that there was a saga of arch"bishop Thomas, and that he chose, for he loved him beyond all other holy men. Then the saga was read through until they did for the bishop in the church "and cut off his (tonsured) crown. Then people say "that Thorgils gave up, and said: 'a fair death indeed, such a death.' Shortly afterwards he fell asleep. Then the saga was dropped and people betook them"selves to supper." Thorgils's love for Thomas, as here expressed, we may take as an utterance given to the common feeling of the country. We now proceed to enumerate instances of official veneration shown to the saint. In this matter we are entirely thrown upon the meagre notices which are found scattered through various charters, and a few fragments of old inventories. For the sake of completeness, we shall adduce all that we have been able to collect bearing on this point. At the church of Oddi, in the provostship of Rangarvellir, the goodly seat of the descendants of the famous Sæmund the learned, the reputed collector of the poetic Edda, a mass "de Sancto Thoma" was to be sung, every other week, according to the "máldagi " or church charter included in bishop Vilchin's collection of 1397. This Sancto Thoma" can refer to no other saint than archbishop Th. of Canterbury. The church was dedicated to |