elded her body to the treacherous lures
of delight, yet she must not be thought to have abjured her integrity
of soul, inasmuch as her fault had a ready excuse by virtue of her
ignorance. Insensate mother, who allowed the forfeiture of her child's
chastity in order to avenge her own; caring nought for the purity of her
own blood, so she might stain with incest the man who had cost her her
own maidenhood at first! Infamous-hearted woman, who, to punish her
defiler, measured out as it were a second defilement to herself,
whereas she clearly by the selfsame act rather swelled than lessened the
transgression! Surely, by the very act wherewith she thought to reach
her revenge, she accumulated guilt; she added a sin in trying to remove
a crime: she played the stepdame to her own offspring, not sparing her
daughter abomination in order to atone for her own disgrace. Doubtless
her soul was brimming over with shamelessness, since she swerved so far
from shamefastness, as without a blush to seek solace for her wrong in
her daughter's infamy. A great crime, with but one atonement; namely,
that the guilt of this intercourse was wiped away by a fortunate
progeny, its fruits being as delightful as its repute was evil.

ROLF, the son of Urse, retrieved the shame of his birth by signal deeds
of valour; and their exceeding lustre is honoured with bright laudation
by the memory of all succeeding time. For lamentation sometimes ends in
laughter, and foul beginnings pass to fair issues. So that the father's
fault, though criminal, was fortunate, being afterwards atoned for by a
son of such marvellous splendour.

Meantime Ragnar died in Sweden; and Swanhwid his wife passed away soon
after of a malady which she had taken from her sorrow, following in
death the husband from whom she had not endured severance in life. For
it often happens that some people desire to follow out of life those
whom they loved exceedingly when alive. Their son Hothbrodd succeeded
them. Fain to extend his empire, he warred upon the East, and after a
huge massacre of many peoples begat two sons, Athisl and Hother, and
appointed as their tutor a certain Gewar, who was bound to him by great
services. Not content with conquering the East, he assailed Denmark,
challenged its king, Ro, in three battles, and slew him. Helge, when
he heard this, shut up his son Rolf in Leire, wishing, however he might
have managed his own fortunes, to see to the safety of his heir. When
Ho