not far from which Frode was tarrying, and,
the moment that he stepped out of the ship, tripped inadvertently, and
came tumbling to the ground. He found in the slip a presage of a lucky
issue, and forecast better results from this mean beginning. When Grep
heard of his coming, he hastened down to the sea, intending to
assail with chosen and pointed phrases the man whom he had heard was
better-spoken than all other folk. Grep's eloquence was not so much
excellent as impudent, for he surpassed all in stubbornness of speech.
So he began the dispute with reviling, and assailed Erik as follows:

Grep: "Fool, who art thou? What idle quest is thine? Tell me, whence or
whither dost thou journey? What is thy road? What thy desire? Who thy
father? What thy lineage? Those have strength beyond others who have
never left their own homes, and the Luck of kings is their houseluck.
For the things of a vile man are acceptable unto few, and seldom are the
deeds of the hated pleasing."

Erik: "Ragnar is my father; eloquence clothes my tongue; I have ever
loved virtue only. Wisdom hath been my one desire; I have travelled many
ways over the world, and seen the different manners of men. The mind of
the fool can keep no bounds in aught: it is base and cannot control its
feelings. The use of sails is better than being drawn by the oar; the
gale troubles the waters, a drearier gust the land. For rowing goes
through the seas and lying the lands; and it is certain that the lands
are ruled with the lips, but the seas with the hand."

Grep: "Thou art thought to be as full of quibbling as a cock of dirt.
Thou stinkest heavy with filth, and reekest of nought but sin. There is
no need to lengthen the plea against a buffoon, whose strength is in an
empty and voluble tongue."

Erik: "By Hercules, if I mistake not, the coward word is wont to come
back to the utterer. The gods with righteous endeavour bring home to
the speaker words cast forth without knowledge. As soon as we espy the
sinister ears of the wolf, we believe that the wolf himself is near. Men
think no credit due to him that hath no credit, whom report accuses of
treachery."

Grep: "Shameless boy, owl astray from the path, night-owl in the
darkness, thou shalt pay for thy reckless words. Thou shalt be sorry for
the words thou now belchest forth madly, and shalt pay with thy death
for thy unhallowed speech. Lifeless thou shalt pasture crows on thy
bloodless corpse, to be a morsel for be