of the combat; since the preliminary successes of war were
often a prophecy of the sequel. Erik commended the wisdom of the reply,
declaring that the game ought to be played abroad just as it had been
begun at home: meaning that the Danes had been challenged by the Sclavs.
After these words he fought a furious battle, slew Strunik with the
bravest of his race, and received the surrender of the rest. Then Frode
called the Sclavs together, and proclaimed by a herald that any man
among them who had been trained to theft or plunder should be speedily
given up; promising that he would reward the character of such men with
the highest honours. He also ordered that all of them, who were versed
in evil arts should come forth to have their reward. This offer pleased
the Sclavs: and some of them, tempted by their hopes of the gift,
betrayed themselves with more avarice than judgment, before the others
could make them known. These were misled by such great covetousness,
that they thought less of shame than lucre, and accounted as their glory
what was really their guilt. When these had given themselves up of their
own will, he said: "Sclavs! This is the pest from which you must clear
your land yourselves." And straightway he ordered the executioners to
seize them, and had them fixed upon the highest gallows by the hand of
their own countrymen. The punishers looked fewer than the punished. And
thus the shrewd king, by refusing to those who owned their guilt the
pardon which he granted to the conquered foe, destroyed almost the
entire stock of the Sclavic race. Thus the longing for an undeserved
reward was visited with a deserved penalty, and the thirst for an
undue wage justly punished. I should think that these men were rightly
delivered to their doom, who brought the peril on their own heads by
speaking, when they could have saved their lives by the protection of
silence.

The king, exalted by the honours of his fresh victory, and loth to seem
less strong in justice than in battle, resolved to remodel his army by
some new laws, some of which are retained by present usage, while others
men have chosen to abolish for new ones. (a) For he decreed, when the
spoil was divided, that each of the vanguard should receive a greater
share than the rest of the soldiery: while he granted all gold that was
taken to the generals (before whom the standards were always borne in
battle) on account of their rank; wishing the common soldiers to
be c