ngs, alike of women and of men, bondsmen and thralls, youths
and adults. Be there any truce-breaker who shall violate this PEACE
and defile this faith, so be he rejected of God and expelled from the
community of righteous men; be he cast out from Heaven and from the
fellowship of the holy; let him have no part amongst mankind and become
an outcast from society. A vagabond he shall be and a wolf in places
where Christians pray and where heathen worship, where fire burneth,
where the earth bringeth forth, where the child lispeth the name of
mother, where the mother beareth a son, where men kindle fire, where
the ship saileth, where shields blink, sun shineth, snow lieth, Finn
glideth, fir-tree groweth, falcon flieth the live-long day and the fair
wind bloweth straight under both her wings, where Heaven rolleth and
earth is tilled, where the breezes waft mists to the sea, where corn is
sown. Far shall he dwell from church and Christian men, from the sons of
the heathen, from house and cave and from every home, in the torments
of Hel. At PEACE we shall be, in concord together, each with other in
friendly mind, wherever we meet, on mountain or strand, on ship or on
snow-shoes, on plains or on glaciers, at sea or on horseback, as friends
meet in the water, or brothers by the way, each at PEACE with other, as
son with father, or father with son, in all our dealings.

"Our hands we lay together, all and every to hold well the PEACE and the
words we have spoken in this our faith, in the presence of God and of
holy men, of all who hear my words and here are present."

Many said that a great word had been spoken. Gest said: "You have
declared and spoken well; if you go not back upon it, I will not delay
to show that of which I am capable."

Then he cast off his hood and after that all his upper garments. Each
looked at the other and woe spread over their lips; for they knew that
it was Grettir who had come to them, by his excelling all other men in
stature and vigour. All were silent and Haf looked foolish. The men of
the district went two and two together, each blaming the other, and most
of all blaming him who had declared the peace. Then Grettir said: "Speak
plainly to me and declare what is in your minds, for I will not sit here
long without my clothes. You have more at stake than I have, whether you
hold the peace or not."

They answered little and sat themselves down. The sons of Thord and
their brother-in-law Halldor the