eckoned that all the pieces of that kind of composition
which relate to the history of Icelanders previous to the introduction
of Christianity had passed from the oral into the written shape. Of all
those Sagas, none were so interesting as Njal, whether as regarded the
length of the story, the number and rank of the chiefs who appeared in
it as actors, and the graphic way in which the tragic tale was told. As
a rounded whole, in which each part is finely and beautifully polished,
in which the two great divisions of the story are kept in perfect
balance and counterpoise, in which each person who appears is left free
to speak in a way which stamps him with a character of his own, while
all unite in working towards a common end, no Saga had such claims on
public attention as Njala, and it is certain none would sooner have been
committed to writing. The latest period, therefore, that we can assign
as the date at which our Saga was moulded into its present shape is the
year 1200....

It was a foster-father's duty, in old times, to rear and cherish the
child which he had taken from the arms of its natural parents, his
superiors in rank. And so may this work, which the translator has taken
from the house of Icelandic scholars, his masters in knowledge, and
which he has reared and fostered so many years under an English roof, go
forth and fight the battle of life for itself, and win fresh fame for
those who gave it birth. It will be reward enough for him who has first
clothed it in an English dress if his foster-child adds another leaf to
that evergreen wreath of glory which crowns the brows of Iceland's
ancient worthies.

BROAD SANCTUARY.

_Christmas Eve, 1860._

It will be seen that in most cases the names of places throughout
the Saga have been turned into English, either in whole or in part,
as "Lithend" for "Lfaethrendi," and "Bergthorsknoll" for
"Bergthorshvol". The translator adopted this course to soften the
ruggedness of the original names for the English reader, but in
every case the Icelandic name, with its English rendering, will be
found in the maps. The surnames and nicknames have also been turned
into English--an attempt which has not a little increased the toil
of translation. Great allowance must be made for these renderings,
as those nicknames often arose out of circumstances of which we
know little or nothing. Of some, such as "Thorgeir Craggeir," and