murderer, thus giving
rise to long and bloody feuds. This custom Birger forbade, ordering every
one to seek redress for injury at the courts of justice. He also passed
four Laws of Peace, viz.: for the Peace of the Church, of Women, of
House, and of Assize.

Every one was forbidden to assault another in the church or the
churchyard or on the way to or from church. Whoever did so was declared
outlawed, and if the assailed man killed his assailant he was held free
from blame or revenge. This was the Peace of the Church.

Another ancient custom was to carry away a desired bride by force,
without her consent or that of her parents, a fight often arising in
which the bride's father and brothers were killed. Or on the way of an
affianced pair to church the same outrage might take place, the
bridegroom being often killed. This, too, was forbidden under penalty of
outlawry, the new law being that of Peace for Women.

To promote general security he forbade, under the same penalty, the
attacking of any man, his wife, children, or servants, within his house
or on his property. This was the Law of Home-peace or House-peace. All
violence was in like manner forbidden to any one going to or attending an
assembly of the people, this being the Peace of Assize.

Birger Jarl improved the laws in many other ways and made Sweden a far
more civilized country than it had been before his time. Another of his
useful acts was the founding of the city of Stockholm, which before his
day was a mere village on an island, but which he made a stronghold and
city, inviting that commerce to which its situation so excellently
adapted it. This was one of the most important acts of Birger Jarl, who
died soon afterwards, not living to see the rapid growth in importance of
his new city.

_THE FIRST WAR BETWEEN SWEDEN AND RUSSIA._

In the last tale it was told how Birger Jarl subdued the Finns and
brought then to give up their heathen practices and accept Christianity.
But this refers only to the section of Finland bordering on the Baltic
Sea. Farther east the Finns were pagans still, worshipping idols and
living a savage life in their vast forests, and bitterly hating the
Christians. At times they would come in hordes out of their wild
woodlands and attack the settled people, killing them in the most cruel
way their distorted fancies could contrive.

They had two chief deities, Jumal, the great good one, and Perkel, the
great evil one, and t