The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and CounsellorDasent, George Webbe, Sir
General
The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor
Dasent, George Webbe, Sir
Njáll Þorgursson, approximately 930-1011
Then Mord spoke again, "I have called Thorodd as my first
witness, and Thorbjorn as my second. I have called them to bear
witness that I gave notice of a suit against Flosi Thord's son
for that he wounded Helgi Njal's son with a brain or a body, or a
marrow wound, which proved a death-wound, and from which Helgi
got his death. I said that he ought to be made in this suit a
guilty man, an outlaw, not to be fed, not to be forwarded, not to
be helped or harboured in any need; I said that all his goods
were forfeited, half to me and half to the men of the Quarter who
have the right by law to take the goods which he has forfeited; I
gave notice of the suit in the Quarter Court into which the suit
ought by law to come; I gave notice of that lawful notice; I gave
notice in the hearing of all men at the Hill of Laws; I gave
notice of this suit to be pleaded now this summer, and of full
outlawry against Flosi Thord's son. I gave notice of a suit
which Thorgeir Thorir's son had handed over to me; and I had all
these words in my notice which I have now used in this
declaration of my suit. I now declare this suit of outlawry in
this shape before the court of the Eastfirthers over the head of
John, as I uttered it when I gave notice of it."
Then Mord's witnesses to the notice came before the court, and
spake so that one uttered their witness, but both confirmed it by
their common consent in this form, "I bear witness that Mord
called Thorodd as his first witness, and me as his second, and my
name is Thorbjorn" -- then he named his father's name -- "Mord
called us two as his witnesses that he gave notice of an assault
laid down by law against Flosi Thord's son when he rushed on
Helgi Njal's son, in that spot where Flosi Thord's son dealt
Helgi Njal's son a brain, or a body, or a marrow wound, that
proved a death-wound, and from which Helgi got his death. He
said that Flosi ought to be made in this suit a guilty man, an
outlaw, not to be fed, not to be forwarded, not to be helped or
harboured by any man; he said that all his goods were forfeited,
half to himself and half to the men of the Quarter who have the
right by law to take the goods which he had forfeited; he gave
notice of the suit in the Quarter Court into which the suit ought
by law to come; he gave notice of that lawful notice; he gave
notice in the hearing of all men at the Hill of Laws; he gave
notice of this suit to be pleaded now this summer, and of full
outlawry against Flosi Thord's son. He gave notice of a suit
which Thorgeir Thorir's son had handed over to him. He used all
those words in his notice which he used in the declaration of his
suit, and which we have used in bearing witness; we have now
borne our witness rightly and lawfully, and we are agreed in
bearing it; we bear this witness in this shape before the
Eastfirthers' Court over the head of John, as Mord uttered it
when he gave his notice."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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