Ebook The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus

How he was induced to write his book has been mentioned.' The expressions of modesty Saxo uses, saying that he was the least of Absalom's followers, and that all the rest refused the task are not to be taken to the letter. A man of his parts would hardly be either the least in rank, or the last to be solicited. The words, however, enable us to guess an up ward limit for the date of the inception of the work. Absalon became Archbishop in 1179, and the language of the Preface (written, as we shall see, last) implies that he was already Archbishop when he suggested the History to Saxo. But about 1185 we find Sweyn Aageson2 complimenting Saxo, and saying that Saxo had determined3 to set forth all the deeds of Sweyn Estridson, in his eleventh book, at greater length in a more elegant style The exact bearing of this notice on the date of Saxo's History is doubtful. It certainly need not imply that Saxo had already written ten books, or indeed that he had written any, of his History. All we can say is, that by 1185 a portion of the History was planned. The order in which its several parts were composed, and the date of its completion, are not certainly known, as Absalon died in 1201. But the work was not then finished; for, at the end of Bk. X1,4 one Birger, who died in 1202, is mentioned as still alive.