(1.) Grettir’s father “had his homestead and farm land.”

(2.) Grettir was obstinate as a boy (does nothing on board ship.)

(3.) Plays pranks upon his father, and returns from attending the horses to the fire-side (Iceland).

(4.) Is short, though strong, and big of body.

(5.) He had not skill to turn his great strength to account.

(6.) He wrestles with other lads, and commits many pranks, flings a rock from its place.

(7.) Wrestles with Karr, the barrow dweller; and

(8.) Takes possession of Karr’s weapons and wealth.

(9.) Fights with and conquers robbers.

Now it cannot be denied that there is a great similarity in the thread of these two stories. Norfolk, the colony of the Northmen of old, may well have retained its ancient tradition until the moving incidents of English economic history brought about the weaving of it into the actual life that was pressing round men’s thoughts. It would thus leave out the great mass of detail in the old northern tradition, and retain just sufficient to fit in with the new requirements; and in this way it appears to me we have the present form of the story of Tom Hickathrift, its ancient Scandinavian outline, its more modern English application. Now it is curious to note that the cart-wheel plays a not unimportant part in English folk-lore as a representative of old runic faith. Sir Henry Ellis, in his edition of Brand’s Popular Antiquities (vol. i. p. 298), has collected together some instances of this; and whatever causes may have led to this survival there is nothing to prevent us from looking upon the wheel and axle in the story of Tom Hickathrift as a part and parcel of the same survival.

There now remains to notice one or two points of interest outside the narrative of the story itself. Of curious expressions we have—

fitted (p. 3), to pay any one out, to revenge one’s self;

buttle of straw (p. 3);

shift (p. 3), to support, to make shift. See Davies’s Supplementary Glossary, sub voce “make-shift,” “shiftful”;

bone-fires (p. 11). See Ellis’s Brand’s Popular Antiquities, vol. i. p. 300, note;

cocksure (p. 14), quite sure.

Of proverbs there are—

to win the horse or lose the saddle (p. 8);

to make hay while the sun did shine (p. 10).

Of games there are mentioned—

cudgells (p. 4);

wrestling (p. 4);

throwing the hammer (p. 4);

football (p. 13);

bear-baiting (p. 13).

It will be observed that the spelling of the name in the Pepysian copy is specially divided thus—Hic-ka-thrift; and though it seems probable that some good reason must be assigned to this, I cannot find out points of importance. But about the dubbing him Mr. (p. 7) or Master, as it would be in full, there is something of great interest to point out. This was formerly a distinct title. In Harrison’s Description of England we read, “Who soeuer studieth the lawes of the realme, who so abideth in the vniuersitie, or prefesseth physicke and the liberall sciences, or beside his seruice in the roome of a capteine in the warres can liue without manuell labour, and thereto is able and will beare the post, charge, and countenance of a gentleman, he shall be called master, which is the title that men giue to esquiers and gentlemen and reputed for gentlemen.”—Harrison’s Description of England, 1577 (edited by F. J. Furnivall for the New Shakspere Society, 1877), p. 129.