and strengthen the courage of his weakling soul, she said:  “Bridals are for young men, but the tomb awaits the old.  The steps of youth go forward in desires and in fortune; but old age declines helpless to the sepulchre.  Hope attends youth; age is bowed with hopeless decay.  The fortune of young men increases; it will never leave unfinished what it begins.”  Respecting her words, he begged her to undertake the management of the suit.  But she refused, pleading her age as her pretext, and declaring herself too stricken in years to bear so difficult a commission.  The king saw that a bribe was wanted, and, proffering a golden necklace, promised it as the reward of her embassy.  For the necklace had links consisting of studs, and figures of kings interspersed in bas-relief, which could be now separated and now drawn together by pulling a thread inside; a gewgaw devised more for luxury than use.  Frode also ordered that Westmar and Koll, with their sons, should be summoned to go on the same embassy, thinking that their cunning would avoid the shame of a rebuff.

They went with Gotwar, and were entertained by the King of the Huns at a three days’ banquet, ere they uttered the purpose of their embassy.  For it was customary of old thus to welcome guests.  When the feast had been prolonged three days, the princess came forth to make herself pleasant to the envoys with a most courteous address, and her blithe presence added not a little to the festal delights of the banqueters.  And as the drink went faster Westmar revealed his purpose in due course, in a very merry declaration, wishing to sound the mind of the maiden in talk of a friendly sort.  And, in order not to inflict on himself a rebuff, he spoke in a mirthful vein, and broke the ground of his mission, by venturing to make up a sportive speech amid the applause of the revellers.  The princess said that she disdained Frode because he lacked honour and glory.  For in days of old no men were thought fit for the hand of high-born women but those who had won some great prize of glory by the lustre of their admirable deeds.  Sloth was the worst of vices in a suitor, and nothing was more of a reproach in one who sought marriage than the lack of fame.  A harvest of glory, and that alone, could bring wealth in everything else.  Maidens admired in their wooers not so much good looks as deeds nobly done.  So the envoys, flagging and despairing of their wish, left the further conduct of the affair to the wisdom of Gotwar, who tried to subdue the maiden not only with words but with love-philtres, and began to declare that Frode used his left hand as well as his right, and was a quick and skillful swimmer and fighter.  Also by the drink which she gave she changed the strictness of the maiden to desire, and replaced her vanished anger with love and delight.  Then she bade Westmar, Koll, and their sons go to the king and urge their mission afresh; and finally, should they find him froward, to anticipate a rebuff by a challenge to fight.