and a half; but the mission there established was soon overthrown.  Uniting wisdom with his ardor, Anschar established at Hamburg schools where he educated Danish and Swedish boys to preach Christianity in their own language to their countrymen.  But the Normans laid waste this city, and the Christian schools and churches were destroyed.  About 850 a new attempt was made in Sweden, and there the subject was laid by the king before his council or parliament, consisting of two assemblies, and they decided to allow Christianity to be preached and practised, apparently on the ground that this new god, Christ, might help them in their dangers at sea, when the other gods could not.  And thus, according to the independent character of this people, Christianity was neither allowed to be imposed upon them by their king against their will, nor excluded from the use of those who chose to adopt it.  It took its chance with the old systems, and many of the Danes and Normans believed in worshipping both Odin and Christ at the same time.  King Harold in Denmark, during the last half of the tenth century, favored the spread of Christianity, and was himself baptized with his wife and son, believing at first that the Christian God was more powerful than the heathen gods, but finally coming to the conclusion that these last were only evil spirits.  On the other hand, some of the Danes believed that Christ was a god, and to be worshipped; but that he was a less powerful god than Odin or Thor.  The son of King Harold, in 990, returned to paganism and drove out the Christian priests; but his son, Canute the Great, who began to reign in 1014, was converted to Christianity in England, and became its zealous friend.  But these fierce warriors made rather poor Christians.  Adam of Bremen says:  “They so abominate tears and lamentations, and all other signs of penitence which we think so salubrious, that they will neither weep for their own sins nor at the death of their best friends.”  Thus, in these Northern regions, Christianity grew through one or two centuries, not like the mustard-seed, but like the leaven, infusing itself more and more into their national life.  According to the testimony of an eye-witness, Adam of Bremen, the Swedes were very susceptible to religious impressions.  “They receive the preachers of the truth with great kindness,” says he, “if they are modest, wise, and able; and our bishops are even allowed to preach in their great public assemblies.”  In Norway, Prince Hacon, in the middle of the tenth century, attempted to establish Christianity, which he had learned in England.  He proposed to the great national assembly that the whole nation should renounce idolatry, worship God and Christ, keep Sundays as festivals, and Fridays as fasts.  Great opposition was made, and there was danger of universal insurrection, so that the king had to yield, and even himself drink a toast to Odin and eat horse-flesh, which was a heathen practice.  Subsequent kings of Norway introduced Christianity