THE SCENE: The medieval author of Gongu-Hrolf’s Saga had apparently dealt with so many hecklers that he included a remarkably wide-ranging disclaimer at the outset of his tale.
THE TEXT: Since neither this tale nor anything else can be made to please everyone, nobody need believe any more of it than he wants to believe. All the same, the best and most profitable thing is to listen while a story is being told, to enjoy it and not be gloomy: for the fact is that as long as people are enjoying the entertainment they won’t be thinking any evil thoughts. Nor is it a good thing when listeners find fault with a story just because it happens to be uninformative or clumsily told. Nothing so unimportant is ever done perfectly.
– Gongu-Hrolf’s Saga, 14th Century AD
