The Secu- the regulars out of the monasteries of Mercia. The Regulars. religious question, concerning the Seculars and Regulars, lars and Synod at appears to have agitated the whole nation. Three2 synods were convened for the purpose of asserting the supremacy of one of these Orders, or of arriving at some arrangement which would put an end to their unseemly and unchristian strife. The first was held at Winchester: there the crucifix spoke1 in favour of the Regulars. 4 The second synod was held at Calne, and was attended by all the members of the chief Witan; the king was absent on account of his youth. The subject in dispute was debated with great zeal and diversity of opinion. It appears that several of those present took advantage of the opportunity to show their distrust of Dunstan, for "like arrows" their reproaches were directed against him. He was opposed by the whole Witan. Its members were, doubtless, indignant at their exclusion from the management of state affairs. They must have borne in mind that their country was garrisoned with monks, and that the erection of monasteries had emptied the king's exchequer. By taking the part of the Seculars they aimed a blow against the personal rule of the Archbishop. Undaunted, Dunstan withstood their reproaches. Suddenly the floor upon which they stood, boards and rafters, gave way, and all, save Dunstan, who stood upon a single rafter, were hurled to the ground: some were killed, and others crippled for life. Some people 1 Will. of Malmesbury. 3 Saxon Chronicle. 2 Flor. of Worcester. Saxon Chronicle. During the reign of Frederick Barbarossa a similar catastrophe took place in Germany, when several of the nobility were killed. believe the boards and rafters of the council room gave Synod at Calne, 978. way through a miracle.1 Others are of the opinion that Dunstan's mechanical skill had something to do with it, and that before the council had met he had caused the supports of the room, except the beam upon which he stood, to be loosened, and that he had control over the machinery that temporarily supported its floor. If the Synod at Calne had been convened for the purpose of refuting the arguments of the Regulars or of the Seculars, surely Dunstan would have been supported by his sturdy colleagues, Ethelwold,' Bishop of Winchester, and Oswald, Archbishop of York, and by the other heads of the Regulars: but they were all absent. If the Witan had been summoned to take into consideration a question of national importance, the King would have presided: but he was absent. The fact that this gathering was of national importance, and that it met for the express purpose of settling the disputes between the Seculars and Regulars; and the fact that the king and the supporters of Dunstan were not present at it, and that Dunstan was the only one who escaped unhurt, might lead us to the conclusion that the catastrophe at Calne was the contrivance of one who allowed religious zeal and partisan feelings to override his humanity and warp his judgment, and that Dunstan's victory was the result of a desperate effort to retain his own power and that of his order over the Matt. of Westminster. Ethelwold died 982, and Oswold in 992: Saxon Chronicle. Matthew of Westminster. Dr. Lingard says he was present: this writer states that the floor of the council room at Calne gave way, as the weight upon it was too great: if so, it is strange that only one man escaped. ecclesiastical and civil affairs of the realm. The assembly at Calne, 978, is an epoch in the history of the Saxon people. With it the supremacy of the Church ceases for more than half a century. Whilst Dunstan ruled the land, civil strife and foreign invasion were almost unknown to it. And the best testimony in his favour was the confusion and the terrible sufferings that followed his days. In the year 978 King Edward was brutally and treacherously murdered. He had been hunting. Upon his return he visited his step-mother. She received him with a kiss,1 and gave him to drink out of a cup; whilst drinking he was stabbed by the ealdorman Elfere, or by one of the household1 of Elfrida. The king set spurs to his horse, but, falling to the ground, one foot got entangled, and he was dragged to death by his frightened steed. The Saxon Chronicle simply states that he was martyred, and makes no mention of the hunt, or of his visit to his step-mother. Henry of Huntingdon is also silent concerning the hunt, and he merely remarks that he was killed by his own family at Corfe-gate, at eventide. As Ethelred was a mere lad, he could not have been guilty of the death of his half-brother, consequently the guilt of this terrible crime must be laid at the door of his wickedly ambitious mother. According to William of Malmesbury, Elfrida plotted against the life of Edward, and that her cruel design was successful after the following manner: the king was returning home tired with the chase, and gasping with thirst, while his companions were following the dogs in different directions, when he was told that his relatives lived in a neighbouring 2 Will. of Malmesbury. 1 Matt. of Westminster. Edward, house; he proceeded towards it at full speed, unattended Murder of and without suspicion, as he judged others by his own 978. feelings. On his arrival Elfrida, enticing him with female blandishments, caused him to lean forward to receive her kiss; afterwards, whilst he was eagerly drinking from the cup which had been handed to him, he was pierced through the body by the dagger of an attendant.1 Edward, dreadfully wounded, with all his remaining strength clapped spurs to his horse in order to join his companions, when one of his feet slipped, and he was dragged by the other foot through the trackless paths and recesses of the wood, while his streaming blood made known his death to his followers. Edward is known in history as "Edward the Martyr" -no doubt the Regulars bestowed that appellation upon him, because he was their choice, and also because he fell through the machinations of Elfrida, the leader of the Seculars. Ethelred, son of Edgar and Elfrida, succeeded his half-brother. His life is said to have been cruel in the beginning, because of the death of his brother; wretched in the middle, by reason of his flight and weak conduct; and miserable in the end, in consequence of the circumstances that attended his death. Prophecy. At the coronation of Ethelred, Dunstan foretold with Dunstan's a loud voice the evils that were about to fall upon the land, saying to the youthful monarch:-" Since you have aspired to the kingdom by the death of your brother, hear the word of God. Thus saith the Lord, the sin of your wretched mother, and that of the 'William of Malmesbury, in book 2, chap. 9, does not give the name of Elfrida's attendant; but in chap. 10, under the year 1012, he describes Elfere as-"Elfere, who had murdered the late king." 2 William of Malmesbury. Ethelred, 978 to 1016 accomplices of her wicked plot, shall not be blotted out except by much blood of the wretched people; and such evils shall come upon the English nation as they have not experienced since they came to England until now." This prophecy was fulfilled to the very letter. From the accession of Ethelred in 978 to the accession of Canute, in 1016, the affairs of our country seem to have revolved around the person of Edric, ealdorman of Mercia. LEADING EVENTS. The Coronation of Edgar...... 973 A.D. The Death of Edgar, and the Accession of his son Edward the Martyr....... 975 The Synod at Calne.. 978 The Assassination of King Edward, and the Accession of Ethelred the Unready. 9781 'Florence of Worcester. |