Introduction
In 975, King Edgar died and left the country to his son Edward, aged twelve. At once Edward’s stepmother Ælfthryth moved to promote the interests of her own son Ethelred, just eight. As her flagship policy, she chose to defy her late husband’s wishes and close down the monasteries recently revived by the Bishop of Winchester, Æthelwold. Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was forced to back his man.
THESE questions being referred to the blessed Dunstan,* he assembled a synod at Winchester, and in the midst of the conflict of the disputing parties, the image of the Lord, which stood near in the church, distinctly spoke, to the confusion and silencing of the clerks and those who favoured them.
But the minds of the cruel gainsayers not being yet calmed, another synod was held at Calne,* in an upper room, at which were present all the senators of the kingdom; but the king, on account of his tender age, was absent. While the matter was being discussed with much heat on both sides, and numbers assailed Dunstan with great abuse, against which he stood firm as a church wall, on a sudden, the whole of the floor on which they were assembled gave way with the beams and the planks, and all were precipitated with violence to the earth, except Dunstan alone, who remained standing on the only plank which kept its place, and so he escaped uninjured.*
* During the years when the Vikings had controlled much of the country (the late 8th to the early 10th centuries), English monasteries had fallen into neglect or been repurposed as community buildings for married clergy and their families. Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had worked hard with King Edgar (r. 959-975) to re-establish the monasteries as Benedictine houses with celibate monks and nuns in them, but now that Edgar was dead his surviving widow, Ethelred’s mother Ælfthryth, was clearing them out again. The Church in these islands (as in the Eastern Churches) had always allowed married men to be ordained to the priesthood, and that practice continued after Pope St Gregory I and St Augustine of Canterbury re-founded her in 597, but a healthy Church needs both married clergy and abbeys of monks and nuns. On the Gregorian Mission, see The Baptism of Kent.
* A town in Wiltshire on the River Marden, lying in the far northwest of the North Wessex Downs and some 5 miles east of Chippenham. The pronunciation is a hotly-debated topic; for this post, Wiktionary’s pronunciation /ˈkɑːln/ (karln) has been used but many alternatives are vigorously defended online.
* Many of the clergy who had Dunstan figuratively (and perhaps literally) with his back to the wall in that rowdy chamber were hurt or killed in the collapse, but it did not change the direction of Ælfthryth’s faction at court. That did not happen until events had taken an even darker turn. See The Martyrdom of King Edward.
Précis
In 975, powerful figures at court began closing down monasteries in defiance of the young King Edward’s policy. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, held a Synod at Winchester which was inconclusive even though an icon of Christ appeared to speak for him. Another was held at Calne, and this time the floor gave way, leaving Dunstan standing alone on a beam. (60 / 60 words)
In 975, powerful figures at court began closing down monasteries in defiance of the young King Edward’s policy. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, held a Synod at Winchester which was inconclusive even though an icon of Christ appeared to speak for him. Another was held at Calne, and this time the floor gave way, leaving Dunstan standing alone on a beam.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, must, not, ought, until, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Absent. Great. They.
2 All. Clerk. Spoke.
3 Dispute. Floor. Lord.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Wall. 2. Way. 3. Present. 4. Heat. 5. Earth. 6. Image. 7. Party. 8. Clerk. 9. Hold.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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