Introduction
After the Conquest in 1066, William of Normandy appointed an Italian, Lanfranc, as Archbishop of Canterbury, and set about clearing out the English bishops. Wulfstan was the last, stubbornly protecting the English from their new masters, and it seemed God was on the side of the old religion, too.
THINKING all Saxon bishops rustic and unworthy of their sees, Archbishop Lanfranc summoned Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, to a synod in the Abbey at Westmister, and ordered him to give up his pastoral staff and ring to a better man.
Nearby stood the tomb of King Edward the Confessor, who had given Wulfstan his office.* The bishop went to the tomb and gently laid staff and ring upon it.
‘There is a new king’ he said aloud ‘who accuses you of poor judgment in pressing these upon me, and me of presumption in accepting them. Where you now dwell, you cannot err: take them back, and bestow them as you will.’
Wulfstan resumed his seat. By turns, Norman clerics stepped up at Lanfranc’s bidding, but not one of them could prise staff or ring from that tomb.
Presently, Wulfstan alone remained, and to his hand they yielded at once. Seeing it, Lanfranc fell at his feet, and humbly begged him to resume his duties.
William traced his ‘right’ to the English throne to King Edward, so neither he nor Lanfranc could really complain at Wulfstan’s appeal to him.
Précis
William the Conqueror, as part of a policy of replacing English-born bishops with Continental ones, told Wulfstan of Worcester to hand over his episcopal staff and ring. Wulfstan set them on the nearby tomb of Edward the Confessor, the English king who appointed him, and no one could take them off again except Wulfstan himself. (55 / 60 words)
William the Conqueror, as part of a policy of replacing English-born bishops with Continental ones, told Wulfstan of Worcester to hand over his episcopal staff and ring. Wulfstan set them on the nearby tomb of Edward the Confessor, the English king who appointed him, and no one could take them off again except Wulfstan himself.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, if, may, must, or, otherwise, since, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
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 Fall. Remain. Ring.
2 Order. Press. Take.
3 Now. Office. They.
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.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
shrd (9)
shard. shared. sheared. sheered. sherd. shored. shred. shroud. ushered.
Post Box : Help Available
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Post Box.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
Related Posts
George served in the Roman army and lies buried in Israel, yet he makes an ideal patron for England.
Picture: © Josep Renalias, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted November 22 2019
Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf imagines the farewell between Jesus and his Apostles, forty days after his resurrection.
Picture: © Trevor Littlewood, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted May 25 2017
The eighth-century English bishop and poet Cynewulf takes us to the threshold of God’s holy city, and gives us a choice.
Picture: © Kevin King, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted April 1 2017