JUNE 119 



Church and State. Winchester was then, as it remained 

 for centuries afterwards, the richest see in England; so 

 that in later years, when William of Edington was made 

 to exchange it for the metropolitan dignity of Canterbury, 

 he murmured with a sigh, ' Though Canterbury is the 

 higher rack, Winchester is the richer manger.' Yet 

 Dunstan, the leader of the monastic reformation of the 

 tenth century, proudly refused to become Bishop of Win- 

 chester, having a far loftier ambition to serve when King 

 Edred died. Edwy, his successor, was but a lad of sixteen 

 wh<n he ascended the throne, and Dunstan did not lose 

 a diy in asserting his authority over the new king. 

 Edw had made a love-match with his beautiful cousin 

 Elgr& ; but churchmen would not recognise the marriage, 

 whicl was within the forbidden degrees. No terms are 

 too h;rsh for the monkish chronicler Osberne to pour on 

 the grl mulieris animum instigat Diabolus. On the 

 day oihis coronation at Winchester, the poor young king, 

 wearie with the long ceremony, refused to sit and drink 

 all niglt with the nobles and clergy, and, thinking it high 

 time tof join the ladies/ withdrew to his wife's apartments 

 in Wolesey Castle. Now a king that would not get 

 royally runk at his own coronation was no king for the 

 Saxons ;the guests were furious at this affront to their 

 Iceta coiuivia. Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury, was 

 present, nd ordered Dunstan and Bishop Cynesius to 

 bring thcr monarch back to the board. These, hurrying 

 off, burst ito the room where Edwy was sitting with his 

 queen ancmother-in-law, his golden crown lying on the 

 ground atSlgiva's feet. Dunstan delivered his summons, 

 with whic. the king flatly refused to comply ; whereupon 

 Dunstan, to probably had drunk already quite as much 



