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 reforination 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 

 when he ascended the throne, and Dunstan did not lose 

 a day in asserting his authority over the new king. 

 Edwy had made a love-match with his beautiful cousin 

 Elgiva ; but churchmen would not recognise the marriage, 

 which was within the forbidden degrees. No terms are 

 too harsh for the monkish chronicler Osberne to pour on 

 the girl — mulieris animv/m instigat Biabolus. On the 

 day of his coronation at Winchester, the poor young king, 

 wearied with the long ceremony, refused to sit and drink 

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

 time to 'join the ladies,' withdrew to his wife's apartments 

 in Wolvesey Castle. Now a king that would not get 

 royally drunk at his own coronation was no king for the 

 Saxons; the guests were furious at this af&ont to their 

 Iceta convivia. Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury, was 

 present, and ordered Dunstan and Bishop Cynesius to 

 bring their monarch back to the board. These, hurrying 

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

 queen and mother-in-law, his golden crown lying on the 

 ground at Elgiva's feet. Dunstan delivered his summons, 

 with which the king flatly refused to comply ; whereupon 

 Dunstan, who probably had drunk already quite as much 



