DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6914#0046
14
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
reduced to ashes, and their inhabitants slaughtered, without regard to age, sex,
or profession. At length the successes of Alfred finally delivered his country
from this terrific scourge. But the destruction of the monks and priests, the
naturalization of great numbers of the Danes, and, above all, the long continuance
of scenes of rapine and war, had produced a general state of ignorance, and
neglect of religious service. Alfred applied himself with considerable success to
remedy these evils ; but the state of the church, under his reign, was by no means
satisfactory to the Roman see.
In the reign of Athelstan, the bold and artful monk, Dunstan, first commenced
his public career. He was the favourite of Edmund, and minister of Edred,
the succeeding prince, and aspired at becoming the master of the next king,
Edwy. Superior influence, however, baffled his schemes, and he fled from the
indignation of the insulted monarch, who, in his resentment, expelled the rest
of the monks from their monasteries.33 Recalled by the superstitious Edgar,
the successor of Edwy, Dunstan obtained successively the bishoprics of Worcester
and London, and at length the archbishopric of Canterbury. In the latter station
he exerted his powerful influence not only to restore, but to increase monachism,
by ejecting the canons from the clerical rnonastexies, and filling them with Bene-
dictine monks ; which violent measures were at length by force and artifice almost
universally effected. It was the boast of Edgar, that, during the first six years
of his reign, he had peopled no less than forty-seven monasteries with monks.34
The predominance of monachism was further secured by a power obtained by
Dunstan, enabling the monks to vote for persons of the monastic order, in the
election of bishops.
But the secular clergy did not tamely submit to be deprived of marriage and
female society, the ostensible objects of the indignation of their monkish tyrants.
Insurrection and civil war were produced by their discontents and disputes ; but
at a numerous meeting of the disputants, for the purpose of debating the subject
at Calne, the floor of the house, in which the people were assembled, gave way,
and Dunstan and his party alone escaped unhurt, which circumstance decided the
question.3* " The clergy desisted from a contest, in which they believed that
33 Osbern. ut sup. p. 105. Collier's Eccles. Hist. vol. i. p. 183.
34 Ingulph. f. 502. Malm, de Pont. 1. ii. f. 139. Wilkins's Concil. torn. ii. p. 239.
35 Eadmer de Vita S. Dunstani. Angl. Sac. pars ii. p. 220.
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
reduced to ashes, and their inhabitants slaughtered, without regard to age, sex,
or profession. At length the successes of Alfred finally delivered his country
from this terrific scourge. But the destruction of the monks and priests, the
naturalization of great numbers of the Danes, and, above all, the long continuance
of scenes of rapine and war, had produced a general state of ignorance, and
neglect of religious service. Alfred applied himself with considerable success to
remedy these evils ; but the state of the church, under his reign, was by no means
satisfactory to the Roman see.
In the reign of Athelstan, the bold and artful monk, Dunstan, first commenced
his public career. He was the favourite of Edmund, and minister of Edred,
the succeeding prince, and aspired at becoming the master of the next king,
Edwy. Superior influence, however, baffled his schemes, and he fled from the
indignation of the insulted monarch, who, in his resentment, expelled the rest
of the monks from their monasteries.33 Recalled by the superstitious Edgar,
the successor of Edwy, Dunstan obtained successively the bishoprics of Worcester
and London, and at length the archbishopric of Canterbury. In the latter station
he exerted his powerful influence not only to restore, but to increase monachism,
by ejecting the canons from the clerical rnonastexies, and filling them with Bene-
dictine monks ; which violent measures were at length by force and artifice almost
universally effected. It was the boast of Edgar, that, during the first six years
of his reign, he had peopled no less than forty-seven monasteries with monks.34
The predominance of monachism was further secured by a power obtained by
Dunstan, enabling the monks to vote for persons of the monastic order, in the
election of bishops.
But the secular clergy did not tamely submit to be deprived of marriage and
female society, the ostensible objects of the indignation of their monkish tyrants.
Insurrection and civil war were produced by their discontents and disputes ; but
at a numerous meeting of the disputants, for the purpose of debating the subject
at Calne, the floor of the house, in which the people were assembled, gave way,
and Dunstan and his party alone escaped unhurt, which circumstance decided the
question.3* " The clergy desisted from a contest, in which they believed that
33 Osbern. ut sup. p. 105. Collier's Eccles. Hist. vol. i. p. 183.
34 Ingulph. f. 502. Malm, de Pont. 1. ii. f. 139. Wilkins's Concil. torn. ii. p. 239.
35 Eadmer de Vita S. Dunstani. Angl. Sac. pars ii. p. 220.