1

place garrifons in their most confiderable towns, and to appoint an English governor over them, who might fupprefs their infurrections on the first appearance. About this time, the monks, from being contented to govern in ecclefiaftical matters, began to affume the direction in civil affairs; and, by artfully managing the fuperftitions, and the fears of the people, erected an authority that was not shaken off for feveral fucceeding centuries. Edred had blindly delivered over his confcience to the guidance of Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury, who was afterwards canonized; and this man, under the appearance of fanctity, concealed the moft boundless ambition. The monks had hitherto been a kind of fecular priests, who, though they lived in communities, were neither separated from the reft of the world, nor ufelefs to it. They were often married; they were affiduously employed in the education of youth, and fubject to the commands of temporal fuperiors. The celibacy, and the independency of the clergy, as being a measure that would contribute to the establishment of the papal power in Europe, was warmly recommended by the fee of Rome to all ecclefiaftics in general, but to the monks in particular. The present favourable opportunity offered of

carrying

A. D. 954.

carrying this measure in England, arifing from the fuperftitious character of Edred, and the furious zeal of Dunftan. Both lent it all the affistance in their power; and the order of Benedictine monks was established under the direction of Dunftan. Edred implicitly fubmitted to his directions both in church and state; and the kingdom was in a fair way of being turned into a papal province by this zealous ecclefiaftic, when he was checked in the midft of his career, by the death of the king, who died of a quinfey, in the tenth year of his reign.

Edwy, his nephew, who afcended the throne, his own fons being yet unfit to govern, was a prince of great perfonal accomplishments, and a martial disposition. But he was now come to the government of a kingdom, in which he had an enemy to contend with, against whom, all military virtues could be of little fervice. Dunftan, who had governed during the former reign, was refolved to remit nothing of his authority in this; and Edwy, immediately upon his acceffion, found himself involved in a quarrel with the monks; whofe rage, neither his accomplishments nor his virtues could mitigate. He seems to have been elected by the secular priests in oppofition to the monks; fo that their whole body,

I

body, and Dunstan at their head, pursued him with implacable animofity while living, and even endeavoured to brand his character to pofterity.

This Dunftan, who makes a greater figure in these times, then even kings themselves, was born of noble parents, in the weft; but being defamed as a man of licentious manners in his youth, he betook himself to the aufterities of a monaftic life, either to atone for his faults, or vindicate his reputation. He fecluded himself entirely from the world, in a cell fo fmall, that he could neither stand erect, nor lie along in it. It was in this retreat of constant mortification, that his zeal grew furious, and his fancy teemed with vifions of the most extravagant nature. His fuppofed illuminations were frequent; his temptations strong, but he alway refifted with bravery. The devil, it was faid, one day paid him a vifit in the shape. of a fine young woman; but Dunftan, knowing the deceit, and provoked at his importunity, feized him by the nose with a pair of red hot pincers, as he put his head into the cell, and he held him there, till the malignant fpirit made the whole neighbourhood refound with his bellowings. Nothing was fo abfurd, but what the monks were ready to propagate in favour of their

fect.

fect. Crucifixes, altars, and even horfes, were heard to harrangue in their defence against the fecular clergy. These miracles, backed by their ftronger affertions, prevailed with the people. Dunftan was confidered as the peculiar favourite of the Almighty, and appeared at court with an authority greater than that of kings; fince their's was conferred by man, but his allowed by heaven itself. Being poffeffed of fo much power, it may be easily fuppofed, that Edwy could make but a feeble resistance; and, that his first fault was likely to be attended with the most dangerous confequences. The monk found. or made one on the very day of his coronation. There was a lady of the royal blood, named Elgiva, whose beauty had made a strong impreffion on this young monarch's heart. He had -even ventured to marry her, contrary to the advice of his counfellors, as fhe was within the degrees of affinity prohibited by the canon law. On the day of his coronation, while his nobility were giving a loose to the more noify pleafures of wine and feftivity in the great hall, Edwy retired to his wife's apartment; where, in company with her mother, he enjoyed the more pleasing fatisfaction of her conversation. Dunstan no fooner perceived his abfence, than conjecturing the reason, he rushed furiously

into

1

into the apartment, and upbraiding him with all the bitterness of ecclefiaftical rancour, dragged him forth in the moft outrageous manner. Dunstan, it seems, was not without his enemies, for the king was advised to punish this infult, by bringing in him to account for the money with which he had been entrufted during the laft reign. This account, the haughty monk refused to give in; wherefore, he was deprived of all the ecclefiaftical and civil emoluments of which he had been in poffeffion, and banished the kingdom. His exile only ferved to encrease the reputation of his fanctity among the people; and Odo, archbishop of Canterbury, was so far. transported with the fpirit of the party, that he pronounced a divorce between Edwy and Elgiva. Ecclefiaftical cenfures were then attended with the most formidable effects. king could no longer refift the indignation of the church, but confented to furrender his beautiful wife to its fury. Accordingly, Odo fent into the palace a party of foldiers, who seized the queen; and, by his orders, branded her on the face with an hot iron. Not contented with this cruel vengeance, they carried her by force into Ireland, and there commanded her to remain in perpetual exile. This injunction, however, was too diftreffing for that

The

faithful