DUNSTAN
200
DUNSTAN
later life to foster and encourage the monastic revival.
About the same time his father Heorstan died, and St.
Dunstan inherited his possessions also. He was now
become a person of much influence, and on the death
of King .Aethelstan in 940, the new king, Eadmund,
summoned liim to his court at Cheddar and numbered
him among liis comicillors. Again the royal favour
roused against him the jealousy of the courtiers, and
they contrived so to enrage the king against him that
he bade him depart from the court. There were then
at Cheddar certain envoys from the "Eastern King-
dom", by which term may be meant either East An-
glia or, as some have argued, the Kingdom of Saxony.
To these St. Dunstan applied, imploring them to take
him with them when they returned. They agreed to
do so, but in the event their assistance was not needed.
For, a few days later, the king rode out to hunt the
stag in Mendip Forest. He became separated from his
attendants and followed a stag at great speed in the
direction of the Cheddar cliffs. The stag rushed
blindly over the precipice and was followed by the
hounds. Eadmund endeavoured vainly to stop his
horse: then, seeing death to be imminent, he remem-
bered his harsh treatment of St. Dunstan and prom-
ised to make amends if his life was spared. At that
moment his horse was stopped on the very edge of the
cliff. Giving thanks to God, he returned forthwith
to his palace, called for St. Dunstan and bade him
follow, then rode straight to Glastonbury. Enter-
ing the church, the king first knelt in prayer before
the altar, then, taking St. Dunstan by the hand,
he gave him the kiss of peace, led him to the ab-
bot's throne and, seating him thereon, promised
him all assistance in restoring Divine worship and
regular observance.
St. Dinistan at once set vigorously to work at these tasks. He had to re-create monastic life and to rebuild the abbey. That it was Benedictine monasticism which he established at Glastonbury seems certain. It is true that he had not yet had personal experi- ence of the stricter Benedictinism which had been revived on the Continent at great centres like Cluny and Fleury. Probably, also, much of the Benedictine tradition introduced by St. Augustine had been lost in the pagan devastations of the ninth century. But that the Rule of St. Benedict was the basis of his resto- ration is not only definitely .stated by his first biog- rapher, who knew the saint well, but is also in accord- ance with the nature of his first measures as abbot, with the significance of his first buildings, and with the Benedictine prepossessions and enthusiasm of his most prominent disciples. And the presence of secu- lar clerks as well as of monks at Glastonbury seems to be no solid argmnent against the monastic character of the revival. St. Dunstan's first care was to re- erect the church of St. Peter, rebuild the cloister, and re-establish the monastic enclosure. The secular affairs of the house were committed to his brother Wulfric, "so that neither himself nor any of tlie pro- fessed monks might break enclosure". A school for the local youth was founded and soon became the most famous of its time in England. But St. Dun- stan was not long left in peace, ^^"ithin two years after the appointment King Eadmund was a.ssassin- ated (94(i). His successor, Eadred, appointed the Abbot of Glastonbury guardian of the royal treasure and recorils, and entru.sted much of the government of the realm to his hands. The policy of Dunstan was supported by the queen-mother, Eadgifu, by the pri- mate, Oda, and by the East Anglian party, at whose head was the great ealdorman, Aethelstan, the "Half- king". It was a policy of unification, of conciliation of the Danish iialf of the nation, of firm establishment of the royal authority. In ecclesiastical matters it favoured the spread of regular observance, the re- building of churches, the moral reform of the secular clergy and laity, the extirpation of heathendom.
Against all this ardour of reform was the West-Saxon
party, which included most of the saint's own rela-
tions and the Saxon nobles, and which was not entirely
disinterested in its preference for established customs.
For nine years St. Dunstan's influence was dominant,
during which period he twice refused a bishopric (that
of Winchester in 951 and Crediton in 953), affirming
that he would not leave the king's side so long as he
lived and needed him.
In 955 Eadred died, and the situation was at once changed. Eadwig, the elder son of Eadmimd, who then came to the throne, was a dissolute and head- strong youth, wholly tie voted to the reactionary party and entirely under the influence of two unprincipled women. The.se were .\ethelgifu, a lady of high rank, who was perhaps the king's foster-mother, and her daughter Aelfgifu, whom she desired to marry to Ead- wig. On the day of his coronation, in 956, the king abruptly quitted the roytil feast, in order to enjoy the company of these two women. The indignation of the assembled notables was voiced by Archbishop Oda, who suggested that he should be brought back. None, however, were found bold enough to make the attempt save St. Dunstan and his kinsman Cynesige, Bishop of Lichfield. Entering the royal chamber they found Eadwig with the two harlots, the royal crown thrown carelessly on the ground. They delivered their message, antl as the king took no notice, St. Dun- stan compelled him to rise antl replace his crown on his head; then, sharply rebuking the two women, he led him back to the banquet-hall. Aethelgifu deter- mined to be revenged, antl left no stone imturned to procure the overthrow of St. Dunstan. Conspiring with the leaders of the West-Saxon party she was soon able to turn even his own scholars against the abbot, and before long induced Eadwig to confiscate all Dun- stan's property in her favour. At first Dimstan took refuge with his friends, but they too felt the weight of the king's anger. Then, seeing his life was threat- ened, he fied the realm and crossed over to Flanders, where he found himself ignorant alike of the language and of the customs of the inhabitants. But the ruler of Flanders. Count Arnulf I, received him with honour, and lodged him in the Abbey of Mont Blandin, near Ghent. This was one of the centres of the Benedic- tine revival in that country, and St. Dunstan was able for the first time to observe the strict observance that had had its renascence at Cluny at the beginning of the century. But his exile was not of long duration. Before the end of 957 the Mercians and Northimi- brians, unable longer to endure the excesses of Eadwig, revolted and drove him out, choosing his brother Eadgar as king of all the country north of the Thames. The south remained faithful to Eadwig. At once Eadgar's advisers recalled St. Dunstan, caused Archbishop Oda to consecrate him a bishop, and on the death of Cynewold of Worcester at the end of 957 appointed the saint to that see. In the following year the See of London also became vacant and was con- ferred on St. Dunstan, who held it in conjunction with Worcester. In October, 959, Eadwig died, and his brother was readily accepted as ruler of the West- Saxon Kingdom. One of the last acts of Eadwig had been to appoint a successor to Archbishop Oda, who died on 2 June, 958. First he appointed Aelfsige of Winchester, but he perished of cold in the Alps as he journeyed to Rome for the palliimi. In his place Eadwig nominated Brithelm, Bishop of Wells. As soon as Eadgar became king he reversed this act cm the groimd that Brithelm had not been able to govern even his former diocese properly. The archbishopric was conferred on St. Dunstan, who went to Rome in 960 and received the palliinn from Pope John XII. We are told that, on his journey thither, the -saint's charities were so lavish as to leave nothing for himself and his attendants. The steward remonstrated, but St. Dunstan merely suggested trust in Jesus Christ.
