Source: Textual EditionWulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi

Edition(s)

Editor Article or Book Title Journal or Pub.Loc. Date pp. Lapidge, Michael; Winterbottom, Michael Wulfstan of Winchester. The Life of St Ęthelwold Oxford 1991 (reprinted with addenda, 1996) 2-68

Translation(s)

Editor Article or Book Title Journal or Pub.Loc. Date pp. Lapidge, Michael; Winterbottom, Michael Wulfstan of Winchester. The Life of St Ęthelwold Oxford 1991 (reprinted with addenda, 1996) 3-69

Event/Transaction List

Factoid Type Source Reference Short Description 1 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  Praef. Ęthelwold 1 died on the first of August. 2 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  Praef. Ęthelwold 1 founded many monasteries. 3 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  Praef. Wulfstan 37 wrote the Life of Ęthelwold 1 by summarizing what he had seen with his eyes or had learned from older men whose account he could trust. 4 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  1 Anonymous 690 and Anonymous 679 lived at Winchester. Every day their strength in good works increased. 5 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  2, 4 Anonymous 679 dreamed that she was sitting at the door of her house and that she was presented with the sight of a banner on high. it lowered down, veiled the pregnant woman with its fringes and returned to the sky. Anonymous 679 woke up briefly and fell asleep again and dreamed of an eagle of gold, which in its flight shaded all the buildings in the city of Winchester. 6 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  2 After Anonymous 679 had had her dream, she went to Ęthelthryth 7, to whom she told the full story. Ęthelthryth 7 had many predictions to make of the child who was to be born. 7 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  4 Anonymous 679 felt that the soul of her unborn child (Ęthelwold 1) had come 8 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  4 Ęthelwold 1 was born again in Christ in the font of baptism and named by his parents Ęthelwold 1. 9 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  5 Anonymous 692 desired to go to church as was her custom, but she was prevented to do so because of a violent downpour of rain. She wept bitter tears and prayed. Suddenly she found herself with the baby (Ęthelwold 1) sitting in the church she had planned to visit. 10 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  7 Rumour brought word of Ęthelwold 1's holy life to the Ęthelstan 18, who sent for him. He found favour with the king and his optimates. 11 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  7 Ęthelstan 18 stayed at the king's court for a long time as the king's inseparable companion. 12 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  7 At the king's command, Ęthelwold 1 was tonsured by Ęlfheah 19 to clerical status. 13 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  7-8 Ęthelwold 1 was consecrated by Ęlfheah 19 to the rank of priest. 14 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  8, 14 On the day in which he consecrated three men to priesthood, Ęlfheah 19 said to those near him that two of them would become bishops and the third would come to a miserable end. 15 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  9 Ęthelwold 1 went to Glastonbury and became a disciple of Dunstan 1. 16 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  9 Ęthelwold 1 received the habit of the monastic order from Dunstan 1 17 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  9 Ęthelwold 1 was made dean of the monastery by Dunstan 1. 18 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  9 Ęthelwold 1 performed manual labour every day, cultivating the garden and getting fruit and different kinds of vegetables ready for the monks' meal. 19 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 Ęthelstan 18 destroyed a hostile pagan army with great carnage 20 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 Ęthelstan 18 died in the fourth year after the destruction of a hostile pagan army 21 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 Edmund 14 was cruelly murdered. 22 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 Eadred 16 was a friend and champion of the Old Minster at Winchester for which he ordered some ornaments to be manufactured: a great gold cross, a gold altar and other things. 23 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 Ęthelwold 1 desired to go abroad to receive a more perfect grounding in a monk's religious life, but Eadgifu 4 advised Eadred 16 not to allow him to go. 24 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  11 Following Eadgifu 4's request, Eadred 16 decided to give Ęthelwold 1 a place called Abingdon, where there had been a small monastery which had been neglecrted and forlorn. With the consent of Dunstan 1, Ęthelwold 1 took charge of this place and was ordained abbot. Several clerics in minor orders joined him. 25 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  12 Eadred 16 went to Abingdon to oversee the building works in the monastery. 26 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  13 Eadred 16He died on 23 November. 27 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  13 Ęthelwold 1 built an impressive church in honour of the Virgin Mary 28 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  14 Ęthelwold 1 sent Osgar 1 to Fleury to learn the way of life according to the Rule. 29 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  14 Ęthelwold 1 saw Ęlfstan 59 standing by a boiling cauldron, asked him to put his hand in the boiling water and fetch a bit of food. Ęlfstan 59 obeyed and took out a morsel, without feeling the heat of the boiling water. 30 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  16 On Edgar 11's orders, Dunstan 1 consecrated Ęthelwold 1 bishop of Winchester. 31 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  16, 18 Ęthelwold 1 expelled from the Old Minster the blasphemous canons and replaced them with monks from Abingdon. Wulfstan 16 was sent by the king to help Ęthelwold 1 in this matter. He ordered the canons to choose one of two courses: either to give place to the monks or to take the habit of monastic order. 32 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  17 Anonymi 1723 were standing at the entrance of the church. They heard the Anonymi 1722 sing a psalm at the end of mass, which they interpreted as an order given to God to them. Osgar 1 exhorted them to go in and follow the way of justice. 33 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  19 While Ęthelwold 1 was dining with guests, Anonymi 1723 managed to give him poison to drink. The poison crept through all his limbs, threatening immediate death. But his faith overcame all the deadly draught he had taken. 34 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  20 With the permission of Edgar 11, Ęthelwold 1 expelled the canons from New Minster 35 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  21 Ęthelwold 1 made Osgar 1 abbbot of Abingdon in his stead 36 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  22 Ęthelwold 1 established flocks of nuns in the third monastery of Winchester. Ęthelthryth 7 was made abbess there. 37 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  23 The place where Ęthelthryth 2's and her sisters' relics rested was made glorious by miracles. 38 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  23 Ęthelwold 1 established a large group of monks at Ely and made Beorhtnoth 19 abbot. 39 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  24 Ęthelwold 1 extended the church there by constructing residential buildings, enriched it with lands and consecrated it in honour of St Peter. He brought together a group of monks, appointing as their abbot his monk, Ealdwulf 18. 40 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  24 After having purchased the land, Ęthelwold 1 made the place entirely suitable form the monks to whom he handled it. He placed over the monastery as ruler and abbot Godemann 6. The monastery was dedicated to St Mary. 41 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  25 Ęthelwold 1dedicated churches in many places and preached everywhere the gospel of Christ. 42 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  26 Ęthelwold 1 gave Swithhun 5 proper burial into the church. 43 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  27 Ęthelwold 1 and Dunstan 1 established many monasteries in England, some for monks, some for nuns, governed by abbots and abbesses who lived according to the Rule. 44 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  30 Ęthelwold 1 would not eat any flesh or fowl, except once for a period of three months, forced to it by a grave illness and on the instructions of Dunstan 1. 45 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  31 Ęthelwold 1 found it pleasant to teach young men and the more mature students (Anonymi 1726). He translated Latin texts into English for them, passing on the rules of grammar and metric. 46 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  32 The cleric (Anonymous 693) who had been entrusted with the holy ointment took less oil than was needed and lost even this on the way. When Ęthelwold 1 ordered the oil for confirming the boys to be given him, the cleric realized he had lost it. After a careful search he found the flask lying in the road full of oil, though shortly before it had not even been half full of liquid. 47 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  33 Edwin 14 was inspired by the devil to commit a theft. 48 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  33 After Edwin 14 had committed a theft, Ęthelwold 1 addressed all the fraternity in the chapter-house as three days and three nights had gone by without the stolen object being found. Ęthelwold 1 ordered the thief to be bound in body as well as soul and as soon as the brethren said 'Amen', Edwin 14 was tied up in his seat, his hands attached to each other beneath his cowl. When they stood up, the monk went up to Ęthelwold 1 and told him in secret that he was guilty of the theft. As soon as Ęthelwold 1 forgave him and gave him his blessing, the monk's hands were freed, though the bishop was unaware of it. 49 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  34 Ęthelwold 1 decided to renovate the Old Minster and ordered the brethren to take part in the work. A monk (Goda 11) fell from the topmost roof of the church while he was helping in the work. When he reached the ground, he at once got up uninjured and stood there. 50 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  35 Theodric 2 went to see Ęthelwold 1 and found him reading and sharpening his aged sight by keeping his eyelids hard at work. When Ęthelwold 1 rose form his reading, the monk sat down and started to read, testing whether he could make his healthy eyes as sharp as reading as he had seen the bishop do his dim ones. 51 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  36 Ęthelwold 1 fell asleep while reading a book, because he had stayed awake too long. A candle fell from the candlestick on the book and it lay alight on the page until Leofred 2 came along. On examination he found out that the page was undamaged. 52 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  38 While asleep Dunstan 1 saw a very tall tree, which appeared to stretch its branches to east, west, north and south, extending over all Britain. The branches were loaded with countless cowls. At the very top of the tree there was one which was much bigger than the others. In the dream Dunstan 1 asked an angel for the meaning of such a vision: the tree denoted Britain and the big cowl represented Ęthelwold 1. The other cowls were the many monks who were to be instructed by his scholarship. 53 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  39 In a dream Ęthelwold 1 saw a ship full of fish and eels. He also heard a voice telling him he should cause those animals by his prayers to be men as they were before. Ęthelwold 1 prayed for them and saw the fish suddenly made men. One of them fell backwards and was turned into eel again. This was Ęthelstan 30, who had once been ordained priest with Ęthelwold 1. 54 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  40 The church of the Old Minster at Winchester received a solemn dedication form nine bishops, among whom were Dunstan 1 and Ęthelwold 1. 55 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  41 Ęthelwold 1 went to Beddington, a town sixty miles from Winchester. Staying there for a while, he fell seriously ill. 56 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  41 After having stayed in Beddington for a while, Ęthelwold 1 fell seriously ill. He was anointed with the holy oil, received the Lord's body and blood and died there. 57 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  41 A countless multitude flocked to Ęthelwold 1's funeral. The procession went from Beddington to Winchester, where the whole city with one accord met the body. His body was led to the church of St Peter and St Paul's. He was buried in the crypt to the south of the holy altar. 58 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  42 Ęthelwold 1 appeared to Ęlfhelm 16 in his sleep at cock-crow. He told him to hurry to Winchester and go to his tomb to receive back his sight. Ęthelwold 1 told Ęlfhelm 16 that he would go and ask for a monk called Wulfstan 37 Cantor (Wulfstan 37). By the sign of Ęlfhelm 16's recovery it had to be made clear that Ęthelwold 1 should be raised from his tomb. 59 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  42 Ęlfhelm 16 went to Winchester, entered the church of the Old Minster, fetched Wulfstan 37 and asked him to act following the message Ęthelwold 1 had given him in his vision. Wulfstan 37 took Ęlfhelm 16 to the burial chamber, where the latter spent the whole night praying. In the morning his sight had been restored. 60 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  43 Ęthelwold 1 appeared to Wulfstan 37 and many others, making it known that he should be moved from his grave and given proper burial in the church. 61 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  43 At a great gathering of monks and minor clergy Ęlfheah 44 translated the remains of Ęthelwold 1. 62 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  44 Anonymous 696 took her daughter (Anonymous 695) to the tomb of Ęthelwold 1, where she slept awhile. When she awoke, she stood up cured and went home with her mother. 63 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  45 Anonymous 697 was taken by his mother (Anonymous 698) to Ęthelwold 1's tomb, where his blindness departed. 64 Event Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  46 A thief (Anonymous 699) who had been sent to the stocks by Ęlfheah 44 had a vision of Ęthelwold 1 who told him he should cease from his thefts and freed him from the bonds of the shackles. 65 Transaction Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  23 land at Ely 66 Transaction Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  24 a place once called Medshamstede 67 Transaction Wulfstan Cantor.VitĘthelwoldi  10 a great gold cross, a gold altar and other things.