the clerks as the blackest scoundrels. The only point that stands out clearly is that Aelfhere and his friends were strong enough to drive out the monks from Evesham and replace their rivals in several of the Worcestershire and Gloucestershire foundations. Meantime a somewhat similar movement had developed in the eastern Midlands in connexion with the lands that had been acquired by Ramsey, Ely and Peterborough. It was alleged that many of them had been taken unjustly from their former owners. Flushed by his successes in the west, Aelfhere came over to support the malcontents, but the fenland abbeys had powerful defenders in Aethelwin, who had founded Ramsey, and in Brihtnoth, the duke of the East Saxons, who had been a liberal benefactor to Ely. These nobles raised armed forces to defend the estates of the monasteries, and eventually Aelfhere and his partisans had to retire discomfited, Aethelwin being ever afterwards styled among the monks in gratitude for his services "the Friend of God." These disputes exhibit Dunstan as no longer equal to the task of maintaining order and were followed almost immediately by his downfall from power. This was brought about in 978 by the murder of the young Edward, a deed done in cold blood at Corfe in Dorset, apparently at the instigation of the ambitious Aelfthryth. If Dunstan had still retained his earlier vigour, he would have promptly taken steps to punish the conspirators; but the murder went unavenged, and Aethelred, though only ten years old, commenced unchallenged a reign which was fated to last for thirty-seven years (978-1016) and bring England untold disasters.
Aethelred's minority was necessarily a long one, but so far as we know without any striking incidents. The leaders of Edgar's time were all ageing and one by one passing into the background. Dunstan lived till 988, but withdrew from court in 980 and spent the rest of his days in dignified retirement, busied with ecclesiastical duties. The rivalry between the monks and clerks cooled down with the deaths of Bishop Aethelwold and Duke Aelfhere some four years later, nor did Oswald or Aethelwin again play parts of importance, although they survived till 992. The ecclesiastical fight ended in a drawn battle, for the canons retained possession of Canterbury and York, of London, Dorchester and Lichfield, of Bury St Edmunds, St Albans and Beverley, and even in Wessex kept some important churches such as Wells and Chichester. As to the king we hear that he was involved in a dispute with Aelfhere's heir, but we do not even know who took charge of his education. His minority in fact would be almost a blank, were it not for some entries in the Chronicle which speak of renewed viking incursions. These began in 980, when raiders made descents on Chester, Thanet and Southampton. The first batch no doubt came from Ireland or Man, the others more probably from Scandinavia; but no one thought them dangerous, even though they were followed by further in 982 on Devon and Cornwall. In reality they were the opening of another
