It was said by Lanfrane that Æfeah was not a martyr, because he had not
died for the Faith; but St Anselm said he was a true martyr, because he
died for justice and charity.




CHAPTER XII

Abbot Ælfric, writer of Homilies, Lives of Saints, and other works.
Wulfstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.


The greatest of English prose-writers before the Conquest was Ælfric,
who was educated at the school at Winchester which Æthelwold, a pupil of
St Dunstan, had founded. His works are very numerous. He wrote Homilies,
or Sermons, on Scriptural subjects, and Lives of the Saints. I have
quoted a passage about "Judith," which occurs in the summary of the
books of the Old Testament, written for a friend of his, one Sigeweard,
who had often asked him for English writings, which he had delayed
giving him until after he had, at Sigeweard's earnest request, come to
his house, and then Sigeweard had complained to him that he could not
get at his writings. This little incident reminds us how differently
from now people had to arrange about books and writings, and how much
more dependent they were on teaching through the ear and the eye.

I must give you a little specimen of Ælfric's writing, a piece taken
from his beautiful homily on Holy Innocents' Day. It is in very simple,
direct language, and I think you will say it is not without a touch of
that lovely thing which it is easy to feel and hard to define--poetry. I