of a bishop, and included his duty to teach laymen. Alfred's
advice to pastors was to live as they had been taught from books
and to teach this manner of life to others. To be avoided was
pride, the mind's deception of seeking glory in the name of doing
good works, and the corruption of high office. Bede was England's
first scholar, first theologian, and first historian. He wrote
theological books and textbooks on grammar, rhetoric [public
speaking and debating], arithmetic, and astronomy.

A famous poem, the oral legend of Beowulf, a hero who led his men
into adventures and performed great feats and fought monsters and
dragons, was put into writing with a Christian theme. In it,
loyalty to one's lord is a paramount virtue. Also available in
writing was the story of King Arthur's twelve victorious battles
against the pagan Saxons, authored by Nennius.

There were professional story-tellers attached to great men.
Others wandered from court to court, receiving gifts for their
story-telling. Men usually told oral legends of their own feats
and those of their ancestors after supper.

Alfred had monasteries rebuilt with learned and moral men heading
them. He built a strong wall with four gates around London, which
he had conquered. He appointed one of his eorldormen to be
alderman [older man] to govern London and to be the shire's earl.
A later King built a palace in London, although Winchester was
still the royal capital town.

Under the royalty were the nobles. An earl headed each shire. He
led the array of his shire to do battle if the shire was