CHAPTER IX
ST. DUNSTAN, ARCHBISHOP AND CONFESSOR, MAY 19
A.D. 960-988
ST. DUNSTAN, the 23rd Archbishop of Canterbury, was born about A.D. 924 and died in 988; his period therefore corresponds to the reigns of Kings Athelstan, Edmund and Edred, sons of Edward the Elder, and Edwy, Edgar, Edward the Martyr, and Ethelred the Unready; the seven Saxon kings who occupied the throne during the last three-quarters of the tenth century.
His five Latin Biographies will be found in the Rolls Series edited by Bishop Stubbs. The first was written by a priest, who simply signed himself "B," and described himself "vilis Saxonum indigena." It was written soon after the death of the saint, and implies that much of its contents was related to the writer by Dunstan himself, and the rest from those scholars Dunstan had educated at his school. Twenty years afterwards another Life written by Adelard was produced; here the stories of the saint's life become "legends," and the dreams related by "B" are given as realities. In the time of Lanfranc was issued a new Life written by Osbern, the apologist for the monks, who added to it a "Book of Miracles." And, lastly, there is the Life by Edmer; followed by that of William of Malmesbury (1093-1143), who lived at Glastonbury for some considerable time and probably learnt much of his history at first hand.
From such sources as these a reliable history of the saint is possible to be obtained, but much sifting is necessary, as will be perceived later.
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