the emperour Otho the second, in the 20 yeare of the reigne of Lothar king of France, and about the fourth yeare of Cumelerne king of Scotland.  He was consecrated by archb.  Dunstane at Kingston vpon Thames, to the great griefe of his mother in law Alfred and hir friends. ¶ About the beginning of his reigne a blasing starre was [Sidenote:  Wil.  Malm.] seene, signifieng (as was thought) the miserable haps that followed.  And first there insued barrennesse of ground, and thereby famine amongest the people, and morraine of cattell.

[Sidenote:  Alfer or Elfer, duke of Mercia.] Also duke Alfer or Elfer of Mercia, and other noble men destroyed the abbies which king Edgar and bishop Adelwold had builded within the limits of Mercia.  The priests or canons, which had beene expelled in Edgars time out of the prebends and benefices, began to complaine of the wrongs that were doone to them, in that they had beene put out of possession from their liuings, alleging it to be a great offense and miserable case, that a stranger should come and remoue an old inhabitant, for such maner of dooing could not please God, not yet be allowed of anie good man, which ought of reason to doubt least the same should hap to him which he might see to haue beene another mans vndooing.  About this matter was hard hold, for manie of the temporall lords, and namelie the same Alfer, iudged that the priests had [Sidenote:  Iohn Capg. Wil.  Malm. Ran.  Higd. Matt.  West. Simon Dun.] wrong.  In so much that they remoued the moonks out of their places, and brought into the monasteries secular priests with their wiues.  But Edelwin duke of the Eastangles, & Alfred his brother, with Brightnoth or Brightnode earle of Essex, withstood this dooing, & gathering an armie, with great valiancie mainteined the moonks in their houses, [Sidenote:  Simon Dun.] within the countrie of Eastangles.  Herevpon were councels holden, as at Winchester, at Kirthling in Eastangle, and at Calne.

[Sidenote:  Polydor.] At Winchester, when the matter was brought to that passe that the priests were like to haue had their purpose, an image of the rood that stood there in the refectorie where they sat in councell, vttered [Sidenote:  A pretie shift of the moonks to disappoint the priests. Polydor.] certeine woords in this wise; God forbid it should be so, God forbid it should be so:  ye iudged well once, but ye may not change well againe.  As though (saith Polydor Virgil) the moonks had more right, which had bereft other men of their possessions, than the priests which required restitution of their owne.  But (saith he) bicause the image of Christ hanging on the crosse was thought to speake these words, such credit was giuen thereto, as it had beene an oracle, that the priests had their sute dashed, and all the trouble was ceassed.  So the moonks held those possessions, howsoeuer they came to them, by the helpe of God, or rather (as saith the same Polydor) by the helpe of man.  For there were euen then diuers that thought this to be rather an oracle of Phebus than of God, that is to say, not published by Gods power, but by the fraud and craftie deceit of men.