An inscription of
the ninth century shows that it was bought from a crew of pirates by Duke
Alfred, a nobleman of Wessex, and was presented by him and his wife
Werburga to the Church at Canterbury.
It seems possible that literature was kept alive in our country by King
Alfred's affection for the old English songs. We know that he used to
recite them himself and would make his children get them by heart. He was
not much of a scholar himself, but he had all the learning of Mercia to
help him. Archbishop Plegmund and his chaplains were the King's
secretaries, 'and night and day, whenever he had time, he commanded these
men to read to him.' From France came Provost Grimbald, a scholar and a
sweet singer, and Brother John of Corbei, a paragon in all kinds of
science. Asser came to the Court from his home in Wales: 'I remained
there,' he says, 'for about eight months, and all that time I used to
read to him whatever books were at hand; for it was his regular habit by
day and night, amidst all his other occupations, either to read to
himself or to listen while others read to him.' St. Dunstan was an ardent
admirer of the old battle-chaunts and funeral-lays. He was, it need
hardly be said, the friend of all kinds of learning. The Saint was an
expert scribe and a painter of miniatures; and specimens of his exquisite
handiwork may still be seen at Canterbury and in the Bodleian at Oxford.
He was the real founder of the Glastonbury library, where before his time
only a few books had been presented by missionaries from Ireland.
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