Also, day by day, he bade the thanes who had seen fighting, train their
men as well as they might, and they worked well at that. Moreover, he
could teach them much, reading to us at times from a great Latin book of
the wars of Caesar such things as seemed like to be useful, putting it
into good Saxon as he went on.
Then, as the week drew to an end, there began to be questions as to who
should be leader of the Dorset men. And many said that Osric should be
the man, for he was an Ealdorman of Dorset. But when the bishop sent to
Brent for him, and asked him to lead his men, Osric doubted; and what he
said to the other thanes, and to us three, made them send us to the
bishop with somewhat to ask.
So we, finding him ever ready to hear what was wanted, put the question
to him plainly as they had bidden us. And that was, that he himself
should lead the levy of Dorset.
Now Tatwine, the old abbot, sat with him and heard this, and straightway
he began to tremble, and cry out that such work was unfit for a bishop.
So the bishop said to me, very quietly, but with a look in his eyes
which seemed to show that this was what he longed for:
"Heregar, my son, go and tell the thanes what the abbot says, and ask if
they will go without me.
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