Editing Dunstan (section)

===School to the king's court===
As a young boy, Dunstan studied under the [[Hiberno-Scottish mission|Irish monks]] who then occupied the ruins of [[Glastonbury Abbey]].<ref name="co" /> Accounts tell of his youthful optimism and of his vision of the abbey being restored. While still a boy, Dunstan was stricken with a near-fatal illness and effected a seemingly miraculous recovery. Even as a child, he was noted for his devotion to learning and for his mastery of many kinds of artistic craftsmanship. With his parents' consent he was [[tonsure]]d, received [[minor orders]] and served in the ancient church of St Mary. He became so well known for his devotion to learning that he is said to have been summoned by Athelm to enter his service.<ref name=britannica>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Dunstan-of-Canterbury Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Saint Dunstan of Canterbury". ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 28 Feb. 2024]</ref> He was later appointed to the court of King Æthelstan.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=514}}
[[Image:Dunstan2.jpg|thumbnail|left|Dunstan playing his harp as the Devil is paying a visit]]

Dunstan soon became a [[favourite]] of the king and was the envy of other members of the court. A plot was hatched to disgrace him and Dunstan was accused of being involved with [[witchcraft]] and [[black magic]].{{sfn|Bunson|Bunson|Bunson|1998|p=}} The king ordered him to leave the court and as Dunstan was leaving the palace his enemies physically attacked him, beat him severely, bound him, and threw him into a [[cesspit|cesspool]].<ref name="cw" /> He managed to crawl out and make his way to the house of a friend. From there, he journeyed to Winchester and entered the service of his kinsman [[Alphege the Bald|Ælfheah]], Bishop of Winchester.<ref name=britannica/>

The bishop tried to persuade him to become a [[monk]], but Dunstan was doubtful whether he had a vocation to a [[Clerical celibacy|celibate]] life. The answer came in the form of an attack of swelling tumours all over Dunstan's body. This ailment was so severe that it was thought to be [[leprosy]]. It was more probably some form of [[bacteremia|blood poisoning]] caused by being beaten and thrown in the cesspool.<ref name="cw"/> Whatever the cause, it changed Dunstan's mind. He took [[Holy Orders]] in 943, in the presence of Ælfheah, and returned to live the life of a hermit at Glastonbury.<ref name=britannica/> Against the old church of St Mary he built a small cell {{convert|5|ft|m}} long and {{convert|2+1/2|ft|m}} deep. It was there that Dunstan studied, worked at his art, and played on his harp. It is at this time, according to a late 11th-century legend, that the [[Devil in Christianity|Devil]] is said to have tempted Dunstan and to have been held by the face with Dunstan's tongs.<ref name="cw"/>