ÆLFRIC, an eminent ecclesiastic of the tenth century, was the son of an earl of Kent, and a monk of the Benedictine order in the monastery of Abingdon. In 993 he was settled in the cathedral of Winchester, under Æthelwold the bishop, and undertook the instruction of the youth of the diocese; for which purpose he compiled a Latin-Saxon vocabulary, and some Latin colloquies. He also translated from the Latin into Saxon many of the historical books of the Old Testament. While he resided at Winchester he drew up Canons, which are a kind of charge to be delivered by the bishops to their clergy. He was afterwards abbot of St Albans, then bishop of Wilton, and finally, in 1022, was
translated to the see of York. Here he had a hard struggle for some years in bravely defending his diocese against the incursions of the Danes. Ælfic is held up as one of the most distinguished prelates of the Saxon church. His learning for the times, was considerable, his morals pure, and his religious sentiments untainted with many of the corruptions of his age. Besides the works already mentioned, he translated two volumes of Homilies from the Latin Fathers. He was born in 964, and died in 1050.—Allan's York.