practice of dating years from the birth of Christ and believed
that the earth was round. Over the earth was a fiery spherical
firmament. Above this were the waters of the heavens. Above this
were the upper heavens, which contained the angels and was
tempered with ice. He declared that comets portend downfalls of
kingdoms, pestilence, war, winds, or heat. This reflected the
church's view that a comet was a ball of fire flung from the right
hand of an angry God as a warning to mankind, usually for
disbelief. Storms were begun by the devil.

A famous poem, the oral legend of Beowulf, a hero who led his men
into adventures and performed great feats and fought monsters and
dragons, was put into writing with a Christian theme. In it,
loyalty to one's lord is a paramount virtue. Also available in
writing was the story of King Arthur's twelve victorious battles
against the pagan Saxons, authored by Nennius.

There were professional story tellers attached to great men.
Others wandered from court to court, receiving gifts for their
story telling. Men usually told oral legends of their own feats
and those of their ancestors after supper.

Alfred had monasteries rebuilt with learned and moral men heading
them. He built a nunnery which was headed by his daughter as
prioress. He built a strong wall with four gates around London,
which he had taken into his control. He appointed his son-in-law,
who was one of his eorldormen, to be alderman [older man] to
govern London and to be the shire's earl. A later king built a
palace in London, although Winchester was still the royal capital
town. When the king traveled, he and his retinue were fed by the
local people at their expense.

After Alfred's death, his daughter Aethelflared ruled the country
for seven years. She had more fortified burhs built and led
soldiers to victories.

Under the royalty were the nobles. An earl headed each shire as
representative of the King. The term "earl" came to denote an
office instead of a nobleman. He led the array of his shire to do
battle if the shire was attacked. He executed all royal commands.
An earl received grants of land and could claim hospitality and
maintenance for himself, his officers, and his servants. He
presided over the shire court. He received one-third of the fines
from the profits of justice and collected as well a third of the
revenues derived from tolls and duties levied in the boroughs of
his shire. The office tended to be h