“This writing witnesseth how Harold the king caused Sandwich to be ridden about to his own hand: and he kept it for himself well nigh a twelvemonth, and at any rate fully two herring-seasons, all against God’s will, and against the Saints’ who lie at Christchurch, as it turned out ill enough for him afterwards. And during this time there went Ælfstán the abbot of St. Augustine’s, and got, with his lying flatteries and his gold and silver, all secretly from Steorra who was the king’s redesman, a right to the third penny of the toll at Sandwich. Now when archbishop Eádsige and all the brotherhood at Christchurch learnt this, they took counsel together, that they should send Ælfgár, the monk of Christchurch, to king Harold. Now the king lay at Oxford very ill, so that his life was despaired of; and there were with him Lýfing, bishop of Devonshire, and Tancred the monk. Then came the messenger from Christchurch to the bishop; and he forth at once to the king, and with him Ælfgár the monk, Osweard of Harrietsham, and Tancred; and they told the king that he had deeply sinned against Christ, in ever daring to take back anything from Christchurch which his predecessors had given: and then they told him about Sandwich, how it had been ridden about to his hand. There lay the king and turned quite black in the face at their tale, and swore by God Almighty and all his saints to boot, that it never was either his rede or his deed, that Sandwich should be taken from Christchurch. So it was plain enough that it was other peoples’ and not king Harold’s contrivance: and to say the truth, Ælfstán the abbot’s counsel was with the men who counselled it out of Christchurch. Then king Harold sent Ælfgár the monk back to archbishop Eádsige and all the monks at Christchurch, and gave them God’s greeting and his own, and commanded that they should have Sandwich, into Christchurch, as fully and wholly as they had ever had it in any king’s day, both in rent, in stream, on strand, in fines, and in everything which any king had ever most fully possessed before them. Now when abbot Ælfstán heard of this, he came to archbishop Eádsige and begged his support with the brotherhood, about the third penny: and away they both went to all the brotherhood and begged the Convent that abbot Ælfstán might be allowed the third penny of the toll, and he to give the Convent ten pounds. But they refused it altogether throughout, and said it was no use asking: and withal archbishop Eádsige backed him much more than he did the Convent. And when he could not get on in this way, he asked leave to make a wharf over against Mildðrýð’s acre, opposite the ferry (?) to keep, but all the Convent decidedly refused this: and archbishop Eádsige left it all to their own decision. Then abbot Ælfstán set to, with a great help, and let dig a great canal at