154 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

c ii at. orders of the late king, he accused him of m al-ii. versation in his office, and banished him the:kingdom. But Dunstan’s cabal was not unactiveduring his absence: They filled the public withhigh panegyrics on his sanctity : They exclaimedagainst the impiety of the king and queen: Andhaving poisoned the minds of the people by thesedeclamations, they proceeded to still more outrage-ous actes of violence against the royal authority.Archbishop Odo sent into the palace a party ofsoldiers , who seized the queen; and havingburned her face with a red hot iron in order todestroy that fatal beauty, which had seducedEdwy, they carried her by force into Ireland,there to remain in perpetual exile Edwy ,finding it vain to resist , was obliged to consent tohis divorce, which was pronounced by Odo ;and a catastrophe, still more dismal, awaitedthe unhappy Elgiva. That amiable princess ,being cured of her wounds , and having evenobliterated the scars, with which Odo had hopedto deface her beauty, returned into England ,and was flying to the embraces of the king,whom flie Rill regarded as her husband ; whenshe fell into the hands of a party, whom theprimate had sent to intercept her. Nothing buther death could now give security to Odo andthe monks; and the most cruel death was requisiteto satiate their vengeance. She was hamstringed;

Osbe^ne, p. 84. Gervasc, p. 1644.

1J3 Hoveden, p. 435.