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COMMUNICATION
MATTERS
Third Edition

KORY FLOYD
University of Arizona
DEDICATION Most books are dedicated to people, but I wish to dedicate this one to a
principle. To compassion, wherever it is needed and no matter how well it
may be hidden.

COMMUNICATION MATTERS, THIRD EDITION

Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous editions © 2014 and 2011. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the
prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education, including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or
transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 LMN/LMN 21 20 19 18 17

ISBN 978-1-259-70776-6
MHID 1-259-70776-8

Chief Product Officer, SVP Products & Markets: G. Scott Virkler Content Project Managers: Lisa Bruflodt, Samantha Donisi-Hamm
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All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension of the copyright page.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Floyd, Kory.

Title: Communication matters / Kory Floyd.
Description: New York, NY : McGraw-Hill, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016035361 | ISBN 9781259707766 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Communication. | Interpersonal communication.
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Dear Readers:
I can still recall how my family reacted when I said I wanted to study communication.
You already know how to communicate, I remember one relative saying. Communi-
cation seemed like common sense to my family members, so they weren’t entirely
sure why I needed a PhD just to understand it.
As it turns out, my relatives are like a lot of other people in this regard. Because
each of us communicates in some form nearly every day of our lives, it’s hard not
to think of communication as completely intuitive. What can we possibly learn from
research and formal study that we don’t already know from our lived experience?
Aren’t we all experts in communication already?
For the sake of argument, let’s say we were. Why, then, do we so often misunder-
stand each other? Why is our divorce rate so high? How come it seems like women and
men speak different languages? What accounts for the popularity of self-help books, re-
lationship counselors, and talk shows? If we’re all experts at communicating, why do we
often find it so challenging? Maybe communication isn’t as intuitive as we might think.
When I wrote earlier editions of Communication Matters, my goal was to help
readers see how communication not only affects their social relationships, but also
influences their happiness, career objectives, and quality of life. I wanted to guide
students through their personal experience of communication, illuminate the value
of engaging in a critical investigation of processes and behaviors, and help readers
actively apply the course material to their own life experiences.
Our world is changing quickly these days—and so, too, are the ways we commu-
nicate. In the last few years, we’ve seen people use computer-mediated communica-
tion in unprecedented ways. Deployed servicemen watch the birth of their children
live via Skype or Facetime. Political protestors organize rallies with less than a day’s
notice on Twitter. Adults given up for adoption as infants use Facebook to find their
biological parents. And despite the growth of these newer platforms, e-mail is far
from dead: Most adults in a recent survey said their e-mail load either stayed the
same or increased over the past year. Each new technology shrinks our world just a
little more, requiring effective communicators to adapt their behaviors accordingly.
This new edition of Communication Matters focuses on teaching the adaptability
skills students need in an ever-changing communication world.
An ideal textbook not only engages and excites students; it also provides relevant,
contemporary, and high-quality support for instructors. Communication Matters,
Third Edition, offers Connect, a flexible, groundbreaking, online learning platform that
features LearnSmart, an adaptive diagnostic; hands-on learning activities; quizzes;
and a fully integrated e-book. Connect enables instructors to better tailor class time
to student needs and gives students more opportunities than ever for communication
skills practice and assessment. I hope you will find this new edition of Communication
Matters and its extensive instructional support to comprise a well-integrated package
of engaging and contemporary materials for the introductory course.
 Courtesy of Kory Floyd

Kory Floyd
Name: .......................................................................................................................................................................................

I got my undergraduate degree from Western

Education: ................................................................................................................................................................................

Washington University, my Masters degree from the University

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

of Washington, and my PhD from the University of Arizona

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

Professor, book writer

Current jobs: ...........................................................................................................................................................................

Singing busboy
Favorite job growing up: ....................................................................................................................................................

Getting sent to the principal’s office in third

Worst childhood memory: ..................................................................................................................................................

grade. (It’s possible I haven’t told my parents about that.)

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

The birth of my sister and brother

Best childhood memory: ...................................................................................................................................................

Playing piano, singing, reading, traveling, playing Wii tennis

Hobbies: ...................................................................................................................................................................................

Two wonderful dogs, Buster and Cruise, and a large family of

Pets: ...........................................................................................................................................................................................

goldfish
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Social Animal, by David Brooks

Favorite recent book: ..........................................................................................................................................................

NCIS (the original one)

Favorite TV show: .................................................................................................................................................................

Iceland, Starbucks, my brother’s house

Places I love: ...........................................................................................................................................................................
BRIEF CONTENTS
PART ONE Communication in Principle 3
Chapter 1 Communication: A First Look 3
Chapter 2 Communication and Culture 31
Chapter 3 Perceiving Ourselves and Others 59
Chapter 4 How We Use Language 87
Chapter 5 Communicating Nonverbally 113
Chapter 6 Listening Effectively 141

PART TWO Communication in Context 169

Chapter 7 Communicating in Social and Professional Relationships 169
Chapter 8 Communicating in Intimate Relationships 201
Chapter 9 Communicating in Small Groups 233
Chapter 10 Decision Making and Leadership in Groups 261

PART THREE Communication in the Public Sphere 289

Chapter 11 Choosing, Developing, and Researching a Topic 289
Chapter 12 Organizing and Finding Support for Your Speech 314
Chapter 13 Presenting a Speech Confidently and Competently 344
Chapter 14 Speaking Informatively 372
Chapter 15 Speaking Persuasively 394

APPENDIX Workplace Communication and Interviewing A-1

Glossary G-1 | Index I-1
These three chapters Create your own customized Communication Matters at www.mcgrawhillcreate.com
are available exclusively Chapter 16 Communicating in Organizations
through McGraw-Hill’s Chapter 17 Communication and Media
Create customization site.
Chapter 18 Communication and Health

  v
CONTENTS
PART ONE For Review 27
Key Terms 27
Communication in Principle 3
Notes 28
CHAPTER 1 Communication:
A First Look 3 CHAPTER 2 Communication
and Culture 31
WHY WE COMMUNICATE 4
UNDERSTANDING CULTURES AND
Communication Addresses Physical
CO-CULTURES 32
Needs 4
What Is Culture? 32
Communication Meets Relational
Needs 5 Distinguishing between In-Groups and
Out-Groups 33
Communication Fills Identity Needs 6
Acquiring a Culture 35
Communication Meets Spiritual Needs 7
What Is a Co-Culture? 36
Communication Serves Instrumental
Needs 7
COMPONENTS OF CULTURES AND
CO-CULTURES 38
THE NATURE AND TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION 8 Cultures Vary in Their Symbols 38
Various Models Explain the Cultures Vary in Their Languages 40
Communication Process 8 Cultures Vary in Their Values 40
Communication Has Many Cultures Vary in Their Norms 41
Characteristics 12
Distinctive Features of Co-Cultures 41
Five Types of Communication 16

HOW CULTURE AFFECTS COMMUNICATION 42

DISPELLING SOME COMMUNICATION MYTHS 17
1. Individualistic versus
Myth: Everyone Is a Communication
Collectivistic Cultures 42
Expert 18
2. Low-Context versus
Myth: Communication Will Solve Any
High-Context Cultures 43
Problem 18
3. Low-Power-Distance versus
Myth: Communication Can Break Down 18
High-Power-Distance Cultures 44
Myth: Communication Is Inherently Good 19
4. Masculine versus Feminine Cultures 45
Myth: More Communication Is Always
5. Monochronic versus
Better 19
Polychronic Cultures 45
BUILDING YOUR COMMUNICATION 6. Uncertainty Avoidance 46
COMPETENCE 20
Competent Communication Is Effective COMMUNICATING WITH CULTURAL
and Appropriate 21 AWARENESS 46
Competent Communicators Share Many Be Open-Minded about Cultural
Characteristics and Skills 23 Differences 47

vi • CONTENTS
 Be Knowledgeable about Different APPRECIATING THE POWER OF WORDS 94
Communication Codes 50 Language Expresses Who We Are 94
Be Flexible and Respectful When Language Connects Us to Others 97
Interacting with Others 53
Language Separates Us from Others 98
For Review 56
Language Motivates Action 101
Key Terms 56
Notes 56
WAYS WE USE AND ABUSE LANGUAGE 102
Humor: What’s So Funny? 102
CHAPTER 3 Perceiving Ourselves Euphemisms: Sugar Coating 103
and Others 59 Slang: The Language of Co-Cultures 103
HOW WE PERCEIVE OTHERS 60 Defamation: Harmful Words 104
Perception Is a Process 60 Profanity: Offensive Language 104
We Commonly Misperceive Others’ Hate Speech: Profanity with
Communication Behaviors 64 a Hurtful Purpose 105

HOW WE EXPLAIN OUR PERCEPTIONS 69 IMPROVING YOUR USE OF LANGUAGE 106

We Explain Behavior through Separate Opinions from Factual
Attributions 69 Claims 106
Avoiding Two Common Attribution Use Clearly Understandable Language 108
Errors 70 Own Your Thoughts and Feelings 108
For Review 109
HOW WE PERCEIVE OURSELVES 72
Key Terms 109
Self-Concept Defined 72
Notes 110
Awareness and Management
of the Self-Concept 74
CHAPTER 5 Communicating
Valuing the Self: Self-Esteem 76 Nonverbally 113
MANAGING OUR IMAGE 77 THE NATURE AND FUNCTIONS
Communication and Image OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION 114
Management 77 What Is Nonverbal Communication? 114
Communication and Face Needs 80 Six Characteristics of Nonverbal
Communication 115
For Review 82
Key Terms 83
TEN CHANNELS OF NONVERBAL
Notes 83 COMMUNICATION 119
Facial Displays 119
CHAPTER 4 How We Use Language 87 Eye Behaviors 121
Movement and Gestures 122
THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE 88
Touch Behaviors 124
Language Is Symbolic 88
Vocal Behaviors 125
Language Is Usually Arbitrary 89
The Use of Smell 127
Language Is Governed by Rules 89
The Use of Space 127
Language Has Layers of Meaning 90
Physical Appearance 128
Language Varies in Clarity 92
The Use of Time 129
Language Is Bound by Context and
Culture 93 The Use of Artifacts 130

CONTENTS • vii
CULTURE, SEX, AND NONVERBAL For Review 165
COMMUNICATION 130 Key Terms 165
Culture Influences Nonverbal Notes 165
Communication 131
Sex Influences Nonverbal
Communication 132
PART TWO
Communication in Context 169
IMPROVING YOUR NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS 134 CHAPTER 7 Communicating in Social
Interpreting Nonverbal and Professional Relationships 169
Communication 134
WHY SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS MATTER 170
Expressing Nonverbal We Form Relationships Because We
Messages 135 Need to Belong 170
For Review 137 Social Relationships Bring Rewards 172
Key Terms 137
Social Relationships Carry Costs
Notes 137 as Well as Benefits 174

CHAPTER 6 Listening Effectively 141 FORMING AND MAINTAINING SOCIAL

BONDS 174
WHAT IT MEANS TO LISTEN 142
Why We Form Relationships:
What Is Listening? 142 Attraction Theory 174
The Importance of Listening Why We Form Relationships: Uncertainty
Effectively 143 Reduction Theory 178
Misconceptions About Listening 145 Why We Maintain Relationships: Social
How Culture Affects Listening Exchange and Equity Theories 179
Behavior 146 How We Maintain Relationships: Relational
Maintenance Behaviors Theory 181
WAYS OF LISTENING 147
Stages of Effective Listening 147 REVEALING OURSELVES IN
RELATIONSHIPS 182
Types of Listening 150
Characteristics of Self-Disclosure 182

COMMON BARRIERS TO Benefits of Self-Disclosure 185

EFFECTIVE LISTENING 151 Risks of Self-Disclosure 186
Noise 152
Pseudolistening and Selective CHARACTERISTICS OF FRIENDSHIPS 187
Attention 152 Friendships Are Voluntary 187
Information Overload 153 Friendships Usually Develop between
Peers 187
Glazing Over 153
Friendships Are Governed by Rules 188
Rebuttal Tendency 154
Friendships Differ by Sex 188
Closed-Mindedness 155
Competitive Interrupting 155
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE
WORKPLACE 190
HONING YOUR LISTENING SKILLS 157 Social Relationships with Coworkers 191
Become a Better Informational Social Relationships between Superiors
Listener 157 and Subordinates 192
Become a Better Critical Listener 160 Social Relationships between Clients and
Become a Better Empathic Listener 163 Professionals 194

viii • CONTENTS
For Review 195 Deal with the Dark Side: Handle
Key Terms 195 Conflict Constructively 222
Notes 195 Get Real: Have Realistic
Expectations 224
CHAPTER 8 Communicating in Intimate Push and Pull: Manage Dialectical
Tensions 225
Relationships 201
For Review 227
THE NATURE OF INTIMATE Key Terms 227
RELATIONSHIPS 202
Notes 228
Intimate Relationships Require
Deep Commitment 202
Intimate Relationships Foster CHAPTER 9 Communicating in Small
Interdependence 203 Groups 233
Intimate Relationships Require
Continuous Investment 204 WHAT IS A SMALL GROUP? 234
Small Groups Are Distinguished
Intimate Relationships Spark
by Their Size 235
Dialectical Tensions 204
Small Groups Are Interdependent 235
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANTIC Small Groups Are Cohesive 236
RELATIONSHIPS 205
Small Groups Enforce Rules and
Romantic Relationships and Norms 237
Exclusivity 206
Small Groups Include Individual
Romantic Relationships and Roles 238
Voluntariness 206
Small Groups Have Their Own
Romantic Relationships and Love 206 Identities 239
Romantic Relationships and Small Groups Have Distinctive
Sexuality 207 Communication Practices 239
Romantic Relationships around the Small Groups Often Interact
World 207 Online 240

FORMING AND COMMUNICATING

FUNCTIONS OF SMALL GROUPS 241
IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS 208
Some Small Groups Focus on Discrete
Getting In: Stages of Relationship
Tasks 241
Development 208
Some Small Groups Evaluate and
Communicating in Romantic
Advice 242
Relationships 211
Some Small Groups Create Art and
Getting Out: Ending Romantic
Ideas 243
Relationships 214
Some Small Groups Provide Service
COMMUNICATING IN FAMILIES 215 and Support 244
What Makes a Family? 215 Some Small Groups Promote
Social Networking 244
Types of Families 216
Some Small Groups Compete 245
Communication Issues in Families 218
Some Small Groups Help Us to Learn 245
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION
IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS 221 JOINING SMALL GROUPS 246
Go for Fun: Emphasize Excitement 221 We Join Small Groups for Many
Reasons 246
Stay Positive: Use Confirming
Messages 221 We Are Socialized into Small Groups 248

CONTENTS • ix
ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF
SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION 250
PART THREE
Communicating in Small Groups Communication in the Public
Has Advantages 250 Sphere 289
Communicating in Small Groups
Poses Challenges 251 CHAPTER 11 Choosing, Developing, and
Researching a Topic 289
BECOMING A BETTER SMALL
GROUP COMMUNICATOR 253 KNOW WHY YOU’RE SPEAKING 290
Socialize New Members We Speak to Inform 291
Constructively 253 We Speak to Persuade 291
Maintain Positive Group We Speak to Entertain 291
Relationships 255
We Speak to Introduce 292
For Review 257
We Speak to Give Honor 292
Key Terms 257
Notes 258
CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE TOPIC 294
Brainstorm to Identify Potential
CHAPTER 10 Decision Making and Topics 295
Leadership in Groups 261
Identify Topics That Are Right for You 297
GENERATING IDEAS AND Identify Topics That Are Right for Your
MAKING DECISIONS 262 Audience 298
Groups Generate Ideas through Identify Topics That Are Right for the
Various Methods 262 Occasion 298
Groups Make Decisions in Many
Ways 265 ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE 299
Cultural Context Affects Decision Consider Who Your Listeners Are 299
Making 268
Consider the Speaking Context 304

BEING A LEADER 269

KNOW WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION 306
Leaders Often Share Specific Traits 269
Websites 306
Leaders Enact Distinct Styles 271
Books 307
Periodicals and Nonprint Materials 309
EXERCISING POWER 273
Leaders Exercise Many Forms of Databases 309
Power 273 Personal Observations 310
Power Resides in Relationships, Not in Surveys 311
People 276
For Review 312
Key Terms 313
LEADERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING
SKILLS 277 Notes 313
Manage Conflict Constructively 277
Avoid Groupthink 279
CHAPTER 12 Organizing and Finding
Support for Your Speech 315
Listen Carefully 282
For Review 285 STATE YOUR PURPOSE AND THESIS 316
Key Terms 285 Draft a Purpose Statement 316
Notes 285 Draft a Thesis Statement 318

x • CONTENTS
ORGANIZE YOUR SPEECH 320 Cultural Norms Affect
The Introduction Tells Preferred Delivery Styles 362
the Story of Your Speech 320
USING PRESENTATION AIDS 362
The Body Expresses Your Main Points 322
Presentation Aids Can Enhance Your
Transitions Help Your Speech 363
Speech Flow Smoothly 326
Low-Tech Presentation Aids 363
The Conclusion Summarizes Your
Message 328 Multimedia Presentation Aids 364
Choosing and Using Presentation
CREATE AN EFFECTIVE OUTLINE 329 Aids 366
Know the Three Rules of Outlining 329 For Review 369
Create a Working Outline 331 Key Terms 369
Convert Your Working Outline Notes 369
into Speaking Notes 334
CHAPTER 14 Speaking
FIND SUPPORT FOR YOUR SPEECH 335
Informatively 373
Identify Places Where You Need
Research Support 336 CHOOSING A METHOD OF INFORMING 374
Determine the Type of Support You Informative Speeches Can Define 374
Require 336 Informative Speeches Can Describe 375
Know How to Evaluate Supporting Informative Speeches Can Explain 376
Material 337
Informative Speeches Can Demonstrate 377
Don’t Commit Intellectual Theft 339
For Review 342 SELECTING AND FRAMING THE TOPIC 379
Key Terms 343 Select a Captivating Topic 379
Notes 343 Relate Yourself to Your Topic 381
Relate Your Topic to Your Audience 382
CHAPTER 13 Presenting a Speech
Confidently and Competently 345 HONING YOUR INFORMATIVE-
SPEAKING SKILLS 382
STYLES OF DELIVERING A SPEECH 346
Create Information Hunger 382
Some Speeches Are Impromptu 346
Be Organized 384
Some Speeches Are
Extemporaneous 347 Make It Easy to Listen 384

Some Speeches Are Scripted 347 Involve the Audience 385

Some Speeches Are Memorized 348 Be Ethical 386

MANAGING PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY 349 A SAMPLE INFORMATIVE SPEECH 388

Public Speaking Anxiety For Review 393
Is a Common Form of Stress 349 Key Terms 393
Public Speaking Anxiety Can Be Notes 393
Debilitating 354
Making Public Speaking Anxiety CHAPTER 15 Speaking
an Advantage 354 Persuasively 395
PRACTICING EFFECTIVE DELIVERY 357 THE MEANING AND ART OF PERSUASION 396
Visual Elements Affect Delivery 357 What It Means to Persuade 396
Vocal Elements Affect Delivery 359 Three Forms of Rhetorical Proof 398

CONTENTS • xi
CREATING A PERSUASIVE MESSAGE 402 Communication Technology
Types of Persuasive Propositions 402 Challenges A-8

Four Ways to Organize a Persuasive Work/Life Conflict A-9

Message 404 Workplace Diversity A-9
Avoiding Logical Fallacies 406
INTERVIEWING SUCCESSFULLY A-11
HONING YOUR PERSUASIVE-SPEAKING What Is an Interview? A-11
SKILLS 408 Types of Interviews A-11
Adapt to Your Audience 408 Landing a Job Interview A-12
Build Rapport with Your Listeners 412 Succeeding in a Job Interview A-15
Establish Your Credibility 412 Identifying and Responding to Illegal
Questions A-18
A SAMPLE PERSUASIVE SPEECH 415 For Review A-21
For Review 418 Key Terms A-21
Key Terms 418 Notes A-21
Notes 418
Glossary G-1
Index I-1
APPENDIX Workplace Communication
and Interviewing A-1
Three chapters, written by Kory Floyd for
COMMUNICATING IN THE WORKPLACE A-2 Communication Matters, are available
Communicating within the Workplace A-2 exclusively through McGraw-Hill’s Create
Communicating to External customization site:
Audiences A-3
Workplace Culture A-4 CHAPTER 16 Communicating in
Organizations
MANAGING WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
CHALLENGES A-7 CHAPTER 17 Communication and Media
Globalization and Cross-Cultural
Challenges A-7 CHAPTER 18 Communication and Health

xii • CONTENTS
BOXES
Sharpen Your Skills Dialectical Tensions 226
Communication Needs 7 Online Group Communication 240
Communication Rules 16 Group Functions 245
Communication Experts 18 Group Conflict 253
Evaluating Competence 25 Small Group Values 256
Communication Challenges 32 Brainstorming 264
Co-cultural Norms 41 Leadership Styles 273
­Adapting to Time Management 46 Applying Referent Power 277
Gestures 53 Conflict Resolution 279
Limitations of Stereotypes 66 Identifying Speaking Goals 292
Attribution-Making 71 Brainstorming Speech Topics 297
Your Johari Window 73 Audience Analysis 301
Minimizing Face Threats 82 Informal Interviewing 312
Word Development 88 Purpose and Thesis Statements 319
Constructive Criticism 100 Finding and Using Statistics 321
Slang 103 Outlining 331
Speaking at an Appropriate Level 108 Finding Credible Websites 339
Tone of Voice 118 Drafting Three Speaking Points 347
Adapting Your Appearance 130 Breathing to Reduce Stress 352
Interpreting Nonverbal Emotion Displays 135 Improving Articulation 362
Listening Rather than Responding 146 Creating Charts 366
Visualization 148 Defining a Term in Multiple Ways 375
Open-Mindedness 155 Generating Informative Speech Topics 381
Critical Listening 162 Audience Involvement 387
Discouraging Cyberbullying 174 Analyzing Opinion Appeals 397
Relational Maintenance Behaviors 181 Propositions of Value, Fact, and Policy 403
Friendship Rules 188 Establishing Common Ground 412
Communicating with a Superior 193 Workplace Rites A-5
Relational Commitment 204 Intercultural Communication A-7
Changes in Communication 215 Preparing for a Job Interview A-17
Family Roles 218

BOXES • xiii
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS When Coercion Becomes Abuse 275

Dealing with an Angry Customer 26 A Joke Gone South: Offending Your Listeners 302

Talking about Beliefs that Offend You 50 Stretching the Truth: Exaggeration or
Deception? 318
Disagreeing about Politics 67
Stressing Out: Public Speaking Elevates Stress
Comforting a Grieving Friend 99 Hormone Levels 353
When You Think Someone Is Lying 120 Listener Beware: When “Information” Becomes
Being Called “Closed-Minded” 156 Propaganda 389

Responding to a Friend in Need 186 Misleading to Persuade: A Threat to Credibility 415

Real Life and Romance: Handling Conflict Sexual Harassment in the Workplace A-10
Constructively 224
FACT OR FICTION?
Motivating Action for a Group Assignment 243
You Cannot Not Communicate 15
Managing High-Stakes Decisions 284
Change Is Inevitable: The United States Is Becoming
Writing a Memorable and Respectful Eulogy 293 More Culturally Diverse 39
Introducing a Sensitive Topic 323 When Forming Perceptions, More Information
Is Always Better 61
Addressing the “Elephant in the Room” 351
Texting Reduces the Ability to Use
Delivering Bad News 388
Language Properly 91
Making a Public Apology 414
In the Eye of Which Beholder?—Cultures Vary Widely
Keeping Your Cool When Asked an Illegal in Perceptions of Beauty 123
Question A-20
Sex Matters: Men and Women Listen
THE DARK SIDE OF Differently 158
COMMUNICATION When Forming Friendships, Opposites Attract 177
Tell Me Lies: Misrepresentations in Online Dating Still Going Nuclear: The Average American Family
Profiles 20 Remains a Nuclear Family 219
Cultural Intolerance: Discrimination against Muslim Losing Weight Is Easier in Groups 247
Americans 35
Work at It: Groups Can Resolve Any Conflict if
Mental Illness: Would You Tell? 79 They Try Hard Enough 280
Crossing the Line: When Criticism Becomes All Information Found Online Is Equally
Abuse 100 Valuable 308
Hungry for Affection: The Problem of Affection Using Information from the Internet
Deprivation 126 Constitutes Plagiarism 342
Need Someone to Listen? Just Click 164 My Slideshow Needs Bells and
Whistles—Right? 368
Invasions of Privacy Online 173
Show and Tell: People Learn Best by
When a Desire for Commitment Turns to
Seeing and Hearing 378
Obsession 203
Hooked on a Feeling: Emotion Persuades 399
Working at Odds: Dysfunctional Groups 237

xiv • BOXES
THE COMPETENT PUTTING COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATOR TO WORK
Are You a High Self-Monitor? 24 Public Information Officer for Nonprofit
Organization 22
Who, Me? Being Aware of Ethnocentrism 51
International Student Life Coordinator, College or
Googling Yourself: Managing Your Online
University 48
Image 75
Teacher, Kindergarten through Grade 12 76
How Well Can You Distinguish Opinions from Factual
Claims? 107 Grant Writer, Nonprofit Organization 105
Nonverbal Know-How: Rate Your Interpretation and Overseas Teacher of English 132
Expression Skills 136
Community Liaison, State or Local Legislative
People, Action, Content, Time: What’s Your Listening Office 160
Style? 144
Equal Employment Opportunity Officer 193
What Draws You? Attraction in Your Closest
Financial Planner 217
Friendship 176
Jury Coordinator for Superior Court 256
So, What Do You Expect? Your Expectations for
Romantic Relationships 209 Editor, Print or Online Magazine 269
One on One: Mentoring a New Group Public Policy Consultant 304
Member 255
Fact Checker, News Media or Publishing
Your Extroversion—High, Low, or No? 272 Industry 340
What Moves You? Selecting Your Speech Topic 296 Undergraduate Recruiting Specialist 355
Speech Preparation Checklist—Dot Your i’s and Cross Community Outreach Educator, Healthcare and
Your t’s 335 Insurance Industries 387
Personal Appearance Checklist 360 Sales Associate for Financial Services Firm 411
It’s All Relative: Framing Your Informative Topic 383 Account Manager for Telecommunications
Company A-4
Name That Fallacy! 409

BOXES • xv
 McGraw-Hill Connect: An Overview
McGraw-Hill Connect offers full-semester access to comprehensive, reliable content
and learning resources for the Introduction to Communication course. Connect’s
deep integration with most learning management systems (LMS), including
Blackboard and Desire2Learn (D2L), offers single sign-on and deep gradebook
synchronization. Data from Assignment Results reports synchronize directly with
many LMS, allowing scores to flow automatically from Connect into school-specific
grade books, if required.
The following tools and services are available as part of Connect for the
Introduction to Communication course:

Tool Instructional Content Description

SmartBook • SmartBook is an engaging and • SmartBook is an adaptive reading experience
interactive reading experience for designed to change the way learners read
mastering fundamental communication and learn. It creates a personalized reading
content. experience by highlighting the most impactful
• The metacognitive component concepts a student needs to learn at that
confirms learners’ understanding of moment in time.
the material. • SmartBook creates personalized learning
• Instructors can actively connect plans based on student responses to content
SmartBook assignments and results question probes and confidence scales,
to higher-order classroom work and identifying the topics learners are struggling
one-on-one student conferences. with and providing learning resources to
• Learners can track their own create personalized learning moments.
understanding and mastery of course • SmartBook includes a variety of learning
concepts, and identify gaps in their resources tied directly to key content areas
knowledge. to provide students with additional instruction
• Heat maps within Connect identify and context. This includes video and media
topics students struggle with. The clips, interactive slide content, and mini-
result is a thoughtful revision based on lectures and image analyses.
data and the following digital assets. • SmartBook Reports provide instructors with
data to quantify success and identify problem
areas that require addressing in and out of the
classroom.
• Learners can access their own progress and
concept mastery reports.
Connect • Connect Insight for Instructors is an • Connect Insight for Instructors offers a series
Insight for analytics resource that produces of visual data displays that provide analysis on
Instructors quick feedback related to learner five key insights:
performance and learner engagement. –– How are my students doing?
• It is designed as a dashboard for –– How is this one student doing?
both quick check-ins and detailed –– How is my section doing?
performance and engagement views. –– How is this assignment doing?
–– How are my assignments doing?

xvi • COMMUNICATION MATTERS

Connect • Connect Insight for Students is a • Connect Insight for Students offers details on
Insight for powerful data analytics tool that each Connect assignment to learners. When
Students provides at-a-glance visualizations to possible, it offers suggestions for learners on
help a learner understand his or her how they can improve scores. These data can
performance on Connect assignments. help guide the learner to behaviors that will
lead to better scores in the future.
Speech • Speech Assignment (Video Submission • The Speech Assignment tool allows
Assignment/ Assignment in student view) provides instructors to easily and efficiently set up
Video instructors with a comprehensive and speech assignments for their course that can
Submission efficient way of managing in-class and easily be shared and repurposed, as needed,
Assignment online speech assignments, including throughout their use of Connect.
student self-reviews, peer reviews, and • Customizable rubrics and settings can
instructor grading. be saved and shared, saving time and
streamlining the speech assignment process
from creation to assessment.
• Speech Capture allows users, both students
and instructors, to view videos during the
assessment process. Feedback can be left
within a customized rubric or as time-stamped
comments within the video-playback itself.
Speech • Speech Preparation Tools provide • Speech Preparation Tools provide learners
Preparation learners with additional support, such with additional resources to help with the
Tools as Topic Helper, Outline Tool, and preparation and outlining of speeches, as well
access to third-party Internet sites like as with audience-analysis surveys.
EasyBib (for formatting citations) and • Instructors have the ability to make tools
SurveyMonkey (to create audience- either available or unavailable to learners.
analysis questionnaires and surveys).
Instructor • Instructor Reports provide data that • Connect generates a number of powerful
Reports may be useful for assessing programs reports and charts that allow instructors to
or courses as part of the accreditation quickly review the performance of a given
process. learner or an entire section.
• Instructors can run reports that span multiple
sections and instructors, making it an ideal
solution for individual professors, course
coordinators, and department chairs.
Student • Student Reports allow learners to • Learners can keep track of their performance
Reports review their performance for specific and identify areas with which they struggle.
assignments or for the course.
Pre- and • Instructors can generate their own • Instructors have access to two sets of
Post-Tests pre- and post-tests from the test bank. pre- and post-tests (at two levels). Instructors
• Pre- and post-tests demonstrate what can use these tests to create a diagnostic and
learners already know before class post-diagnostic exam via Connect.
begins and what they have learned by
the end.
Tegrity • Tegrity allows instructors to capture • Instructors can keep track of which learners
course material or lectures on video. have watched the videos they post.
• Students can watch videos recorded • Learners can watch and review lectures by
by their instructor and learn course their instructor.
material at their own pace. • Learners can search each lecture for specific
bits of information.
Simple LMS • Connect seamlessly integrates with • Learners have automatic single sign-on.
Integration every learning management system. • Connect assignment results sync to the LMS
gradebook.

COMMUNICATION MATTERS • xvii

 Instructor’s Guide to Connect for
Communication Matters
When you assign Connect, you can be confident—and have data to
demonstrate—that the learners in your courses, however diverse, are
acquiring the skills, principles, and critical processes that constitute effective
communication. This leaves you to focus on your highest course expectations.
TAILORED TO YOU. Connect offers on-demand, single sign-on access to
learners—wherever they are and whenever they have time. With a single,
one-time registration, learners receive access to McGraw-Hill’s trusted content.
Learners also have a courtesy trial period during registration.
EASY TO USE. Connect seamlessly supports all major learning management
systems with content, assignments, performance data, and LearnSmart, the
leading adaptive learning system. With these tools, you can quickly make
assignments, produce reports, focus discussions, intervene on problem topics,
and help at-risk learners—as you need to and when you need to.

Communication Matters SmartBook

A PERSONALIZED AND ADAPTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH
SMARTBOOK. Boost learner success with McGraw-Hill’s adaptive reading and
study experience. The Communication Matters SmartBook highlights the most
impactful communication concepts the learner needs to study at that moment in
time. The learning path continuously adapts and, based on what the individual
learner knows and does not know, provides focused help through targeted
question probes and Learning Resources.
ENHANCED FOR THE NEW EDITION! With a suite of new Learning Resources
and question probes, as well as highlights of key chapter concepts, SmartBook’s
intuitive technology optimizes learner study time by creating a personalized
learning path for improved course performance and overall learner success.

SmartBook highlights the key concepts of every chapter, offering learners a high-impact
learning experience. Here, highlighted text provides an explanation of one of the functions of
communication. Highlights change color (right) when a learner has demonstrated his or her
understanding of the concept.

xviii • COMMUNICATION MATTERS

HUNDREDS OF INTERACTIVE LEARNING RESOURCES. Presented in a range
of interactive styles, Communication Matters Learning Resources support
learners who may be struggling to master, or simply wish to review, the most
important communication concepts. Designed to reinforce the most important
chapter concepts—from competent online self-disclosure and nonverbal
communication channels to detecting deceptive communication and managing
relationships—every Learning Resource is presented at the precise moment of
need. Whether a video, audio clip, or interactive mini-lesson, each of the
200-plus Learning Resource was created for the new edition and was designed
to give learners a lifelong foundation in strong communication skills.

MORE THAN 1,000 TARGETED QUESTION PROBES. Class-tested at colleges

and universities nationwide, a treasury of engaging question probes—new and
revised, more than 1,000 in all—gives learners the information on communication they
need to know, at every stage of the learning process, in order to thrive in the course.
Designed to gauge learners’ comprehension of the most important Communication
Matters chapter concepts, and presented in a variety of interactive styles to facilitate
learner engagement, targeted question probes give learners immediate feedback
on their understanding of the material. Each question probe identifies a learner’s
familiarity with the instruction and points to areas where additional review is needed.

COMMUNICATION MATTERS • xix

 RESEARCH BASED. We all communicate, all the time. Consequently, many of
us believe we’re experts, and that good communication is based on personal
instincts. Communication Matters became one of the most successful new
offerings in introductory communication because it debunks that myth,
using sound and relevant research to help students think critically about the
communication they take part in every day.
• Updated with more than 50 percent new scholarly references, the third
edition of Communication Matters continues to emphasize communication
as a discipline of study and ensures that students are exposed to the most
recent and pertinent research.
• Fact or Fiction boxes invite learners to challenge their own assumptions
about human communication, and to re-think seemingly self-evident
communication questions in light of what the scholarship reveals. New and
revised topics include how texting does (or doesn’t) affect language
(language chapter) and whether more information leads to more accurate
perceptions (perception chapter).
• Dark Side features in each chapter offer an in-depth, well-researched look
at a specific dark side topic and promote discussion of mature, effective
ways of dealing with its challenges. New topics include invasions of privacy
online (social and professional relationships chapter), affection deprivation
(nonverbal chapter), and empathic online listening sites (listening chapter).
REAL-WORLD BACKED. Communication Matters doesn’t just offer research—
it shows, clearly and consistently, why the research is important. Whether
learners are reading a chapter, responding to a question probe, or reviewing key
concepts in a Learning Resource, their every instructional moment is rooted in
the real world. McGraw-Hill research shows that high-quality examples reinforce
academic theory throughout the course. Relevant examples and practical
scenarios—reflecting interactions in school, the workplace, and beyond—
demonstrate how effective communication informs and enhances students’ lives
and careers.
• Relevant, timely chapter opening examples. In addition to fresh examples
integrated throughout, each chapter in Communication Matters opens with
a familiar and provocative example that primes learners for what’s to come.
New topics include the family/working relationship between comedian Amy
Schumer and her sister/writing partner Kim (intimate relationships chapter),
public speaking challenges faced by young Malala Yousafzai (choosing a topic)
and Pope Francis (persuasive speaking), and the unique friendship between a
rape victim and the man falsely convicted of the crime (social and professional
relationships chapter).
• EXPANDED Putting Communication to Work features. Communication
skills are at the top of the job description in a variety of careers. This
popular feature has been expanded in the new edition of Communication
Matters to offer learners a glimpse of how they can apply the skills they
learn in the intro communication course to a variety of jobs—regardless
of what they wind up majoring in. New career paths include grant writing
(language chapter), community outreach education (informative speaking),
political staffer (listening chapter), and financial planning (intimate rela-
tionships chapter).
• NEW Integrated Treatment of Computer-Mediated Communication in every
chapter. Today’s digital natives move seamlessly from face-to-face conversa-
tions to text-based chats and collaborative work spaces. Communication Matters

xx • COMMUNICATION MATTERS
 meets learners where they are, addressing the converging channels of
communication the same way, with up-to-date tech references and examples
throughout.

SKILLS FOCUSED. Communication Matters takes research and relevance a step

further, providing learners with clear takeaways that integrate into their every
day lives. In every chapter, learners are introduced to research-based strategies
for improving communication skills and applying those skills to a variety of
real-life situations, making Communication Matters a real tool for real life.
• New Difficult Conversations boxes invite students to consider specific—and
not uncommon—real-life situations that are uncomfortable or awkward, and
then provides useful strategies for managing the communication competently.
Topics include dealing with an angry customer (introductory chapter), offering
condolences (language chapter), defusing political arguments on social media
(perception chapter), writing a eulogy (developing and researching a topic), and
making a public apology (persuasive speaking chapter).
• The Competent Communicator boxes in each chapter present students with a
self-assessment of a particular communication skill or tendency. These boxes
were designed with the underlying idea that for students to improve their
communication skills and ability, they need to reflect on how they communi-
cate now. New assessments include determining whether you are a high self-
monitor (introductory chapter), Googling yourself to manage your online image
(perception chapter), and determining your level of extroversion (decision
making and leadership chapter).
• Sharpen Your Skills boxes, which appear throughout each chapter, are stand-
alone skill-builders comprising active-learning exercises that may be carried
out in a group or individually. New activities include watching and reacting
to a TED Talk (perception chapter) and examining co-cultural norms (culture
chapter).

Speech Assignment/Video Submission

Assignment
Designed for use in face-to-face, real-time classrooms, as well as online courses,
Speech Assignment (Video Submission Assignment in student view) allows you
to evaluate your learners’ speeches using fully customizable rubrics. You can
also create and manage peer review assignments and upload videos on behalf
of learners for optimal flexibility.
Learners can access rubrics and leave comments when preparing self-
reviews and peer reviews. They can easily upload a video of their speech from
their hard drive or use Connect’s built-in video recorder. Learners can even
attach and upload additional files or documents, such as a works cited page or
a PowerPoint presentation.
PEER REVIEW. Peer review assignments are easier than ever. Create and
manage peer review assignments and customize privacy settings.
SPEECH ASSESSMENT. Speech Assignment lets you customize the
assignments, including self-reviews and peer reviews. It also saves your
frequently used comments, simplifying your efforts to provide feedback.
SELF-REFLECTION. The self-review feature allows learners to revisit their own
presentations and compare their progress over time.

COMMUNICATION MATTERS • xxi

 Data Analytics
Connect Insight provides at-a-glance analysis on five key insights, available at
a moment’s notice from your tablet device. The first and only analytics tool of
its kind, Insight will tell you, in real time, how individual students or sections are
doing (or how well your assignments have been received) so that you can take
action early and keep struggling students from falling behind.

Instructors can see how many

learners have completed an
assignment, how long they spent
on the task, and how they scored.

Instructors can see, at a

glance, individual learner
performance: analytics
showing learner investment
in assignments, and success
at completing them, help
instructors identify and aid
those who are at risk.

xxii • COMMUNICATION MATTERS

Connect Reports
Instructor Reports allow instructors to quickly monitor learner activity,
making it easy to identify which learners are struggling and to provide
immediate help to ensure those learners stay enrolled in the course and
improve their performance. The Instructor Reports also highlight the concepts
and learning objectives that the class as a whole is having difficulty grasping.
This essential information lets you know exactly which areas to target for review
during your limited class time.
Some key reports include:
Progress Overview report—View learner progress for all modules, including
how long learners have spent working in the module, which modules they have
used outside of any that were assigned, and individual learner progress.
Missed Questions report—Identify specific probes, organized by chapter, that
are problematic for learners.

Most Challenging Learning Objectives report—Identify the specific topic areas

that are challenging for your learners; these reports are organized by chapter
and include specific page references. Use this information to tailor your lecture
time and assignments to cover areas that require additional remediation and
practice.
Metacognitive Skills report—View statistics showing how knowledgeable your
learners are about their own comprehension and learning.

Classroom Preparation Tools

Whether before, during, or after class, there is a suite of products designed
to help instructors plan their lessons and keep learners building upon the
foundations of the course.
Instructor’s Manual. Written and updated by the author, the Instructor’s Manual
provides a range of tools for each chapter to help structure the course and
use the Communication Matters text effectively for particular course needs—
discussion questions, assignment ideas, lecture ideas, and other resources.
Test Bank. The Test Bank offers multiple-choice questions, true/false questions,
fill-in-the-blank questions, and essay questions for each chapter.
PowerPoints for each chapter created and updated by the author.

COMMUNICATION MATTERS • xxiii

 Support to Ensure Success
Digital Success Academy—The Digital Success Academy on Connect offers
a wealth of training and course creation guidance for instructors and learners
alike. Instructor support is presented in easy-to-navigate, easy-to-complete
sections. It includes the popular Connect how-to videos, step-by-step Click-
through Guides, and First Day of Class materials that explain how to use both
the Connect platform and its course-specific tools and features. http://createwp
.customer.mheducation.com/wordpress-mu/success-academy/

Digital Success Team—The Digital Success Team is a group of specialists

dedicated to working online with instructors—one-on-one—to demonstrate how the
Connect platform works and to help incorporate Connect into a customer’s specific
course design and syllabus. Contact your digital learning consultant to learn more.
Digital Learning Consultants—Digital Learning Consultants are local resources
who work closely with your McGraw-Hill learning technology consultants. They
can provide face-to-face faculty support and training. http://shop.mheducation
.com/store/paris/user/findltr.html
Digital Faculty Consultants—Digital Faculty Consultants are experienced
instructors who use Connect in their classroom. These instructors are available to
offer suggestions, advice, and training about how best to use Connect in your class.
To request a Digital Faculty Consultant to speak with, please e-mail your McGraw-
Hill learning technology consultant. http://connect.customer.mheducation.com/dfc/
National Training Webinars—McGraw-Hill offers an ongoing series of webinars for
instructors to learn and master the Connect platform, as well as its course-specific
tools and features. We hope you will refer to our online schedule of national training
webinars and sign up to learn more about Connect! http://webinars.mhhe.com/
CONTACT OUR CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM
McGraw-Hill is dedicated to supporting instructors and learners. To contact
our customer support team, please call us at 800-331-5094 or visit us online at
http://mpss.mhhe.com/contact.php

xxiv • COMMUNICATION MATTERS

Chapter-by-Chapter Changes to the Third Edition:
Highlights
Communication: A First Look New discussion unlikely friendship between a rape victim and
of #BlackLivesMatter protests as an example of the man falsely imprisoned for the crime; new
social networking technology facilitating collective coverage of relationships and privacy in online
action; new box on how to deal with an angry contexts; new box offers advice on responding to
customer a friend in need

Communication and Culture New opening Communicating in Intimate Relationships New

vignette on relations between the United States opening vignette on the relationship between
and Cuba; new box offers advice on how to talk comedian Amy Schumer and her sister Kim;
about beliefs that offend you new boxes highlight skills required for careers
in financial planning and for managing conflict
Perceiving Ourselves and Others Discussions constructively in romantic relationships
of perception updated throughout with fresh
examples from the news, including Kim Davis, Communicating in Small Groups New boxes
Rachel Dolezal, and John Travolta; new discussion on motivating action for a group assignment;
of selfies as a form of image management; new extended example examining how group
new boxes offer advice on navigating political dynamics—including synergy and conflict—play
disagreements, managing your online image, out in The Avengers films
and putting communication skills to work as an
educator Decision Making and Leadership in Groups New
boxes with guidance on managing high-stakes
How We Use Language Discussion of linguistic decisions, opportunities to assess your level of
determinism integrated and thoroughly updated extroversion, and an exploration of careers in print
with discussion of critiques/limitations of the and online publishing
theory; updated coverage of weasel words, hate
speech, and online harassment; new boxes on Choosing, Developing, and Researching a Topic
careers in grant writing, the effects of texting on New opening vignette features Malala Yousafzai;
language, and how to comfort a grieving friend new box offers advice for writing a memorable
and respectful eulogy; a thoroughly revised
Communicating Nonverbally New opening section on research reflects modern convergence
vignette on nonverbal communication as depicted of information sources
in Pixar’s Inside Out; new boxes on affection
deprivation, interacting with a person you think Organizing and Finding Support for Your Speech
may be lying, and adapting your appearance; Revised treatment helps learners to distinguish
new examples examine workspace design, emoji, between their specific speech purpose and
and time spent on mobile devices as instances of their thesis, and emphasizes the thesis as a
nonverbal communication work in progress to be continually revisited and
revised; new section, Don’t Commit Intellectual
Listening Effectively New opening vignette Theft, covers copyright infringement in addition
about veterans coping with PTSD; new boxes on to several forms of plagiarism; expanded table
determining your listening style, how to respond on bibliography entries includes more citation
when you are called “closed minded,” putting models, in both APA and newly revised MLA style
communication skills to work in a career as a
political staffer, and online resources devoted to Presenting a Speech Confidently and
listening Competently New opening vignette highlights
Caitlyn Jenner’s ESPY speech; new box on how
Communicating in Social and Professional to gracefully acknowledge uncomfortable truths
Relationships New opening vignette on the in a speech; coverage of public speaking anxiety

COMMUNICATION MATTERS • xxv

 revised with clarified explanations and discussion CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOMIZED
of its economic costs COMMUNICATION MATTERS AT
WWW.MCGRAWHILLCREATE.COM.
Speaking Informatively New boxes on careers
in community outreach and communicating The following are available exclusively through
competently when delivering bad news; additional McGraw-Hill’s Create customization site:
guidance for using definitions for terms that have
multiple meanings Communication in Organizations Revised
discussion of privacy in corporations and
Speaking Persuasively New opening vignette on organizations, with updated coverage of
Pope Francis’s address to the U.S. Congress; new technology including hacking, e-commerce, and
box on making a public apology trust markers; new boxes on careers in social
media coordination, and how to explain unpopular
Appendix: Workplace Communication and business decisions
Interviewing Discussion of work/life balance
updated to include single-parent households Communication and Media Thoroughly updated,
and the intrusion of work on home life via with coverage of media convergence and the
communication technology; new box on how to impact of podcasts, e-books, and streaming video
handle illegal questions in job interview on traditional sound, print, and image media; new
discussions of diversity in media, and the “fear
of missing out”; new box topics include careers
in radio/podcasting and managing arguments on
social media

Communication and Health Updated coverage

of prescription drug abuse; new boxes explore
careers in social work and offer advice on how
to competently discuss a health condition with a
doctor

xxvi • COMMUNICATION MATTERS

CONTRIBUTORS
I am very grateful to the thoughtful, astute instructors across the country who
offered insights and suggestions that improved and enhanced all three editions of
Communication Matters, Third Edition:
Bakari Akil, Florida State College at Jacksonville Steven Montemayor, Northwest Vista College
Sherrill Ashely, Central Piedmont Community College Teresa Morales, Suffolk County Community College
Lisa Heller Boragine, Cape Cod Community College Thomas Morra, Northern Virginia Community College
Sandra Brisiel, Delaware Technical Community College Diane Nicodemus, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Pamela Brooks, Arizona State University Polytechnic Liz O’Brien, Phoenix College
Christy Burns, Jacksonville State University Laura Oliver, University of Texas at San Antonio
Anna Carmon, Indiana University–Purdue University Susan Olson, Mesa Community College
Columbus Karen Otto, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Natalia Cherjovsky, Kirkwood Community College Marcie Pachter, Palm Beach State College
Margaret Chojnacki, Barry University Carol Paulnock, Saint Paul College
William Davis, Westchester Community College Tami Phillips, University of Central Arkansas
Jenny Erikson, Normandale Community College Whitney Pisani, Collin College
Jodi Gaete, Suffolk County Community College Tonia Pope, Houston Community College
Mattea Garcia, Indiana State University Elsha Ruminski, Frostberg State University
Terri Gibson, Anderson University Kevin Ryals, Mississippi State University
Mary Gill, Buena Vista University Shari Santoriello, Suffolk County Community College
Charles Goehring, San Diego State University David C. Schrader, Oklahoma State University
Brent Goken, Illinois Central College David K. Scott, Northeastern State University
Joni Gray, Fairmont State University Karen Stevens, Austin Community College
Lysia Hand, Phoenix College Kelly Stockstad, Austin Community College
Chris Harper, Arkansas State University Christy Takamure, Leeward Community College
Heather Heritage, Cedarville University Raymond Taylor, Blue Ridge Community College
Ronald Hochstatter, McLennan Community College Richard Underwood, Kirkwood Community College
Milton Hunt, Austin Community College Curt Van Geison, St. Charles Community College
Mohammad Islam-Zwart, Eastern Washington University Adam Vellone, Miami Dade College
and Spokane Falls Community College Myra Walters, Florida SouthWestern State College
Brent Kice, Frostburg State University Jenny Warren, Collin College
Kimberly Kline, University of Texas at San Antonio Charlene Widener, Hutchinson Community College
Kurt Lindemann, San Diego State University Karin Wilking, Northwest Vista College
Kathryn Lookadoo, University of Oklahoma, Norman Karen Wolf, Suffolk County Community College
Laura Marqua, Joliet Junior College Arnold Wood, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Anne McIntosh, Central Piedmont Community College Emily R. Workman, Guilford Technical Community College
Shawn Miklaucic, Johnson C. Smith University David Worth, Lone Star College

CONTRIBUTORS • xxvii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Few endeavors of any significance are achieved in isolation. There are always others who help us
rise to—and exceed—our potential in nearly everything we do. I am delighted to acknowledge and
thank those whose contributions and support are responsible for the book you are now reading.
This was the second book I wrote with McGraw-Hill, and I could not ask for a better team of
­editors, managers, and publishers to work with. I am indebted to Nancy Huebner, Laura Young,
Sally Constable, Lisa Pinto, Lisa Bruflodt, David Patterson, and Mike Ryan for the consistent,
­professional support I have received from each of them. I’m also grateful for the excellent con-
tributions of Janet Byrne Smith, Samantha Donisi-Hamm, and Jennifer Shekelton to the digital
components available for the book in Connect.
Ann Kirby-Payne is a development editor par excellence. She made nearly every word of this
book more interesting, more relevant, and more compelling than it was when I wrote it. I have
been exceedingly grateful for her insights, her humor, and her patience throughout this revision
process.
Special thanks go out to the team behind the scenes who built and continue to maintain
speech assignment/video submission assignment functionality on Connect: Irina Blokh-Reznik,
Vijay Kapu, Swathi Malathi, Rishi Mehta, Bob Myers, Bhumi Patel, Dan Roenstch, Ayeesha Shaik,
Kapil Shrivastava, and Udaya Teegavarapu.
My students, colleagues, and administrators at the University of Arizona are a joy to work with
and a tremendous source of encouragement. Undertaking a project of this size can be daunting,
and it is so valuable to have a strong network of professional support on which to draw.
Finally, I am eternally grateful for the love and support of my family and my lifelong friends.
One needn’t be an expert on communication to understand how important close personal rela-
tionships are—but the more I learn about communication, the more appreciative I become of the
people who play those roles in my life. You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom
of my heart.

xxviii • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
my father’s sister, who lay felled to the ground, white as milk. Alas,
for the corpses unburied that cover the battle-field, a whole people
collected together in one burial place. Not Troy alone bewails her
destruction, the land of Thüringen has experienced a like carnage.
Here a matron in fetters is dragged away by her streaming hair,
unable to bid a sad farewell to her household gods. The captive is
not allowed to press his lips to the threshold, nor turn his face
towards what he will never more behold. Bare feet in their tread
trample in the blood of a husband, the loving sister passes over her
brother’s corpse. The child still hangs on its mother’s lips though
snatched from her embrace; in funeral wail no tear is shed. Less sad
is the fate of the child who loses its life, the gasping mother has lost
even the power of tears. Barbarian though I am, I could not surpass
the weeping though my tears flowed for ever. Each had his sorrow, I
had it all, my private grief was also the public grief. Fate was kind to
those whom the enemy cut down; I alone survive to weep over the
many. But not only do I sorrow for my dead relatives, those too I
deplore whom life has preserved. Often my tear-stained face is at
variance with my eyes; my murmurs are silenced, but my grief is
astir. I look and long for the winds to bring me a message, from
none of them comes there a sign. Hard fate has snatched from my
embrace the kinsman by whose loving presence I once was cheered.
Ah, though so far away, does not my solicitude pursue thee? has the
bitterness of misfortune taken away thy sweet love? Recall what
from thy earliest age upwards, O Hermalafred, I, Radegund, was
ever to thee. How much thou didst love me when I was but an
infant; O son of my father’s brother, O most beloved among those of
my kin! Thou didst supply for me the place of my dead father, of my
esteemed mother, of a sister and of a brother. Held by thy gentle
hand, hanging on thy sweet kisses, as a child I was soothed by thy
tender speech. Scarce a time there was when the hour did not bring
thee, now ages go by and I hear not a word from thee! I wrestle
with the wild anguish that is hidden in my bosom; oh, that I could
call thee back, friend, whenever or wherever it might be. If father, or
mother, or royal office has hitherto held thee, though thou didst
hasten now to me, thy coming is late. Perhaps ’tis a sign of fate that
I shall soon miss thee altogether, dearest, for unrequited affection
cannot long continue. I used to be anxious when one house did not
shelter us; when thou wast absent, I thought thee gone for ever.
Now the east holds thee as the west holds me; the ocean’s waters
restrain me, and thou art kept away from me by the sea reddened
by the beams of the sun (unda rubri). The earth’s expanse stretches
between those who are dear to each other, a world divides those
whom no distance separated before.’
She goes on to speculate where her cousin may be, and she says if
she were not held by her monastery she would go to him; storm and
wind and the thought of shipwreck would be nothing to her. The fear
of incriminating her, she says, was the cause of the death of her
murdered brother. Would that she had died instead of him! She
beseeches Hermalafred to send news of himself and of his sisters,
and ends her letter with these words: ‘May Christ grant my prayer,
may this letter reach those beloved ones, so that a letter indited with
sweet messages may come to me in return! May the sufferings
wrought by languishing hope be alleviated by the swift advent of
sure tidings!’
This poem expresses great and lasting affection for her race. But her
relatives were a source of continued grief to the queen. She received
no reply to her letter to Hermalafred, and later she heard of his
death. She received this news from his nephew Artachis, who sent
her at the same time a present of silk, and Radegund then wrote
another letter[187] which is addressed to Artachis and is even sadder
in tone. In it she deplores the death of Hermalafred, and asks the
boy Artachis to let her have frequent news of himself sent to her
monastery.
It is pleasant to turn from the sad side of Radegund’s life which
these poems exhibit to her friendly intercourse with Fortunatus,
which was no doubt a source of great comfort to her during the last
years of her life. With the exception of short intervals for journeys,
the Latin poet lived entirely at Poitiers, where he adopted the
religious profession, and dwelt in constant communication with
Radegund and the abbess Agnes, in whose society he learned to
forget the land of his birth. The numerous poems and verses which
he has addressed to these ladies throw a strong light on his attitude
towards them and their great affection for him.
Radegund was wont to decorate the altar of her church with a
profusion of flowers[188]. Again and again the poet sends her
flowers, accompanying his gift with a few lines. With a basket of
violets he sends the following[189]:
‘If the time of year had given me white lilies, or had offered me
roses laden with perfume, I had culled them as usual in the open or
in the ground of my small garden, and had sent them, small gifts to
great ladies. But since I am short of the first and wanting in the
second, he who offers violets must in love be held to bring roses.
Among the odorous herbs which I send, these purple violets have a
nobleness of their own. They shine tinted with purple which is regal,
and unite in their petals both perfume and beauty. What they
represent may you both exemplify, that by association a transient
gift may gain lasting worth.’
The interchange of gifts between the poet and the ladies was
mutual, the nuns of Ste Croix lacked not the good things of this
world and were generous in giving. Fortunatus thanks them for gifts
of milk, prunes, eggs, and tempting dishes[190]. On one occasion
they send him a meal of several courses, vegetables and meat,
almost too much for one servant to carry, and he describes his
greedy (gulosus) enjoyment of it in graphic terms[191]. Are we to
take the lines literally which tell us that when they entertained him
at dinner the table was scarcely visible for the roses with which it
was strewn, and that the foliage and flowers spread about made the
room into a bower of greenery[192]?
Sometimes a fit of indigestion was the result of the too liberal
enjoyment of what his friends so freely provided[193]. The poet was
evidently fond of the pleasures of the table, and accentuates the
material rather than the spiritual side of things. Once addressing
Agnes he tells her that she shines in the blending of two things, she
provides refreshment for the poet’s mind and excellent food for his
body[194].
But the 6th century poet is generally somewhat plain-spoken on
delicate topics. In a poem addressed to Radegund and Agnes he
openly defends himself against the imputation that the tone of his
relations to them is other than is signified by the terms mother and
sister by which he is wont to address them[195]. Still these platonic
relations do not preclude the use of expressions which border on the
amorous, for he tells them that they each possess one half of
him[196], and he calls Radegund the light of his eyes[197].
‘My dear mother, my sweet sister,’ he writes, ‘what shall I say, left
alone in the absence of the love of my heart[198]?...’ And again[199],
‘May a good night enfold my mother and my sister; this brings them
the good wishes of a son and a brother. May the choir of angels visit
your hearts and hold sweet converse with your thoughts. The time
of night forces me to be brief in my greetings; I am sending only six
lines of verse for you both!’
The vocabulary used to denote the different kinds of human
affection contains, no doubt, many terms common to all, and if the
poems of Fortunatus sometimes suggest the lover, it must be
remembered that as poems of friendship they are among the earliest
of their kind. They are throughout elegant, graceful, and
characterized by a playful tenderness which a translator must
despair of rendering.
Radegund died in the year 587, and her death was a terrible loss to
the inmates of her settlement. Gregory, bishop of Tours, who
officiated at the burial, gives a detailed description of it, telling how
some two hundred women crowded round the bier, bewailing her
death in such words as these[200]:
‘To whom, mother, hast thou left us orphans? To whom then shall we
turn in our distress? We left our parents, our relatives and our
homes, and we followed thee. What have we before us now, but
tears unceasing, and grief that never can end? Verily, this monastery
is to us more than the greatness of village and city.... The earth is
now darkened to us, this place has been straitened since we no
longer behold thy countenance. Woe unto us who are left by our
holy mother! Happy those who left this world whilst thou wast still
alive...!’
The nun Baudonivia says that she cannot speak of the death of
Radegund without sobs choking her. Her account was written some
time after Radegund’s death during the rule of the abbess Didimia to
whom it is dedicated; Didimia probably succeeded Leubover, who
witnessed the serious outbreak of the nuns at Poitiers. This outbreak
throws an interesting light on the temper of professed religious
women at this period, and illustrates how needful it was that a
religious establishment should be ruled by a woman of character and
determination at a time when the monastic system was only in its
infancy.

§ 3. The Revolt of the Nuns at Poitiers[201].

Convent Life in the North.
The revolt of the nuns at Poitiers, which happened within a few
years of the death of Radegund, shows more than anything else the
imperious and the unbridled passions that were to be found at this
period in a nunnery. Evidently the adoption of the religious
profession did not deter women from openly rebelling against the
authority of the ministers of the Church, and from carrying out their
purpose by force of arms. The outbreak at Poitiers, of which Gregory
has given a description, shows what proud, vindictive, and
unrelenting characters the Frankish convent of the 6th century
harboured.
Already during Radegund’s lifetime difficulties had arisen. King
Chilperic had placed his daughter Basina in the nunnery, and after a
time he asked that she should leave to be married. Radegund
refused and her authority prevailed, but we shall find this Basina
taking an active part in the rebellion. Other incidents show how
difficult it was for Radegund even to uphold discipline. A nun
escaped through a window by aid of a rope and, taking refuge in the
basilica of St Hilary, made accusations which Gregory, who was
summoned to enquire into the matter, declared to be unfounded.
The fugitive repented and was permitted to return to the nunnery;
she was hoisted up by means of ropes so that she might enter by
the way she had gone out. She asked to be confined in a cell apart
from the community, and there she remained in seclusion till the
news of the rebellion encouraged her to again break loose.
Agnes the abbess appointed by Radegund died in 589. The convent
chose a certain Leubover to succeed her, but this appointment
roused the ire of Chrodield, another inmate of the nunnery.
Chrodield held herself to be the daughter of King Charibert, and
relying on her near connection with royalty persuaded forty nuns to
take an oath that they would help her to remove the hated Leubover
and would appoint her, Chrodield, as abbess in her stead. Led by
Chrodield who had been joined by her cousin Basina, the daughter
of Chilperic mentioned above, the whole party left the nunnery. ‘I am
going to my royal relatives,’ Chrodield said, ‘to inform them of the
contumely we have experienced. Not as daughters of kings are we
treated but as though we were lowly born[202].’
Leaving Poitiers the women came to Tours where Chrodield applied
for assistance to the bishop and historian Gregory. In vain he
admonished her, promising to speak to Bishop Maroveus of Poitiers
in her behalf, and urging her to abide by his decision, as the penalty
might be excommunication.
The feeling of indignation in the women must have been strong,
since nothing he could say dissuaded them from their purpose.
‘Nothing shall prevent us from appealing to the kings,’ said
Chrodield, ‘to them we are nearly related.’
The women had come on foot from Poitiers to Tours, regardless of
hardships. They had had no food and arrived at a time of year when
the roads were deep in mud. Gregory at last persuaded them to
postpone their departure for the court till the summer.
Then Chrodield, leaving the nuns under the care of Basina,
continued her journey to her uncle, King Guntchram of Orléans, who
at the time was residing at Chalôns-sur-Saône. She was well
received by him and came back to Tours there to await the
convocation of bishops who were to enquire into the rights of her
case. But she found on her return that many of her followers had
disbanded, and some had married. The arrival too of the bishops
was delayed, so that she felt it expedient to return with her followers
to Poitiers where they took possession of the basilica of St Hilary.
They now prepared for open hostility. ‘We are queens,’ they said,
‘and we shall not return to the monastery unless the abbess is
deposed.’
At this juncture they were joined by other dissatisfied spirits,
‘murderers, adulterers, law-breakers and other wrong-doers,’ as
Gregory puts it[203]. The nun too who had previously escaped and
been taken back, now broke loose from her cell and returned to the
basilica of Hilary.
The bishop of Bordeaux and his suffragan bishops of Angoulême,
Perigueux, and Poitiers, now assembled by order of the king
(Guntchram), and called upon the women to come into the
monastery, and on their refusal the prelates entered the basilica of
St Hilary in a body urging them to obey. The women refused, and
the ban of excommunication was pronounced, upon which they and
their followers attacked the prelates. In great fear the bishops and
clergy made off helter-skelter, not even pausing to bid each other
farewell. One deacon was so terrified that in his eagerness to get
away he did not even ride down to the ford, but plunged with his
horse straight into the river.
King Childebert († 596), the son and successor of King Sigebert, now
ordered Count Macco to put an end to the rebellion by force of arms,
while Gondegisel, bishop of Bordeaux, sent a circular letter to his
brethren, describing the indignity to which he had been exposed.
Chrodield’s chance of success was evidently dwindling, when she
determined to carry her point by a bold assault, the account of
which may fitly stand in the words of Gregory[204].
‘The vexations,’ he says, ‘which sown by the devil had sprung up in
the monastery at Poitiers, daily increased in troublesomeness. For
Chrodield, having collected about her, as mentioned above, a band
of murderers, wrong-doers, law-breakers, and vagrants of all kinds,
dwelt in open revolt and ordered her followers to break into the
nunnery at night and forcibly to bear off the abbess. But the abbess,
on hearing the noise of their approach, asked to be carried in front
of the shrine of the Holy Cross, for she was suffering from a gouty
foot, and thought that the Holy Cross would serve her as a
protection in danger. The armed bands rushed in, ran about the
monastery by the light of a torch in search of the abbess, and
entering the oratory found her extended on the ground in front of
the shrine of the Holy Cross. Then one of them, more audacious
than the rest, while about to commit the impious deed of cutting her
down with his sword, was stabbed by another, through the
intercession I believe of Divine Providence. He fell in his own blood
and did not carry out the intention he had impiously formed.
Meanwhile the prioress Justina, together with other sisters, spread
the altar-cover, which lay before the cross, over the abbess, and
extinguished the altar candles. But those who rushed in with bared
swords and lances tore her clothes, almost lacerated the hands of
the nuns, and carried off the prioress whom they mistook for the
abbess in the darkness, and, with her cloak dragged off and her hair
coming down, they would have given her into custody at the basilica
of St Hilary. But as they drew near the church, and the sky grew
somewhat lighter, they saw she was not the abbess and told her to
go back to the monastery. Coming back themselves they secured the
real abbess, dragged her away, and placed her in custody near the
basilica of St Hilary in a place where Basina was living, and placed a
watch over her by the door that no one should come to her rescue.
Then in the dark of night they returned to the monastery and not
being able to find a light, set fire to a barrel which they took from
the larder and which had been painted with tar and was now dry. By
the light of the bonfire they kindled, they plundered the monastery
of all its contents, leaving nothing but what they could not carry off.
This happened seven days before Easter.’
The bishop of Poitiers made one more attempt to interfere. He sent
to Chrodield and asked her to set the abbess free on pain of his
refusing to celebrate the Easter festival. ‘If you do not release her,’
he said, ‘I shall bring her help with the assembled citizens.’ But
Chrodield emboldened by her success said to her followers: ‘If
anyone dare come to her rescue, slay her.’
She seems now to have been in possession of the monastery; still
we find defection among her party. Basina, who throughout had
shown a changeable disposition, repented and went to the
imprisoned Leubover, who received her with open arms. The
bishops, mindful of the treatment they had received, still refused to
assemble in Poitiers while the state of affairs continued. But Count
Macco with his armed bands made an attack on the women and
their followers, causing ‘some to be beaten down, others struck
down by spears, and those who made most strenuous opposition to
be cut down by the sword.’
Chrodield came forth from the nunnery holding on high the relic of
the Cross; ‘Do not, I charge you, use force of arms against me,’ she
cried, ‘I am a queen, daughter to one king and cousin to another. Do
not attack me, a time may come when I will take my revenge.’ But
no one took any notice of her. Her followers were dragged from the
monastery and severely chastised. The bishops assembled and
instituted a long enquiry into the grievances of Chrodield, and the
accusations brought against Leubover by her. They seem to have
been unfounded or insignificant. Leubover justified herself and
returned to the monastery. Chrodield and Basina left Poitiers and
went to the court of King Childebert.
At the next Church convocation the king tendered a request that
these women should be freed from the ban of excommunication.
Basina asked forgiveness and was allowed to return to the
monastery. But the proud Chrodield declared that she would not set
foot there while the abbess Leubover remained in authority. She
maintained her independence and went to live in a ‘villa’ which the
king had granted her, and from that time she passes from the stage
of history.
The revolt of the nuns at Poitiers, which for two years defied the
efforts of churchmen and laymen, is the more noteworthy in that it
does not stand alone. Within a year we find a similar outbreak
threatening the nunnery at Tours where a certain Berthegund,
similarly disappointed of becoming abbess, collected malefactors and
others about her and resorted to violent measures. The
circumstances, which are also described by Gregory, differ in some
respects from those of the insurrection at Ste Croix[205].
Ingetrud, the mother of Berthegund, had founded a nunnery at
Tours close to the church of St Martin, and she urged her daughter,
who was married, to come and live with her. When Berthegund did
so, her husband appealed to Gregory, who threatened her with
excommunication if she persisted in her resolve. She returned to her
husband, but subsequently left him again and sent for advice to her
brother who was bishop of Bordeaux. He decreed that she need not
live with her husband if she preferred convent life. But when this
bishop of Bordeaux died, his sister Berthegund and her mother
Ingetrud quarrelled as to the inheritance of his property, and
Ingetrud, much incensed against her daughter, determined at least
to keep from Berthegund her own possessions at the nunnery and
succession to her position there. She therefore appointed a niece of
hers to succeed her as abbess after her death. When she died the
convent of nuns looked upon this appointment as an infringement of
their rights, but Gregory persuaded them to keep quiet and abide by
the decision of their late abbess. Berthegund however would not
agree to it. Against the advice of the bishop she appealed to the
authority of King Childebert, who admitted her claim to the property.
‘Furnished with his letter she came to the monastery and carried off
all the moveable property, leaving nothing but its bare walls,’
Gregory says. Afterwards she settled at Poitiers, where she spoke
evil of her cousin the abbess of Tours, and altogether ‘she did so
much evil it were difficult to tell of it all.’
From the consideration of these events in central France we turn to
the religious foundations for women in the northern districts. With
the beginning of the 7th century a change which directly influenced
convent life becomes apparent in the relations between the Frankish
rulers and the representatives of Christianity. Influential posts at
court were more and more frequently occupied by prelates of the
Church, and kings and queens acted more directly as patrons of
churches and monasteries. Hitherto the centres of religious influence
had been in southern and central France, where the Gallo-Frankish
population and influence predominated, and where monasteries
flourished close to cities which had been strongholds of the Roman
system of administration. New religious settlements now grew up
north of the rivers Seine and Marne, where the pure Frankish
element prevailed and where Christianity regained its foothold owing
to the patronage of ruling princes.
Whatever had survived of Latin culture and civilisation in these
districts had disappeared before the influence of the heathen
invaders; the men whose work it was to re-evangelise these districts
found few traces of Christianity. Vedast (St Vaast, † 540), who was
sent by bishop Remigius (St Rémy) of Rheims ( † 532) into the
marshy districts of Flanders, found no Christians at Arras about the
year 500, and only the ruins of one ancient church, which he
rebuilt[206]. The author of the life of Vedast gives the ravages made
in these districts by the Huns as the reason for the disappearance of
Latin culture and of Christianity. But the author of the life of
Eleutherius, bishop of Tournai († 531), holds that the Christians had
fled from these districts to escape from the inroads of the heathen
Franks[207].
It was chiefly by the foundation of monasteries in these districts that
Christianity gained ground during the 7th century. ‘Through the
establishment of monasteries,’ says Gérard[208], ‘the new social order
gained a foothold in the old Salic lands.’ Among the names of those
who took an active part in this movement stand the following:
Wandregisil (St Vandrille, † 665) founder of the abbey of Fontenelle;
Waneng ( † c. 688) founder of Fécamp; Filibert ( † 684) founder of
Jumièges; Eligius bishop of Noyon († 658) and Audoenus (St Ouen,
† 683) archbishop of Rouen. These men were in direct contact with
the court and were much patronised by the ruling princes, especially
by the holy queen Balthild. Early and reliable accounts concerning
most of them are extant[209].
With regard to political events the 7th century is the most obscure
period of Frankish history, for the history of Gregory of Tours comes
to an end in 591. Feuds and quarrels as violent as those he depicts
continued, and important constitutional changes took place as their
result. The vast dominions brought under Frankish rule showed signs
of definitely crystallising into Austrasia which included the purely
Frankish districts of the north, and Burgundy and Neustria where
Gallo-Frankish elements were prevalent.
The latter half of the life of the famous Queen Brunihild[210] takes its
colouring from the rivalry between these kingdoms; during fifty
years she was one of the chief actors in the drama of Frankish
history. At one time she ruled conjointly with her son Childebert, and
then as regent for her grandsons, over whom she domineered
greatly. In the year 613, when she was over eighty years old, she
was put to a cruel death by the nobles of Austrasia.
The judgments passed on this queen are curiously contradictory.
Pope Gregory ( † 604) writes to her praising her great zeal in the
cause of religion, and thanks her for the protection she has afforded
to Augustine on his passage through France, which he considers a
means to the conversion of England[211]. On the other hand the
author of the life of St Columban[212], whom she expelled from
Burgundy, calls her a very Jezebel[213]; and the author of the life of
Desiderius, who was murdered in 608, goes so far as to accuse her
of incestuous practices because of her marriage with her husband’s
nephew[214]. Indirect evidence is in favour of the conclusion that
Queen Brunihild disliked monasticism; she was by birth of course a
princess of the Gothic dynasty of Spain who had accepted
Christianity in its Arian form.
During the reign of Brunihild’s nephew Clothacar II ( † 628), under
whose rule the different provinces were for a time united, a
comprehensive and most interesting edict was issued, which affords
an insight into the efforts made to give stability to the relations
between princes and the representatives of religion. In this edict,
under heading 18, we are told that ‘no maidens, holy widows or
religious persons who are vowed to God, whether they stay at home
or live in monasteries, shall be enticed away, or appropriated, or
taken in marriage by making use of a special royal permit
(praeceptum). And if anyone surreptitiously gets hold of a permit, it
shall have no force. And should anyone by violent or other means
carry off any such woman and take her to wife, let him be put to
death. And if he be married in church and the woman who is
appropriated, or who is on the point of being appropriated, seems to
be a consenting party, they shall be separated, sent into exile, and
their possessions given to their natural heirs[215].’
From these injunctions it can be gathered that the re-adjustment of
social and moral relations was still in progress; women who were
vowed to a religious life did not necessarily dwell in a religious
settlement, and even if they did so they were not necessarily safe
from being captured and thrown into subjection. Clothacar II had
three wives at the same time and concubines innumerable; plurality
of wives was indeed a prerogative of these Frankish kings.
Monastic life in northern France at this period was also in process of
development. It has been mentioned how Radegund adopted the
rule of life framed and put into writing by Caesarius at Arles. The
rule contemporaneously instituted by Benedict at Nursia in central
Italy spread further and further northwards, and was advocated by
prelates of the Romish Church. It served as the model on which to
reform the life of existing settlements[216].
During the first few centuries religious houses and communities had
been founded here and there independently of each other, the mode
of life and the routine observed depending in each case directly on
the founder. Many and great were the attempts made by the
advocates of convent life to formulate the type of an ideal existence
outside the pale of social duties and family relations, in which piety,
work and benevolence should be blended in just proportions. The
questions how far the prelates of the Church should claim authority
over the monastery, and what the respective positions of abbot or
abbess and bishop should be, led to much discussion.
During the period under consideration the rules drafted by different
leaders of monastic thought were not looked upon as mutually
exclusive. We are told in the life of Filibert ( † 684), written by a
contemporary[217], that he made selections from ‘the graces of St
Basil, the rule of Macarius, the decrees of Benedict and the holy
institutions of Columban.’ Eligius, bishop of Noyon, says in a charter
which he drafted for the monastery founded by him at Solemny that
the inmates of the settlement shall follow the rules of St Benedict
and of St Columban[218].
Towards the close of the 6th century Columban came from Ireland
into France and northern Italy and founded a number of religious
settlements. What rule of life the inmates of these houses followed
is not quite clear, probably that drafted by Columban. The convents
in Elsass, Switzerland and Germany, which considered that they
owed their foundation to Irish monks, were numerous and later
became obnoxious to the Church in many ways. For in after years,
when the feud arose between the Romish and the Irish Churches
and the latter insisted on her independence, the houses founded by
Irishmen also claimed freedom and remained separate from those
which accepted the rule of St Benedict.
The property granted to religious foundations in northern France
went on increasing throughout the 7th century. The amount of land
settled on churches and monasteries by princes of the Merovech
dynasty was so great that on Roth’s computation two-thirds of the
soil of France was at one time in the hands of the representatives of
religion[219]. Under the will of Dagobert, who first became king of
Austrasia in 628 and afterwards of the whole of France, large tracts
were given away. Through the gifts of this king the abbey of St
Denis became the richest in France, and his great liberality on the
one hand towards the Church, on the other towards the poor and
pilgrims, is emphasized by his biographer. His son Chlodwig II, king
of Neustria and Burgundy, followed in his footsteps. He was a prince
of feeble intellect and his reign is remarkable for the power
increasingly usurped by the house-mayor, who grasped more and
more at the substance of royal authority while dispensing with its
show.
Chlodwig II was married to Balthild, who is esteemed a saint on the
strength of the monastery she founded and of the gifts she made to
the Church. There are two accounts of her works; the second is
probably a re-written amplification of the first, which was drafted
within a short period of her death[220]. As these accounts were
written from the religious standpoint, they give scant information on
the political activity and influence of the queen, which were
considerable. They dwell chiefly on her gifts, and concern the latter
part of her life when she was in constant communication with her
nunnery.
Balthild was of Anglo-Saxon origin, and her personality and activity
form the connecting link between the women of France and
England. It is supposed that she was descended from one of the
noble families of Wessex, and she favoured all those religious
settlements which were in direct connection with princesses of the
Anglo-Saxon race.
She had been captured on the north coast of France and had been
brought to Paris as a slave by the house-mayor Erchinoald, who
would have married her, but she escaped and hid herself. Her beauty
and attractions are described as remarkable, and she found favour in
the eyes of King Chlodwig II who made her his wife. The excesses of
this king were so great that he became imbecile. Balthild with
Erchinoald’s help governed the kingdom during the remainder of her
husband’s life and after his death in the interest of her little sons.
From a political point of view she is described as ‘administering the
affairs of the kingdom masculine wise and with great strength of
mind.’ She was especially energetic in opposing slavery and forbade
the sale of Christians in any part of France. No doubt this was due to
her own sad experience. She also abolished the poll-tax, which had
been instituted by the Romans. The Frankish kings had carried it on
and depended on it for part of their income. Its abolition is referred
to as a most important and beneficial change[221].
During the lifetime of Chlodwig and for some years after his death
the rule of Balthild seems to have been comparatively peaceful. The
house-mayor Erchinoald died in 658 and was succeeded by Ebruin, a
man whose unbounded personal ambition again plunged the realm
into endless quarrels. In his own interest Ebruin advocated the
appointment of a separate king to the province Austrasia, and the
second of Balthild’s little sons was sent there with the house-mayor
Wulfoald. But the rivalry between the two kingdoms soon added
another dramatic chapter to the pages of Frankish history. At one
time we find Ebruin ruling supreme and condemning his rival
Leodgar, bishop of Autun, to seclusion in the monastery of Luxeuil.
An insurrection broke out and Ebruin himself was tonsured and cast
into Luxeuil. But his chief antagonist Leodgar was murdered. Ebruin
was then set free and again became house-mayor to one of the
shadow kings, rois fainéants, the unworthy successors of the great
Merovech. His career throughout reflected the tumultuous temper of
the age; he was finally assassinated in the year 680.
Queen Balthild had retired from political life long before this. She left
the court in consequence of an insurrection in Paris which led to the
assassination of Bishop Sigoberrand, and went to live at a palace
near the convent of Chelles, which she had founded and which she
frequently visited. In the account of her life we read of her doing
many pious deeds[222]. ‘A fond mother, she loved the nuns like her
own daughters and obeyed as her mother the holy abbess whom
she had herself appointed; and in every respect she did her duty not
like a mistress but like a faithful servant. Also with the humility of a
strong mind she served as an example; she did service herself as
cook to the nuns, she looked after cleanliness,—and, what can I say
more,—the purest of pearls, with her own hands she removed filth’s
impurities....’
At various times of her life Balthild had been in friendly intercourse
with many of the chief prelates and religious dignitaries of the day.
She had taken a special interest in Eligius, bishop of Noyon, who
was a Frank by birth and the friend and adviser of King Dagobert.
We hear how Eligius took a special interest in monastic life; how at
Paris he collected together three hundred women, some of whom
were slaves, others of noble origin; how he placed them under the
guidance of one Aurea; and how at Noyon also he gathered together
many women[223].
On receiving the news that Eligius was dying, Balthild hurried with
her sons to Noyon, but they came too late to see him. So great was
her love for him, that she would have borne away his body to
Chelles, her favourite settlement, but her wish was miraculously
frustrated. The writer of the life of Eligius tells that the holy man’s
body became so heavy that it was impossible to move it.
When Eligius appointed Aurea as president of his convent at Paris
she was living in a settlement at Pavilly which had been founded by
Filibert, an ecclesiastic also associated with Queen Balthild. On one
occasion she sent him as an offering her royal girdle, which is
described as a mass of gold and jewels[224]. It was on land granted
to him by Balthild and her sons that Filibert founded Jumièges,
where he collected together as many as nine hundred monks. At his
foundation at Pavilly over three hundred women lived together under
the abbess Ansterbert[225].
It is recorded that Ansterbert and her mother Framehild were among
the women of northern France who came under the influence of
Irish teachers. The same is said of Fara ( † 657)[226], the reputed
founder of a house at Brie, which was known as Faremoutiers,
another settlement indebted to Queen Balthild’s munificence.
Similarly Agilbert and Theodohild[227] ( † c. 660) are supposed to
have been taught by Irish teachers who had collected women about
them at Jouarre on the Marne. This house at Jouarre attained a high
standard of excellence in regard to education, for we are informed
that Balthild summoned Berthild[228] from here, a woman renowned
for her learning, and appointed her abbess over the house at
Chelles.
Yet another ecclesiastic must be mentioned in connection with
Balthild, viz. Waneng, a Frank by birth. He was counsellor for some
time to the queen who gave the cantle of Normandy, the so-called
Pays de Caux, into his charge. He again founded a settlement for
religious women at Fécamp which was presided over by
Hildemarque.
The foundation and growth of so many religious settlements within
so short a period and situated in a comparatively small district shows
that the taste for monastic life was rapidly developing among the
Franks.
‘At this period in the provinces of Gaul,’ says a contemporary writer,
‘large communities of monks and of virgins were formed, not only in
cultivated districts, in villages, cities and strongholds, but also in
uncultivated solitudes, for the purpose of living together according to
the rule of the holy fathers Benedict and Columban[229].’
This statement is taken from the life of Salaberg, a well written
composition which conveys the impression of truthfulness. Salaberg
had brought up her daughter Anstrud for the religious life. Her
husband had joined the monastery at Luxeuil and she and other
women were about to settle near it when the rumour of impending
warfare drove them north towards Laon where they dwelt on the
Mons Clavatus. This event belongs to the period of Queen Balthild’s
regency. It was while Anstrud was abbess at Laon that the
settlement was attacked and barely escaped destruction in one of
the wars waged by the house-mayor Ebruin. This event is described
in a contemporary life of Anstrud[230].
It is interesting to find a connection growing up at this period
between the religious houses of northern France and the women of
Anglo-Saxon England. We learn from the reliable information
supplied by Bede that Englishwomen frequently went abroad and
sometimes settled entirely in Frankish convents. We shall return to
this subject later in connection with the princesses of Kent and East
Anglia, some of whom went to France and there became abbesses.
The house at Brie was ruled successively by Saethrith (St Syre), and
Aethelburg (St Aubierge), daughters of kings of East Anglia, and
Earcongotha, a daughter of the king of Kent. About the same time
Hereswith, a princess of Northumbria, came to reside at Chelles[231].
We do not know how far the immigration of these women was due
to Balthild’s connection with the land of her origin, nor do we hear
whether she found solace in the society of her countrywomen during
the last years of her life. Her death is conjectured to have taken
place in 680.
With it closes the period which has given the relatively largest
number of women-saints to France, for all the women who by
founding nunneries worked in the interests of religion have a place
in the assembly of the saints. They were held as benefactors in the
districts which witnessed their efforts, and the day of their death
was inscribed in the local calendar. They have never been officially
canonised, but they all figure in the Roman Martyrology, and the
accounts which tell of their doings have been incorporated in the
Acts of the Saints.
 CHAPTER III.
CONVENTS AMONG THE ANGLO-SAXONS, A.D. 630-
730.
‘Ecce catervim glomerant ad bella phalanges
Justitiae comites et virtutum agmina sancta.’
Ealdhelm, De laude Virginum.

§ 1. Early Houses in Kent.

The early history of the convent life of women in Anglo-Saxon
England is chiefly an account of foundations. Information on the
establishment of religious settlements founded and presided over by
women is plentiful, but well-nigh a century went by before women
who had adopted religion as a profession gave any insight into their
lives and characters through writings of their own. The women who
founded monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England have generally been
raised to the rank of saint.
‘In the large number of convents as well as in the names of female
saints among the Anglo-Saxons,’ says Lappenberg[232], ‘we may
recognise the same spirit which attracted the notice of the Roman
army among the ancient Germans, and was manifested in the
esteem and honour of women generally, and in the special influence
exercised by the priestess.’
A great proportion of the women who founded religious houses were
members of ruling families. From the first it was usual for a princess
to receive a grant of land from her husband on the occasion of her
marriage, and this land together with what she inherited from her
father she could dispose of at will. She often devoted this property
to founding a religious house where she established her daughters,
and to which she retired either during her husband’s lifetime or after
his death. The great honour paid by Christianity to the celibate life
and the wide field of action opened to a princess in a religious house
were strong inducements to the sisters and daughters of kings to
take the veil.
We have trustworthy information about many of the Anglo-Saxon
women who founded and presided over religious settlements and
whom posterity reverenced as saints; for their work has been
described by writers who either knew them, or gained their
information from those who did. But there are other women whose
names only are mentioned in charters, or correspondence, or in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Historians however welcome such references
as chronological evidence and as proofs of these women’s real
existence; without them they would have nothing to rely upon but
accounts dating from a later period and often consisting of little
more than a series of incidents strung together in order to explain
the miracles with which the saints’ relics were locally credited. There
is a certain similarity between these later accounts and those we
have of pseudo-saints, but they differ from those of an earlier date,
for the writers of the 8th and 9th centuries were not actuated like
those of a later period by the desire to give a miraculous rendering
of fact. Bede († 735) stands pre-eminent among the earlier writers,
and our admiration for him increases as we discover his immense
superiority to other early historians.
Most of the women who were honoured as saints in England belong
to the first hundred years after the acceptance of Christianity in
these islands. A few other women have been revered as saints who
lived in the 10th century and came under the influence of the
monastic revival which is associated with the name of Dunstan ( †
988). But no woman living during Anglo-Norman times has been
thus honoured, for the desire to raise women to saintship was
essentially Anglo-Saxon and was strongest in the times which
immediately followed the acceptance of Christianity.
It was more than two hundred years after the Anglo-Saxons first set
foot on British shores that they accepted Christianity. The struggles
between them and the inhabitants of the island had ended in the
recognised supremacy of the invaders, and bands of heathen
Germans, settling at first near the shore, for the sake of the open
country, had gradually made their way up the fruitful valleys and into
adjoining districts till they covered the land with a network of
settlements. After the restlessness of invasion and warfare the
Anglo-Saxons settled down to domestic life and agriculture, for
compared with the British they were eminently tillers of the soil.
Under their régime the cities built by the Romans and the British
fastnesses alike fell into decay. The Anglo-Saxons dwelt in villages,
and the British either lived there in subservience to them or else
retired into districts of their own which were difficult of access.
The re-introduction of Christianity into these islands is associated
with the name of Pope Gregory. Zealous and resolute in his efforts to
strengthen the papal power by sending forth missionaries who were
devoted to him, he watched his opportunity to gain a foothold for
the faith in Kent.
Tradition connects the first step in this direction with the name of a
Frankish princess, and Bede in his Church History tells how the
marriage of Berhta, daughter of King Charibert of Paris (561-567), to
King Aethelberht of Kent (586-616) brought an ecclesiastic to
Canterbury who took possession of the ancient British church of St
Martin: this event was speedily followed by the arrival of other
ecclesiastics from Rome, who travelled across France under the
leadership of Augustine.
At the time of Augustine’s arrival the position of Kent was threatened
by the growing supremacy of Northumbria. Through the activity both
of Aethelfrith ( † 617) and of Eadwin his successor, the land
extending from the Humber to the Firth of Forth had been united
under one rule; Northumbria was taking the lead among the petty
kingdoms which had been formed in different parts of the island.
The king of Kent strengthened his independent position by accepting
the faith which had proved propitious to the Franks and by entering
into alliance with his neighbours across the Channel; and it was no
doubt with a view to encouraging peaceful relations with the north
that Aethelburg the daughter of Aethelberht and Berhta was given in
marriage to King Eadwin of Northumbria during the reign of her
brother Eadbald (616-640).
Again the marriage of a Christian princess was made an occasion for
extending the faith; an ecclesiastic as usual followed in her train.
Paulinus, the Roman chaplain who came north with Aethelburg, after
various incidents picturesquely set forth by Bede, overcame King
Eadwin’s reluctance to embrace Christianity and prevailed upon him
to be baptized at York with other members of his household on
Easter day in the year 627. The event was followed by an influx of
Christians into that city, for British Christianity had receded before
the heathen Angles, but it still had strongholds in the north and was
on the alert to regain lost ground. The city of York, during Roman
rule, had been of great importance in affairs of administration. The
Roman Eboracum nearly died out to arise anew as Anglian Eoforwic.
King Eadwin recognised Paulinus as bishop and a stone church was
begun on part of the ground now occupied by the Minster[233].
Bede loves to dwell on the story of this conversion, which was
endeared to all devout churchmen by many associations. Eanflaed,
the child of Eadwin and Aethelburg, whose baptism was its
immediate cause, was afterwards a staunch supporter of Roman
versus British Church tendencies. She was the patron of Wilfrith, in
his time the most zealous advocate of the supremacy of Rome.
Among the members of Eadwin’s household who were baptized on
the same Easter day in 627 was Hild, a girl of fourteen, who
afterwards became abbess of Whitby. She was grand-niece to
Eadwin through her father Hereric, who had been treacherously
made away with; her mother Beorhtswith and her sister Hereswith
were among the early converts to Christianity. Hereswith afterwards
married a king of the Angles, and at a later period was living in the
Frankish settlement of Chelles (Cala), where her sister Hild at one
time thought of joining her. Nothing is known of the life of Hild
between the ages of fourteen and thirty-four, but evidently she had
not dwelt in obscure retirement, for the Scottish prelate Aidan in
647, knowing that she was living in the midlands, begged her to
return to the north. It is a noteworthy circumstance if, in an age
when marriage was the rule, she remained single without taking the
veil, but she may have been associated with some religious
settlement[234].
It was only a few years after the acceptance of Christianity at York
that the days of King Eadwin’s reign, ‘when a woman with her babe
might walk scatheless from sea to sea,’ came to an abrupt close.
Eadwin was slain in 633 at the battle of Hatfield, a victim to the
jealousy of the British king Caedwalla, who combined with the
heathen king Penda of Mercia against him. Queen Aethelburg with
her children and Paulinus fled from York to the coast and went by
sea to Kent, where they were welcomed by her brother King Eadbald
and by Archbishop Honorius.
At the beginning of his reign Eadbald of Kent had been in conflict
with the Church owing to his marriage with his father’s relict, a
heathen wife whom Aethelberht had taken to himself after the death
of Berhta. It is characteristic of the position held at first by Christian
prelates in England that they depended entirely on the ruling prince
for their position. Paulinus fled from York at the death of Eadwin,
and Eadbald’s adherence to heathen customs temporarily drove the
Kentish prelate abroad. The king of Kent had, however, found it well
to repudiate his heathen wife and to take a Christian princess of the
Franks in her stead. This act restored him to the goodwill of his
prelate, who returned to English shores.
Eadbald had settled a piece of land at Folkestone on his daughter
Eanswith, and there about the year 630 she founded what is held to
be the first religious settlement for women in Anglo-Saxon
England[235]. The fact of this foundation is undisputed, but all we
know of Eanswith’s life is in the account given of her by Capgrave,
an Augustinian monk who lived in the 15th century[236]. He tells us
how she went to live at Folkestone and how a king of Northumbria
wished to marry her, but as the king was a heathen, she made their
union conditional on his prevailing upon his gods to manifest their
power by miraculously lengthening a beam. In this he failed and
consequently departed. There follows a description how Eanswith
made a stream to flow ‘againste the hylle,’ from Smelton, a mile
distant from Folkestone, possibly by means of a well-levelled water
conduit. Capgrave also describes how she enforced the payment of
tithes.
Eanswith’s settlement was in existence at the close of the century,
when it was destroyed or deserted during the viking invasion. A
charter of King Athelstane dated 927 gives the land where ‘stood the
monastery and abbey of holy virgins and where also St Eanswith lies
buried’ to Christ Church, Canterbury, the house having been
destroyed by the ‘Pagans[237].’ Capgrave says that its site was
swallowed by the sea, perhaps in one of the landslips common to
the coast; the holy woman’s relics were then transferred to the
church of St Peter. A church at Folkestone is dedicated conjointly to
St Mary and St Eanswith, and a church at Brensett in Kent is
dedicated solely to her[238].
Queen Aethelburg coming from the north also settled in Kent at a
place called Liming[239]. Bede knows nothing of her after her
departure from the north, and we have to depend on Canterbury
traditions for information concerning her and the religious house she
founded. Gocelin, a monk of Flanders who came into Kent in the
11th century, describes Queen Aethelburg as ‘building and upraising
this temple at Liming, and obtaining the first name there and a
remarkable burial-place in the north porch against the south wall of
the church covered with an arch[240].’ Modern research has shown
that the buildings at Liming were so arranged as to contain a
convent of monks as well as of nuns. The church is of Roman
masonry and may have been built out of the fragments of a villa,
such as the Anglo-Saxons frequently adapted to purposes of their
own, or it may have been a Roman basilica restored.
Queen Aethelburg, foundress of Liming, is not usually reckoned a
saint; she has no day[241] and collections of saints’ lives generally
omit her. The identity of name between her and Aethelburg ( † c.
676), abbess of Barking at a somewhat later date, has caused some
confusion between them[242]. Gocelin mentions that both Queen
Aethelburg and ‘St Eadburga’ were buried at Liming[243]. A well lying
to the east of the church at Liming is to this day called St
Ethelburga’s well, and she is commonly held to be identical with
Queen Aethelburg[244].
At a somewhat later date another religious settlement for women
was founded at Sheppey in Kent by Queen Sexburg, the wife of
Earconberht of Kent (640-664), the successor of Eadbald. We know
little of the circumstances of the foundation[245]. Sexburg was a
princess of East Anglia, where Christianity had been accepted owing
to the influence of King Eadwin of Northumbria[246] and where direct
relations with France had been established.
‘For at that time,’ says Bede, writing of these districts[247], ‘there
being not yet many monasteries built in the region of the Angles,
many were wont, for the sake of the monastic mode of life, to go
from Britain to the monasteries of the Franks and of Gaul; they also
sent their daughters to the same to be instructed and to be wedded
to the heavenly spouse, chiefly in the monasteries of Brie
(Faremoutiers), Chelles, and Andelys.’
Two princesses of Anglia, Saethrith and Aethelburg, who were sisters
or half-sisters to Sexburg, remained abroad and became in
succession abbesses of Brie as mentioned above. Sexburg’s daughter
Earcongotha also went there, and was promoted to the rank of
abbess. Both Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle speak in praise of
her. For her other daughter Eormenhild, who was married to
Wulfhere, king of Mercia, Queen Sexburg of Kent founded the house
at Sheppey; she herself went to live at Ely in her sister Aethelthrith’s
convent.
The statement of Bede that women at this time went abroad for
their education is borne out by the traditional records of Mildthrith,
first abbess of a religious settlement in Thanet which rose to
considerable importance[248]. A huge mass of legend supplements
the few historical facts we know of Mildthrith, whose influence,
judging from the numerous references to her and her widespread
cult, was greater than that of any other English woman-saint.
Several days in the Calendar are consecrated to her, and the site
where her relics had been deposited was made a subject of
controversy in the 11th century. As late as 1882 we find that some
of her relics were brought from Deventer in Holland to Thanet, and
that Pope Leo XIII granted a plenary indulgence on the
occasion[249]. Churches in London, Oxford, Canterbury and other
places are dedicated to St Mildred[250], and Capgrave, William of
Malmesbury and others give details of her story, which runs as
follows:
Her mother Eormenburg, sometimes called Domneva, was married
to Merewald, prince of Hacanos, a district in Herefordshire. King
Ecgberht (664-673) of Kent gave her some land in Thanet as a
blood-fine for the murder of her two young brothers, and on it she
founded a monastery. She asked for as much land as her tame deer
could run over in one course, and received over ten thousand acres
of the best land in Kent[251].
Besides Mildthrith Eormenburg had two daughters, Mildburg and
Mildgith, and a boy, the holy child Merwin, who was translated to
heaven in his youth. Mildburg presided over a religious house at
Wenlock in Shropshire, and her legend contains picturesque traits
but little trustworthy information[252]. We know even less of the
other daughter Mildgith. It is doubtful whether she lived in Kent or in
the north, but she is considered a saint[253]. An ancient record says
that ‘St Mildgith lies in Northumbria where her miraculous powers
were often exhibited and still are,’ but it does not point out at what
place[254].
According to her legend, Mildthrith, by far the best known of the
sisters, was sent abroad to Chelles for her education, where the
abbess Wilcoma wished her to marry her kinsman, and on the girl’s
refusal cast her into a burning furnace from which she came forth
unharmed. The girl sent her mother a psalter she had written
together with a lock of her hair. She made her escape and arrived in
England, landing at Ebbsfleet. ‘As she descended from the ship to
the land and set her feet on a certain square stone the print of her
feet remained on it, most life-like, she not thinking anything; God so
accomplishing the glory of his handmaid. And more than that; the
dust that was scrapen off thence being drunk did cure sundry
diseases[255].’ It appears that a stone to which a superstitious
reverence was attached was walled into the Church of St Mildred in
Thanet.
Other incidents told of her influence are not without their humorous
side. One day a bell-ringer, forgetful of his duties, had dropped
asleep, when Mildthrith appeared to him and gave him a blow on the
ear, saying, ‘Understand, fellow, that this is an oratory to pray in, not
a dormitory to sleep in,’ and so vanished.
Thus writes the author of her legend. The fact remains that
Mildthrith was presiding over a settlement in Kent towards the close
of the 7th century. For in a charter of privileges granted between
696 and 716 by King Wihtred and Queen Werburg to the churches
and monasteries of Kent granting them security against interference,
her name is among those of the five lady abbesses who place their
signatures to the document.[256] These names stand after those of
the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of Rochester and are
as follows; ‘Mildritha, Aetheldritha, Aette, Wilnotha and Hereswytha.’
The settlements mentioned in the body of the charter[257] as being
subject to them are Upminstre (or Minstre) in Thanet, afterwards
known as St Mildred’s, Southminstre, a colony of Minstre,
Folkestone, Liming and Sheppey, the foundation of which has been
described.
Thus at the close of the 7th century there existed in the province of
Kent alone five religious settlements governed by abbesses who
added this title to their signatures, or who, judging from the place
given to them, ranked in dignity below the bishops but above the
presbyters (presbyteri), whose names follow theirs in the list. From
the wording of the charter we see that men who accepted the
tonsure and women who received the veil were at this time classed
together. Those who set their signatures to the charter agreed that
neither abbot nor abbess should be appointed without the consent
of a prelate.
The charter is the more valuable as it establishes the existence of
the Kentish convents and their connection with each other at a
period when we have only fragmentary information about the
religious houses in the south. We must turn to the north for fuller
information as to the foundation and growth of religious settlements
presided over by women during the early Christian period.

§ 2. The Monastery at Whitby[258].

A temporary collapse of the Christian faith had followed the death of
King Eadwin of Northumbria, but the restoration of King Oswald,
who was not so strong as his predecessor in administrative power
but whose religious fervour was greater, had given it a new impulse
and a new direction.
Oswald had passed some time of his life in Iona or Hii, the great
Scottish religious settlement and the stronghold of British Christianity
in the Hebrides. Here he had made friends with the ecclesiastic
Aidan, who became his staunch supporter. Soon after his accession
Oswald summoned a monk from Iona ‘to minister the word of the
faith to himself and to his people,’ and when it was found that the
monk made no progress, Aidan was moved to go among the Angles
himself. In preference to York he chose the island Lindisfarne for his
headquarters, but he spent much of his time with Oswald, helping
him to set the practice and teaching of religion on a firmer footing.
It was during this part of Aidan’s career that he consecrated
Heiu[259], according to Bede ‘the first woman who took the vow and
the habit of a nun in the province of Northumbria.’ Heiu presided
over a congregation of women at Hartlepool in Durham, from which
she removed to Calcaria of the Romans, which is perhaps identical
with Healaugh near Tadcaster, where apparently Heiu’s name is
retained. Further details of her career are wanting.
Aidan’s labours were interrupted for a time. Again the fierce and
impetuous King Penda of Mercia invaded Northumbria, and again the
Christian Angles fled before the midland heathens. King Oswald fell
in battle (642) and Aidan retired to his rocky island, from which he
watched the fires kindled all over the country first by the raids of
Penda, and afterwards by civil strife between the two provinces of
Northumbria, Deira and Bernicia. This arose through the rival claims
to the throne of Oswiu, Oswald’s brother, and Oswin, who was King
Eadwin’s relative.
An understanding was at length effected between them by which
Oswiu accepted Bernicia, while Oswin took possession of Deira, and
Aidan, who found a patron in Oswin, returned to his work.
He now persuaded Hild[260], who was waiting in Anglia for an
opportunity to cross over to France, where she purposed joining her
sister, to give up this plan and to return to the north to share in the
work in which he was engaged. Hild came and settled down to a
monastic life with a few companions on the river Wear. A year later,
when Heiu retired to Calcaria, Hild became abbess at Hartlepool. She
settled there only a few years before the close of Aidan’s career. He
died in 651 shortly after his patron Oswin, whose murder remains
the great stain on the life of his rival Oswiu.
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