 Either Ælfric or his predecessor <unk> wrote a letter to <unk> , Bishop of Sherborne about the duties of bishops to make sure that the laity did not <unk> churches . The letter also urged <unk> to <unk> the laity to strive for justice in their dealings with others , help widows and orphans , not fight , as well as other moral precepts . Ælfric also ordered the composition of the first Life of Dunstan , a hagiography , or saint 's life , of Dunstan , a predecessor as Archbishop of Canterbury . He also acted as a royal judge , once being ordered by King Æthelred to <unk> a case between <unk> , or local noblemen . 
