Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

THE .CCXXXVII. CHAPITER.

IN the .ix. yere of hys reygne / the kynge for dyuerse causes cōcernyng y^e nedes of his real¦me, called a parlia¦ment at hys towne of Northampton. Durynge whyche parlyament / dyssencyon fell betwen the kynge and Thomas archbyshop of Caunterburye, for dyuerse actes and ordinaunces that the kyng there procured, to passe agayne the lyber∣tyes of holy chyrch / the whych Tho¦mas gaynstode and denyed. wher∣fore the kynge toke a great dysplea∣sure with Thomas / in so myche that shortely after he was fayne to flee the lande / and in processe of tyme spedde hym to Rome, where he com∣playned hym to Alexaunder the .iii. of that name then pope / and there contynued, and in Fraunce, and in other places, in poore estate by terme of .vi. yeres and more. when kynge Henry hadde certayne vnderstan∣dynge, that Thomas was thus de∣parted out of hys lande / he seased

his maners and temporall landes in¦to hys hande / so that hys mouable goodes were spoyled and rauenyd amonge the kynges offycers.

In the .xiiii. yere of his reygne / the kynge crowned Henry hys eldest sonne then lyuynge kynge of En∣glande at westmynster. whyche was done to the derogacyon or harme of the archbyshoppe Thomas, as yt is wytnessyd in hys legende / and for that doynge Roger archbyshoppe of yorke whyche crowned hym was ac¦cursed. But an other authour sayth that the kynge crowned Henry hys sonne, to the ende he myght haue ful power and authoryte to rule thys lande and the people of the same, whyle hys father was occupyed in Normandye and other countreys, where hys landes laye.

In myche of thys season that thys blessyd man Thomas was thus ba¦nyshed the lande / the kynge sente ouer byshoppes and proctours, to complayne vppon hym to the pope / for well nere all the bishoppes of En¦glande were agayne hym. And yf a∣ny toke hys parte, they durste not speke for the displeasure of theyr tem¦porall lorde / so that this blessed man defended the quarell of the chyrche alone.

In the .xvi. yere of y^e reygne of kyng Henry / Lewys the kynge of Fraūce, agreed kynge Henry and the archbys¦shoppe, the kynge then beynge in Normandye. Uppon whyche agre∣ment thys blessyd man came to hys owne chyrche of Caunterbury / and there so restynge hym, sente for such persones as had spoyled and taken perforce the goodes of the chyrche / aduertysynge theym by fayre mea∣nes to restore the sayde goodes, and to be reconcyled to the chyrche as trewe crysten men shulde. But when he sawe that he myght not reconcyle theym by fayre meanes / he then vsed compulsaryes, and denounced them accursed but if they restored the goo∣des of the chyrche by a certayne day. wherewyth the partyes beynge agre¦ued / sayled ouer to the kynge into Normandye / and shewyd vnto hym greuous complayntes, and more gre¦uouse then the cause or mater requy∣red. For the whych, the kynge which hadde not yet quenched the bronde of malyce in hys harte the whyche he bare agayne thys holy man, gaue lyght credence vnto those complayn¦tes, and was sore & feruētly amoued agayne the holy man Thomas / in so myche that vppon a daye herynge the complayntes of this blessyd man¦nes aduersaryes, he sayd in oppē au¦dyence of hys knyghtes, that yf he had any good knyghtes about hym, he had ben aduēged of that traytour longe or that tyme. At the tyme of whyche wordes vtterynge / was pre¦sent syr wyllyam Bryton, syr Hugh Moruyle, syr wyllyam Tracy, and syr Regnolde fytz Urle. whych foure knyghtes, thynkyng that they shuld to theyr mayster do a synguler plea∣sure yf they slewe thys blessyd man / hastely takynge aduyse eche of them of other, of one wyll and mynde toke shyppyng and sayled to Douer / and in all haste spedde theym vnto Caun¦terburye / where the .v. daye of Crist¦masse they executed theyr tyrannye, and martyred that blessyd archebys∣shoppe at that aulter of sayne Benet wythin hys owne chyrche, in the ye∣re of our lordes incarnacyon a thou∣sande, a hundred, and .lxx, as yt ys wytnessyd by these versys folowyng

Anno milleno, centeno, septuageno, Anglorum primas, corruit ense Thomas.

The whych is to vnderstande in our

vulgare / as thus.

¶The yere, to reken from Crystes incarnacyon, A thousande an hundred and seuen∣tye therunto / The prymate of Englande wyth great abomynacyon, was slayne wyth sworde, Thomas that wolde not do The kynges hest, whyche erred the ryghte fro Of the chyrche and lybertyes of the same. wherby of honoure he wanne perpe∣tuall fame.

After this cruell dede thus by the foure knyghtes done, wherwyth the kynge after some wryters was not contented / the kynges fortune be∣ganne to decreace and fall / so that he hadde after thys many aduersy∣teys, where before he knewe not of lyke trouble.

In the .xvii. yere of his reygne, the kynge made a iourney into Irland / where wyth great trauayle he sub∣dued the Iryshe. And after wyth helpe of the prymate and byshoppe of Arnache, he refourmed the maner of the dwellers and people of that countrey, and that in thre thynges specyally. Fyrste in rulynge and or∣derynge of the chyrche by the cura∣tes, & how they shuld order theyr dy / uyne seruyce, and mynyster the sa∣cramente of matrymonye as yt was in Englande and other crysten regy¦ons. The seconde was, how that the laye people shuld behaue theym to theyr curates, and what wyse they shulde paye and offer to god theyr tythes. The thyrde was for makyng of theyr testamentes. Thys was or∣deyned that euery man shulde make hys laste wyll in p̄sence of his neygh¦bours / or at leste cause yt to be rede in theyr presence. And fyrste he shuld reken what he ought / and to sette so myche of hys goodes. And yf he had a wyfe and chyldren, then the resy∣due of hys goodes hys dettys beyng payde to be deuyded in thre partes / one to the wyfe, the seconde for the chyldren, and the thyrde to be spente for the weale of the soule. And yf he hadde no chyldren / then the halfe to hys soule, and that other halfe to his wyfe. And yf he hadde no wyfe nor chyldren / then to dyspose hys goo∣des at hys pleasure.

In the returne of the kynge oute of Irlande / was a wonder thynge shewed vnto hym vppon whyteson∣daye, whyche in the calender is cal∣led dominica in Albys. whē the kyng shuld take his horse / sodeynly appe∣red vnto hym a man of pale & wanne colour barefote, and in a whyte kyr∣tell / the whyche bodely spake vnto the kynge in the langage of duche / and sayde syr kynge, Criste greetyth the wele, and hys mylde moder ma∣ry, with also Iohn̄ Baptyst and Pe¦ter / and commaunde the streyghtly that no Markettes, nor seruyle wor∣kes be holden vppon the sondaye in the landes of thy lordeshyppe, oute take that longeth to dressynge of mete. And yf thou do after thys byd¦dynge / I assure the that all thynge that thou begynnest to good entent or of good purpose, thou shalt bryng yt to good ende. The kynge ly∣ked nothynge thys speche / and sayd to the knyghte that helde hys bry∣dell, Aske of thys chorle whether he haue dremed all thys that he telleth. wherunto thys man answered, why∣ther I haue mette thys tale in my dreme or not / take thou hede well of my saynge. For and thou do not as I haue aduertysed the, & amende thy lyfe / thou shalte shortely here

suche thynges that thou shalte be he¦uy fore to thy lyues ende. The kyng toke all in game / and the man va∣nyshed sodeynly, that the kyng & his knyghtes wonderyd of hys depar∣tynge. wherof when the kynge was warned, both of hys fyrste sodeynly apperynge, and of hys departynge / the kynge sette yt nere hys mynde, and entendyd to do some thynges af¦ter that mannys counsayll. But how yt was yt had no forwarde.

After that the blessed man Tho∣mas was martyred / the munkes by assent of the kynge, chase Rycharde pryour of Douer / the whyche was a man of euyll lyuynge, and wasted the goodes of y^e chyrch inordynatly.