Clarendon) there called all his pieres and prelates before him: requiring to haue that performed which they had pro¦mised, in consenting to the obseruing of his grandfathers ordinaunces and proceedings. The archbishop suspecting (I cannot tell what) in y• kings promise, drew backward, & now would not that he would before. At last with much a doe he was enforced to geue assent. First, came to him the byshop of Salisbury and of Norwiche, who (for old mat∣ters indangered to the king long before) came weeping & lamēting to the archbishop, desiring him to haue some cō∣passion of them, & to remit this pertinacy to the king: left if he so continued (through his stoutnes to exasperate the kinges displeasure) happely it might redound to no small daunger, not onely of thē which were in ieoperdy already: but also of himselfe to be imprisoned, and the whole Clergy to be indaungered. Besides these two byshops, there wet to hym other two noble pieres of the realme labouring we him to relent & condiscend to the kings desire. If not, they should be inforced to vse violence, as neither would stand with the kinges fame, and much lesse with his quietnes. But yet the stout stomack of the mā would not geue ouer. After this, came to him ij. rulers of the temple called Tem¦plars: one Richard de Hast: an other Costans de Heuerio with their company: lamenting & bewayling their great peril which they declared vnto him to hang ouer his head: yet neyther with their teares nor with their kneelinges, would he be remoued. At length came ye last message from the kyng, signifying vnto him with expresse wordes (and also with teares) what he should trust to, if he woulde not geue ouer to the kinges request.
By reason of which message, he (either terrified or els perswaded) was content to submit hymselfe. Whereupon, the king incontinent assembling the states together: the Archbishop first before all other beginneth to promise to the king obedience and submission vnto his custome, and that Cum Bona fide leauing out of hys former addition, Sal∣uo ordine, mentioned before: in steede whereof he promised in Verbo veritatis, to obserue and keep the kings customes and sweare to the same. After him the other Byshoppes likewise gaue the like othe. Whereupon, the king com∣maunded incontinent certayne instruments obligatory to be drawne: of ye which: the king should haue one: the arch∣bishop of Canterbury an other: the Archbishop of Yorke the third: requiring also the sayde Archbishop to set hys hand and seale. To the whiche, the Archbishop (although not denying but that he was ready so to do) yet desired re∣spite in the matter, while that he (being but newly come to hys bishoppricke) might better peruse with himselfe the foresayd customes and ordinaunces of the king. This re∣quest as it seemed but reasonable, so it was lightly graun∣ted: and so the day being well spent, they departed for that season and brake vp.
Alanus one of the iiij. writers of ye life of this Thomas Becket, recordeth: that the archbishop in his viage toward Winchester, begā greatly to repēt that he had done before, partly through the instigation of certayne about him, but chiefly of hys crossebearer, who going before the Archbish. did sharply and earnestly expostulate with him, for geuing ouer to the kings request agaynst the priuelege & liberties of the Church: polluting not onely his fame and consciēce, but also geuing a pernitious example to them that should come after, with many like wordes. To make the matter short: the Archbishop was so touched vpon the same with such repentaunce, that keeping himselfe from al company, lamenting with teares, with fasting, and with muche pe∣naunce macerating and afflicting himself, did suspend him selfe from all deuine seruice: and would not receaue com∣fort, before that (word being sent to hys holy graundfather the pope) he shoulde be assoild of him: who tenderyng the teares of hys deare chicken, directed to him letters agayne by the same messenger which Thomas had sent vp to hym before. In whiche letters not onely he assoyled hym from hys trespasse: but also with words of great consolation did incourage him to be stout in the quarrel he tooke in hand. The copy of which letters consolatory sent from the Pope to Popish Becket, here follow vnder written.
ALexander Byshop &c. Your brotherhoode is not ignoraunt that it hath bene aduertised vs, how that vpon the occasion of a certayne transgression or excesse of yours: you haue deter∣mined to cease henceforth from saying of Masse, and to abstayne from the consecration of the body and bloud of the Lord. Which thing to doe, how daungerous it is (especially in such a perso∣nage) and also what inconuenience may rise thereof: I will you aduisedly to consider, and discreetly also to ponder. Your wise∣dome ought not to forget what difference there is betwixt them which aduisedly and willingly doe offend, and those whiche through ignoraunce, and for necessitie sake do offend. For as you reade, so muche the more greater is wilfull sinne: as the same not being voluntary is lesser sinne. Therefore if you remember your selfe to haue done any thing that your owne cōscience doth accuse you of, whatsoeuer it be: we coūsell you (as a prudent and wyse prelate) to acknowledge the same. Which thing done, the mercifull and pittifull God, who hath more respect to the hart of the doer then to the thing done, will remit and forgeue you the same according to his accustomed great mercy. And we trusting in the merites of the blessed Apostles S. Peter and Paule doe ab∣solue you from the offence committed, and by the authoritie A∣postolicall we release you vnto your fraternitie, counsailing you and commaunding you, that henceforth you abstayne not (for this cause) from the celebration of the Masse.
Thys letter with other moe after like sort, the pope thē wrote to him: animating and comforting him in this quarrell so neerely pertaining to the popes profite. By the occasion whereof, Becket toke no small hart and consola∣tion In so much, yt thereof seemeth to me to proceed, al the occasiō ye made him so stout & malipart against his prince, as hereafter followeth to be seene by his doynges. What ye other letters were that the pope wrote vnto hym, shortly after (when we come to the appellatiōs made to the pope) shall appeare God willing. In the meane season (as he sat thus mourning at home) the king hearing of hym, & howe be denyed to set hys seale to those sanctions, which he con∣desceded to before, tooke no little displeasure against him. In so much that he (threatning to him and hys, banishmēt & death) began to call hym to reconinges, and to burden hym with paymentes: that all men might vnderstand that ye kings minde was sore set agaynst him. The Archbishop hereupon (whether more for the loue of the pope, or dread of hys prince) thought to make an escape out of the realme, and so wēt about in the night (with two or three with hym stealing out of hys house) to take the sea priuely. Now a∣mongest other the kinges ordinances and sanctions, this was one: that none of the prelacy or nobilitie without the kinges licence (or of his iustices) shoulde depart out of the realme. So Becket twise attempted the sea, to flee to the see of Rome: but the wether not seruing, was driuē home agayne, and hys deuise for that tyme frustrated. After his departure began to be knowne and noysed abroad, the kinges officers came to Canterbury to season vppon hys goodes in the kinges behalfe. But as it chanced the night before their comming, Becket being returned and founde at home, they did not proceede in their purpose.
Upon this, the Archbishop (vnderstanding the kyng sore bent agaynst hym, and the seas not to serue hym) made hast to the court, lying then at woodstock. Where the king receaued him (after a certayne maner) but nothing so fa∣miliarly as he was wont: taunting him gestingly & meri∣ly, as though one realme were not able to hold them both. Becket (although he was permitted to go and come at his pleasure to the court) yet could not obtaine the fauour that he would: perceiuing both in himselfe, and confessing no lesse to other, how the matter would fall out: so that eyther he should be cōstrayned to geue ouer with shame, or stout∣ly stand to that which he had so holdly taken in hand. The Archbishop of Yorke in the meane time (going betweene ye kyng and the Archbish.) laboured to make a peace & loue betweene them, but the King in no case would be reconci∣led, vnlesse the other would subscribe to his lawes. So the while, neyther the K. would otherwise agree, nor yet the archb. in any wise would subscribe: there was a foule dis∣corde. Where the fault was, let the reader here iudge be∣twene thē both. The K. (for his regall authoritie thought it much, that any subiect of hys, should stand agaynst him. The Archb. agayne (bearing himselfe bold vppon the au∣thoritie, & especially vpon the letters of the P. lately writ∣tē to him) thought hym strong inough agaynst the king & all hys realme. Againe, such was his quarell for the main∣tenance of liberties and glory of the Church, that he could lacke no setters on, & fauourers in that behalfe, in so swete a cause amongest the clergy. Wherfore the Archb. (trusting to these thinges) would geue no place, but by vertue of his Apostolike authoritie gaue censure vpon these lawes and constitutions of the king: condemning some, & other some approuing for good and catholicke, as is before declared. Besides this, there came also to the K. Rotrodus Archbi∣shop of Rotomage (sent from the Pope) to make peace be∣tweene the K. and Canterbury. Whereunto the king was well content, so that the Pope would agree to ratifie hys ordinances. But whē that could in no wise be obtayned at the Popes handes: then the king beyng stopped and fru∣strate of hys purpose by reason of Beckets Apostolike legacie (being Legatus a Latere) thought good to send vp to the pope and so dyd: to obtayne of hym that the same au∣thoritie