603 



ENGLAND. 



Muioiv. ministrntion while chancellor, and estimated his deli- 

 ' f m - J ' ciencieft. wlule in that office, at 4Q,0< To 



newer such a dem nd, or even to find sureties for to 

 grant sum, WM impracticable. In this emergi my. he 

 wa* advised, by the Bishop of Winchester, to offer aO(X) 

 marks in lieu of all demands ; but this \\ ! by 



the kin_ rted him to resign his see, on con- 



dition of nti-mug an acquittal : while others thought 

 that he should submit himself entirely to the king's 

 mercy. But Becket saw that H'in\ \\ .- determined 

 upon his ruin, which would only be hastened by sub- 

 mission, rejected these timid counsel-;, and resolved to 

 brave the utmost efforts of royal indignation. 



When the king and his court were assembled, the 

 primate, arrayed in his sacred robes, proceeded to the 

 palace, and taking the cross in his hand, as his protec- 

 tion from any violence, he entered the royal apartments. 

 Henry, astonished at such unaccountable behaviour, 

 sent some of the bishops to remonstrate with him on his 

 conduct. But Becket was deaf to all persuiision. He 

 put himself and his sec under the protection of the su- 

 preme pontiff, and appealed to him against any sen- 

 tence which the judges might give on the king's claim. 

 Becket flies He then left the palace, and having reque-ted pcrmis- 

 w the Con- gion to leave Northampton, he was refused ; but ufter- 

 wards withdrawing in disguise, he escaped to Flanders. 

 In the prosecution of Becket, Henry seems to have 

 been instigated more by a desire of revenge for his in- 

 gratitude and obstinacy, than by a regard to justice, or 

 even prudence. Whatever were the primate's faults, 

 the king certainly took the most effectual method of 

 making these faults be forgotten. His violence and injus- 

 tice opened the eyes of all men to the motives of his 

 conduct, and Becket soon became the idol of the peo- 

 ple, and was hailed by the clergy as a martyr in the 

 cause of the church. lie was received by the French 

 king, and Alexander, with every mark of distinction. 

 Louis was jealous of Henry's growing power, and the 

 pope readily embraced a cause in which his own imme- 

 te interests were so deeply concerned, and a-signed 

 Becket the convent of Pontigny for his residence, 

 where he lived for some years in great magnificence. 

 Henry, in revenge, sequestered the revenues of Canter- 

 bury, and banished all the archbishop's domestics and 

 relations. He also prohibited, under severe penalties, 

 all appeals to the pope or primate, and declared it trea- 

 son to bring from either of them an interdict upon the 

 kingdom, punishable in seculars with the loss of eyes 

 and castration, in regulars with amputation of their 

 feet, and in laymen with death. These measures only 

 tended to widen the breach. Becket had the spiritual 

 thunders at his command, and, in revenge, excommu- 

 itlietcom- ujgnted Henry's ministers by name, and absolved from 

 minimum. .. . nii,it > 



their oath, all who had signed the constitutions of Cla- 

 rendon. He even threatened the king with a similar 

 punishment, and suspended it only to give time for 

 submission. The pope acquiesced in all these proceed- 

 ings, but was prevented from supporting the hostility 

 of Becket, with greater determination, by the fear, that 

 Henry would join the Emperor Frederic, who, at that 

 time, supported the claims of an antipope ; and as the 

 means which had already been employed to bring the 

 king of England to submission had not succeeded to 

 his expectation, he had more to fear th;ui hope from 

 the continuance of the dispute. Henry, also, though 

 he at first paid little regard to the fulminations of the 

 Vatican, liegan to dread the effects which a sentence of 

 communication might have upon his subjects, and be- 

 MM equally desirous of * reconciliation. Negotiations 



the king 

 threatened 



r uncauon. 



..tcred into for this purpose, but I> 



were < . their mutual obstinacy ~~~Y~~ f 



and jealousy. At one conference, held in p 

 the kii ich prelates, Henry -aid 



to that monarch, " Tl ere h.-i-.c been many kings of 

 England, some . some of less authority than 



There ha\e been also many archbishops of 

 Canterbury, holy and good men, and entitled to every 

 kind of rc-pect. Let Becket but act towards me with 

 the same submission, which the greatest ofhisprede- 

 have ]>aid to the least of mine, and there .-hall 

 be no controversy U-lween us,." This representation of 

 the case m;idesuch an impression on the mind of Louis, 

 that he withdrew his friendship from Becket ; but his 

 jealousy of the king of England soon led him to a re- 

 newal of it. 



After many fruitless attempts, the controversy was Compr*. 

 at last amicably settled. It was agreed that the origi- ""*" '; ltk 

 nal dispute should lie buried in oblivion ; that Becket IJLfc 

 and his adherents should be restored to all their digni- 

 ties and livings ; and that those who had !x-en pro- 

 moted to benefices, dependent upon the see of Canter- 

 bury, during his absence, should l>e expelled, and the 

 vacancies filled by the primate Henry, in return for 

 these concessions, had only die satisfaction of seeing 

 his ministers absolved from the sentence of excommu- 

 nication, and himself relieved from the dread of a simi- 

 lar punishment. But he was anxious that tranquillity 

 should be restored ; and, in order to flatter the vanity ol' 

 the prelate, even stooped, at one time, to hold his stir- 

 rup, while he mounted. This condescension of the 

 monarch, however, was only additional fuel to the pride 

 of Becket. Elated with the victory which he had gain- 

 ed over his sovereign, he determined to take advantage 

 of his situation, and to repel every attempt of Henry to 

 set bounds to the usurpations of the clergy. 



The King, while the threatened sentence of excom- 

 munication Was Iwn^mi* ovor him, in ouler to SCCUre 

 the throne in his family, had associated with him his 

 son Prince Henry in the royalty ; and the ceremony of 

 coronation was performed by Roger, Archbishop of 

 York. This proceeding gave great offence to Becket, 

 who pretended, that, as Archbishop of Canterbury, he 

 had the sole right of officiating in such a ceremony. 

 He therefore resolved to be revenged on the authors of 

 this affront. The promise of Henry to have the cere- 

 mony renewed by the prelate, would not satisfy his vin- 

 dictive disposition; and when on his arrival in England, Becket ar- 

 he met Roger and the Bishops of London and Salis- ", vcs in 

 bury, who were on their way to join the king in Nor- '"S 3 " 

 mandy, he intimated to the former the sentence of sus- 

 pension, and to the two bishops that of excommunica- 

 tion, which at his instance had been passed upon them 

 by the Pope. He was assured of support from Rome ; 

 and as he knew that his person and dignity were ve- 

 nerated by the people, he proceeded with the more cou- 

 rage to humble his enemies. He made a solemn pro- 

 gress through Kent, with all the splendour and magni- 

 ficence of a sovereign pontiff. Wherever he passed, he 

 was received with the shouts and acclamations of the 

 populace; and men of all ranks celebrated his trium- 

 phal entrance into Southwark with hymns of joy. He 

 then issued sentence of excommunication against some 

 of the principal nobility, who had assisted at the young 

 Prime's coronation, or who had In-en active in the per- 

 secution of the exiled clergy. This haughty and vio- 

 lent conduct was no sooner reported to Henry by the 

 degraded prelates, who implored his protection from 

 the vengeance of their oppressor, than he was so CXBS- 



