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BED 



prevented from carrying into effect by hearing of his dan- 

 gerous illness. After this, having obtained the legatrne 

 power of all England, except the see of York, he found 

 means, in spite of the watchfulness of the king's emissaries 

 at all the English ports, to send letters to the bishop of 

 London, commanding him to publish his appointment, and 

 to go over on pain of excommunication with all the rest oi 

 the prelates to France, and tender their obedience to their 

 legate. The terrified bishop implored the king to permit 

 his compliance ; but the king, it is said, produced secret 

 letters from the pope, nullifying the authority of Becket. 



Several of the French and English nobles, the bishops of 

 the province of Canterbury, the pope and the king of France 

 tried to reconcile Becket and Henry ; but the obstinacy of 

 the former in refusing to make an unconditional submission, 

 and of the latter in upholding his innovations, rendered all 

 their negociations useless. They met themselves, for the 

 purpose, three times. The second interview failed because 

 the king refused Becket the kiss of peace. Next year Henry 

 ordered the ceremony of crowning his son, Prince Henry, a 

 prerogative of the archbishop of Canterbury, to be performed 

 by the archbishop of York. When Becket complained to 

 the pope, the archbishop of York and all the prelates who 

 assisted him were suspended. 



At length, in 1 1 70, a reconciliation took place at Freitville 

 on the borders of Touraine, when the king restored Becket 

 to his see with all its privileges, and held the bridle of the 

 archbishop's horse while he mounted and dismounted. 

 Becket entered Canterbury amidst the shouts of the people. 

 But after all his sufferings he was rash enough to publish 

 the suspension of the archbishop of York and all the bishops 

 who had assisted at Prince Henry's coronation ; and the 

 kin;;, who was then in Normandy, is said to have expressed 

 his vexation that none of his followers had revenged him on 

 this insolent priest. Reginald Fitzurse, William de Tracy, 

 Hu'_ r h de Moreville, and Richard Brito, four barons, accord- 

 ingly formed a resolution either to effect the submission or 

 the death of the archbishop. They set out by different 

 routes, and met on the 28th of December, 1 1 70, at Ranulp 

 de Brae's castle, six miles from Canterbury, where they 

 formed their plan. Early next morning they entered Can- 

 terbury with a body of men, whom they stationed at different 

 places to keep down the citizens. They had an interview 

 with the archbishop in his palace in the morning, when high 

 words passed between them ; and in the evening they entered 

 the cathedral while Becket and some of his clergy were at 

 vespers. When the alarm was given some of the priests 

 would have shut the door, but Becket would not let them 

 "make a castle of a church.' He boldly faced the conspira- 

 tors, and replied to their threats by declaring that he was 

 willing to die, and earnestly charging them not to hurt any 

 one but himself. The assassins trying to drag him out of the 

 church, he clung to n pillar near the high altar, collared De 

 Tracy, and almost threw him down. De Tracy aimed a blow at 

 him, which slightly wounded him, but broke the arm of Ed- 

 ward Grimes, his crossbearer. The archbishop then putting 

 himself in a devout posture, the blows of the other assassins 

 clove his skull and scattered his brains over the pavement. 

 After the murder the assassins retired to Knaresborough, 

 and soon found themselves shunned by every one. They 

 all ended their days as penitents at Jerusalem, and this in- 

 scription in Latin was put on their tomb : 



' Here lie the wretches who murdered St. Thomas of 

 Canterbury.' 



The pope suspended divine service in the cathedral for 

 a year. Two years afterwards Becket was canonized. In 

 1221 his body was taken up in presence of Henry III., and 

 (Irp isited in a rich shrine on the east side of the church. 

 It became the resort of pilgrims, and numerous miracles 

 were said to be performed at the spot ; but the shrine was 

 despoiled at the reformation of Hen. VIII., and the saint's 

 name erased from the calendar. 



There are several MS. lives of Becket in the British 

 Museum, and in the libraries of Lambeth and Oxford. 



In 1666 a pamphlet appeared, called The Prophecie of 

 Tliomai Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Reign 

 of Henry II., concerning the Wars between England, 

 France, and Holland, 4to. London. 



Beckct's letters were published under the following title : 

 F.jiixtoler et Vita Divi Thomes Martyris et Archi-episcopi 

 Cantvariennia, #c., Bnixelte, 1604. 



(See Lingard's Hittory of England, vol. ii. ; and" Lord 

 Lyttleton's History of the Reign of Henry II., vol. ii.) 



BECKMANN, JOHN, a well-known German author, 

 was born at Hoya, a small town in the kingdom of Ha- 

 nover, in the year 1739. He went to the school at Stade, 

 and afterwards to the university of Giktingen, where he at 

 first studied theology, but soon acquired a taste for natural 

 philosophy and chemistry. In 1 763 he went to Petersburg!], 

 where he was made professor of natural philosophy and his- 

 tory, at the Lutheran gymnasium of that city. He resigned 

 this place in 1765, and made a journey through Sweden, 

 during which he became acquainted with Linnjeus, and 

 obtained a considerable knowledge of the working of the 

 mines in Sweden. On his return to Germany, he was ap- 

 pointed professor of philosophy at Gottingen, 1760, and four 

 years afterwards, 1770, ordinary professor of economy at 

 the same university, which place he kept till his death, 

 1811. Beckmann united an extensive knowledge of nature 

 with a decided turn for applying it to practical purposes ; 

 and he published several works which show this tendency of 

 his mind: among others, Principles of German Agricul- 

 ture, which passed through six editions; and a Technology, 

 which was reprinted five time5. Of his other works, the 

 most remarkable are, Contributions (additions) to the 

 History of Inventions, which, somewhat shortened, has 

 been translated into English ; and Introduction to the 

 Science of Commerce. He also published an edition of the 

 work attributed to Aristotle, entitled De Mirabilibus, and 

 an edition of the Collection of Wonderful Histories by An- 

 tigonus Carystius. 



BECMAN, JOHN CHRISTOPHER, historian and 

 geographer, was born at Zerbst in Anhalt, September 2nd, 

 1641. Having finished his earlier studies at Francfort, he 

 travelled through Germany, Holland, and England. He 

 afterwards returned to Francfort, where he was made pro- 

 fessor of Greek in the university there in the month of 

 January, 1667, and afterwards professor of history. In 1673 

 he became librarian to the university, and was chosen pro- 

 fessor of Theology in 1690. He died at Francfort, March fitb, 

 1717. His chief works are : 1. Historia Orbis Terrarum 

 geographica et civilis, 4to. Franc, ad. Od. 1673, several 

 times reprinted, the third edition appeared at Leipsic in 

 1685; 2. Memoranda Francofurtana, 4tp. Franc, ad Od. 

 1676; 3. Catalogus Bibliothecee publicec Universitatis 

 Francofurtante per cognomina auctorum dispositus, fol. 

 Franc, ad Viad. 1706; 4. Notitia Universitatis Franco- 

 furtance, fol. Franc, ad Viad. 1707; 5. Historia Anhaltina, 

 vii. part. fol. Zerbst, 1710, with numerous plates; 6. Acces- 

 siones Histories Anhultinee, with a continuation of the 

 liistory of the principality from 1709 to 1716, three vol. fol. 

 1716; 7. Historia Francofurtana, fol. (See Noiit. Univ. 

 Francof. p. 59 ; Biogr. Universelle, torn. iv. 8vo. Par. 

 1811, p. 33.) 



BED OF JUSTICE. This expression (lit de justice) 

 literally denoted the seat or throne upon which the king of 

 France was accustomed to sit when personally present in 

 : >arliaments, and from this original meaning the expression 

 *ame, in course of time, to signify the parliament itself. 

 Under the antient monarchy of France, a bed of justice 

 denoted a solemn session of the king in the parliament, for 

 the purpose of registering or promulgating edicts or ordi- 

 nances. According to the principle of the old French 

 :onstitution, the authority of the parliament, being derived 

 entirely from the crown, ceased when the king was present ; 

 and consequently all ordinances enrolled at a bed of justice 

 were acts of the royal will, and of more authenticity and 

 effect than decisions of parliament. The ceremony of hold- 

 ng a bed of justice was as follows: The king was seated 

 on the throne, and covered ; the princes of the blood-royal, 

 :he peers, and all the several chambers were present. The 

 marshals of France, the chancellor, and the other great 

 officers of state stood near the throne, around the king. The 

 chancellor, or in his absence the keeper of the seals, de- 

 clared the object of the session, and the persons present 

 ;hen deliberated upon it. The chancellor then collected 

 ;he opinions of the assembly, proceeding in the order of 

 ;heir rank ; and afterwards declared the determination of the 

 king in the following words : ' Le roi, en son lit de justice, 

 i ordonne et ordonne qu'il sera procrde a renregistrement 

 des lettres sur lesquelles on a dclibere.' The last bed of 

 ustice was assembled by Louis XVI. at Versailles, on the 

 ith of August, 1 788, at the commencement cf the French 

 revolution, and was intended to enforce upon the parliament 

 of Paris the adoption of the obnoxious taxes, which had 

 been previously proposed by Calonne at the Assembly of 



NO. 221. 



[THE PENNY CYCLOPAEDIA.] 



VOL. IV.-S 



