HENRY THE EIGHTH 195 



exalted a station. In short, I have httle faith in the 

 reported rigours of that punishment. A few years 

 later came Henry's son, Richard Lion Heart, enlarged 

 from his foreign prison. He landed at the port of 

 Sandwich, and walked barefoot into Canterbury — so 

 inimical was Saint Thomas to shoe-leather. Edward 

 the First was pious enough to lay the Crown of Scotland 

 before the Saint's shrine, and another Edward — the 

 Black Prince— came here, in all humility, with the 

 captive King of France. Another warrior, as brave 

 and as ill-fated — ^Henry the Fifth — paid his devoirs to 

 Becket as he came up the road, fresh from his glorious 

 French campaigns. Another Henry, the Eighth and 

 last of his name, bowed before the shrine in 1520, 

 in company with the Emperor Charles the Fifth. 

 On that occasion he was as fervent a worshipper as 

 could well be desired, and as sincere as it is possible 

 for a man to be who is at the same time a King and 

 half a AVelshman. No thoughts of spoliation of the 

 Church then passed his mind. Indeed, the ecclesias- 

 tical dignitaries of the time made much of his visit, 

 which seems to have been celebrated in a more than 

 royal manner, if we may trust the chroniclers. 



From Dover the two monarchs rode into Canterbury, 

 preceded by Wolsey, and followed by a long procession 

 of knights and esquires, men-at-arms and archers. 

 The clergy, dressed in all the splendour of which the 

 Romish Church is capable, thronged the streets to 

 welcome the King, and knew as little about the 

 calamities presently to befall them as fat geese suspect 

 the significance of Michaelmas Day. Archbishop 

 AVarham welcomed the sovereigns to the Cathedral, 

 and probably thought with a secret joy upon the ways 

 of Providence which had removed Prince Arthur from 

 this world to ])lace his younger brother, Henry, upon 

 the throne. For, had Prince Arthur lived to be 

 King of P^ngland, the man whom we know as Henry the 

 Eighth would have been Archbishop of Canterbury. 

 That was the career designed for him, and, had Prince 



