842 B E C 
king grew enraged ; and is reported to have drbpped thefe- 
exprefiions : “That lie was an unhappy prince, who main¬ 
tained a great number of lazy infignificant perfons about 
him, none of whom had gratitude or fpirit enough to re¬ 
venge him on a (ingle infolent prelate, who gave him fo 
much difturbance.” Thefe words of the king put four 
gentlemen of his court on forming a defign againfl the 
archbifhop’s life, which they executed in the cathedral of 
Canterbury, on the.2.9th of December, 1171. They en¬ 
deavoured to drag him out of the church ; but, finding 
they could not do this without difficulty, they killed him 
there. The afi’aftins, being afraid they had gone too far, 
durft not return to the king’s court at Normandy, but re¬ 
tired to Knarefborough in Yorkfiiire, where every body 
avoided their company. They then went to Rome, and 
being admitted to penance by pope Alexander III. they 
travelled to Jerufalem ; where, according to the pope’s 
order, they (pent their lives in penitential aufterities, and 
died in the Black Mountain. They were buried at Jeru¬ 
falem, without the church door belonging to the Tem¬ 
plars. King Henry affefted to be much difiturbed at the 
news of Bucket’s death, and difpTched an embally to 
Rome to clear himfelf from the imputation of being the 
caufeofit. Immediately all divine offices ceafed in the 
church of Canterbury, for a whole year, excepting nine 
days: at the end of which, by order of the pope, it was 
re-corifecrated. Two years after, Becket was canonized ; 
and the following year, Henry returnedto England, went 
to Canterbury, where he did penance as a teflimony of his 
regret for the murder of Becket. When he came within 
fight of the church where the archbifliop was buried, he 
alighted off his horfe, and walked barefoot, in the habit 
of a pilgrim, till lie came to Becket’s tomb ; where, after 
he had proftrated himfelf and prayed for a confiderable 
time, he fubmitted to be f’courged by the monks. In 
1221 Becket’s body was taken up, fifty years after his mur¬ 
der, in the prefence of Henry III. and a great concourfe 
of the nobility and others, and depofited in a rich fhrine, 
erefted at the expence of Stephen Langton archbifliop of 
Canterbury, which was foon vifited from all parts, and 
enriched with the molt eoftly gifts and offerings ; and the 
miracles faid to be wrought at his tomb were fo numerous, 
that Gervafe of Canterbury tells us, there were two large 
volumes of them kept in that church. The monks ufed to 
raife his body every year; and the day on which this cere¬ 
mony was performed, which was called the day of his tr (inf¬ 
lation, was a general holiday : every fiftieth year a jubilee 
was celebrated to his honour, which laffed fifteen days : 
plenary indulgences were granted to all that vifited his 
tomb ; and 100,000 pilgrims have been regiftered at a time 
in Canterbury. The devotion towards him had quite ef¬ 
faced in that town the adoration of the Deity ; nay, even 
that of the Virgin. At God’s altar, for inftance, there 
were offered in one year 3I. 2s. 6d. at the Virgin’s, 63 1 . 
5s. 6d. at St. Thomas’s, S32I. 12s. 3d. But next year 
the difproportion was ftill greater : there was not a penny 
offered at God’s altar; the Virgin’s gained only 4I. is. 8d. 
but St. Thomas’s had got. for his (hare 954I. 6s. 3d. 
Louis VII. of France had made a pilgrimage to this mira¬ 
culous tomb, and beftovved on the fhrine a jewel which 
was efteemed the richeft in Chrifiendom. Henry VIII. to 
whom it may eafily be imagined how obnoxious a faint of 
this character behoved to appear, not only pillaged the 
rich fhrine dedicated to St. Thomas, but made the faint 
himfelf be cited to appear in court, and be tried and con¬ 
demned as a traitor : he ordered his name to be firuck out 
of the calendar; the office for his feftival to be expunged 
from all breviaries; and his bones to be burnt, and the 
afhes thrown into the air. From the late profefior Warion 
we learn, that Becket was the fubjeft of poetical legends. 
The Lives of the Saints in verfe, in Bennet’s library, No. 
165, contain his martyrdom and tranflation. This rrtanu- 
feript is fuppofed to be of the 14th century. The fame 
ingenious writer informs us, from Peter de Blois, that the 
palace of Becket was perpetually filled with bilhops highly 
B E C 
accomplifhed in literature, who pafl'ecl their time In reading, 
difputing, and deciding important qudlions of the (late. 
BECK'FORD (William), the greateft proprietor in the 
Weft Indies ; who, for his high political abilities, was 
twice elefted into the important office of lord mayor of 
London, viz. in 1763 and 1770. He was alfo one of the 
reprefentatives in parliament for the city ; in which truft 
he acquitted himfelf with great integrity and independence 
in thofe times when the famous adminiftration of lord North 
was formed ; an adminiftration which exercifed the powers 
of government for twelve years, and which, not deriving a 
(ingle ray of forefight from the errors of their predeceftors, 
by their rafii and impolitic nteafnres fevered America from 
the parent country, and (hook the mighty and majeftic fabric 
of the Britifli empire to its very foundation. It was at this 
period, that alderman Beckford flood forward, in his public 
capacity, and in private life, the firm and invincible cham¬ 
pion of the liberties of his country. Upon every queftion 
in parliament, which involved the three conftitutional efi- 
tates of king, lords, and commons, Mr. Beckford was 
not only ftrenitous in fupport of them, but endeavoured 
to conciliate the views of all parties to the fame laudable 
end. It was on the clofe of a debate of this nature, that 
he invited both houfes of parliament to a public dinner at. 
the Manfion-houfe; an inftance of liberality which, from 
its magnitude and novelty, attracted the admiration of the 
world-. This fumptuous entertainment was given on the 
22d of March 1770; on which occafion the Manfion-houfe 
was decorated with a (plendour which furpafles all deferip- 
tion. The company went in proceflion through the city 
from both houfes of parliament. Among the noble per¬ 
fons prefent were the dukes of Richmond, Bolton, Devon- 
(hire, Portland, Manchefter, Northumberland ; marquifles 
Rockingham and Granby; earls Percy, Huntingdon, Suf¬ 
folk, Berkely, Abingdon, Plymouth, Scarborough, Al¬ 
bemarle, Coventry, Tankerville, Effingham, Fitzwilliam,. 
Temple, Befborough, Shelburne, Cork, Bonnegal, Ver- 
ney, Ludlow, Fife; lords Robert Sutton, George Ca- 
vendifh, Frederic Cavendifli, John Cavendifli, Aberga¬ 
venny, Craven, King, Monfon, Fortefcue, Hyde, Lyttle- 
ton, Camden, Archer, Germaine; vifeounts Hereford, 
Torrington, Wenraan, and Downe; belides a great number 
of other noble and independent members of both houfes 
of parliament. The prominent political feature of this 
meeting may be gathered from the following toads given 
by Mr. Beckford on the occcafion. “ May true religion 
and virtue ever flourifh and abound.—Health and long life 
to our fovereign lord, the king.—Health and long life to 
our gracious queen, and all the royal family.—May hap - 
pinefs and glory be the portion of his majefty, of his fa¬ 
mily, and people.—May juftice and wifdom govern the 
public counfels.—May the fundamental liberties of ling- 
land be ever revered.—May the noble aflertors and pro¬ 
tectors of Englifh liberty be had in perpetual honour.—. 
May the violators of the right of election, and of petition 
againft grievances, be for ever confounded.—May the 
wicked be taken from before the king, that his throne may 
be eftablifhed in righteoufnefs.—May the fpirit of the 
conftitution prevail over fecret and undue influence.— 
May perpetual union, focial liberty, and univerfal juftice, 
prevail, and render happy the whole Britifh empire.” We 
have been thus minute, on purpofe to record the Angu¬ 
larity as well as dignity of this magnificent banquet. We 
underftand that it was farther the intention of the liberal 
founder of the feaft, to prevail on every one of his guefts 
to fign an engagement, whereby they lliould bind them- 
felves during life to fpeak and aft in parliament from the 
pure diftates of confidence, and inviolably maintain the 
indefeafible rights of the three branches of the conftitution, 
without views of ambition or aggrandizement, and unin¬ 
fluenced by place, penfion, promotion, or any perfonal 
or pecuniary advantage whatever; from which if they 
apoftatized, they would thus fign their own infamy, and 
for ever lofe the refpeft of the public. When this propo- 
fition was brought forward, it was oppol'ed by the late 
marquis ' 
