suffered to liue in prosperity but that hee who exalteth the humble would throw downe with great ruine them now exalted from the heygth of their dominion But hee accepting most thankfully your fatherly correrection with a maruaylous temperate mynde and exceeding modesty did in order answer to euery particular Affirming first hee neuer alienated his mynd any way from you nor euer had the least conceyte to that purpose but as long as you shewed your fatherly fauour to him hee would affect you as his father and reuerence and tenderly loue the Church of Rome as his mother and humbly obey and submitt himselfe to your sacred bee heastes reseruing euer without impeachment the dignity of himselfe and his kingdome aÌ„d if now for a while past hee hath not respected you with due reuerence hee alleageth for the reason thereof that whereas in your necessityes hee did withall his harte with all his mynd and his most ample power assist your Holines you did not on the other side giue him correspondence answerable to his desertes when as afterwardes hee had by his Embassadors recourse vnto you in his necessityes but with bushing complayneth that allmost in euery petition hee receaueth repulse at your handes and yet beeing notwithstanding all this confident of your fatherly grace which at his pleasure will heare his sonne hoping and expecting alsoe from you a countenance more calme hee remayneth with an immoueable constancy in the fidelity as they call it of saint Peeter and your selfe whereupon it followeth that hee will not any way hinder such as are willing to visite your Holines neither as hee assureth vs hath hee hetherto bin their impediment Concerning Appeales according to the ancient custome of his kingdome hee challengeth to himselfe an honor and burden that in cyuill causes none of the Clergie of the realme doe exceede the boundes of the land vnles first by experience they trye whether by his royal authority and commandement they may at home obtayne their right which if they cannot there procure then may they freely at their pleasures appeale to your holines without any restraint of his Maiestie wherin if there bee the least preiudice to your lawes or honor hee promiseth by Gods assistance out of hand to reforme the same by the Counsell of the whole Church of his kingdome For the Emperour allthough hee knoweth him to bee a Scismaticke neuerthelesse that hee is excommunicated by your Holines to this instant hee is ignorant but if hee vnderstandeth him to bee soe once denounced and then maketh any vnlawfull league with him or others hee vâ—dertaketh to reforme the same also by the iudgment and Councell of the Church of his kingdome Moreouer hee assureth vs that hee neuer banished out of his kingdome our father the Lord Canterbury wherefore as hee departed of his owne accorde soe shall hee bee freely permitted with all peace to returne to his Church whensoeuer it shall please him allwayes prouided that in satisfaction to his Maiestie hee will absolutely conserue those dignityes against which hee now complayneth notwithstanding hee was formerly sworne to them Lastly if any Church or Ecclesiasticall person shall make proofe that they haue sustayned any wrong by him or any of his hee will bee euer ready according to the iudgment of the whole Church to giue satisfaction These are the answers wee haue receaued from our Lord the king and wee wish wee could haue ' gott at his handes any thing more ample to haue satisfyed your pleasure but such as they are wee thought good to informe your Holines of them to the end that out of his answers your discretion may gather what will bee the conclusion of this busines For our Lord the king seemeth much to iustify his cause whilst hee promiseth in all thinges heere recited to submit himselfe to the counsell and iudgment of the Church of his kingdome and no way at all to hinder as beefore hath bin sayd the returne of our father the Lord of Canterbury whereupon wee thinke good humbly to beeseech your Holines that setting the saying before your eyes The brused reede hee shall not breake Isai 42. and smoakinge flax hee shall not quench you would bee pleased for a tyme to confine within the boundes of modesty that zeale which is worthely inkindled by the fire of the holy ghost to reuenge all iniuryes offered to the Church of God least by pronouncing the sentence of Interdiction or that last iudgment of excommunication you suffer thereby the miserable ruine of innumerable Churches and diuert without recouery as well the king himselfe as infinite numers of men his followers which God forbid from your obedience For it is better a lymme bee it maymed should yet remayne with the heade then beeing cut off bee cast away from the body partes wounded may recouer to bee sounde againe but beeing once seperated absolutely from the man cannot returne to their former integrity diuision breedeth desperation whilst the labour of the skillfull surgeon cureth often a greiuous harte If therefore it may please you it is better you should at this instant imploy your trauell for healing this soare if any hee then by cutting of the noblest parte of the Church of God to heape far greater troubles yea more then can bee expressed on the state of Christendome beeing now in such a combustion For what if your speech cannot as yet fully take or bee taken shall wee therefore despaire of the grace of God beecause in an acceptable tyme it may both take and bee taken what Isai 53. is the hand of our Lord shortned that it cannot saue Or is his eare hardened that it cannot heare For that swifte runing speech doth mightely when it pleaseth cleane change all thingcs and granteth to the prayers of the holy eueÌ„ matters beeyoÌ„d expectation The royal blood knoweth then best to bee ouercome when it hath ouercome nor blusheth to yeeld when it hath vanquished in meekenes he is to bee mollifyed by admonishmentes and conquered with patience What if there ensueth a losse of some temporalityes either through patience allready vsed or as yet heereafter to bee practised Ought wee not to sound a retreate to seuerity whom otherwise a greate slaughter hangeth ouer the peoples heades are not many thinges throwne out of the ship into the seas when cloudes and waues confounded with stormes doe menace death Wee speake fondly but out of an vnfayned charity Admitt this bee the end of the matter that our Lord of Canterbury together with his losses doth also endure a continuall exile and England which God forbid obeyeth no longer your command it is neuerthelesse better for a while to forbeare with patience then with soe greate a zeale to vnsheath the swoard of seuerity For what albeeit persecution is not able to separate many of vs from your obedience some neuerthelesse will not bee manting to bowe their knees to Baal and without respect of religion or iustice to receaue the Pall of Canterbury from the hand
of Salisbury on whom hee listed and for our dignity that it was in euery point diminished vntill the Legates comming All this did the Bishop certify vs by his Chaplayne beeing a Cannon Regular and a Religious man whom hee sent to excuse his forbearance of comming to vs at our cyting for wee cyted him once and agayne and lastly the third time with a peremptory Mandate to appeare beefore vs beetweene that and the feast of the Purification as a man of great authority the kinges familiar and one who should mediate a peace beetweene his Maiestie and us if possibly it might bee compased All this the Cannon is ready to testify by oath that thus hee receaued the same from the mouth of the Bishop to bee deliuered on his beehalfe to vs. Which if it bee true then doubtles our lord the Pope hath choaked and strangled not our person only but alsoe himselfe with all the Clergy of both the kingdomes yea verily both Churches as well of France as England for animated with this most foule example what will not other Princes of the world dare attempt against Ecclesiasticall persons To whom shall they haue refuge How can they hee confident of the Church of Rome that hath soe forsaken and left destitute vs who maintaine her cause with fighting therefore to the very death What will beefall if these vnspeakeable and detestable priuiledges standing good together with the oppressions as well by the king as others vnder any pretext it should soe happen which God forbid that the Pope should dye or the Citty runne into confusion of troubles All these would then descend on their heires nor would euer heereafter bee wrested out of their hands And what is far worse other Princes stirred vp with this example would extorte the like priuiledges to bring the Church whether shee will or no into subiection Soe shall the Churches whole liberty vtterly decay together with the iurisdiction and power of Bishoppes no man remayning who is able to controule and restaine the outrages of Tyrants whose whole intention is at this day bent to make hauocke of the Church and Clergy nor will they haue brought them like others into bondage What will bee the end wee know not but this wee knowe that our greife exceedeth measure bee these thinges true or false which are thus propounded For wee are neither obeyed nor respected in any thing as wee were wont by Bishoppes or Abbotts or others of the Clergy of England beeing now assured of our deposition But let our Lord the Pope bee perswaded that wee will neuer on any condition passe ouer into the kinges Dominion to haue there our cause decyded nor will wee euer abide the iudgment of our enemyes and especially of Papyan who thirsteth nothing but our blood thereby to obtayne our seate which in truth as wee heare is allready promised him vpon condition the king may bee deliuered of vs. Wee haue also an other exceeding greiuance The nobles as well temporall peeres as Bishoppes with other Prelates of the kingdome of France as it were despairing now of vs shake of and send vs backe againe the Associates of our exile whom they haue heatherto mercifully relieued and what will these but perish heereafter with cold and famyne as others their fellowes haue formerly donne Intimate all these thinges diligently to our Lord the Pope that hee may prouyde vs some remedy against these mischeifes according to our request if as yet any zeale of God remayneth in him as wee hope it doth and wee pray God our hope confoundeth not Farewell and with all speede returne vs backe this messanger againe who may as well in these as other matters certify vs who rest streyghtned in great extremitys if thinges are soe as wee heare them reported And thus Saint Thomas wrote to his agent being lieger for him in the Citty But heere ended not the complaints poured out against Pope Alexander For now remayneth to be recyted an other epistle of Lumbard SubdeacoÌ„ of the Sea Apostolike who liued at this present in France and wrote thence to the Pope for it is first thus intytuled To Pope Alexander Lumbard Subdeacon of the Roman Church And afterwardes beeginneth thus To the reuerent father and Lord Alexander by the grace of God High Bishop Lumbarde his faithfull Clearke remembreth his seruice of obedience Cod Vat. lib. 1 epist 165. Whereas I am seruante to your Holines and in Christ the worke of your handes I neither can nor ought to dissemble the slanders openly spread to the reproch of your renowne and derogation of your name and such mischeifes as are subtilly deuised to the detriment of the whiâ—â— Church For Iohn of Oxeforde insolently vaunteth hee is returned from Rome with the honor of a Deanry and the fullnes of your fauor adding arrogantly withall that hee is fortifyed with your priuiledge against my Lord of Canterbury and euery Bishop and beeing as it were litle inferior to the Courte of Cardinalls that hee is subiect to you only and your Apostolike power glorying moreouer in his pryde hee affirmeth hee hath procured that for the king which neuer kingdome could yet obtayne which is the confirmation of a Mariage by your authority beetweene the king of Englandes sonne and the Earle of Britaines daughter beeing Cosyns in the third degree And lastly that Legates such as he desired were to bee sent to heare and determine whatsoeuer it should please the king to deuise against my lord of Canterbury without any remedy of Appeale All this most holyfather vpon Iohns returne from Rome was diuulged which by how much they were the more vnusuall how much the more rare to bee compased soe much they more amazed the heares myndes whereupon the king of France the deuoute childe of your Holines and of the Church was soe passionatly moued as hee sayd hee would presently addresse a message to forbid your Legates to enter his Realme and more hee did which I willed this Bearer by word of mouth to deliuer Hee resolued moreouer to assemble his Archbishoppes and Bishoppes beefore whom hee would lay open and declare how the Church of Rome rayseth alofte the malicious enemyes as well of him as her selfe endeauoring to depresse his power saying and doth hee not seeke my dishonor who subtelly compasseth to worke the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury an innocent man banished for iustice and the Churches liberty by yeelding him wickedly vp into the handes of his persecuting enemyes whom not in respect of any fauour receaued by him hauing rather bin wronged by him whyle hee serued the king who now seeketh his ouerthrowe but moued with reuerence of the most iuste cause hee mayntaineth with admiration of his vertue and the loue of my Lord the Pope who instantly entreated mee for him I constantly resolued to entertayne honorably and decently as long as hee remayned in exile and to noursih him as it were in my bosome as I haue allready beegunne denouncing to all and openly protesting
finall conclusion made betwene them soe as the king very mâ—â—dely vnder went and performed whatsomeuer the Cardinalls on their partes proposed to him But in regarde the father would haue his sonne there present that whatsomeuer the father promised the sonne should also make good the determination of the busines was deferred vntill the next Sunday following beeing the Sunday beefore our Lordes Ascention Then in an open Audience The kinges oathe the King laying his hand vpon the Euangelists made oathe that neither by his commandement nor his will the Archbishoppe of Canterbury was killed and that hearing of his death hee rather sorrowed then reioyced Hee added moroeuer on his free will that hee neuer so much greeued for the death of his father or mother as for his and lastly sware that what pennance or satisfaction someuer the Cardinalles would enioyne him hee would amply fullfill Hee sayde beesides before that great assembly that hee was not ignorant hee was the cause of the Arch-Bishoppes death and that whatsoeuer was doâ—â—◠〈◊〉 donne for his sake not that hee commanded it but thâ—â— his freindes and familiars seeing the disturbance of his countenance and lookes vnderstanding likewise the greife of his harte and hearing often his words breaking into complayntes against the Archbishoppe prepared to reuenge his iniury without euer acquainting him therwith And therfore hee professed hee was most ready with all humility and deuotion to accomplishe whatsomeuer the Legates should command Then the Legates declared to him that hee should maintayne vpon his coste 200. knightes for a whole yeere The conditions of the kings absolution giuing euery knighte 300. crownes in the land of Ierusalem against the Paganes in such sorte as the Templars should dispose Secundly hee should absolutely disannull the wicked statutes of Claringtonne beeing the place where they were enacted with all other ill customes which were in his raigne intruded on Gods Church and if there were any vnlawfull ordinances beefore his tyme hee should according to our Lord the Popes Mandate and by the Counsell of Religious men mitigate them Thirdly that hee should restore to the Church of Canterbury all her whole and entire right in landes and other thinges as fully as it was the yeere beefore the Archbishoppe incurred the kinges displeasure and hee should amply render his peace and loue with all their possessions to all those with whom hee was offended for the Archbishoppes sake Fourthly that if neede required and our Lord the Pope commanded him hee should goe into Spaine to deliuer that land from the Infidells They inioyned him also secretly fastes and almes and other thinges not publickly knowne To all these the king with singular meekenes gaue his assent soe as hee sayde in the hearing of all Beehoulde my Lordes and Legates my body is wholly in your handes and bee assured whatsomeuer yee command bee it either my going to Ierusalem or to Rome or to saint Iames or whatsoeuer it bee I am resolued to obey In soe much as scarce any there present seeing his humility and deuotion could abstayne from teares These thinges ended that nothing might bee wanting for the full accomplishment of his good the Legates did leade the king yeelding therunto of his owne accorde out of the dores of the Church where vpon his knees without laying asyde his garmentes and without any showe of disciplining roddes hee was absolued and soe againe brought into the Church And that some of the kingdome of FraÌ„ce might knowe their proceedinges heerin they appointed that the Archbishoppe of Towers with his Suffraganes should personally atteÌ„d on him at Cane on the nexte Wednesday after our Lordes Ascension What the king did sweare the king his sonne coÌ„firmed with his haÌ„d in the haÌ„d of my Lord Albert the Cardinall that hee for his owne parte would obserue aÌ„d if the king preueÌ„ted with death or other casuall meanes could not performe his pennance that hee himselfe would doe it Hetherto this relation Wherunto accordeth the Cardinalls letter concerning this matter and beeginning in these wordes That thinges now hanled may not bee called in question c. Heerunto was added That on the nexte feast of our Lordes Natiuity hee should vndertake the Crosse and for three yeeres make warre in the holy land vnles Pope Alexander or his lawfull successor thought it vnfitting Now for the Oathe it selfe made by the king and his sonne in the hands of the Legates it is reserued intirely among the actes of Pope Alexander in these very wordes I King Henry doe heere take myne oathe vpon these holy Euangelistes of our Lord God That I neither thought of nor knewe nor euer commanded the murder of Thomas Archbishoppe of Canterbury And when I vnderstood the same to bee committed I more greeued therefore then if I had heard of the slaughter of myne owne sonne But heerein I am not able to excuse my selfe that vpon occasion of my turbulency and wrath which I conceaued against that holy man hee was killed In regarde whereof for this offence beeing as it seemeth the cause of his death I will out of hand send to Ierusalem vpon myne owne charges 200. souldiers to serue there for one whole yeere in defence of Christianity or giue soe much money as may there maintaine soe many souldiers for a Twelue moneth I will alsoe vndertake till three yeeres bee expired the signe of our Lordes Crosse and in myne owne person goe thither vnlesse the Pope licence mee to stay I doe absolutely abrogate all those vnlawfull customes which I haue in my raigne ordayned thorough out my land and from this tyme forward decree that they bee neuer obserued I will likewise heereafter suffer all Appeales to bee freely made to the Apostolike Sea and heerein I will not prohibite any man These and other the like are rehearsed out of Roger saying all these matters Actes iterated in the Prouinciall Councell soe handled about our Lords Ascention were recyted in the Councell of the whole Prouince which was helde in the moneth of September where the Legates and both the kinges the father and sonne mett together with the Bishoppes For thus hee wryteth Henry king of England and king Henry his sonne Rotrude Archbishop of Roane with all the Bishoppes and Abbottes of Normandy assembled together at the Citty of Abryncke in the presence of the Cardinalles Theodine and Albert in whose hearing the king of England the father on the fifte Kalends of October beeing Wednesday and the feast of Saintes Cosmus and Damianus Martyrs in the Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle declared his innocency before the aboue named Cardinalls Clergy and people by taking his oathe on the Reliques of Saintes and only Euangelistes that hee neyther commanded nor wished the Archbishoppe of Canterburys death c. As before Adding thereunto the publicke instrument made then to that purpose beeginning with these wordes And that these may bee euer retayned in the memory of the Roman Church the king the father caused his seale
should loose his Emperiall courtes straitghtned therfore in this sorte beeing a man of a great witt and deepe policy hee beegan to deuise how hee might with a generall assent of the Church haue both Alexander and his Idol Octauian deposed and a third elected And beecause like will to like hee made choyse of Henry Count of Trey in whom hee reposed especiall trust The Emperor entrappeth the King of France to bee heerein his strength and assistance The Counte therfore instructed by the Emperour returned home and comming as a subtle temptor to his lord the king of France a man of a Doues simplicity craftily suggested to him on the Emperours beehalfe a singular good way to make a perfect vnion in the Romane Church which was that the Emperour for the pure loue of God desired that they two beeing the greatest Princes of this parte of the world should at Auinion a towne confining on both theyr dominions assemble together the Cleargie and Layety both of the Empire and France and the Emperour to bring with him Octauian and his complices and the King Alexander with his Cardinalles and there the election of them both beeing diligently examined by the Clergie of Italy Germany and France to determine then what was best and most profitable to the Christiā Common wealth The king out of his pious disposition too confident and considering the great mischeifes which arose vpon this discord condescended to the Count promising his safe conduct to the Emperour for effecting this matter Wherupon the Count returning to the Emperour in Lumbardy confirmed this on the kinges beehalfe with his oathe Hence spread an euill rumor through Italy to the greife of all good Catholikes fearing least heereby the Churches liberty should bee endangered Against the day the Emperour with his Princes and puissant army came to the appoynted place and Octauian with his scysmaticall cōfederates followed The king with his Clergie and nobility hastened also thither meeting in the way at Saluian with Pope Alexander where honoring one an other they consulted two dayes about this appoynted assembly but beeing a thing not only vnworthy but also contrary to the Churches Canons that the Papacy beeing the highest seate should bee subiect to any earthly iudgment it was agreede by all that only some of the principall Cardinalles should bee sent to manifest to the world the lawefull election of Pope Alexander and Octauians title to bee but a fryuolous imposture Wherupō fiue Cardinalles accōpanyd the king to the parlee the Pope with the rest retyring themselues to the Monastery of Dole in Aquitayne The king with his reuerent and honorable trayne came by Diion to Mount Saon which deuideth France from Germany expecting there what the Emperour would propound Wherefore the Arch heretike Octauian seeing the Reuerent Cardinalles of the Church of Rome and the Cleargy of France constantly appearing against him beeing afrayd of his tryal complayned to the Emperour that his aduersary Alexander disdayned to appeare and himselfe whose cause was in the Emperours presence confirmed at the Counsell of Pauy must yet come to a new examination Wherupon the Emperour incensed with anger sent the king word that bee had broken his couenant and falsifyd his oath beccause hee brought not Alexander to the place The king therfore aduising with his counsell answered that allthough hee could lawfully excuse the Popes absence yet because hee would not derogate from his regality or renowne nor bee taynted with any deceyte bee it eyther iust or vniust hee would presently without any dissimulation send for the Pope and his brethren thither And soe instantly posted away messingers to call the Pope and Cardinals thither with speede or otherwise to signify that hee must yeeld himselfe a captiue into the Emperours handes according as it was couenanted betweene them Wherupon the Pope and Cardinals seeing the king thus entangled in the Emperours snares were marueylously troubled considering how they were on all sides bee set with dangers for if they wente thyther to vndergoe the iudgment of men The Pope and Cardinalles together with the Kinge of France in danger to bee surprised by the Emperour they saw the Churches liberty hazarded by violence if they went not but suffered the king to bee enthralled by the Emperour they could expect nothing for themselues but imprisonment and losse of all For the Emperour was not only dreadfull with his owne mighty army but had also the kinges of Denmarke and Behemia with his princes and powers there vnited with him intending as it seemed to accomplish in that parlee the malice which hee had long hached against the Pope and king But god who neuer forsaketh his suffered not the Pope and king to beecome a prey to the Emperour for hee styrred vp the spirit of the glorious king of England with a powerfull army of resolute souldiers to march speedily and couragiously against the Emperour The King of Englāds couragious attempt to deliuer the Pope and King of France out of the Emperours hādes sending also such a terrible famine among the Emperiales as Frederick could no longer endure there to effect his intended mischeife Wherfore to make a faire pretence for his departure hee sent by Reynold his Chancellor and others his fauorites to the king of France commanding him that in regarde theyr lord Fredericke was Emperour of the Romanes and the speciall Aduocate of the Romane Church and therfore no Prelates could iudge the cause of the Election of the Pope of Rome but such as were within the Romane Empire the king with his Bishops Clergie should repayre to him as a freind and associate to attend his sentence heerein Whereunto the king smiling answered that hee wondred a wise man would send soe foolish a message asking if hee were ignorant that Christ committed his flocke to saint Peeter and his successors or whether hee could euer proue that the king of France and his Prelates were any where excepted as beeing not sheepe of that flocke The Pope and king of France by Gods assistance rescued frō the Emperours malice The king of England visiteth the Pope and humbly kisseth his feete And so contemning the Emperour and this embassage hee departed arming himselfe and his nobility and fortifying his frontyre townes against the Emperour returned by Gods assistance with glory to his courte and the fiue Cardinalles in like sorte to the Pope shewing to his holines they re blessed deliuery The Emperour on the other side confounded with shame dispersed his army euen perishing with famine and with great sorrowe went into Germany About this time the king of England visited Pope Alexander in the Monastery of Bobien and prostrating himselfe with all humility kissed his feete and when the Pope offered him a seate meete for his Maiestie hee refused it and with his Barons sate at his feete Hee was receaued by the Pope with the kisse of peace and the king bestowing royal and bounteous giftes on him and the Cardinalles with great
because if I shall say that wee ought to leaue the care of soules receaued by vs from God at the threatening and pleasure of a king my mouth should declare againste my conscience to the condemnation of my soule if on the other side I censure that the king in this case ought to bee resisted Loe heere his followers will heare mee by whose relation his Maiestie will bee thereof certifyed and I shall presently bee cast out of the Sinagoge and hereafter ranked with his publicke and condemned enemyes wherefore I neither say this nor counsell that These thinges thus handled The first acte of this conuentiklâ— they sate awhile in silence neither was there a man who spoake a word more and deuising a way to haue a free passage out of the roome for they were locked in I would quoth my lord of Canterbury speake with two Earles who are with the kinge aad named them both And they beeing called opening the dore entred hastely in and beeing greedy to heare somewhat that might satisfy the kinges desire my lord of Canterbury vsed these wordes in their presence Wee haue consulted about those matters for which my lord the king assembled vs heere and in regarde wee haue not with vs now those persons who more cleerely vnderstand this cause wee therefore craue respite vntill to morrowe determining to answer then as our lord shall inspire vs. The Bishoppes of London and Rochester were sent to deliuer this message to the king but London like a crafty fox corrupted the busines commended to his charge telling the kinge that my lord of Canterbury beesought only at his Maiesties handes a truce of time for making ready the wrytinges as one prepared at the determined day to yeelde accompt in answer of his accusations and this hee sayde to the end my lord of Canterbury might bee thereby the more ingaged to fullfill the kinges request The Earles therefore were directed to the Archbishop for graunting him on the kinges behalfe this respite of time if hee would ratifying confirme what the Bishops on his parte had certifyd his Maiestie Whereunto Canterbury replyed hee gaue the Bishoppes no such commission neyther would alow what they had signifyed to the kinge but would the next day God willing appeare and as it was inspired vnto him from aboue soe answere Gilbert of London was therefore with shame confounded seeing himselfe fallen into the snare which hee layed to intaÌ„gle his father The couÌ„sell beeing thus dissolued for the present they seuerally departed S. Thomas left by his knightes entertaineth the poore the troopes of knightes and others who attended the Archbishop to the place terrifyed for dread of the kinge left him which Sainct Thomas seeing commanded some to seeke about the hedges villages and inuite the poore lame impotent to come vnto him saying hee might with such an army more easily obtayne the victory then by those who in tyme of temptation fledd shamefully away with these poore guestes was his house and feaste furnished and the day spent with contented delight in our lord without any open mention afterwardes made of the forepassed trouble The next day early in the morning was my lord taken with the Hiake passion a disease that followed him and as then helde him in such sorte as hee could not lifte himselfe out of his bedd whereupon making the longer delay which the malicious supposed to proceed of an vnwillingnes to appeare in the kinges Courte some were seÌ„t to coÌ„mand him more sharpely and pereÌ„ptorily to goe on with his answere Who replying sayd if this sicknes will suffer mee I will god willing to morrow appeare That day passed away and the office of the insuiâ—g night beeing finished with great deuotion arysing early to solemnize Masse and hauing according to the custome vested him calling to God for his assistance through the merittes of the blessed S. Stephen hee commanded the entrance of the Masse to beegin with Etenim sederunt Principes aduersum me loquebantur The preparation of S. Thomas and Princes haue sate also and against mee haue they spoken And soe with extraordinary deuotion ended the whole office with all thereunto appertaining the kinges seruantes who were present in silence aduisedly marked all who suspected that this signifyed somewhat Masse beeing donne hee layd asyde his Pall and Miter hauing on his other sacred ornaments and ouer all a Cope It is sayd in Quadrilogus that S. Thomas celebrated as then the Masse of S. Stephen the first Martyr by the aduice of a certaine holy and religious Monke and not in regard it was any feast of Sainct Stephen and that otherwise then his wonted order was hee performed the same in his Pall and caryed also with him secretly the Blessed Sacrament after the ancient customes but openly bore only his Crosse the Sainte thus preparing himselfe to Martyrdome because that day hee supposed hee should dye But the a fore recyted history proceedeth thus Entring the kinges chamber where his Maiestie expected him taking at the very dore the Crosse hee boare it in his owne hande the Bishoppes following and interpreting this his Acte otherwise then beeseemed them Yet Robert Bishop of Hereford offering himselfe sayd Father stay and in place of your Chaplaine I will cary the Crosse before your presence for soe is it conuenient With more iustice answered Canterbury the cariage heereof beelongeth to mee vnder whose protection I remayne more securely and that Banner appearing there is no doubt vnder what Prince I fight London replyed if the king seeth you entring in armes hee will drawe his swoard beeing of greater force then yours and strike at your heade and then you shall trye what these your armes will auayle you All this quoth Canterbury wee coÌ„mend to God Yea answered LondoÌ„ you haue bin hetherto a foole and this folly I see you will neuer leaue Soe went they forward But the king hearing the Bishop came in thus armed forgetting or leauing of his swoard mentioned by LoÌ„don withdrewe himselfe speedily into his priuy chaÌ„ber Canterbury taking his place on the one syde a parte with some very few his followers the Bishoppes sate on the coÌ„trary syde in place and mynde vnited against him At the laste are the Bishops called into the kinges counsell Canterbury beeing left to the slaughter The tyme is protracted while they sifte out the matter for condemning the innocent Canterbury with a confideÌ„t looke put on Constancy Roger Archbishop of Yorke comming forth sayd to his Clearkes present beeing Master Robert surnamed Crosse and Osbern a Rondell let vs departe hence wee ought not to beehould what will here bee instantly executed on Canterbury Master Robert replyed I will not forsake the place vntill I see what God hath determined herein if hee will fight for God and his iustice to the very death hee cannot more nobly and more worthily finish his dayes The Archbishop of Yorke departing thus Barthelmewe Bishop of Excester comming out from the kinges
breath of life shall last in this our body But hauing hitherto flowed in delights that you may heereafter learne to bee as you ought the comforter of the poore neither yet can you bee taught that lesson but by the instruction of pouerty it selfe the mother of Religion wee haue heere thought good to commend and commit you ouer to the poore of Christ I meane this Abbot of Pontiniack for hee was there of purpose present not I say to receaue sumptuous but simple education as best beefitting a banished man and Christes Champion Among whom it behoueth you with a few and those necessary attendantes the rest of your followers beeing distributed among your freindes to conuerse for a tyme vntill the day of consolation shall beegin to dawne and the season of peace shall from aboue descend vpon vs. In the meane while bee of a constant courrage and manfully resiste such as disturbe tranquillity Thus far Alexander and soe the assembly was dismissed Saint Thomas departing went away with the Abbot of Pontiniack where willing to liue among the Monkes in a Monastical habit hee desired the same might bee sanctify'd with Pope Alexander's blessing and cloathed therein hee perseuered a Mōke among the Monkes absolutely obseruing all the rules of Monasticall perfection But what the kinge did when hee heard heereof you shall not only see reader but maruaile thereat To the open iniury of Pope Alexander then resydent at Senon in Frāce hee published new artickles worser then the first which hee commanded to bee obserued in his Prouinces beeyond the seas beeing Aquitayne and other places vnder his subiection and among other letters hee directed one concerning the same to the Bishop of Poyteeres who as he wittnesseth in his Epistle to sainct Thomas receaued it after the feast of the Apostles Lib 1. Epist 1. Idem postea Epist 16. And what these Edictes were is heere to bee layd downe out of the sayd booke of the Vatican where wee read in this wise These are the Constitutions which King Henry ordayned in Normandy and gaue in command to his Iustices 1. If any man bee found carrying our Lord the Popes letters or the Archbishop of Canterburies mandate contayning Interdiction of Christianity into England let him bee apprehended and iustice without delay executed on him as a traitor to the king 2 Moreouer let no clearke nor Monke nor conuertite nor any of any conuersion bee suffered to passe ouer the seas or returne into England vnlesse hee haue letters of iustice for his passage and the letters of our Lord the kinge for his returne if any man bee found to doe otherwise let him bee apprehended and imprisoned 3. Let no man appeale to the Pope or Archbishop 4. That no plea bee held by the commandement of the Pope or Arch-bishop or any Mandate of theires receaued in England of any man if any one bee found doeing otherwise let him bee apprehended and imprisoned 5. It was also generally forbidden that no man should cary any Mandate of Clearke or Lay-man to our Lord the Pope or Archbishop if such should bee found let him bee apprehended and imprisoned 6. If Bishoppes Clearkes Abbottes or Lay-men will defend any sentence of interdiction let them and all theyr whole kindred without delay bee banished the land in such wise as they carry none of theyr chattells with them 7. That the chattells of all such as fauour the Pope or Archbishop and all the possessions of them and all such as appertayne to them of what degree order sex or condition soeuer they are bee seized and confiscate into the soueraigne hand of our Lord the king 8. That all Clearkes who haue rentes in England bee admonished through-out all countryes that within three monthes they returne into England to theyr rentes if they loue theyr rentes and if they retourne not at the appointed time let theyr rentes bee seized into the kings handes 9. That saint Peeter's pennys bee not payd any more to the Apostolike Sea but carefully gathered and reserued in the king's treasury and disbursed at his commandement 10. That the Bishoppes of London and Norwich bee at the mercy of our Lord the king and summoned by the Shyriffes and Bayliffes to appeare before the kinges Iustices to satisfy the kinge and his Iustices for that contrary to the statutes of Claringtonne they interdicted by the Popes commendement the landes of Earle Hugh and diuulged the excommunication which our Lord the Pope pronounced against him in theyr parishes without the kinges Iustices Hetherto are the kinges constitutions which were sent into Normandie Nor yet king Henry contented heere withall for the hatred hee bore to saint Thomas caused the whole estate of the Saint and his followers to bee confiscate and all his kindred and familiar freindes to bee transported out of England and sparing neither sex nor age made an exceeding showe of extreme cruelty All this is declared at large in Quadrilogus a booke compiled of saint Thomas And all this was written to him by one affected to the kinge yet detesting this tyranny vnworthie soe great a Prince And beecause sainct Thomas himselfe was not able to relieue the miserable necessityes of soe many distressed persons hee deuised to send thē into Cecill to bee there mayntained where they were receaued by Margarete Queene of that Iland a right pious woeman Moreouer the Archbishop of Siracusa beecame their good benefactor both which by letters saint Thomas gratefully thanked But this soe great a cruelty beeing not able to satisfy the kinges inraged mynd Lib. 1. Epist 27. 28. hee wrought beesides by decree to depriue sainct Thomas of Spirituall benefittes commanding that noe man vnder his Episcopall iurisdiction should presume to pray for him This William witnesseth in Quadrilogus Now concerning sainct Peeters pennyes Concerning the forbidding of paying S. Peeters pennys which were appointed by Pope Alexander to bee gathered by two Priors of the Cistercians who gaue it ouer and durst not gaynesay the kinges commandement to the contrary Peeter of Bloys one tf his Maiesties courte plucking vp a couragious spiritt contested with his Soueraigne and enforced him to leaue the payement thereof free to his Holines and this himselfe witnesseth in his inuectiue against the deprauer of his actions with these wordes I speake not this for vaine glory but for refutation of thyne impudency for thou art transformed vnto the browe of an harlot by the testimony and affirmation of very many peeres of England King Henry of worthy memory did once cōcerning the collection of the pennys of saint Peeter not induring then to bee won by intreaty or recalled by reason inueygh exceedingly against two Priors of thyne order no man durst oppose himselfe on the contrary parte I only attempted to make a breach and way for them and in time of wrath beecame their reconciliation At myne instances God assisting his royall hand full often poured out bountifull and magnificent almes and to this day the Church of
feared least the incensed bee thereuppon faer more inraged What shall I therefore doe speake Or hold my peace since on euery side danger menaceth mee But beecause it is safer to fall into the indignation of man then into the handes of our liuing Lord beeing confident in the mercy of the highest in whose handes are the heartes of Kinges Daniel 13. inclining them to what side be◠lifteth and I wish to the better I will speake to my Lord since I haue once beegun for many times benefitts are prepared euen for the vnwilling especially when wee aduise them rather for their saftie then pleasure His admonition concerning the estate of the Church In your realme is held captiue the daughter Sion the spouse of the mightie king is oppressed by many beeing afflicted by those who haue long time hated her and of whom shee rather should bee honoured then aggreeued especially of your selfe weyghing therefore seriously in your owne conscience the singular benefitts which God hath beestowed on you in the first entrance of your raigne in the midst thereof and euen allmost to this very day loose now her bandes and suffer her to rule together with her spouse that God may bountifully blesse you your kingdome instantly recouer his former power obloquie bee washed away from your generation and singular peace flourish in your dayes Giue credit to mee most beeloued Lord most renowned Prince for our Lord with patience repayeth with longanimity expecteth but with terror reuengeth Listen to mee and doe well otherwise ought you to dread which God forbid least the Amighty beegirt with his swoard on his thigh and come in a strange hand with a huge army to deliuer his spouse not without greeuous punishment from her oppression and seruitude of tribulation but if you will harken vnto mee beecause our Lord hath at this instant most vrgent occasion to make tryall of your obsequious seruice as of his couragious souldier God will poure out his benefittes on you adding glory to the posterity of your sonnes and daughters in long induring ages Otherwise I feare which God forbid that the swoard shall neuer departe from your family vntill hee commeth who shall fully reuenge the iniury offered him and his beeing God Almighty himselfe like to the plague which left not the house of Solomon from whom although God made choyse of him ād gaue him that abundance of wisedome ād peace as it was sayd of all This is the sōne of wisedome and peace yet beecause hee flew backe from the wayes of our Lord and walked in iniquity vpon iniquity God rent his kingdome and gaue it to his seruant especially in reguard hee sought not instantly after his sinne to appease the wrath of our Lord like Dauid his father who presently vpon his offence humbled himselfe to God corrected his fault beesought mercy and obtayned pardon I would to Almighty God that you likewise through the grace of our Lord would imitate his example And thus much for the present I write the rest I leaue to the relation of this bearer a man Religious and of great estimation and as I suppose your faithfull seruant vnto whom I humbly beeseech you if it pleaseth your Maiestie that you will confidently giue credit although I rather desire with your royall fauour to speake with your selfe in presence God grant my Lord and king now and euer well to fare Thus much to the king sending also by the same messinger these letters worthie your attention to the Bishop of Hereforde Thomas by the grace of God the humble seruante of the Church of Canterbury to his reuerent brother Robert The letter of saint Thomas to Robert Bishop of Hereford by the same grace Bishope of Hereforde sendeth greeting and wisheth him in all thinges well to doe If my letter had stirred vp in your Brotherhood a carefull diligence I had not found you slougthfull in your affection or not effectually watchfull for discharging the duty of your vndertaken office I haue made choyse to bee an abiect to bee accursed for all to bee the obloquio of men and the out cast of the people to the end I may not see the calamityes of the Saintes and rather then to dissemble the iniurys of our nation expecting if perchance any one among yee beeing zealous of the law of God and thirsting the liberty of the Church would come after and ioyne with mee that wee might not yeeld hornes of power to offendors and beehould you who as I beeleiued was beestowed on mee by God that together with mee might build pull downe and plant beegin to mee with conuerting your spurre of zeale to ruine and your comforte to despaire preaching humiliation nay deiection and denouncing goodnes when on all sides there is nothing left but trouble to the destruction of the Church of God and of his cleargie yea euen at such time when as you ought cheifely to confirme with constācy the wauering mynde and indure with mee the combate for defence of the patrimony of the crucify'd for repressing and subduing the enemyes of the Church to sound into myne eares to breath into my head that I should intreate more instantly reproue more sharply rebuke more seuerely and if prechance they listen not to mee then truly to cry out to mee Arise Why doe you sleepe Plucke out the swoard of sainct Peeter reuenge the blood of the seruantes of Christ which is poured forth with the iniurys of the Church that in you and vs are dayly sustained Is it cleane slipt out of your memory with how greate iniuries I was afflicted with what reproches abused when in my person Christ was againe before the Tribunal of a Prince adiuged I call not againe to minde the wrong offered to myne owne person allthough the same was also in truth to the Church Marke you more diligently consider deepely in your harte what was done beefore my departure out of the land what in my departure and what after my departure yea what is done euery day in the realme against the Church of God his cleargie with what conscience can these things bee dissembled by you who was expected to bee a Redeemer of Israel a champion to deliuer the Church out of bondage And now beecause you haue bin soe long silent I poure out my plaintes against you O my eldest sonne I feare an other will step in your place to beereaue you of your inheritance yea win from you which God forbid the blessing of an heire But allthough hetherto you haue rested silent recouer now your courage againe my dearest sonne Cry out and cease not Lift vp your voyce on high against them darte feare into their heartes strike into them contrition force out of them satisfaction least otherwise the wrath of God fall downe vpon them and the whole nation or which God forbid on the mightyst Potentates of the kindome for the iust reuenge of God hangeth euen now ouer their heades This I write not to confound
which the world witnesseth wee neuer deserued at his handes malitiously to depraue and derogate from vs and our renowne But if the sayd Archbishoppe as of his owne accord hee departed the land soe of his owne free will would returne againe and beare him selfe to vs in such sort as he ought to behaue himselfe to his Lord and king wee then would likewise so deale with him as according to the counsell of our Clergie and Layetie as well of our kingdome as our Prouinces beeyond the seas should bee thought conuenient but wee thinke it vnfitting to call him backe whom wee neuer enforced to flye our dominions Wherefore if it â—â—all appeare to vs that wee haue any way offended or exceeded our boundes wee will with the aduice of our Clergie and Barons according to the customes dignityes and excellency of our kingdome willingly satisfy as wee are bound But if any one will attempt to trouble or diminish the lawes customes and dignityes of our crowne wee will esteeme him the publicke aduersary and open enemy of our name honor and kingdome and wee so long as wee liue will neuer endure the least detriment to the dignityes and customes of our regality which the renowned men our Predecessors haue held and inioyed in the raignes of the holy Popes of Rome Lastly in that hee commanded yee to insinuate vnto vs that wee should not afflict the Churches or Ecclesiasticall persons of our kindome or Prouinces nor yet suffer them to bee afflicted God and our Conscience doe witnes that to this very day wee neuer did nor Permitted it to bee donne Hetherto the kinges Apologie to the Cardinalls But as the image of a foule deformed and horrible Monster beeing ouercast with coulors may bee transformed into the showe of a most faire and chaste Virgin and not with standing there lurketh vnderneath what to the eyes would bee dreadfull to beehould yet outwardly it appeareth delectable Soe shall yee playnly see his detestable crymes with a deceytfull style transformed into vertues But what estimation is to bee had of him that which hath allready bin sayd and what heereafter shall bee written will apparently declare There are also other letters extant which passed this yeere in the cause of controuersy beetwene the king of England and sainct Thomas beeing writings truly of great moment and principaly that which Pope Alexander sent to the Bishop of London and is recyted by Roger in these words Alexander Bishop seruant of the seruantes of God to his reuerent brother Gilbert Bishop of London sendeth greeting with an Apostolicall Benediction In that you haue beestowed singular care and diligence about the busines wee enioyned your brotherhood and for that your haue faithfully sollicited and effectually admonished our most deare sonne in Christ Henry the renowned king of England concerning the encrease and exaltation of the Church and vs wee receaue the same as a thing most gratefull and acceptable and thereupon rendring you abundance of thankes wee doe for that cause highly commend and prayse in our Lord your watchfull and endeauouring wisedome And beecause wee loue with a more intire charity this your king as a famous Prince and our dearest sonne therefore wee haue thought good often yea very often to sollicyte and excite him by all meanes to deuotion towards the Church as well by your reuerent brethren the Archbishop of Roane and Bishop of Hereforde and also by our most deare daughter in Christ his mother sometymes the illustrous Empres of Rome And now reioyce and are greatly comforted in our Lord for the godly zeale of the same king signifyed to vs by your letters But beecause wee would haue him as intirely affected to the Church of God and to vs as in the beeginning her was accustomed to bee wee intreate admonish yea command your brotherhood that you will againe and againe both by your selfe and others carefully and diligently stirre vp exhorte and by all meanes perswade him to procure after his wonted manner with his best endeauors the honor and exaltation of the same Church and foster mayntaine and defend with all courage the cause therof that hee would loue and reuerence Churches and Ecclesiasticall persons and conserue their rightes and franchises Likewise that hee would restore to his grace and fauour our reuerent brother the Archbishop of Canterbury and for our parte if hee yeeld to sainct Peeter and vs the respect and honor which heeretofore hee hath done wee will loue him with a most tender affection and labour by all meanes as beeseemeth vs to magnify and aduance him and preserue the kingdome committed to his charge for wee had rather vanquish him with patience and mildnes then any way agreeue him soe long vs wee can possibly forbeare him Dated at Gradus Mercurii XI Kalend. Septemb. Thus wrote Alexander to the Bishop of London who in this manner answered him To his father and Lord the most high Bishop Alexander Brother Gilbert seruant of the Church of London sendeth his dutifull seruice of sincere charity and humble obedience Hauing receaued most deere father in Christ your commandement with dew reuerence wee instantly heard that your sonne our most beeloued soueraigne Lord was leading his army in the confines of France and taking with vs our venerable Brother Robert Bishop of Hereford according to your direction with all attentiue dilligence wee treated with him and laying beefore his eyes whatsoeuer you signifyed to vs by letter partly entreating and as far as beecame subiects to the Maiestie of their king also reprouing wee constantly and instantly perswaded him that hee would bee certifyed in all these pointes and if hee had swarued from the path of reason hee would returne to the way of truth and iustice beeing called backe by your admonition deliuered him by our mouth and beeing piously aduertised by his father 〈◊〉 absolutly desist from wicked actions loue God witâ— a pure harte respect his Mother the holy Church of Râ—â—e with his wonted reuerence and neuer forbid those whâ— were willing to visit her nor hinder appeales made vnto her and reducing charitably from exile our father the Lord of Canterbury hee would remayne constant and vnmoueable in the obedience of sainct Peeter and your Holines and wholy bent to the workes of deuotion would not any way afflict Churches or Ecclesiasticall persons of his kingdome or dominions nor suffer them to bee in any sorte iniured by himselfe or others but with loue defend them vnder his royall protection that hee by whom kinges doe raigne may in this world prosper his temporal Dominion and beestowe on him in heauen an eternall kingdome Otherwise if hee obeyed not your godly and wholsome admonitions your Holines who had hetherto with patience indured could no longer contayne your selfe within the compasse thereof Heereunto wee added that hee was iustly to feare least if hee corrected not his offences hee shoulde shortly incurre the wrath of Allmighty God through which his kingdome would not long continewe nor his bee
liues beecause hee is terrible and who can resiste him You ought neuer to forget in what state God did first finde you then how hee promoted honored exalted you how hee blessed you with royal issue confirmed the throne of your kingdome and in despight of all your enemyes inriched you with ample possessions in soe much as to this very houre all men with admiration pronounce This is hee whom our Lord hath chosen And what shall you yeeld or what can you render for all these bountyes beestowed by him on you Will you at their instinct and instance who persecute aboute you the Church and Ecclesiasticall persons and haue euer to their power afflicted them repay euill for good with oppressions tribulations iniuryes vexations to Churches and their Cleargy Are not these the persons of whom our Lord sayth Who heareth you heareth mee who contemneth you despiseth mee who toucheth you toucheth the aple of myne eye If truly leauing all you possesse you take vp your crosse and follow our Lord Iesus Christ hardly shall you yea neuer shall you bee found faithfull and gratefull enough to recompense these his benefitâ—s receaued Search out the Scriptures of such as knowe them and you shall finde that Saul although chosen by our Lord 1. Reg. 15. 2. Paral. 20. yet neuertheles beecause hee wandred from his wayes was punished with the ouerthrowe of himselfe and his family Ozias also king of Iuda whose fame was spread both far and wyde and was soe highly renowned for the many victoryes beestowed on him by our Lord had to the downefall of his owne destruction his harte so puffed vp in regard that God did at all tymes assist and strengthen him that contemming the reuerence due to our Lord hee would needes vsurpe to himselfe a matter no whit appertayning to his office but only to the preisthoode which was to offer incense on the altar of our Lord and therefore was strooken by our Lord with a leprosy and by the handes of the preistes cast out from the temple of our Lord and soe remayned till his dying day a foule Leper in respect whereof hee was banished the house of Allmighty God In like sorte many other kinges who mightely abounded in riches beecause they walked aboue themselues in the maruelles of this world presuming to rebell against our Lord perished and in the last gaspe found none of their riches left in their handes Moroeuer king Azarias wrongfully intruding himselfe likewise into the preistly office Reg 15. was punished with a leprosie 2. Reg 6. Lastly Oza though not a king but for touching the Arke of our Lord and vphoulding it beeing in danger to fall by reason of the Oxens stumbling yet beecause this appertayned not to his charge but to the offices of the temple beeing wounded by Gods indignation fell headlong dead hard by the Arcke of our Lord A king according to the common prouerbe chastised by the misfortune of an other looketh more narrowly to himselfe For you are neere an euill turne When as your neighbours house doth burne Allmighty God most deere soueraigne would that thinges appertayning to the disposition of the Church should beelong to preistes and not to secular powers who if they bee Christians his deuine pleasure is they should bee subiectes vnto the preistes of his Church Challenge not therefore to your selfe an others office or right neither rayse contention against him by whom all thinges are ordayned for feare least yee seeme to fight against the benefitts of him from whom you receiue your authority It is not the will of Allmighty God that the Clergie of the Christian religion should bee either ordered or censured by publicke lawes or secular Princes but by Bishpps and priestes Christian kinges ought to submitt the excecution of their designes to Ecclesiasticall Pastors and not preferre their customes beefore them For it is written that none ought to pronounce iudgment against preistes but the Church nor doth it beelong to temporall lawes to giue sentence ouer such Christian Princes were wont to obey the Canons of the Church and not to ouerpoyse with their power Ecclesiasticall Constitutions to humble their crowned heades vnto their Bishoppes not to determyne ouer their Bishoppes for two states there are in which doth principally consist this worlds gouerment the Bishoppes sacred authority and the kingly power wherein the worthynes of preisthood is of farr greater weyght beecause they must in the day of iudgment render an accompt of kinges themselues Yee ought truly to knowe that yee are bound to depend on their iudgmentes and not to haue them reduced to your wills For many Bishoppes haue excommunicated some kinges others Emperors and if you would knowe any particulers concerning the persons of these Princes Innocentius excommunicated the Emperor Arcadius beecause hee consented to haue saint Iohn Chrisostome banished out of his Sea Saint Ambrose for one fault which in the eyes of other preistes appeared not so heynous excommunicated and cast out of the Church the Emperor Theodosius the great who hauing made condigne satisfaction obtayned absolution And many others such like are to this purpose 2. Reg. 12. Dauid also hauing committed adultery and murder Nathan the Prophet was sent to him by God to reproue and correct him admonished hee was and soone amended for the king laying asyde his royall Diadem and casting away his Imperiall Maiesty was not ashamed to humble himselfe beefore the face of the Prophet to confesse his synne and craue pardon for his offence what shall I say more conducted by pennance hee beesought mercy and obtayned forgiuenes Bee it so with you o deerest beeloued sonne most renowned king most honored Lord according to the example of most excellent Dauid that most godly king of whom our Lord sayd 1 Reg. 13. I haue found a man according to myne owne harte Bee you in like sorce with a contrite and humble hart conuerted to our Lord God and doe seuere pennance for your sundâ—y excesses for you haue falleÌ„ downe headlong and erred in many thinges which as yet I conceale expecting if soe bee it our Lord will inspire you so as you may say with the Prophet Haue mercy on mee ô God according to thy great mercy Psal 24.50 Psalm 33. beecause I haue much offended thee and committed sin in thy sight for God is at hand to them who are righteous of harte and will saue the humble in spiritt Thus for this tyme my Lord I write vnto you suppressing the rest in silence vntill I see whether my speech may fasten on you and bring forth of you fruites worthy of pennance that I may heare by the reporte of others and congratulate with them who shall tell mee your sonne and king was dead but is reuiued was lost but is found againe If soe bee that you will not heare mee who was accustomed to pray for you with abundance of teares and exceeding sighes beefore the Maiestie of the body of Christ I will assuredly in
same sealed vp to such Messingers as shall bee designed for that purpose And withall commanded to send or deliuer the letters of the sayd Legantyne authority together with the letters of the Archbishop to sundry Bishoppes according to their seuerall directions and not to omitt this vnder payne of infringing the integrity of our state and order Prostrate therefore in harte wee humbly beeseeche at the feete of your Maiestie that you will not in regard of the weighty affaires beelonging to the charge of your kingdome neglect to consyder of vs but to prouide out of your princely piety soe for vs as wee bee not to our eternall infamy throwne from all to nothing which you may conueniently doe if you condescend by your leaue to obey the Apostolicke commandementes and restoring saint Peeters pence and through your mercy the Clearkes to their owne You command all the Bishoppes that if they can finde any thing in the Archbishoppes letters to make against the customes of the kingdome they presently with all confidence appeale vnto the Popes holines or his Legates which are directed vnto vs soe shall you doe a worke of mercy preserue vs from the guilt of disobedience and by the common appeale of all defend our cause from receauing any detriment Our Lord instruct you to doe his will and redeeme vs out of the streightes wherin wee are at this instant plunged Farwell most beeloued Lord in Christ And thus London painting the wall without temperature whilst with the remedy of appeale and not absolute obedience hee counselled the king to redresse this matter But Thomas now strengthened with the most ample power of the Apostolicall Legation setting asyde delay S. Thomas executeth his LegaÌ„tyne authority falled downe what was to bee cult and corrected plucked vp the bastard plantes which had now beeyond all right and reason taken deepe rootes and beeing made a fanne in the hand of our Lord vndertooke with his greate labour to seperate the chaffe from the corne finding in al things not only the kinge himselfe but also the Bishoppes his most bitter aduersaries whom neither by benefitts nor admonitions hee could euer bring to better passe but indured them still as the most vile deprauers of his actions to the king Yet that hee may not appeare negligent in his office hee awaked the slougthfull restrained the wanderers and those whom hee found in regarde of their abhominable crymes altogether vnworthie hee cut them of from the communion of the Catholike Church as rotten members from a sound body All which is signifyed by the letters hee wrote this present yeere out of France into England to the Bishops subiect to his charge which beeing recorded among other his Epistells are to bee read in this sorte Codi Vat. lib. 1. Epist 9â— Thomas by the grace of God the humble seruante of the Church of Canterbury to his reuerent brethren the Bishop of London and other Bishoppes of the whole Prouince of Canterbury wisheth soe to passe through temporall felicity as they loose not eternall My most beeloued Bretthren why rise yee not with mee against the malicious S. Thomas by his Epistel correcteth the Bishops of his Prouince Why staÌ„d yee not with mee against the workes of iniquity Are yee ignorant that our Lord will disperse the bones of them who please men They shall bee confounded beecause our Lord hath despised them Your discretion sufficiently vnderstandeth that an error not resisted is approued and truth not defended is oppressed And by the testimony of saint Gregory Psalm 52. hee seemeth to consent to the erronious who essayeth not to reforme what is to bee amended Heereby is apparant that wee haue too long and too much forborne the king of England nor yet hath the Church of God reaped any commodity by this our enduring It seemeth dangerous and intollerable for vs to leaue any longer vnpunished hetherto wee haue done soe greate excesses of him and his officers against the Church of God and Ecclesiasticall persons especially since wee haue very often endeauored by messangers letters and all manner of meanes as bee came vs to recall him from his peruerse purpose Beecause therefore hee will hardly afforde vs the hearing and much lesse attentiuely listen vnto vs wee haue with inuocation of the grace of the holy ghoste publickly condemned and declared as voyd that deede of wryting together with the authority of that indenture wherin are contayned not customes but rather those wicked deuices by which the Church of England is disturbed and confounded and haue also excommunicated all the obseruers exactors counsellors assistantes and defenders of the same and doe absolue by the authority of God and vs all yee Bishoppes from that promise whereby yee were bound contrary to the constitution of the Church for the obseruation of them For who can make doubt but that the Preistes of Christ should bee esteemed the fathers and Maisters of kinges Princes and all faithfull beeleeuers Is it not a miserable madnes if the sonne should endeauour to bring the father or the scholler the Master vnder his subiection and with vnlawfull bandes to subdue vnto his will the partie by whom his faith telleth him that not only in earth but also in heauen hee may bee tyed and loosed wherefore that yee may not fall into the lapse of this sentence wee haue adiudged voyd the authority of this obligation and the schedule it selfe with all the enormityes contayned therein and haue especially declared it of no force in these thinges ensuing 1. That no man shall appeale to the Apostolike Sea vpon any cause without the kinges licence 2. That it shall not bee lawfull for an Archbishop or Bishop to departe out of the kingdome and come at the calling of our Lord the Pope without our Lord the kinges licence 3. That it shall not bee lawfull for à Bishop to excommunicate any one houlding of the kinge in cheyfe without the kinges licence or to interdict his land or the landes of his Officers 4. That it shall not bee lawfaull for a Bishop to punish any one for periury or profaning his faith 5. That Clearkes shall bee bounde to bee tryed beefore secular Tribunalles 6. That the Layety or kinge or any others shall handle causes beeloÌ„ging to the Church or Tythes or others of like nature Wee denounce also as excommunicate and haue excommunicated by name Iohn de Oxeforde who hath fallen into a damnable heresie by making oathe to the Scysmaticks whereby the scysme allmost extinguished in Almayne reuiued againe also by communicating with that infamous Scysmatick Reynold Archbishop of Colâ—n and lastly beecause against the commandement of our Lord the Pope and vs hee vsurped to himselfe the Deanry of the Church of Salisbury which acte as contrary to law and à pernicious example to the Church of God wee haue condemned and declared as voyde commanding the Bishop of Salisbury and his Chapter in the vertue of obedience and perill of their order that vpon sight
away hath wherewith to restore Whereupon Saint Augustine saith If the thing taken away when it may bee restored bee not restored Pennance is not donne but dissembled And in an other place I haue sayd this most confidently that hee who maketh intercession for a man to this purpose that hee may not restore thinges vniustly taken away and hee who compelleth not as farre as honestly hee may the party that in this case flyeth to him to make restitution is partaker of his deceipte and offence for with far greater mercy doe wee forbeare to helpe such men then assist them Bee assured therefore of this make no doubt at all thereof and if any man preacheth contrary to this yea bee it an Angell from heauen let him be accursed and soe shall hee as long as hee perseuereth in this opinion See therefor renowned Lord that in this case you walke warely least the detayning of a thing euill gotten which is but dust and wormes dryue you headlong which God forbid into impenitency and make you subiect to that danger from which you can neuer be cleansed by fasting and prayer In discretion moreouer you ought to vnderstand that allthough all Bishoppes are not Saintes yet possesse they the places of Saintes and allbeeit they shine not with such meritt of life yet ought they to imitate those who haue shyned before them as farre as Gods mercy will giue them grace Because therefore holy men haue fought for the law of their God vnto death and haue not feared the wordes and threates of their persecutors for hee is absolutely more to bee dreaded who is able to cast soule and body into hell fire wee likewise are of necessity bound as far as God will inspire vs to keepe foster and defend his lawes neyther is this to bee imputed to vs as pryde or malice but is imposed on vs as incident to our office For soe sayth our Lord Keepe my lawes And againe in thee Gospell Hee that breaketh one of these least commandements shall bee called the least in the kingdome of heauen Wee beelieue noble Lord you are sufficiently endowed with wisedome and therefore wee humbly beeseech you as our deerest Lord and that in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you will vouchsafe to heare vs yea with mercy and to heare vs throughly as God may heare and fully heare you at the day of iudgment and receaue you among his elected when assuredly neyther strengh nor power nor empyre nor riches nor secular lawes nor customes can helpe any man nor any thing else but the mercy of Allmighty God with the fruytes of forerunning workes which would to God it might euer remayne fixed in your mynde and thence neuer to departe Let our Lord and king willingly admitt and heare the counsellors who aduise him heerein that God may prosper him and lengthen the life of him and his heires with the blessings of peace for many yeeres neither let them passe in this world vnpunished who with their falshood and exquisite deceiptes haue endeauored to vndoe and disturbe the worthie and vertuous designes of our Lord and king which from the beeginning of his raigne hee conceaued and continued as wee thinke with a iust sincere deuotion for the honoring of Churches and Ecclesiasticall persons God send our Lord euer to florish and that his Church and wee may thereby liue more blessedly God send him long life And thus Saint Thomas not as a iudge threatening with seuere censures but as a father exhorteh and admonisheth his sonne whom hee desireth to deliuer from the sentence of condemnation allthough in vayne his wicked counsellors withstanding it Cod. Vat. lib. 1. Epist 140. And like to this complainte of the kinges counsellors made by Saint Thomas as you haue heard doth Iohn of Salisbury inueigh also against them wryting to Nicholas de Monte of Roan who was to Saint Thomas a most entire freind which shorte epistle because it containeth much matter appertayning to this time wee thought conuenient to bee heere inserted being thus Our Lord disperseth those nations that would haue warres and they who estrange themselues from the peace of God shall vndoubtedly perish What one of the Persecutors of Gods Church hath bin read to haue eschewed the reuenging right hand of our Lord who punisheth the mighty mightely In regarde whereof which without greife I cannot speake our Lord the king of England whom with his heires God if it bee his blessed will preserue is much to bee feared least their kingdome bee rent asunder and the power weakened which they haue abused against the Churche If reuenge bee deferred for the correction and probation of his children whom the mercifull father chasticeth first that hee may afterwardes crowne it is not therefore taken away but that after the patience of the holy it beecommeth more bitter and terrible against the wicked Why then I pray you doth not this most wise man endowed by God with soe greate vertues soe large a dominion and allmost all singular guiftes returne vnto his harte And why cannot the cōqueror of soe many and mighty cittyes cōquer his owne intemperance Why doth hee persecuting the Church the only beeloued spouse of Christ inkindle him to wrath who taketh away the spirit of princes and with his owne propper power trampleth on the neckes of the potent Vndoubtedly if hee were aduysed hee would turne the fury of his indignation against them who with their guiles and abuses haue thrust him headlong into this not counsell but downefull and would at the least imitate the king of Babilon that hee might not bee found more cruell then hee who cast them into the Lyons denne by whose counsell hee threw Daniel a prisoner thither that the guilty counsellers might suffer the paynes they deuised against the guiltles Then addeth hee examples of Bishoppes restored by kinges to theire proper Seas wryting thus The Archbishop of Saint Iames who liued long in banishment is now restored by his king The king of the Danes calling home his Archbishop gouerneth by his aduice subdueth his enemyes and honoreth him as his father The Archbishop of Lyons hath receaued againe his Sea and reduced his prouince to the Catholike vnity The cittyes of Italy abandoning Fredericke the Scysmaticke haue entertayned their Catholicke Bishoppes God is my witnes vnles our Lord and king recalleth againe his Archbishop I dread to vtter the feare I conceaue of him but if hee will send for him and render peace to the Church of God I doe assuredly hope that in him and his the glory of his former successes will through the Churches prayers flourish againe what say I more There resteth yet for him one apparant aduice which is that hee banisheth his wicked counsellors the Churches aduersarys and endeauoreth to appease Allmighty God whom hee hath offended against whose diuine pleasure hee can neither raigne nor rule God hath yet endured him with vnspeakeable patience but vnlesse hee beeware as the woeman in labor hee will
world allmost France only excepted was assayled and oppressed with aduersityes scarse tollerable and many other wordes they vsed of the mighty power of our prince his loue and reuerence to the Church of Rome his fauor grace and benefitts bestowed on vs aggrauating withall excellency the accusations of iniurys done by vs and ours wherewith hee complayned that he was wonderfully wronged affirming wee procured both the king of France and Earle of Flanders to make warrs against him then they perswaded vs to endeauor with great humility and ample showe of deuotion and moderation to appease his indignation if soe extreme a fierce nature may by any meanes bee reclaymed and so rough and vnbridled a disposition broken yea they asked counsell of vs who in tymes past weere accustomed to knowe him more inwardly how they might soften the hardnes of his harte for hee shewed himselfe more distastefull to them after hee perceaued how they could not according to the promises made by Iohn of Oxeforde contrary to God and all lawes pronounce against vs at his pleasure the sentence of condemnation but what hee sayde in the hearing of his Bishoppes shall by Gods assistance bee deliuered you more commodiously by word of mouth then by wryting And for vs wee yeelde thankes to your Holines that you are soe carefully of the Churches peace and ours which ours if the Churches peace and yours Wee auoyded the suspitions by which the king labored to taxe vs with true and probable reasons and the king of France himselfe the next day followinge did as farre as concerned him in the presence of the Cardinalles cleere our innocency with his oathe being as the searcher and iudge of hartes knoweth guiltles of this faulte neither are wee so dull and slowe to beeleiue the lawe prophetts and Gospell that in a point of this great importāce laying asyde our spirituall weapons and the sheildes of Apostolike discipline wee should suppose armes of the flesh to be vsed especially by preistes for we knowe we are not to trust in princes and accursed is hee who maketh flesh his arme Ierem. 17◠and to the end they might not falsly deuise any such thing against vs wee long abstayned from hauing conference with the king vntill at the last vpon his cōmandement wee came that wee might present to him the letters of our excuse and obtayne a free passage and safe conducte for my lord Oddo the Legate who sent to vs for that purpose his Chaplayne Papia for hee had procured the like from the king of England the king of France also as then vnripped vnto vs an old iniury as hee sayde offered him by them at such tyme as hee accepted you as his father and lord and lastly hee tooke worst of all the vainglorious boasting of Iohn of Oxeforde with those of his faction After his hauing gratiously admitted our excuse and graunting the passe wee desired wee returned to the place of our poore aboade expecting with patience reliefe from our Lord. And beecause our Lordes the Legates required at our handes all humility and showe of modesty wherby so magnificent a prince might bee appeased and pleased wee answered wee would according to their counsell render vnto him as to our Lord and king most willingly and deuoutely all humility seruice and reuerence sauing euer to God and the Apostolike Sea their honor to the Churches her liberty to vs respect of our person and to Churches their possessions and if any thing seemed according to their opinion to bee heerin added lessened or altered wee beesought them to certify vs in regarde it was our desire to obey thē so far as stood with our condition professiō they replying they would not consult hereof nor came to vs then to giue aduice but aske counsell of vs essaying vs they demanded that wee may vse my lord Williams wordes in regarde wee were not better then our forefathers we would in their presence promise our king to obserue all the customes which his ancestors helde in the tyme of our Predecessors and so all controuersyes on both sydes beeing layd asleepe if they could bring this aboute which would not bee done as they thought without difficulty for vs to receaue our Archbishoppricke againe and to recouer his grace and fauor Whereunto wee sayde that none of our predecessors were euer by any king constrayned to make this protestation neither wee God willing would euer professe to obserue the customes which vtterly destroy the liberty of Gods Church pluck vp by the rootes the priuiledge of the Apostolike Sea and are open and absolute oppugners of the lawe of God from the which of your mercy you absolued vs at Senon in the presence of themselues and many others whenas you vsed withall these wordes worthy of your Apostolicall mouth which by Gods grace shall neuer departe out of our mynde that wee ought rather yeelde out neckes to the swoard of the executioner then consent to such wicked customes and for a filthy and base commodity of our temporall estates and greedy purchase of a frayle life to neglect our pastorall office There were read in their presence those reprobate customes some of which wee had allready condemned yea which the whole Catholicke Church had in many Counsells before our age together with the obseruers of them accursed wee asked them if it were then any way lawfull for a preist without perill of his order and danger of his soule to obserue them yea or to wincke at them wee sayd moreouer wee had formerly sworne our fealty vnto the king with reseruation of the honor of our order and that we would euer willingly obserue the same so far forth as wee doe not frustrate our faith due to Allmighty God wherupon one whom as your Holines knoweth wee haue held and euer ought to haue in suspition vrged vs thus that better it was absolutely to yeelde then the Church to bee in this sorte disturbed and to this effect were multiplyed many perswasiue speeches which will better be deliuered by word of mouth then otherwise to whom wee replyed that in this cause wee would neuer yeelde in regard it would proue a pernitious example and turne to the ruine of the Ecclesiasticall liberty yea perhappes to the damage of the Christian faith for who heereafter would then euer dare to open his mouth what is hee who when the Pastors shall thus runne away will rise against them to oppose himselfe as a wall for the house of Israel wee sayde moreouer neither your Holines nor any Apostolicall men instructed euer the Church of God with such examples Did not vpon the flight of the Pastors as it is famousely reported in Historyes all Egipt returne to Idolatry where at the first Religion so exceedingly flourished Then running to an other matter they demanded if wee would abyde the iudgment of the Legates in the controuersy beetweene the king and vs and that if heerin we refused iudgment wee seemed to iustify the kings syde and in the eyes
against mee are all these forces bent and I once taken away there will bee none left to pursue yee further c. Bee therfore comfortable and feare nothing Nay rather quoth they wee take pitty on you not knowing which way you caÌ„ turne your selfe beeing a man of soe greate authority and thus left by your cheifest and last frindes To Allmighty God answered Canterbury I committ the care of my selfe and since the dores of both kingdomes are now shutt against me ah other way is now to bee taken I haue heard that about Araris a riuer of Burgundie and from thence to the countrey of Prouince men are of a more liberall and free disposition to these will wee all trauell on foote who perhaps vpon sight of our afflictions will take compassion of vs and furnish vs with victualls for a tyme vntill our lord shall better helpe vs for God is able euen in the deepest pitt of distresse to releiue vs hee is worse then an infidell who despayreth of Gods mercy And Gods mercy was instantly at hand for a certaine seruante beelonging to the king of France comming to them hastely sayde my lord the king calleth yee to his Courte That hee may quoth one of them banish vs the kingdome you are noe prophet answered Canterbury nor the sonne of prophet doe not then foretell euill tydinges Comming therfore they found my lord the king sitting with a sad countenance and not according to his custome rysing to my lord of Canterbury which was vpon the first sight an vnluckly presage where they sate still after this cold inuitation and remayned long in silence the king hanging downe his head as if with greife and against his will hee deuysed which way hee might dispatch them out of his kingdome and they no lesse fearing the king who breaking out into teares and with sobbing rysing vp on the subdaine did prostrate himselfe at my lord of Canterburys feete all there present being amazed and my lord of Canterbury bowing low to lifte him vp The king of France repenting greatly humbleth himselfe to Saint Thomas the king in the end hardly comming to himselfe soe greate was his greife sayde Truly my lord and father you only did see and redoubling his sighes with sorrowe truly father quoth hee you only did see for all wee were blind who gaue you counsell against Allmighty God that in your cause yea in his diuine cause you should at the pleasure of man neglect the honor of God I repent mee father I repent mee withall my harte pardon mee I beeseech you and absolue mee wretch from this offence and heere I cast at the feete of God and you my kingdome and from this tyme forward doe promise neuer to bee wanting to yoâ— and yours in any thing so long as God willing this life shall last My lord of Centerbury therfore absoluing the king and giuing him his benediction returned ioyfully with his followers to Senon where the king of France maintayned them royally vntill their teturne into England Vpon reporte wherof the king of England sendeth worde to the king of France that hee maruelled very much how or with what reason hee could in iustice maintayne Canterbury against him seing in his owne presence hee soe humbled himselfe with readynes to endure all course of iustice neyther yet that hee was any impediment to hinder Canterbury from recouering his peace which hee proudly and contumeliously reiected wherfore quoth hee the king of France ought not heereafter to yeeld any releife to the disgrace and reproche of his liege man Whereunto the king of France replying sayde Goe messingers and reporte this to your king The renowned answer of the king of France to the king of England that if the king of England will not endure the customes which hee calleth ancient though as some affirme not agreable to the law of God yet as appertayning to his royall dignity to bee any way abrogated much lesse can I of right ouerthrowe that lawe of liberality which together with the inuesture of my Crowne falleth to mee by inheritance for France hath bin of ancient tyme accustomed to receaue all distressed and afflicted persons especially them who were banished for iustice and vntill they recouered peace to fauor protect and defend them the grace of which honor and excellency shall neuer by Gods helpe during my life vpon the request of any man bee diminished or denyed to Canterbury beeing thus exiled And soe far concerning the speech that passed beetweene the king of France and the Agents of the king of England which euery wise man will accompt worthie to bee written in letters of Golde ANNO DOMINI 1169. Now ensueth the yeere of Christ 1169. with the second Indiction when Pope Alexander refusing absolutely to yeeld to the king of Englands requestes propounded in his last Embassage and constantly perseuering in the restitution of Saint Thomas vnto his Church determined yet againe to send other Nuntios for regayning Saint Thomas his Archbishoppricke Whereof meeting to treate it is first necessary to lay open what the king demanded of the Pope which consisted of two principall pointes one that Saint Thomas beeing remoued out of France might bee called by his holines to Rome the other that hee might bee translated to an other Sea But with what trauaile and exceeding cost the king endeauored to bring his purpose to passe and winne the Popes good will certaine letters secretly written to Saint Thomas doe in this sorte declare Cod. Vat. lib. 2. epist 79. In regard that through the Allmighty worke of God the cause of Christe and of his Church is now restored to that security as it cannot heereafter bee endangered because the Ring-leaders of this Scysme are quayled and the hammer of the Church of England beeing taken captiue in the workes of his inuention cannot as now find any on whom hee may relye beeing driuen to the last cast The new and terribâ— attempts the king of England â—gainst Saiâ— Thomas hee made these dangerous attemptes when by solliciting as well the courte as the Scysmaticke Friedricke with his complices hee sawe hee could not that way any whit preuayle against our Lord and his anoynted hee fledd by his Embassadors to the Cittys of Italy promising to those of Millane three thousand mearkes towardes the strong reparation of their walls if they together with the other Cittys which they attempted to corrupt could obtayne at the Popes hands the deposition or traslation of the Archbishopp of Canterbury for the same purpose did hee likewise promise to Cremona 2000. mearkes to Parma a thousand and as much to Bononia But to my lord the Pope hee made offer to deliuer him with a larges of money from the exactions of all the Romans and giue him more ouer ten thousand Mearkes granting beesides that hee should ordayne at his owne pleasure Bishoppes as well in the Church of Canterbury as in all other vacant Seas through out England But beecause his greate
promises extenuated his credit in accomplishments and that hee was in his demandes conuinced of manifest iniquity hee receaued repulse yet what of himselfe hee was not able to procure hee assayed to extorte by the power of the king of Cycillie But neither hee allthough the Bishop of Syracusa and Robert Earle of Bassauile laboured heerin with their vttermost ability and the mediation of many intercessors was heard notwithstanding his royalty power or fauor which hee enioyed amply in the Church of Rome The kinges Embassadors were therfore dismissed and their demandes reiected this only beeing graunted that my Lord the Pope should send Nūtios anew for procuring of peace which were Gratian the Subdeacon and Master Viuian Archdeacon of the ancient Citty who was accustomed in the Courte to execute the office of an Aduocate Thus much was signifyed by secrett intelligence for without expressing any name the Inscription is thus A frind to his frind Saint Thomas vnderstanding thus much and also at what tyme hee should bee called to Rome by Pope Alexander was wonderfully troubled and wryting to Cardinall Humbald Bishop of Ostia after many complayntes speaketh thus of this matter In regarde wee will not transgresse the law of God with giuing place to the iniquity of Tyrantes hee endeauoreth without any necessity beesides all vtility and against authority to translate vs to an other Church and beecause wee refused to followe him when hee allured vs to accompany his sinne hee requireth wee should bee called vp vnto you that in our passage hee might make some bargaine whatsomeuer with the consortes of his iniquity for the effusion of blood for what other meaning can hee haue in soliciting those of Millane Cremona and Parma by corruption of bribes to our destruction Wherin haue wee offended those of Papia or other Cittys of Italy Wee neuer gaue them cause to procure our exile Wherin haue wee aggreeued the sages of Bononie who moued by prayers and promises would yeeld their consent to the cause of our ruine which only by relation they vnderstood Assuredly wee neuer banished Robert de bassauylle and yet hee was by sinister suggestions induced to bee a meane to you for our banishment neuertheles afterwardes peaceauing trechery and repenting this offence he entreated that his vniust petition might not bee admitted Richard the elect Bishop of Syracusa entised with a hopefull bayte of the Bishoppricke of Lincolne assisted our persecutors with money strengthened them with counsell and armed them with power Concerning the king of Cicillie himselfe in whose countrey you lately remayned they promised him in mariage the king of Englands daughter to make him their owne for the ouerthrowe of the Church and vs. Did not they by distributing their bread entertayne as their hirelinges the family of Lyons the nation of theeues and other the most powerfull Romanes not soe much to bowe as to breake the Church of Rome Nay they promise to purchase peace with the Emperor and Saxons and beesides with their bountifull guiftes of many to drawe all the Romanes to doe their fealty to my Lord the Pope if they will but satisfy the king of Englands desire in our ouerthrowe You see how secure a passage what abundant prouision the dilligence of man had heere prepared for vs. Vndoubtedly hee cared not greatly how our Creditors might bee satisfyed how sufficient necessaryes might bee ministred to our companions if any happily might bee found to trauaile along with vs how the charges of the iourney might bee supplyed with sufficient meanes for the banished multitude who now after fiue yeeres exile was to bee lefte poore afflicted and forsaken in the middest of soe great calamityes Truly with the same dilligence of these purueyers and harbingers because wee cannot bee perswaded to call the kinges name into question may the house hould stuffe and prouysion of our hostes bee poysoned and hardly can that man bee secure of his life whom the Commander of the family where hee lodgeth lyeth in wayte to kill And that wee may not heerin bee tedious in circumstances of wordes As long as this life lasteth we will neuer vpon any summons hazard our selues to so many and so great imminent dangers for if a man will vpon euery occasion runne desperately to death hee may with a knife or a halter more speedily finish his dayes Afterwards hee proceedeth to rehearse what in the end of the last yeere is declared concerning the endeauors of the king or England to depriue Saint Thomas of the king of Frances protection which wee may receaue from the reporte of his owne mouth for hee sayth The king of England sent lately his Embassadors the Bishop of Sagia and Archdeacon of Canterbury to the most Christian king soliciting him with entreaty to bannish vs out of his Dominion but the man replenished with God answered that hee receaued by inheritance this law from his ancestors and that it had bin euer the custome of the kingdome of France kindly to entertayne all such as were banished for iustice and afforded them due and cōuenient courtesyes and comfortes and affirmed hee would neuer vpon any occasions whatsomeuer leaue so laudable an inheritance being so acceptable to Allmighty God Adding moreouer that hee receaued vs from the handes of my Lord the Pope whom only in earth hee acknowledged his Superior and therfore hee would neuer for any Emperor king or wordly Potentate desist to fauor vs and our cause so long as necessity required in regard God was on our syde and wee sustayned iniuryes and losses in defence of his lawe With this answer hee dismissed these confounded Embassadors and beecame to vs for which God reward him more louing and liberall then before although hee hath bin euer both kind and bountifull Hee saith beesides hee will in this cause of ours make tryall of the sincerity and vigor of the Church of Rome together with the vertue of our Lord the Pope whose faith and constancy hee exceedingly commendeth beecause hee reioyceth that the king of England hath receaued at his handes a repulse in his vniust demaundes Thus saith Saint Thomas of the king of France wordes worthy to bee engrauen in greate letters of Gould But as the faith together with the constancy of Pope Alexander was hitherto well knowne to continue vnmoueable in the defence of iustice and truth soe did it heereafter perseuer euen to the very end vncorrupted which notwithstanding hee gouerned with sweetenes and temperance leauing nothing vnattempted before hee would denounce the king to bee excommunicate and subiect his realme to Interdiction which caused him to make especiall choyse of men who were most famous for eminence integrity and singular learning I meane the fore recyted Gratian nephew to Pope Eugenius that most renowned Bishop Two Nuntioes send by the Pope to the king of England Cod. Vaet lib. 3. epist 12. for soe much doth Iohn of Salisburyes epistle to the Bishop of Poytiers signify and Viuian a person of excellency as beeing a
them to absolue the Clearkes without â—endering any oath which when they resolutely denyed to doe my Lord the king hasted to horse and getting vp swoare in the presence of all there that hee would neuer dureing life harken againe to my lord the Pope or any other for your peace or restitution Whervpon all the Archbishoppes and Bishoppes there present came to the Nuntios beeseeching them for Gods loue to accomplish his requestes wherunto with great difficulty they assented which beeing graunted the king alighted and beeganne againe to consult with them and presently after calling all who were in peace together the king beegan to discourse saying Hee would haue them all vnderstand that you departed not out of England at his instance and that he had often recalled you backe againe to returne and giue him satisfaction for such matters as hee alleadged against you and you euer refused but now the case soe stood that hee vpon the entreaty and commandement of my Lord the Pope did fully restore vnto you your Archbishoppricke and peace to all those who for your sake departed his dominion This graunte of peace the king confirmed about nyne of the clocke remayning afterwardes very pleasant and causing certaine other matters to bee handled in his presence which beeing finished hee returned again to the Nuntios desiring them that the Bishoppes might goe ouer into England for absoluing them who were there excommunicate Which when they absolutely denyed the king grew angry and made a new request that at the least one of them would passe ouer while the other remayned there and if that were distastefull to them they would send but one of their Cleakes whom hee would enrich with reuenues beefore his returne all which when Gratian who as wee hope is the sonne of grace againe denyed my lord the king beeing very much inraged departed away saying in their hearing Doe what you like I weigh neither you nor your excoÌ„munication nor prize them the value of an egge and with these wordes hee mounted on horsebacke to gett him thence but the Archbishoppes with all the Bishoppes followed telling him that hee spoake impiously Afterwardes hee alighted and consulted with them in which counsell was concluded that all the Bishoppes should wryte to my Lord the Pope certifying him how the kinge in their hearing offered you peace and was in euery point ready to obey my Lord the Popes commandement but the Nuntios were in fault wherby it was not performed Afterwardes hauing wasted a little tyme in indighting these letters and the king as one enflamed with a wonderfull fury leauing them often the Bishoppes comminge to him sayde what would these Nuntios haue And showing him my Lord the Popes Mandate inioyninge them to accomplish the Nuntios commandement the king answered I know I know they will interdict my land but cannot I who am euery day able to take a most strong Castle take one Clearke who shall interdict my land Yet when in the end they yeelded in some degree to satisfy his desire the tempest of his anger was layde and returning to himselfe hee sayde vnles yee conclude this night a peace yee shall neuer come so neere this point againe and when they had awhile trauelled in the busines assembling them all together hee vsed these wordes It is conuenient I should doe very much at the intreaty of my Lord the Pope beecause hee is our Lord and father in regarde wherof I restore to the Archbishoppe his Sea with my peace and the like to all those who for his sake haue departed the land Wherupon the Nuntios and all there present thanked his Maiestie and then the king moreouer added If I haue not as now donne sufficiently I will to morowe by your aduyse supply what is yet wanting On the morowe beeing the Kalends of September about twelue of the Clocke they assembled together ad hauing long treated aboute absoluing the Excommunicate without obligation of oath it came to that passe as G. Rydell with Nigellus de Sackeuyle and Thomas Fitz-Bernard laying their handes on the Bible there present sayde that in the word of truth they would accomplish the Nuntios commandement Then was it required of the Nuntios that all they vpon whom my Lord the king in this tyme of disturbance had beestowed your Churches might enioy them according to the tenor of his Maiesties guifte but as wee heard the conclusion was that they should bee left free to your disposition Afterwards it was determined the Bishoppes should set downe in wryting the forme of peace which the king had granted And this did the king to the end that one of the Nuntios should passe ouer into England for absoluing the excommmunicate And beeing departed vpon these termes after three howers within night the king sayde hee would haue inserted in the articles of peace these wordes with the reseruation of the dignity of his kingdome wherunto as wee heard Gratian absolutely denyed euer to yeilde and vpon this word as yet they differ determining to returne on the Natiuity of Saint Mary the Virgen to Cane there finally to conclude more fully the whole busines Thus farre concerning the meeting of the Nuntios with the king Gratian is highly commended who would neuer condescend to admitt this forme of wordes coÌ„cerning which Iohn of Salisbury wrote in this sorte to Iohn Bishop of Poytiers Many conceaue a hope that the sonne of grace whose name agreeth with his actions the Nephew of blessed Eugenius will sincerely proceede according to the Euangelicall truth the glory of the Apostolicall Maiestie and the honor and peace of the distressed Church for hee knoweth assuredly that taking this course hee shall purchase to himselfe eternall glory beefore God and men And in regarde hee findeth but few vpon whom hee may boldly rely I beeseech you to coÌ„firme and strengthen in our Lord his constancy The king by Gods fauour is well able to pay and for penitents it is certayne the sinne shall not bee forgiuen vnles what is wrongfully taken away bee restored c. For wheras hee thought there was no reconciliation of peace without restitution of the goodes taken away from the Church Salisbury praysing these his proceedinges sayth The king God willing is well able to satisfy and penitents may bee assured they can neuer obtayne remission of their sinnes if what they haue taken away bee not restored when they haue ability to doe it for otherwise it is not pennance but a fayned Hypocrisy And hee againe as touching absolution giuen without promise of satisfaction and also concerning that clause with preseruation of the dignity of the kingdome beeing the wordes which Gratian reiected sayth moreouer If the king haue his will to inserte in the articles of agreement The preseruation of the dignity of his kingdome hee hath the victory for confirmation of his customes with only alteration of the wordes and hath banished cleane out of England all the Authority of the Roman Church But God forbid that euer assent should
fauor Cod. Vat. lib. 4. epist 4. and restore to him and his the Churches with other commodityes wrongfully taken from them beeing an iniury notoriously knowne allmost to the whole Christian world In regard wherof beecause hitherto wee cannot any way profit heerein nor allay with sweete and gentle meanes your destempered mynde wee conceaue exceeding greife and sorrowe and lament to see our selues frustrated of our hope and confidence especially since wee loue most entirely as our deerest sonne in our Lord yourselfe Isai 58. ouer whom wee beehould for this a greiuous danger to hange and for that it is wrirten Crye out and cease not as a trumpett exalte thy voyce and declare to my people their offences And an other where Vnles you shall laye open vnto the wicked his iniquity I will require his blood at your handes Eccles 22. And in an other place by Salomon The sloughthfull man shall bee stoned with the dung of Oxen Wee haue resolued no longer to tollerate as hetherto wee haue done the hardnes of your harte against iustice with the preiudice of our soule neither will wee heereafter vpon any occasions shutt vp the mouth of the aforesayde Archbishoppe but permit him freely to execute his office and with the swoarde of Ecclesiasticall seuerity to reuenge the iniuryes offered himselfe and his Church And what is not fully signifyed in these our letters concerning this and the rest our beeloued sonnes the Prior of Gods-Mount and brother Bernard of Corilo as they who dread rather God then man shall by worde of mouth declare at large to your Maiestie vnto whose admonition wee beeseech him whom to serue is to raigne and in whose hands are the hartes of kinges to incline your mynd and will that you may rather chuse to bee bowed then stiffely to continue any longer in the willfullnes of soe great an obstinacy against God and your owne saluation But if you will not harken to vs in their persons concerning those thinges which on our beehalfe they shall deliuer vnto you you may vndoubtedly feare least the reuenging wrath of God will shortly fall vpon you Now what the proceedinges of these Nuntios were their owne relation which was sent to Pope Alexander declareth at large in these wordes Ibid. Epist 8. Wee trauelled lately together with Brother Bernard of Corilo vnto the renowned king of England to perfect à peace and agreement by vertue of your Mandate beetwene him and my Lord of Canterbury and to bring our purpose more easely about wee drew my Lord of Canterbury to the place where the kinges God soe working were reconcyled one to an other Heere wee see the kinges at their late parlee in Paris departed a sunder discontented and that an other meeting was afterwards appointed which wee suppose was this Then hee proceedeth Hauing deliuered the king of England your comonitory letters and hauing done our vttermost dilligēce which wee thought most likely to preuayle with him wee admonished and counselled my Lord of Canterbury to humble himselfe to the king and endeauour to asswage the rigor of his mynd with lowely prayers and ready seruice in like sorte the most Christian king of France the Archbishoppes with other Lordes there present ioyntly perswaded him Beeing vrged with the exhortations of the king Bishoppes and Barons the Archbishoppe of Canterbury consented and in that open assembly came to the king of England and falling downe on his knees cōmended himselfe to God and the king speaking to the honor of God and his prince in these formall wordes To the honor of God soe to procure his peace and fauor But the king in regarde of those wordes to the honor of God would not receaue him into his fauor saying openly before them all least it should bee thought the Archbishop sought to conserue the honor of God and not of the king And after many wordes which would to God hee had forborne hee sayd he required nothing else of the Archbishoppe but that hee as a preist and Bishoppe should beefore them all promise him in the worde of truth to conserue without any deceypt the customes which the holy Archbishoppes of Canterbury had obserued vnto their kinges and which the Archbishop himselfe had once promised him to doe Whervnto the Archbishop answered that hee had done him fealty which hee was bound by the obligation of an oath to keepe inuiolable that is to say life lymmes and worldly honor with the preseruation of his order and all this hee was ready most faythfully to accomplish neither was any whit more exacted of his Predecessors or was to bee requyred of any But the king standing still most peremptorily on this Article my Lord of Canterbury sayd moreouer allthough none of his Predecessors had done yea or vndertaken thus much nor yet himselfe was by law tyed any way thereunto hee professed neuertheles that for obtayning the peace of the Church and regayning his fauor hee would promise that such customes as his Predecessors had obserued to their kinges hee would with reseruation of his order obserue inuiolably vnto him so far forth as hee could doe without offending God and would performe for winning his good opinion againe what soeuer could bee done with the honor of God protesting hee was neuer in his life more willing to serue him then to accomplish this if it pleased him to accept thereof Yet the king refused him vpon these termes nor would receaue him vnles hee would precisely and absolutely binde himselfe by oath to obserue his customes beecause hee required nothing else at his handes which in regarde the Archbishoppe allthough many did instantly perswade him therunto would not condescend to doe the king departed without conclusion of peace But when according to your Mandate wee exhorted the king to receaue the Archbishop againe into his fauor and restore him his Church with peace Hee answered For his Church it may bee the counsell of his freindes might soe far preuayle as in the end hee should render him the same againe but deny'd euer to restore him his fauor for then were the priuiledge voyde which your Holines granted him by vertue whereof you suspended the Archbishoppes authority vntill such tyme as hee was restored into his fauor What this suspension was wee will declare heereafter But to returne to the Nuntios letter hee thus proceedeth And beecause you commanded vs to admonish him first with the spiritt of lenity by your Comonitory letters wee deferred to another tyme the deliuery of your Cominatory Meane while wee beeseech Allmighty God in whose handes are the hartes of Princes to mitigate and asswage his mynde and reunite this peace to the diuine glory and the Churches vtility The rest of your Mandate wee will by Gods leaue in conuenient tyme execute with all dilligence and will bee carefull to signify to your Holines the euent of the busines in such sorte as God shall determine it Brother Bernard beeing desyred to certify your Holines as wee doe of the proceedinges
a Bullwarke for the house of Israel that hee argueth for the meeke of the earth wee haue him as now the only and eminent man amonge the children of the patient in tribulation In place of our fathers wee haue a sonne borne unto vs who according to the example of the Apostles doth as now put in execution reuenge among nations reproofes among people and as those Princes of the people who beeing now gathered together with the God of Abraham for the iustice of Christ are as strong goddes of the earth mightely aduanced so shall likewise the honor of this man if hee perseuereth on in administration of iustice bee highly exalted For wheras hee liueth now exiled 2. Cor. 4. wheras many thinges are attempted to his reproache all this by the benefit of patience will bee turned to his glory This of our tribulation which is light and momentary sayth the Apostle worketh in vs a maruailous weyght of glory Showe therfore your selues as the seruantes of God in singular patience For widdowelike doth vertue stand when patience sheildeth not her hand And who from the first infancy of the Church hath euer tryumphed without patience Truly allthough your Lord hath abundance of the spiritt of fortitude yet neuertheles it is reported that in regarde the new king of England was crowned by Yorke and for some priuiledges obtayned by stealth to his derogation hee is soe molested as by the pusillanimity of spiritt and that tempest his feete are allmost moued his steppes well nigh discomforted But you who are the bandes and eyes of the Archbishop see that with your holy exhortations you comforte his dissolued handes you strengthen his weakened knees It is no maruaile if hee bee shaken with tribulation and oppressions but if hee relyeth wholly and cleaueth to him who deepely rootethin his electe hee will rest secure in all stormes of temptation and boysterous disturbance The ancient fathers vndoubtedly beeing sometimes in the pressure of tribulation were often wearyed with tediousnes wherupon they seemed for a tyme to waxe fainte and feeble from that resolute enduring of passions which they had with singular feruency in our lorde vntill beeing inspired with vertue from aboue they returned againe to themselues in the spirit of fortitude Elias flying away from the face of Isabell 3. Reg. 29. and beeing wearyed of his life cast himselfe downe vnder a Iuniper bush and desired his soule might bee seuered by death It sufficeth mee quoth hee take away my life The Apostle alsoe pyning away with the like tediousnes complaining saith Wee are laden with greife aboue measure 1. Cor. 1. in soe much as wee are weary of our life The Prophet hauing often experience of this tediousnes speaketh thus Psalm 38. I haue fainted by the strength of thy hand and thou haste made my soule pine away as a spider But the spirit of Charity reuyued in them out of these ashes of tediousnes and fortititude sprung from our infirmity A thing perhaps incredible to some had not the Apostle whoe read it often in the booke of experience giuen testimony therof saying For when I am weaker then growe I stronger And to him it is also tould 1. Cor. 1◠Thy vertue is perfected in infirmity If therfore in regarde of the swelling seas of mishappes which my Lord endureth bee it either for the desolation of his frindes or the long continuance of his exile you see any sluggish dullnes by stealth to surprise his mynde steppe in presently to comforte him least hee despaire or bee any whitt wauering For the tyme of his visitation is at hand And if the mounting surges of the seas are maruailous God is also maruailous in the deepe who conuerteth stormes into calmes Psalm 92. and the kinges indignation into fauor I vnderstood by the Legates of the Apostolike Sea with whom I trauailed from the courte of Rome to Bononi that your Lord shall bee very shortly reconcyled vnto the intire fauour of the king of England or else translated and made a more eminent Patriarch but howsoeuer hee shall bee disposed of by our Lord if hee perseuereth as hitherto hee hath donne let him expect with security the end of his combate let him not therfore listen to the wordes of flatterers but followe the spiritt of God which dwelleth in him and whether-someuer hee goeth the spirites and wheeles of Ezechiel will allso accompany him Ezech. 10. I knowe the end of his agony will bee glorious if hee continue in the same course of fortitude and constancy which hee hath allready vndertaken for who so fighteth lawfully shall bee crowned And wheras all other vertues runne towardes the goale yet only perseuerance is crowned Wherfore I entreate you as my Lord and Master that you will let mee often vnderstand of your estate and alsoe of his for since I canne affourde yee nothing else I doe not cease daily to pray for yee that by Gods assisting grace yee may obtayne the king of Englands fauor and the free disposing of your owne estates I haue perused your booke of The trifles of the Courte which delighted mee exceedingly for it contayneth an excellent forme of learning and for the artificiall varyety of sentences it is a matter of inestimable delight God speede yee well Hetherto Peeter And for the tyme wherin hee wrote it appeareth by this that hee departed from the Citty towardes the king of England after the coronation of his sonne was finished by the Archbishop of Yorke The king of Englād terryfyed by the Pope Meane while the king of England receaued from his Holines sharper letters commanding him peremptorily to grant saint Thomas his peace within the prescribed tyme or if hee contemned to obey then to expect the same sentence which hee had pronounced on Fredericke the Emperor where with the king of England beeing terrifyed wryting from England to the Apostolicall Legates hee beegan to moue them importunately to peace beeing vrged therunto by Alexanders comminatory letters which letters though they are lost are often mentioned in other Epistles of S. Thomas The king therfore thus stroken with feare and dealing carefully for obtayning peace wrote these few lynes for that purpose to the Archbishop of Roane one of the Legates By the aduice of your selfe and other my faythfull Barons Cod. Vat. lib. 3. Epist 14. I haue signified as well by messingers as letters vnto my Lord the Pope a forme conceaued for reformation of peace beetweene mee and the Archbishoppe of Canterbury The Pope as hee certifyed mee by his letters receaued withall thankfullnes the same in such sorte as it was deuised by your counsell and made knowne to him on your beehalfe openly commanding admonishing entreating and attentiuely perswading that I should performe the same with the consent of your selfe and the Bishop of Nyuers And therfore I will fully and freely accomplish the same according as yee two shall arbitrate not violating in any thing the order which shall bee proposed
wee see nothing but shipwracke tbreatening instantly to deuoure vs nor any aduise lefte but that with our vttermost ability awakeing Christ Matth. 5. as it were sleeping in the ship wee crye out Lord saue us wee perish And heerin truly iniquity hath got a more fit occasion to vent her malice because hee seeth the state of the Roman Church as now more weakened whereby appeareth that whatsoeuer it bee good or ill sweete or sower which floweth downe on the head the same descending by the beard leaueth not the lowest hemme of the garment vntouched Iesus Christ is despoyled of that which by his blood hee purchased The secular power hath layd hands on his very patrimony Soe as neither the decrees of the holy fathers nor the constitutions of the Cannons whose very name among vs is growne odious are as now of force to patronise the Clergie whoe in tymes past haue bin by speciall priuiledge exâ—mpted from this secular iurisdiction and because it is long and tedious to rechearse or prosecute in writting the iniuryes wee endure wee send to your Fatherhood Master Henry a man both to your Holynes and vs faithfull and familiar to whâ—se relation wee haue commended all things in such sorte to bee declared particularly vnto you as hee hath s ene and heard them and if it pleaseth you credit him as much as you would our s lfe Know you neuerthelesse that if it might bee wee would far rather visit you in peâ—son then by an other wee speake confidently to you as to our father and lord and what wee say wee humbly beeseech may bee concealed in all silence Nothing remayneth safe to vs since allmost all thinges are disclosed to the King which are spoken in our priuate chamber or whispered in our eare Woe bee to vs whoe are râ—sâ—rued to these times in whose dayes these mischeifes are beefallen whoe in our former estate haue enioyed sâ—e great a liberty which now is recompenced with a hard and most vile slauery Wee would at the least haue fledd that wee might not see the patrimony of the crucifyed giuen ouer to spoyle but whither we knowe not vnlesse vnto him who is our refuge and vertue Concerning the Welshmen and Owen who calleth himselfe a prince wee beeseech your Lordship to bee prouident beecause our lord the King is heerewith wonderfully disturbed and moued to indignation And soe deere father and lord wee wish you all felicity To the same purpose and by the same Messinger Lib. 1. epâ—st 19. 20. 21. 82. did hee writte to Humbald Cardinal and Bishop of Ostia hee sent alsoe letters to Bernard Bishop and Cardinall of Portua and likewise to Albert Preist and Cardinall with an other to Hyacinthe Deacon Cardinall all which are reserued intire in the same booke Alexander afterwards somewhat foreseeing these combates to come prepareth himselfe for resistance admonishing as well the Archbishop as all other Bishops of England not to yeeld a whit to the king against the Ecclesiasticall liberty and not to obserue whatsoeuer they had promised theyr prince in derogation of that immunity which was signifyed in writing to Thomas and all the Bishops of England with these words Lib. 1 epist 91. Wee would haue yee knowe that yee haue vndertaken the burden of your pastorall authority to the end yee should gouerne the Churches committed vnto your charge to the honour of God and the profit and saluation of your flockes in such sorte as the Francises of the same Churches should not by your defaultes in any wise bee impaired but conserued still in their estates by your studyes and endeauours whereupon wee will and command your brotherhoode by our Apostolicall letters and enioyne you in the vertue of obedience that if the renowned King of EnglaÌ„d shall at any time require of yee any thing contrary to the Ecclesiasticall liberty yee presume not in any case heerein to satisfy his minde nor yet beecome in any sorte bound vnto him especially against the Church of Rome neither yet bee yee soe bould as to bring in the fâ—rme of any new deuised promise or oath but only to obserue that which Bishops haue bin accustomed to sweare vnto their Kinges And if yee knowe that in any thing of this nature yee haue tyed your selues vnto your King obserue not by any meanes this your promise but bee rather carefull to recall it and endeauour to bee reconciled to God his Church for the lapse of this vnlawfull promise Thus wrote Alexandâ—r the most vigilant keeper of the sacred Cannons admitting nothing that was vsurped against them in fauour of the king allthough otherwise hee were very much beehoulding to the same prince for late receiued benefittes The rest followeth the next yeere Heere followeth the yeere 1164. and the 12. indiction A yeere to the Catholike Church in regard of many aduersities shee susteyned therein replenished with greifes and troubles And first concerning the state of English affaires more dangerous floods were daily there raised tending not only to ouerthrowe the Primate of Canterbury together with the whole Church of England but also to drowne if it had bin possible the holy Catholike Church it seife together with her high Bishoppe Alexander For Henry king of England prosecuting S. Thomas with an obstinate mind turned all his endeauours against the same Pope Alexander to remoue him from his sea But how all these deadly attemptes were managed receiue heere the relation After this turbulent encounter betweene the Bishops and the king and the departure caused by the kinges inraged fury for eschewing the imminent mischeifes whose forces daylie encreased and auoyding farr greater ruines which threatned the ouerthrow of the Catholicke Church S. Thomas is beesieged with the often and sundrie perswasions of many Bishops and Abbotts that hee should not in regard of one only word vnseasonably and vnreasonably cast himselfe together with the whole Church into soe open and apparant danger one Abbot among the rest affirming this to bee the opinion of Pope Alexander himselfe Thomas at lenght perswaded these by reasons sayeth Hubertin Quadrilogus charity enforceing him thereunto came to the King at oxford and promised hee would alter the word which the King tooke so offensiuely Whereupon the King his anger beeing now somewhat asswaged shewed the Archbishop a more pleasing countenance though inferiour to his wonted fashion the King moreouer sayd hee would haue according to this forme an instrumeÌ„t or obligation made for the obseruation of the royal customes in the publicke sight and hearing of the bishops and nobility of the kingdome But when Thomas was aduertised of the gathering together of a general assembly foreseing the ensuing mischeifes hee beegan to recall his consent yet againe hee is assaulted by the intreaty of many whereby hee is enforced for that instant to yeelde Galat 2. by the example of Peeter conforming himselfe to the Iewes with the Iewes at Antioch and of Paule often exercising the same A congregation of Bishoppes is appointed
with him one parte of the deede conteyning the afore said customes to the end hee might cary with him his cause the other parte of this obligation the Arrchbishop of Yorke receiued the third the king himselfe reteyned to be enrolled among his royall Charters And soe that day they were dismissed Heere first of all you may disproue that which Roger writeth in the Chronikles of England to witt that S. Thomas promised those vnlawfull thinges to the king by Pope Alexanders perswasion for if hee did it not only by the consent but also by the perswasion of the Pope why did hee pennance beefore the said Pope for the same as a most heynous sinne if the Pope himselfe should bee the author of his offence but let vs heare what remayneth Beesides the history of Quadrilogus mentioned by vs there is added in the end thereof a more exact narration of all thinges which hapned after the dissolution of the same detestable conuentickle held at Claringtonne vntill the departure of Pope Alexander out of Fraunce from whence wee haue inserted the history heere to bee recited beeginning with the pennanâ—â— of S. Thomas in these words And hee departing from â—he Courte of the king his followers by chance beegan to â—urter among themselues some affirming according to â—he custome that in regard of this distressed tyme matters â—ught to bee thus caryed others disdaining that for the â—leasure of a man the authoritie of the Ecclesiastical liberâ—y should perish Among whom one instantly pressing more earnestly said The publick power disturbeth all â—niquitie rageth against Christ himselfe the Sinagog of Saâ—han profaneth Gods sanctuarie princes haue sate and assembled in one against Christ our Lord no man is safe who â—oueth equity in the iudgement of the world they are accounted wise and are at this time worshipped who flatter Princes in following their pleasures yea this tempest hath shaken the very â—illars of the Church while the Pastor is fled the scattered sheepe are subiect to the wolfe to conclude what place remaineth now secure for innocency who shall fight in defence of this Bullwarke or who shall triumphe in this battell the general beeing ouercome And thus hee expostulated the matter who caryed the Crosse beefore my lord of Canterbury the rest beeing silent for sorrowe and with great libertie hee added assumeing in this sorte a parable what virtue saith hee hath the man reserued to himselfe who hath lost his constancy and renowne whom meane you by this my sonne quoth the lord of Canterbury Euen your selfe answered bee it concerneth you because this day you haue for euer lost both conscience and fame hauing left beehind you to â—osteritie an example odious beefore God and contrarie to â—onesty while your handes consecrated to almightie God were stretched out to obserue those accursed customes and â—our selfe conniued with the Ministers of sinfull Sathan for â—he confusion of the Ecclesiasticall liberty This was assuâ—edly the Cocke at whose croweing Peeter awakeâ—ed did weepe bitterly For the Author proceedeth my lord of Canterbury therefore wayled and lamented S Thomas recouereth his laps imposeth pennance on himselfe and with sighes and groanes said I repent mee yea greiuously and trembling with the horror of mine offence I comdemne my selfe as vnworthy to serue heereafter aâ— a Preist at hiâ— altar whose Church I haue soe basely sould I will rest silent therefore sitting downe to sorrowe vntill Allmightie God shall visit mee from aboue that I may deserue from our lord himselfe or from my lord the Pope to receaue absolution And presently thereupon hee sent a messinger to the Sea Apostolicke Pope Alexander had lerned all this beefore by the relation of others Libr. 1 epist 20. and moued with exceeding compassion did write these letters to S. Thomas whereby hee recomforted him now drowned thus in sorrowe and absolued him from the oath The letters are these Pope Alexander absolueth S Thomas froÌ„ this sinne Your Brotherhood vnderstandeth how wee haue heard and by the reporte of some bin certifyed that in consideration of a certaine offence you haue determined to forbeare the celebration of Masse and abstayne from the consecration of the body and blood of our lord Which truly of what importance it is especially in a man of your eminency and how great a scandal may ensue thereupon I would haue you with carefull consideration to ponder and weigh the same with your watchfull discretion For you ought with prudence diligently to conceaue that there is very great difference where sinnes are wilfully committed with deliberation and where on the other side they are donne out of ignorance or necessity For it is apparant that wee ought to proceed in one sorte with these which are acted by a mans owne free will and in an other manner with those which as it is sayd are of ignorance or the compulsion of necessity and one way the first an other way the last are by men of iudgment and wisedome to bee handled and measured as by the testimonyes of holy Scriptures wee are taught Your intention giueth the name to your worke for as in an other place wee reade Sinne is soe far voluntarie as if it bee not voluntarie it is no sinne and our allmighty Lord respecteth not the action of the worker but rather considereth the intention and discerneth the will If therefore you call to minde that you haue committed anything whereof your owne conscience ought to accuse you whatsoeuer it is wee aduise you to confesse it in the Sacrament of Pennance to a Preist of discretion and prudence which beeing performed our mercifull Lord who looketh much more to the harte then to the facte will through the commiseration of his accustomed pitty forgiue it you and wee beeing confident of the meritts of S. Peeter and S. Paule his Apostles doe absolue you from what is committed and release your brotherhood thereof by the Apostolicke authority counselling and commanding that heereafter you abstayne no more in this respect from the celebration of Masse Dated at Senon the Kalends of Aprill Thus wrote Alexander But Iohn of Salisbury in his epistle to Peeter the writer I thinke of Bloys which beeing omitted in the often recited booke of epistles is afterwards placed in the end of the volume affirmeth the sinne of S. Thomas not bee excused but rather declared to bee purged by pennance for hee saith I cannot excuse his promise at Claringtonne whereunto hee was drawne by the counsell of the Bishopps because such a promise was not to bee made but confession washed away the offence hauing receiued soâ—emne pennances from the Popes holynes who in the presence of many by the Apostolical authority condemned those peruerse customes Soe writeth Iohn Now the former recited history proceedeth thus The King in the meane time perceaued that my Lord of Canterbury would flie of from this promise especially in that hee openly refused to seale the charter of these customes according to the agreement Whereupon his Maiestie
rule and commodiously to gouerne your kingdome according as our lord hath appointed you to the honor of God and the peace tranquillity of his Chrch for which only end you haue receiued into your hand the reynes of the realme That hee by whom kings raigne whose seruice is a kingdome may preserue to you your heires a temporal kingdome after the expiration thereof an eternal one without end Thus Alexander to King Henry which is also set forth by Roger in his Chronicle But what Thomas in this passage of time beefore hee fledd into France with patience endured is to bee declared out of the afore-mentioned Authors for thus is it related The kinge in the meane while vnderstood that my Lord of Canterbury would flie off from that promise especially in that hee openly gaynesayd to seale the deede of those conditions in sorte as beefore was appointed Whereupon the Prince inraged more with fury beegan to afflicte my lord of Canterbury with more greeuous and exquisite vexations soe far forth as it was apparant to vnderstanding men that his bloud and life was thirsted after Wherefore Thomas fearing that determined to flie the Realme and comming to his Mannor called Aluter while all the rest were a sleepe accompanyd only with two with drewe himselfe secretly and getting a ship committed himselfe to the seas but long outwearyd with a contrary winde returning backe hee hardly recouered early in the morning the land againe with hazard of his life In the end his departure beeing knowne his familiars and seruantes were thereupon seuerally dispersed Yet one of them boulder then the rest comming to Canterbury S Thomas â—ttâ—mpâ—ing 〈◊〉 passe awâ—â— by seas 〈◊〉 contrary â—indes â—â—â—â—en backe againe retyred himselfe the next night into the Bishoppes owne chamber and supper being ended began carefully with sorrowe to lament the misfortunes and afflictions of his lord and hauing thus spent the beeginning of the night desirous to take his rest Goe quoth hee to his Boy and shutt the vttermost dore of the hall to the end wee may sleepe more securely this seruant therefore comming thither with a candle lighted the dore beeing open sawe my lord of Canterbury sitt alone in a corner terrifyd with which specctacle hee ran away imagining hee beheld a vision and telling his Master thereof this Clearke whom hee serued would in no case belieue it vntill himselfe made tryal of the truth and comming found all in sorte a foresayde My lord of Canterbury calling together some of his brethren of Canterbury Church declared to them what had beefallen him and how as yet it was not Godes pleasure he should departe and beeing refreshed with a light supper rested The next morning came the kinges officers to confiscate the whole estate of the Archbishop as a fugitiue but hearing and seeing hee was present confounded they helde theire peace The kinge therfore with a more heauy hand increased the afflictions of my lord of Canterbury causing him to bee peremptorily cyted for answering his Maiestie at a certayne day concerning matters The Parliament at North-Hampton to bee obiected against him The tyme being come they who were summoned assembled and a Parliament beeing helde at North-Hamptonne my lord is called to answer his cause The Archbishop together with the rest of the Bishops beeing sate and sequestred in a roome a parte the dores by the Kings commandemeÌ„t beeing shutt so as there could be no passage forth it was on his Majesties beehalfe alleaged against him that in the tyme of his Chancellorship hauing many vacancyes of Bishopprickes and Abbeys with great rentes for very many yeeres in his handes hee neuer gaue vp his accompt for the same which now the kinge required of him Heereunto sayd the Archbishop wee will consult with our counsell and answer by aduice While therefore The opinions of the Bishoppes they remayned all in deepe silence Gilbert Bishop of London Deane of the Church of Canterbury and in that respecte cheefest of his Councell in authority next vnder the Archbishop my lord of Canterbury requiring him to speake sayd if father you consider froÌ„ whence the king hath exalted you what hee hath beestowed on you and weygh alsoe the malice of these tymes how miserable a reigne you haue prepared for the Catholike Church and vs by withstandinge the kinge heerein you ought not only to yeelde him the Archbishoppricke of Canterbury but also the same were it tenne tymes better And if perchance hee could but seein you that humility hee would restore you whatsoeuer you haue lost Wee sufficiently perceaue quoth my lord of Canterbury what you haue aduisedly answered Then Henry Bishop of Winchester sayd This manner of Counsell beeing absolutely pernicious to the Catholicke Church byndeth and confoundeth vs all because if our Archbishop and Primate of England should leaue vs such an example as that euery Bishop should yeelde and forsake at the becke and threatning of his Prince his authority aÌ„d care ouer the soules committed to his charge what will bee then afterwardes the state of the Churches but only this that nothing will bee ordered according to law but all will be confounded as the king listeth and such as the Preist such will bee the people Next Hilary Bishop of Chichester a man glorious in wordes adding his opinion sayd if this instant time and the troubles of the Catholike Church did not require at our handes an other course wee ought doubtlesse to assent to your sentence But when the authority of the Cannons staggereth wee ought very much to withdrawe the rigor of seuerity that sweete dispensatioÌ„ may profit there where sharpe correctioÌ„ may otherwise destroy wherefore I thinke wee ought to yeeld to the kinges pleasure yet only but for a tyme least otherwise wee run on rashly to decree that whereupon may followe a more greeuous retractation not without confusion Afterwardes the Bishop of Lincolne a man truly simple and of lesse discretion sayd it is apparant they seeke the life and blood of this man and of necessity one of these must followe that hee must suffer eyther in his Archbishoppricke or in his life now what fruite hee can reape of his Archbishoppricke if hee loseth his life therefore I see not But Bartholomewe Bishop of Excester spoake thus it is playne that these dayes are euill wherefore if wee may vnder the shadowe of dissimulation auoyd the force of this tempest without hurte or losse it were especially to bee procured neither can wee easily attayne thereunto vnlesse there bee a great relaxation of seuerity the instance of this tyme requireth it cheefely since this persecution is not generall but particular It is better therefore one head should in parte bee subiect to danger then the whole Church of England exposed to an ineuitable perill Roger the Bishop of Worcester beeing also asked his opinion soe tempered his answer as in his very negatiue hee made apparant what his minde was In this quoth hee I will giue no aduice
Saintes recounteth his charitable benignity Thus fare Peeter who although hee were the king's faithfull seruante yet seeking rather the honor of God then men omitted not as much as in him lay to defend vnder hand the cause of saint Thomas AN. DOM. 1165. Now followeth the yeere of our Lord 1165. with the xv Indiction according to times computation An Embassage to the Pope from mawde the Empresse in the beeginning whereof an Ambassag was sent from Mawde the Empresse mother of Henry king of England to Pope Alexander wherin shee beesought his Holines to ioyne in league the kinges of France and England which if hee could accomplish a peace was likely to ensue beetweene the king of England and saint Thomas When Iohn of Salisbury who was resident in Alexanders courte had notice heereof hee certifyd saint Thomas thereof by letter beeginning thus When as lately I sollicited my Lord the Pope incouraging him and carefully insinuating a way which meethought I vnderstood for reducing to him and you the tranquillity of peace hee answered that hee conceaued a hope of peace from wordes of the Empresse who vpon a vowe sent then the Abbot of saint Martyrs thither promising the king of England could easily bee perswaded to what soeuer my Lord desired if his Holines would as hath bin long wished confederate the two kinges wherein beecause my Lord the Pope is forward the king of France as surely it semeeth will easily inclyne vpon the Popes conference with the kinges and that his Holines had allready inuited the king of France to keepe the feast of the Purification with him Thus far concerning the conceaued hope of Peace and added moreouer That hee spoake with the king of France whom hee found very fearefull least vpon such occasion hee should bee withdrawne from the communion of the Church of Rome and leauing Pope Alexander cleaue to the scysmaticall faction These thinges thus signifyed Salisbury beeseecheth saint Thomas to employ himselfe rather in prayer then the study of learning from whose letters receaue these notes which in Quadrilogus are recyted out of Herebert concerning sainct Thomas while hee remayned as yet in the Monastery of Pontiniacke hee was so much affected to the reading of holy scriptures as daily after the Cānonicall houres the sacred bookes were scarce euer out of his handes whereupon by reason of his loue to the Scriptures and labour employed therein hee did in shorte tyme soe profit as most often in the nice and obscurest sentences hee excelled his instructors themselues moreouer hee bestowed his life in studying the Ecclesiasticall Cannons which endeauours of his in these dangerous tymes were no whit pleasing to Iohn of Salisbury whom saint Thomas held in no smale estimation as well in reguard of his singuler honesty as also his learning who confident of his credit with this saint admonisheth him in the same letters of these thinges worthie remēbrance saying My counsel my desire my instant intreaty is that you wholly conuert your mynd vnto our Lord Cod Vat. lib. 1. Ep. 31. and the suffrages of prayers beecause as it is written in the Prouerbes the name of our Lord is the strongest tower whereunto if any man flye Prouerb 18. hee shall bee deliuered out of all extremities Put of in the meane time as much as you may all other businesses The ptofitable admonition of à friend to S. Thomas beecause allthough they seeme maruilous necessary yet what I perswade you is more highly to bee preferd in regarde it is farre more necessary The lawes and Cannons ef the Church doe profit but beelieue mee this other woorke is now of more importance those ornamentes are not sutable to this season for they are not soe much the procurers of deuotion as of curiosity Doe you not remember how in the distresse of the people as it is written the Preists and Ministers poured out their teares beetweene the porch and the Altar Ioel. 2◠Psal 76. ibidem saying Spare ô Lord spare thy people I was exercised sayd the Prophet and I sweeped my spirit in the day of tribulation seeking our Lord with my handes Which teach vs that spirituall excercise with cleansing and examination of the conscience turneth away the scourge and obtaineth the mercy of God Who riseth with compunction from perusing the lawes and Cannons Nay I say more these exercises in schooles doe sometimes puffe vp knowledge to swell in pride but seldome or neuer inflame vs with deuotion I had rather you would meditate on the Psalmes and spend your life in saint Gregorie's Moralles then beecome a Philosopher after the Scholastical fashyon it is farre better to confer with aspirituall father for amendment of manners by whose example you may bee incensed then to sifte and discusse pointes of controuersies appertayning to secular literature our Lord knoweth with what intent with what deuotion I suggest these thinges Accept them as you please but if you performe this God will euer assist you that you shall neuer haue cause to feare what soeuer man deuiseth against you our Lord seeth that in these instant streightes of afflictions wee are not to hope as I thinke in any mortal creature c. Thus Iohn aduised saint Thomas very conueniently In the meane time S. Thomas oppressed with extreme afflictiōs although absent yet with letters doth prosecute his busines writing as well to the king of England as also to the Bishoppes who ought to exhorte and admonish their Prince To the king hee directed these letters which Roger in his Cronicle deliuereth in these wordes To his Dread Soueraigne Lord Henry by the grace of God the famous king of England Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine and Eearle of Anioue Thomas by the same grace the humble seruāt of the Chuch of Canterbury The letter of S. Tomas to the king of England sendeth greeting and all wishes of well-doinge To speake of God is the parte of a free and well quieted mynde which causeth mee soe to speake to my Lord And I would wee might treate peaceably I humbly beeseech you my Lord to endure with patience some litle admonition concurring with the grace of God which was neuer voyd for the saluation of your soule and deliuery of myne I am on all sides beeset with extremityes for tribulation and perplexities haue found mee in the midst of two most weyghty and fearefull matters plunged I say beetwene these two important thinges dreaded silence and Admonition Let mee cease to speake death is then threatened mee nor can I auoyd the hand of our Lord saying If thou shalt not showe the offendor his fault and hee thereby dyeth in his sinne Ezech. 3. I will require his blood at thy bandes On the other side let mee admonish I see not how to eschewe which God forbid my Soueraignes indignation fearing moreouer least that should beefall which the wise man foretould saying when hee who pleaseth not commeth or sendeth to make intercession or motion it is to bee
you but to forewarne you to bee watchfull that supported with the authority of almighty God and of vs you may bee heereafter able and willing with more strength and power to parforme the dutys of your charge In breife this only thing I would haue you now to knowe that through the mercy of God they shall neuer wrest from mee the Churches confusion All this not with standing I giue you thankes in reguard you would at this tyme visite and refresh mee with your consolation What say I more more one thing there is which without greeuous sorrow of mynde I cannot ouerpasse I lament truly my dearest beeloued Lord the kinge for feare and trembling haue fallen vpon mee Psal 54. and darknes couered mee round about in reguard I see tribulation and extremityes hang ouer my Lord and Prince neither yet is it strange for hee hath shaken the Church of God and disturbed the same shewing hard measure to the Cleargie of the land and giuing them for drinke the wine of sorrowe wherefore our Lord saith to him where are now thy wise Counsellors who haue giuen thee foolish aduise who said Isai 1â— thou art the sonne of the prudent the sonne of anciâ—â—â— kinges whose customes are to bee obserued in England and whose lawes whosoeuer shall refuse to obey hee is not Cesar's freind but enemy to the Crowne guilty of iudgment yet neuertheles which is of worth hee is afreind to the Crosse of Christ beecause woe bee to them who enact lawes of iniquity and writing haue indighted iniustice whereby they may oppresse the poore in iudgement and commit violence on the cause of the humble of the people that Churches and widowes may bee their prey and they themselues waste the gooddes of the Clergy and others what will they doe in the day of visitation and calamity approching a far of to whom will they flye for refuge and where will they relinquish their gloryes to the end they bee not depressed with iudgment and falling dye with the murdered where are now his wise ones let them come forth declare to him and showe what our Lord of Hostes hath thought of England his graue counsellors are beecome fooles and his Princes haue withered away they haue deceaued England the Angle and Corner of the world our lord hath intermingled among them the spirit of giddynes they haue made England erre in their workes as the drunken man erreth with vomiting and trembling and it shall not bee Englands worke either to make head or tayle beecause they haue deuoured Iacob and made his place desolate Psal 78. and sayd let vs possesse for our inheritance the sanctuarie of God with vphraiding Priestes and their Princes saying whither will yee flye out of our handes And in whom is reposed your confidence why haue yee resisted and withstood our preceptes O how vaine are thâ—se conceptes and how extreme vyle are these workes in the sight of our Lord Hee seeth truly that all these things are idle for hee will deride him who deuiseth thus and him who doeth thus foreseeing that his day is euen at hand yea entring at the very dore and hee will say Loe heere the men Psal 51. who haue not setled their succour in God but haue planted their hope in the abundance of their riches and preuayled in their vanity and yet to no purpose are these their workes Our Lord leaueth not his Church and Clergie without a defendor nor without a most terrible reuenge for she is founded vpon a strong rocke yea the rocke is Christ himselfe who hath built her with his owne proper blood Assuredly vnlesse they reforme these sinns they will not passe vnreuenged beecause they haue trampled vnder their feete the holy of holys the house of God by afflicting his preistes with iniurys and reprochfull wordes for his Preistes are they to whom our Lord himselfe speaketh thus Psal 21. Luc. 10. I haue said yee are Goddes and all the sonnes of the highest And in another place who heareth yee heareth mee and who contemneth yee contemneth mee and who toucheth yee toucheth the aple of myne eye Let them returne to their hartes and cast these mischeefes away from them let them doe pennance in the depth of humility otherwise it is to bee feared least our Lord which God forbid will come bring vpon theÌ„ and their land greeuous tribulation and the most heauy reuenge of retribution Behould our Lord will come and will not delay but hee will saue vs yea hee neuer forsaketh such as trust in him for the Prophet sayth Hope in our Lord and doe righteousnes and thou shalt bee fed in his riches And in another place Psal 26. Psal 36. Expect our Lord and deale manfully and let thy harte bee comforted and endure our Lord and quickly shalt thou bee deliuered from the hunter's nâ—t and the bitter word And that I may finish all the rest with a worthie conclusion In regard our Lord declareth vnto vs what and how great aduersityes wee must suffer for his name and defence of his Church it is requisite yea most necessary that both you the whâ—le Church committed to your charge pray instantly for 〈◊〉 that what by our owne merrits wee are not able to atcheyue wee may obtaine to accomplish by your intercession the suffrages of the holy men who liue in your Dioces and thereby come to purchase eternal grace Farwell and bee of good comfort yea farwell the whole Church of England and bee comforted in our Lord that wee may all together fare-well Thus wrote saint Thomas out of France where hee then liued into England But what in the meane time did the king of England The requestes of the â—ing of England Embassadors to the Pope Before Alexander departing out of France vndertooke his iourney towards Rome which hapned in Easter this present yeere the King of Englands Embassadors came to Pope Alexander But what their Embassage was you shall now heare out of Alan in Quadril In the meane time were messangers sent of all sides yea from my lo the Pope himselfe to establish peace In the end it was on all hands agreed that my Lo the Pope the King should at an appointed time place meete together to the end by their intercourse of speech the way for peace might bee more easily deuised The King assenteth to bee there present so as the Archbishop would not as then appeare in place beecause hee would not in the sight of saint Thomas behould the face of my Lord the Pope The Archbishop on the other parte forewarned his Holines not in any case to entertaine this parlee with the King but in presence of himselfe who was best acquainted with his fashoÌ„s for hee sayd the piety of the Apostolicke Sea may soone bee deceaued by the subtill varyety of the kings words if there were not a skillfull interpreter ready at hand who were able to sifte the depth and intent of his mynd out of the
darke clowdes of his speech Thus did saint Thomas write to the Pope Whereupon saith Alan my lord the Pope modestly answering the kinge affirmed how it was neuer in any age heard that the Church of Rome at the command of any Prince whatsoeuer forbad any person her presence especially beeing banished for the cause of iustice But that it was a priuiledg authority granted from aboue to the Apostolike Sea to succour the exiled oppressed yea from the fury of their soueraignes the violent rage of their malitious enemys The Embassadors therfore repining departed to deliuer this message to their king and my lord the Pope determining to returne to Rome vndertooke his iourney Thus Alan whom saint Thomas followed as far as Bituricum where taking leaue receauing his blessing hee departed backe to Pontiniake neuer after seeing Pope Alexander in this world AN. DOM. 1166. The yeere 1166. ensueth and the 14. indiction When Frederick the Emperour seeing the prosperitie of the Catholicke Pope Alexander daily more and more to encrease and that his holines was now peaceable setled in Rome beeing enraged with anger and enuie commanded a Conuentickle in Witemberge otherwise called Herbolis at the feast of Penticost where hee meant with his Bishops and Princes to assemble for cōfirming the power of this Antipope Guido Wherefore the king of England beeing by the Emperour inuited to this scysme beecause experience taught him that Pope Alexander inclined to the parte of saint Thomas taking aduantage of this fit oportunitie for his excuse sent an ambassage vnto the Citty to Pope Alexander determining if hee refused to yeeld to his demands then to fall off from him to Guido for the better accomplishment whereof hee wrote these letters to the Archbishop of Colen the cheife ring-leader of the scysmatickes for procurring a safe conduct for his Embassadours I haue long since desired to find out some iust occasion for leauing the parte of Pope Alexander and his vnfaithfull Cardinalls whoe presume to maintaine that Traytor Thomas sometimes Archbishop of Canterbury against mee whereupon by the aduice of all my Barons and consent of the Clergie intending now to send to Rome men of great accompt in my kingdome namely the Archbishop of Yorke the Bishop of London the Archdeacon of Poyters Iohn of Oxenford and Richard de Lucy who openly and manifestly on the beehalfe of my selfe and my whole kingdome with all other landes vnder my dominion shall propound and denounce to Pope Alexander and his Cardinalls that they shall no longer defend my Traytor but soe absolutely discharge and free mee of him as I with the counsail of my Clergie may establish an other in the Church of Canterburie and shall moreouer require that they reuoke and make voyd whatsoeuer Thomas hath done and likewise demand that the Pope in their presence cause it to bee sworne publickly that hee and his successors shall conserue for euer as far as to them appertaineth to mee and all my successors the royall customes of Henry my grandfather inuiolable and vntouched and if by chance they will gainsay any one of my demandes that then neither I nor my Barons nor yet my Clergie will euer heereafter yeeld him any obedience yea wee will openly withstand him and his and whosoeuer vnder my gouermēt shall bee found heereafter to follow his parte shall bee banished out of my kingdome I entreate you as my dearest frend all excuses set aparte to send mee speedily brother Ernold or brother Randulph of the hospitall of saint Iohn whon may on the beehalfe of the Emperour and your selfe giue safe conduct to the afore said Embassadors as well in their goeing as returne through the Emperour's dominion This was the kinges letter An Embassage was also sent to Pope Alexander which London and Oxford only executed But soe far was Pope Alexander from beeing any way moued either by the terrors of the kinges thundering letters or other threates vttered by the Embassadors in the kinges name as hauinge rebuked their rashnes hee returned to the king himselfe againe an answer fraughte with sharpe reprehension wherewith beeing terrifyd hee desisted from his wicked intention and gaue therfore great thankes to his Holines promising heereafter to obey euer readily in all thinges whereof the Bishops of England in their epistle sent the next yeere to Pope Alexander are apparant witnesses which afterwards in place conuenient wee determine to declare Meane while sayth our Author Colen requireth the Emperors aduise in what sorte hee should āswer the king of England whereunto the Emperor replyeth that hee ought to satisfy the kinges desire in reguard with how much the more solemnity this matter is accomplished soe much the greater shall bee the Popes confussion if hee condescendeth to the kinges request and it may bee that secretly by some one of the Temple or Hospital or any other whom they could not preuent the king by corruption of money may otherwise obtayne the same Wherefore brother Randolph of the Hospitall was addressed to the king of England who safely conducted the Embassadors whom the king intended to send to the courte of his Holines through the Emperors dominion Thus much there But soe it beefell that the same Embassadors came first into Germany where they were present at the Conuentickle of Witemberge but what matters were there handled the letters patents of Fredericke the Emperor dated at that place declare where among other thinges is thus written of this Embassage Moreouer the honorable Embassadors of our renowned freind the king of England directed from him to vs Cod. Vat. Epist 70. did on the beehalfe of the same king in the presence of the whole court vpon the reliques of Saintes make their publicke oath to vs that the king himselfe together with all his kingdome should continew faithfull to our side and ioyning with vs should euer defend the Lord Pascall whose parte wee take and neuer heereafter intermedle in mayntaining Rowland the Schysmaticke Beccause also wee who haue euer hitherto bin ready to abyde the examinatiō of the vprighteousnes of our cause which the aduersaries of the Church of God and vs bee it either out of their pride or the distrust of their cause haue auoyded are now by reason of their manifest obstinacy compelled to vnacustomed oathes Let therefore heereafter euery man and estate carefully eschew the Communion of Scyfmatickes for their fury allthough it hath seemed hitherto in some sorte pardonable it will heereafter bee alltogether intollerable c. Moreouer in an other letter written by one affected to Pope Alexander is sayd That Fredericke the Emperor gloryeth in the assistance of the king of England whose Embassadors were sworne to the parte of the Antipope c. In an other place likwise Fredericke Couloreth his busines with false prophesies that Pope Alexander should bee taken captiue whereunto not only the vulgar sorte but the king of England expecting the euent hath allmost giuen credit c. And out of Salisbury The
the vertue of obedience and vpon the perill and hazard of your order that yee denounce them publickly excommunicate and cause them soe to bee declared through out your Dioceses who lay violent handes on the Clergie and that yee command your neighbouring Bishoppes by the authority of our Lord the Pope and also of vs to performe the same likewise in thier Bishopprickes Moreouer in the same manner and vnder the same payne wee command yee to denounce to such as hinder Appellantes or Penitents from trauailing to our Lord the Pope or vs that they incurre the sentence of accursing as well as they who doe it in proper person as also the kinges officers who constrayne others to this heynous offence And for such as beeing enforced thereunto haue taken vnlawfull oathes to hinder these aforesayd passengers wee absolue them from their oathes whereby they may heereafter desist from soe greate à sinne and beeing penitent for their offence learne rather to obey God then man If any one in seeking to right his Church and conserue the integrity of his faith to the Apostolicke Sea dreadeth ensuing discommodityes let him remember how the Church with far more safety and profitt purchaseth vertue then temporall treasures and that Christ who raigneth ouer the Church of Rome restrayneth the powers of his aduersaryes and hee who shall punish the mighty mightely will chastise likewise all disobedience not only bringing the poore to iugdment but also humbling the glorious of this world to the ministry of the Church against which the very gates of hell shall not preuayle Bee ashamed most deerely beeloued to put in practise vniust iudgmentes in such sorte as the peeres of the kingdome insulting vpbrayd yee saying If a poore man committeth a light offence hee is presently excommunicated by yee and your officers but if a rich person transgresseth hee is not so much as with a word chastised whereby scandalls may on euery syde bee retorted on such iudges And can greate powers against the poore soe rage Looke therefore to your selues and your Churches least if yee dissemble the iniuryes of the Romane Church yee may bee iustly thought to conspire with the impious against her and to haue forestalled the wayes of those who walked that yee might raise your commodityes vpon the Churches losse Remember rather how our fathers atchiued saluation by what meanes and how great tribulations the Church hath encreased and bin dilated what huge stormes the ship of Peeter hath escaped hauing Christ for her Pilot. Thus did saint Thomas write to his Clergy ANNO DOM. 1167. Now beeginneth the yeere of our redemption 1167. with the xv Indiction when Pope Alexander vnderstanding as well by the letters of the king of England as also from others beeing Bishoppes the Suffraganes of saint Thomas that was persecuted by them and his most worthy proceedinges condemned as hideous offences to the end hee might rayse him aboue his aduersarys and humble them to his obedience hee ordayned a king most worthie of prayse which was to make the holy Archbishop with most ample authority Legate of the Apostolicke Sea The Popes letters are yet extant indighted for that purpose in these wordes Alexander seruante of the seruantes of God to this beeloued brother Thomas Archbishoppe of Canterbury sendeth greeting and his Apostolicall blessing The most holy Church of Rome hath bin euer accustomed to embrace with greater charity Saint Thomas made Legate à latere ouer all England excepting only the Proumea of Yorke and prefer in glory and honor persons of eminent worth and them especially whom she knoweeh to bee most renowned for honesty wisedome lerning and excellency of vertues Considering therefore the constancy of your deuotion and faith wherin you haue persisted as an vnmoueable pillar for the Church of God and weighing withall the singular prudence of your integrity lerning and discretion wherin you are knowne to surpasse others wee thought it worthie to loue and honor with a certaine peculiar priuiledge and more excellent prerogatiue your person soe adorned with the insignes of such high vertues and with our vsuall hounty to prouide and with a more tender care to procure your good and commodity This is the cause that with our louing fauor wee grant and beestowe on you the Legantine authority ouer all England excepting only the Archbishoppricke of Yorke to the end that within your iurisdiction in our place and authority you correct what you find worthie amendment and that to the honor of God and of the holy Church of Rome and for the saluation of soules you doe constitute buyld and plant whatsoeuer is to bee setled and planted wherefore wee admonish yea wee command your brotherhood that you dispose all thinges extirpate vices and plante vertues in our Lordes vynyeard with that prudence and discretion which Allmighty God hath beestowed on you Dated at Auigni on the seauenth of the Ides of October Heereunto were also added other letters of Pope Alexanders beeing written for the same purpose to the Clergy of the Prouince of Canterbury And others likewise for gathering of saint Peeters Pence which the king had beefore as wee see forbidden all which were caryd into England and receaued by the Bishop of London who certifyed the king of all wryting in this sorte vnto him Lib. 1. Epist 116. Lib. 1. Epist 131. To Henry King of England Gylbert Bishop of London The Bishop of Londons letter to king Henry concerning the Popes Mandates So bige a weyght of commandementes doth my Lord at this tyme oppresse vs soe great an authority beeseegeth vs as cōpelled by extreame necessity wee are enforced to beeseech counsell and with all assistance from your Maiestie for what the Apostollicall authority commandeth cannot with Appeale bee suspended neither can there bee any remedy against his Mandate since wee must needes fullfill his precept or incurre the offence of disobedience For beeing on saint Pules day in London at the Altar wee receaued from the handes of a certaine Messinger altogether vnknowne to vs our Lord the Popes letters whereby was graunted and by authority confirmed vnto the Lord of Canterbury the Legantyne power ouer all England excepting only the Archbishoppricke of Yorke Moroeuer all wee the Bishops of the kingdome were by the same authority inioyned with all humility to obey him as the Legate of the Apostolicall Sea and at his calling without any contradiction to assemble our selues together to yeelde him an accompt of all thinges appertayning to our office and absolutely vndertake to obserue whatsoeuer hee shall decree and lastly that wee shall enforce all who by your commandement haue receaued the reuenues and goodes of the Clearkes beelonging to the Archbishop in their absence to make full restitution and satisfaction to the owners within two monthes otherwise to bee denounced accursed without any appeale at all to the contrary S. Peeters pennyes Wee are beesides required to gather of our brethren the Bishoppes saint Peeters pence and to deliuer the
and successe heereof answered it was forbidden in his order that any brother should write to you or others about any affayres but promised to declare beefore your Nuntio Master Lumbard who deliuered him your letters the whole state and processe of the cause that hee may signify the same vnto you as faythfully and amply as if himselfe had bin there present And thus did Symon wryte to the Pope But what ensued afterwardes the sayde Nuntio in another relation sent also to Pope Alexander layd open in these wordes According to the commandement of your Holines wee deliuered to the renowned king of England your Comonitory letters doing our vttermost labor and dilligence to perswade him Cod. Vat. lib 4. Epist 10. according to your admonition to receaue my Lord of Canterbury into his fauor agayne to restore him his Archbishopricke with peace and suffer him freely to dispose of his Church wee long expected hoping and praying that Allmighty God would molify his harte But when by our forbearāce wee profited nothing we presēted vnto him in the next parle of the kinges your cominatory letters which hauing at the last with great difficulty receaued vpon the instant entreaty of vs and many noble personages after many wordes too lōg heere to rehearse hee answered thus I neuer banished my Lord of Canterbury out of the kingdome neuerthelesse for the reuerence I owe to my Lord the Pope if hee will performe to mee what hee ought to doe ād obserue to mee what his Predecessors haue obserued to my Progenitors yea what himselfe hath promised hee may returne into England and enioy his peace And after sundry diuersitys of answers hee lastly sayde Hee would assemble together the Bishoppes of England and take their counsell but appoynted no day nor more could wee gett at his handes wherby wee might bee assured of my Lord of Canterburys peace or the execution of your Mandate And beecause wee found him often altering in his answers wee demanded of him if my Lord of Canterbury might returne to his Archbishoppricke and vse it in peace Wherupon hee replyed That the Archbishop should neuer come within his land before hee did to him accordingly as hee ought to doe and had vndertaken to obserue what others had obserued and what himselfe had allready promised Lastly wee beesought him hee would wryte and signify by his letters patents his answer beecause wee ought to declare vnto you a certaynty which hetherto wee had not in regarde hee varyed soe often in his answers wherunto hee would not agree But the Archbishoppe when wee deliuered thus much vnto him sayd hee would bee euer ready to obey the king wherin hee ought and obserue whatsoeuer was observed by his Predecessors soe far forth as hee could with reseruation of his order but to intangle himselfe in new obligations that were neuer offered to his Predecessors and vndertake to performe any such without preseruation of his order was alltogether vnlawfull for him without my Lord the Popes authority first beecause it is pernicious to bring a new forme into Gods Church and then in regarde hee was forbidden by your Holines euer to make any such promise but with the reseruation of Gods honor and of his order And sayde moroeuer your Holines with rebuking tould him that hee ought not for safegard of his life to binde himselfe to the obseruation of such customes but with preseruation of his order Yet if the king would according to your Mandate restore to him his fauor with peace and the free inioying of his Church together with such thinges as were wrongfully taken away from him and his hee would most willingly performe at his pleasure whatsomeuer hee could possibly doe without offence of God and breach of his order and will endeauor most dilligently and deuoutly to serue him with all his power Please it therfore your Holines to succour the afflicted Church and to perseuer in that which to your great commendation you haue allready beegunne beecause as wee haue heard of many and doe certainly beelieue if you perseuer the peace and redresse of the Church is euen now at hand Thus wrote Simon of Gods-Mount after hee had worthily performed his charge and to the same purpose did the Archbishop of Senon who was there present and saint Thomas also Cod. Vat. lib. 4. Ep. 7. Ibidem Ep. 6. signify to his Holines Meane while the king of England dealt by his two agents with Pope Alexander that the authority of faint Thomas might bee suspended vntill this matter were handled by the Popes Nuntios as it appeareth by the Popes letters to the king which Roger in his Chronicles of England recyteth in this yeere beeginning thus Your Maiesties Agētes our beeloued sonne Iohn Cumin c. and written in secret as the Pope witnesseth in his owne wordes which neuerthelesse the king with great vaunting diuulged For as wee see in the first conference of the kinges the king of England protracted the peace least hee should otherwise loose the priuiledge which as hee sayd hee receaueth from the Pope to wit that the Archbishops authority should bee suspended vntill hee had obtayned the kinges peace vpon occasion of which graunt you may conceaue the Pope was hardly spoaken of by many the king of England who was the only procurrer thereof in kindling hatred and wrath against him by showing publickly with great ostentation and kingly pryde the Popes letters and causing them especially to bee read in the last royall conference whereof saint Thomas wrote thus to Conrade Archbishop of Mountes Ibidem Epist 15. The king of England publickly boasteth of our suspension by proclayming the same in the open streetes of either kingdome and for a testimony of my confusion and to make mee more burdensome and odious to the world hee layeth open the Apostolike letters Hee gloryeth also of the terme of the prerogatiue assigned him beeing vntill hee receaueth mee into fauour which if it remayneth in his power shall bee at the Grecian Kalendes I meane neuer c. Wherof hee vaunted vpō this only reason beecause Pope Alexander beeing importuned and deceaued by the king did wryte that saint Thomas should suspend his authority so long ouer the king and kingdome vntill hee purchassed the kings peace which benignity of the Pope the king abusing did of set purpose deferre the peace beecause vntill that was concluded the Archbishoppes authority was suspended by reason whereof the Pope was inueyghed against Cod. Vat. lib. 4. Epist 14. Ibidem Ep. 18.22 Ibidem Ep. 19. Ibidem Ep. 20.23 25.2 Ibidem 16 8 not only by the Archbishoppe himselfe but likewise by the king of France as also his Queene and many others beeing incensed with the zeale of iustice Pope Alexander therfore assaulted with so many and soe greate complayntes by his letters to S. Thomas excused himselfe thus Wee suppose your wisedome is not ignorant how Henry the famous king of England sent his Agents vnto vs and with what vnreasonable and
written to them into England Ibid. Ep. 47. Knowe yee my deerest that wee haue wrytten in great tribulation and anxiety of harte not any way to heape sorrowes vpon yee but that yee may vnderstand what manner of charity wee beare abuntantly vnto yee for God is our witnes how wee couet yee in the very bowells of Christ Iesus wherupon seeing the dangers that neerely touch the body and soule yee to their iniury and which beeing neuer heard of in these our dayes are yet now beefallen wee are not a litle greiued and confounded in regarde of your selues For it is apparant by the publicke reporte of all men that yee haue abiured my Lord the Pope who representeth the person of Christ himselfe and as also who allthough vnworthy are neuertheles appoynted the father and Bishop of your soules yea this is it which aboue other thinges that wee haue many yeeres according to the example of the iust iudgment of Allmighty God indured increased exceedingly the abundance of our sufferinges for that soe detestable so wicked an oath how great a scandall doth it breede to the world what offence to God what a synne to your selfe what affliction to vs For why to abiure them whom God hath ordayned ouer yee is an iniury to him who hath ordayned them and likewise to vs who are placed in authority by him nay rather the power of him who soe exalted vs is dishonored the band of his obedience broken which vice vndoubtedly with confidence I speake it but for your sakes with teares is like and equiualent to Idolatry for sayth the prophet to resist is the synne of Southsaying and not to obey is the offence of Idolatry wherupon such by the ordinance of the old lawe as were Idolatrers sustayned the sentence of corporall death And seeme yee not to your selues to haue incurred a far greater cryme in that yee doe not only rebell but alsoe bynde your selues with an oath heereafter to rebell and that moroeuer what a thing is it for sheepe to shake of their sheapheard Verily for such as forsake their shepheardes the Wolfe hath allready inuaded them and vnles the shepheard whom they haue now abiured defendeth them hee will in the end deuoure them Many testimonyes of Scriptures and examples of Saintes may bee produced for detestation of your offence but that the excesse of such an enormity lyeth open to the eyes of the meanest vnderstanding Yet if yee were not voluntarily but vnwillingly drawne hereunto the sinne were excused in parte but not in all for better it is to suffer the body's destruction then take an abhominable oath wherby yee are beecome the children of death beecause as the prophet sayth of the people yee are stroken with the stripe of the enemy with a cruell chastisement But to manifest the watchfull care wee haue beefore Allmighty God for yee wee haue endeauored to apply to soe greeuous a wound the salue which now only remayneth and doe therfore by the power of saint Peter the Apostle the authority of the Bishop of Rome and of vs absolue from an oath soe vnlawefull all such as are penitent especially those who sweare imparting to our reuerent brethren the Diocesan Bisshoppes and preistes of lesse quality in the vacancy of Bishopprickes our power for inioyning externall satisfaction to the afore sayd Penitents Admonishing yee all who are willing to vnderstand it that yee are no way bound by such an oath nor obliged to obey it least as Herod vnder pretence of piety yee become impious and excuse with an oath an offence exceeding the swearing according to him who sayth That oath is not to bee obserued wherby a sin is vnaduisedly promised And againe In promises which are euill infringe your fayth breake your vowe change your decree doe not performe what you haue vnaduisedly vowed And many other sentences which I ouerpasse are consonant heereunto And now to conclude I who am bound in our Lord doe heere beeseech yee yea I beeseech yee as my children whom I euer ought to embrace in Christ that yee walke worthy of the vocation wherunto God hath called yee that obseruing first of all the fayth of Christ yee doe next obey his Prelates submitting your selues vnto them for they are the Parties who keepe watch ouer yee as the persons who must yeeld an accompt for your soules For brethren I would haue yee vnderstaÌ„d how as well these vnlawfull oathes as also many other enormious crymes which through wicked sugestions are committed in our cause for the oppression of iustice and truth truth so fauoring it selfe will turne in the end to the benifitt thereof fore truth may bee imprisonned or entralled but can neuer bee vanquished beecause shee is contented with the smale number of her follwers and neuer caught with the multitude of men and let the spirit of counsell and wisedom inspire yee all with that discretion one to an other as being all of one mynde yee may with one mouth honor the Pastors and Bishoppes of your soules whom that great Pastor of flockes Iesus Christ hath ordayned in the blood of his eternall testament and that by the Charity of the holy Ghost yee stretch out the handes of your prayers to helpe mee your father in this â—â—y extreme perill wherby I may bee deliuered from those Infidells who forbid that in this my restraynte I should bee assisted with prayer a suffrage commonly beestowed both on the faythfull and vnfaythfull The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ bee with yee all who haue corrected your error concerning this wicked oath and bin worthily and humbly contryte therfore for the contrary syde I beeseech God either instantly to conuerte them or temporally to punish them vntill they amend and doe condigne pennance for their offence Thus wrote saint Thomas vnto his Cod Vat. lib. 3. Ep. 18. But it appeareth by the testimony of Iohn of Silisbury that all did not equally condescend to this oath and that persecution was threatned from the higher powers against such as refused to sweare For hee sayth It is a publicke reporte that the aboue mentioned Archdeacon of Canterbury perswaded the king to passe ouer into England and there to torture the Bishoppes with those of the Clergy who would not sweare against my Lord the Pope and their mother Church of Canterbury on euery syde is feare perplexitys on euery syde c. The king meane while did with all dilligence possible hasten to accomplish the Coronation at whitsuntyde but concerning such thinges as foreranne the same there is extant the relation of a faythfull freind who remayned with the king and often certifyed saint Thomas by letters of these and other occurrents but now in this sorte Ibid Ep. 10. The king must bee needes at London on Sunday next for hee hath then summoned thither out of all partes of the land the Archbishop of yorke together with all other Bishoppes and Barons that day will yorke assuredly crowne the kinges sonne his wife the king
Archbishop you might lawfully perhappes haue done this in your owne prouince yet how you could with any face attempt the same in a strange Prouince especially beelonging to him who was himselfe allmost alone content to suffer banishment for iustice and giue Allmighty God his glory wee can neither by reason nor yet by the Decrees of the holy fathers satisfy our selues But if any obiecteth for excuse of soe foule an offence that in other kingdomes also many greiuous sinnes haue bin committed wee may in truth answer wee haue not hetherto seene any kingdome runne soe headlong into soe great a contempt of the diuine lawe as to enforce such manifest enormityes to bee established by the hand-wrytings and oathes of Bishoppes vnles any man will impudently alleage that which the Scismatickes beeing afwardes cutt of from the communion of the faythfull haue practised with such damnable pryde as was neuer beefore heard of In regarde whereof because according to the Prophet's saying Habacuc 1. Peruerse iudgment hath issued out from yee and peruersity is acted among yee Why doe not yee who haue exceeded all other Prouinces in their vsurpations and strengthened such vnlawfull customes with an oath resume now to your selues the sheylde of fayth to defend the house of our Lord in the day of battell but rather prostrate your bodyes on the ground to make a way for passengers ouer yee And least beeing any longer silent the sentence of damnation should bee pronounced in the day of iudgment as well against vs as yee heere by the authority of the sacred Roman Churche where by our Lordes appointment wee serue wee suspend yee from all manner of office beelonging to Episcopall dignity hoping at the least that now beeing reformed by discipline and this fatherly correction yee will at the last returne to your selues and endeauor to defend the Churches liberty But if with all this yee will not recall your selues to that zeale which beecommeth the place of Bishoppes wee will by the grace of God heereafter doe that which as yet with terror threateneth yee Looke to your selues least that hee sayde to yee which was spoaken to one by the Prophett thus Beecause thou hast repulsed knowledge I will repell thee that thou shalt not exercise the office of Preisthoode vnder mee Ose◠4. And for vs in regarde God at his pleasure soe disposing wee are heere apparantly placed in his seate who neither by blowes nor bandes could euer bee constrayned to surcease from preaching the word of God wee ought not vnder a doubtfull expectatiō of peace to lay vp in a handkercheife the money of the diuine worde committed to our charge and keepe it tyed vp soe long vntill the hower of encrease by little and little slydeth away and the Creditor comming calleth vs to render a seuere accompt Thus far Alexander wherby is refelled that manifest vntruth which not a little darkeneth the fame of this Pope And as then also did Peeter of Bloys to the same effect wryte to Iohn of Salisbury and hauing himselfe likewise a burning zeale for the liberty of goddes Church which saint Thomas defended to strengthen him the more least otherwise hee should faynte in these seas of tribulations hee admonished Iohn in a large Epistle to comforte the Saint beeing lynes doubtles worthy of this Author and indighthed Tho his most deere freind Master Iohn of Salisbury Peeter of Bloys Archdeacon of Bathe wisteth health in the Author of all health Peeter of Bloys Ep. 22. As often as I seriously consider with my selfe the ordinary oppressions of the English Church and the banished of your Lord Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury it doth very much comforte mee that hee hath erected himselfe as a bullwarke for defence of Gods iustice and the Churches liberty and therby will deserue a glorious conclusion of this his persecution For I see yee are now sett beetwene the hammer and the Anuyle and sinners dayly buyld vpon your backes neuertheles if yee fight in Christ and for Christ hee will neuer suffer yee to bee tempted aboue your power but will make yee profitt by your temptation and our Lord will take away the rodd of sinners from the portion of the iust that the iust may not stretch out their handes to iniquity If truth misse-telleth vs not the end of your persecution will bee eternall blessednes Math. 5. Blessed are they sayth hee who endure persecution for iustice Peeter the Apostle sayth 1. Pet. 4. Let none of yee suffer as a murderer or theife or slaunderer or a desirer of other mens goodes For not the paine but the cause maketh the Martyrdome But as the Apostle speaketh Ibidem 3. If yee suffer any thing for iustice yee are blessed For it is the guifte of God to beelieue in him but it is the highest guifte to endure reproches for Christ Phipp. 1. To yee quoth the Apostle it is granted for Christ that yee not only beeleiue in him but suffer also for him I doe therfore congratulate yee in regard yee haue conuerted iustice into iudgment beecause yee represse the rebellion and disobedience of some with the castisement of suspension if soe yee doe the same vpon the motion of reason and iustice and not with à thirst of reuenge or an appetyte of iniuring Doe nothing I beeseech yee for malice or hatred but let your actions bee managed with charity nor yet shall yee reape out of this your punishing the haruest of saluation vnles your whole intention proceedeth out of the bowells of charity For wheras by the fornace in the holy Scripture wrath or punishment is signifyed wee are taught in Leuiticus to sprinckle with the oyle of charity the sacrifice which is to bee baked in the fornace Leuit. 2. least otherwise it should bee burned for the mynde of him who prepareth himselfe to encounter with persecution is first to bee sweetned with the oyle of charity that neither in aduersity hee fayleth of charity neither yet bee enflamed against his brother with the fire of reuenge and hatred It is therfore your meritt and before God and man a commendation if by the way of iustice yee appease the disobedience of your subiects Psalm 105. For blessed are they who conserue iudgment and execute iustice continually In the execution of iustice there ought not to bee any exception or respect of persons bee hee brother or childe Prince or subiecte let euer the fruite of iustice beesought and let them euer iudge righteously who iudge the whole world for when the Leuites killing their brethren and children reuenged the sinne of Idolatry Moyses sayde to them Yee haue consecrated your handes this day euery one of yee in his sonne or in his brother Exod. 32. that a benediction may bee giuen yee Salomon sayth alsoe Who reproue shall bee praysed and a blessing will come vppon them Your Lord is highly to bee renowned that only hee ascendeth on the contrary parte that hee opposeth himselfe as
demanded Where is the Archbishoppe Wherfore the Confessor of Christ now instantly to bee crowned with Martyrdome knowing the first slanderous name to bee falsly imposed on him but the last agreeable to him in regarde of his function descending the steppes and meeting them sayde Loe heere I am And beehaued himselfe with soe great constancy as neither his mynde seemed any way to bee moued with feare or his body astonished with horror To whom one of these cruell knightes in the spiritt of fury sayd Thou shalt instantly dye for it is impossible thou shouldst longer liue Wherunto the Archbishop answered with no lesse constancy of wordes then mynde I am prepared to dye for the cause of God the defence of Iustice and the liberty of the Church But if yee seeke my life I forbid yee on the beehalfe of Allmighty God and vnder the paine of incurring his curse to hurte anyway any other bee hee Monke bee hee Clearke bee hee Layman bee hee more bee hee lesse but let them bee free from the paine as they are no parties to the cause These wordes in his suffering seeme like to those of Christ in his passion saying Yf yee seeke mee suffer these to departe Then layde the kinghtes instantly handes on him to drawe him out of the Church and soe to murder him but could not moue him Wherfore the Archbishoppe seeing these his executioners with swordes ready drawne as one praying bowed downe his heade vttering these his last wordes I commend to God our Blessed Lady with the Saintes Patrons of this Church and S. Denise my selfe and the cause of his Church And soe this Martyr with an inuincible mynde and admirable constancy did not in all his tortures speake one worde yeelde any noyse giue any sighe or heaue his hand against any blowe but helde his enclined heade thus exposed to the swordes vnmoueable till all was ended The knightes on the other syde fearing least the multitude of men and womē flocking all about would rescue him out of their handes beefore they accomplished their intent hastened their heynous sinne When one of them lefting vp his sworde to make a blowe at the Archbishoppes heade cutt of the arme of a Clearke called Edward Grimfere and wounded with all our lordes Anoynted The cruelty vsed in the slaughtering of saint Thomas This Clearke stretched out his arme ouer his Fathers heade to receaue the blowe or rather to beate it away As yet stoode the iust suffering for iustice as an innocent Lamb without murmurre without clamor and offerring himselfe as a sacrifice to our Lord hee prayed to his Saintes for assistance And that none of this accursed crewe might in forbearing the Archbishoppe bee found guiltles of this foule cryme the second and third of them dashed cruelly their swordes on the heade of this constant Champion and breaking his braynes whurled headlong downe to the grownd this oblation of the holy Ghost And lastly the fourth outragious with more then deadly yea hellish cruelty when the Sainte was now prostrate yea yeelding vp the Ghost cutt of his shauen crowne broake in peeces the scull of his head and thrusting in the point of his swoard threwe out on the pauement of stone his braynes together with the blood Our Abel hauing therfore consummated the glory of his Martyrdome Tho time of the Martyrdome of S. Thomas in breife accomplished many tymes for the seauenth yeere of his exile now beeginning the a fore sayd Martyr Thomas for the law of God and the Churches liberty which in the English Church was allmost wholly perished cōbated euen to death and dreaded not the wordes of the wicked for beeing founded on a firme rocke which was Christ hee for the name of Christ in the Church of Christ on the fifte day of Christes Natiuity beeing the day after the feaste of the Innocents was himselfe an Innocēt slayne whose innocēt life and death for the meritt of the cause pretious in the sight of God haue bin manifested with many miracles which not only in the place of his rest but in diuers other nations ād kingdomes are alsoe with admiration showed The same day was the passion of saint Thomas reuealed by the holy Ghost to blessed Godric an Anchoryte at Fintz-hall a place distant from Canterbury aboue an hundred and three score myles Heereupon the Monkes of the Church of Canterbury shutt vp the dores of the Church which remayned in such sorte suspended from the celebration of Masse for allmost a whole yeere vntill they receaued the Churches reconciliation from Pope Alexander Concerning the Martyrs body the Monkes taking it away placed it the first night in the Quire The buryall of S. Thomas perforning ouer it the Exequies of the deade and it is credibly affirmed that the Obsequies beeing ended lying in the Quire on the Beare about the breake of day hee lifted vp his hand and gaue them his Benediction afterwards they buryed him in a vaulte Thus far Roger wryting of the Martyrdome and buryall of saint Thomas And this was the end of this most glorious Martyr who conquered with his blood and tryumphed in the torments of a violent death and now renowned with the Garland of a most famous Martyrdome is mounted vp to the Courte of heauen leauing to all posterites an example of singular constancy to fight euen to the last gaspe for maintayning the Churches liberty But instantly fell headelong on his enemyes now vanquished and ouerthrowne by their owne wicked victory horror and dreade as men afflicted on all sydes with remorse reuenging sinne But of this shall bee heereafter our later discourse as a tracte more miserable As touching the tyme of his noble Martyrdome allthough it appeareth out of soe many beefore recyted Epistles that the most holy man was this selfe same yeere on the sayd day slayne with the swordes of the impious yet neuertheles in some Authors his Martyrdome is founde to bee mentioned in the yeere following as in the Epitaph recited by Roger in the Chrinicles of England and by Robert de Monte beeing thus written A thousand hundred seauenty one it was When Prymate Thomas with the sworde was slayne The fiste of Christmas from the world did passe This worldes faire flower whose fruit with God doth reigne But where they affirme his passion to bee in the yeere a thousand one hundred seauenty one it proceedeth hence that they beegan their yeere from our Lordes Natiuity For they who reckon from the Kalends of Ianuary or the Incarnation of our Sauiour doe truly and boldly alleage this same to bee the yeere of his Martyrdome as the wryters of Quadrilogus in these wordes Thomas that notable Champion of God Archbishoppe of the Church of Canterbury Prymate of all England and Legate of the Apostolike Sea suffered death in the yeere after our Lordes incarnation one thousand one hundred and seauenty beeing aged fifty three on the fourth of the Kalends of Ianuary beeing then Tewseday about the eleuenth howre of the
comming into Normandy hee hearde not his Legates had passed the Alpes then hee should absolue the Bishoppes of London and Salisbury from excommunication first taking of them an oathe to obey our Lord the Popes Mandate they and the rest remayning neuerthelesse still in suspension Thus departed our Lord the kinges Messingers from the courte neither yet caryed they backe any thing else But when they shall come or who shall vndertake this iourney I thinke it is hetherto vnknowne to the Cardinalls Only now as I beelieue you neede not feare the Interdicton of England soe as the king will submitt himselfe to the Legates And our Lord the Pope wryteth to him and inuyteth him to humility yet hardly could hee bee wrought to wryte to him Hetherto is the relation of one of the kinges Messingers But these letters of Pope Alexander to the king of England are lost Now let vs heare a more faythfull and certaine reporte made by other the kinges Messingers vnto the king himselfe where no mention of money either offered or receaued as the other vpon his false coniecture rehearsed is made although it contayneth a most exacte recytall of all and singular matters and wordes that passed for thus it is To his dearest Lord Henry the renowned king of England Duke of Normandy and Aquitayne and Earle of Anioue R Abbot of Wallacia R Archdeacon of Salisbury R. Archdeacon of Lizieux Richard Barre and Master Henry send greeting with due obedience in all thinges and euery where These are to certify your Maiestie that when Richard Barre going beefore vs had with great danger and trauaille come to our Lord the Popes courte wee foure with the two Bishoppes the Deane of Eureux and Master Henry with much difficulty attayned Sene where for some dayes wee were constrayned to stay for Count Macarius had on all sydes soe beeset the wayes as there remayned no passage for any When wee foure together with the Bishoppes who earnestly desyred to departe could not as wee would in regarde of these exceeding difficultyes consulting in one at midnight with all secrecy wee sett forwarde and so by craggy mountains and places allmost unpassable with extreme feare and danger wee came in the end to Tusculan There found wee Richard Barre allthough as beeseemed him carefull of your honor and labouring discreetely and instantly for your commodity yet much troubled and confounded in regard neither our Lord the Pope had yet receaued him nor others had courteously and gently entertayned him And for vs at our comming the Pope would neither see vs nor receaue vs at his feete yea many of the Cardinalls would hardly afforde vs a worde Remayning therfore long and anxiously troubled in the bitternes of our soules wee by all meanes huÌ„bly besought those who more eÌ„tirely affected to you that our Lord the Pope by their intercession would some way vouchsafe vs a hearing The Lord Abbot of Wallacia R. Archdeacon of Lizieux as men least suspected were first receaued to audience But when they in salutation on your beehalfe beegan with your name inâ—ytleing you the most deuoute childe of the Roman Church The name of the king of England now hatefull at Rome The whole courte cryed out forbeare forbeare As if it were abhominable to the Pope to heare your name Soe comming from the Courte in the euening they returned agayne to our Lord the Pope deliuering to him by the aduice of vs all what by your Maiestie was commanded vs declaring also distinctly the suÌ„dry benefittes beestowed by you on CaÌ„terbury with the diuers excesses and importunityes committed by him against your dignyty and all this first in secret then before our Lord the Pope and the whole Colledge of Cardinalls where Alexander of Wales and Gunter of Flanders Clearkes of the Church of Canterbury contested and contended against you Thurseday before Easter beeing now at hand on which day according to the vse of the Roman Church our Lord the Pope was accustomed to absolue or excommunicate in publicke whereas wee were certayne that with greate attention they had long handled this weyghty cause which soe neere touched your selfe aÌ„d your kingdome wee aduysed with those who as wee knewe most fauored your Maiestie wee meane the Lords of Portua and Hyacinth The Cardinalles who fauoured the king of England the Lordes of Papia and Tusâ—ulane with Peeter Lord of Mirle for the Lord Iohn of Naples was absent importuning them with all labor and instance to lay open vnto vs our Lord the Popes intention and what hee determined to decree concerning your selfe But they on the other syde reporting nothing but disasters and matters disgracefull to your renowne wee perceiued out of the sights and sorrowfull relation of theÌ„ all especially of your faythfull well wisher brother French that our Lorde the Pope had that day resolued absolutely with the ioynt consent of all his brethren to pronounce the sentence of interdiction against your selfe by name and your dominions as well on this syde as beyond the seas and also confirme the same sentence which was allready diuulged against the Bishoppes Besett therfore with these extremityes wee attempted with our vttermost endeauors as well by the Cardinalls as those our Associates who had accesse to his holines and likewise by his inward freindes to make him desist from this purpose or at the least deferre it vntill the comming of your Bishoppes which when it could no way be obtayned wee according to our bounden duty to you beecause wee were neither able nor ought to endure the great disgrace of your person with the agreiuances of all your principalityes consulting in the end with our Associates beefore certayne Cardinalls deuysed à way good and secure for your state and honor profitable to all your dominions and necessary for your Bishoppes whereby wee auoyded that ignominy and danger euen now threatening your person subiectes and Bishoppes and exposed our selues wholly to the vttermost perill for this your deliuery beelieuing and hauing a singular hope that it is according as wee thinke to your wished desire For astonished with feare wee signifyed to our Lord the Pope by the intercession of the same Cardinalls that wee had receaued à commandemeÌ„t from you to sweare in his presence that you shall obey his Mandate and how your selfe in person shall make the sayde oathe The same thursday about nyne of the Clocke were the Messingers called in as well yours as the Bishoppes The Messingers sworne in the kings name and in the generall consistory were wee sworne the Abbot wee meane of Wallacia the Archdeacons of Salisbury and Lizieux Master Henry and Richard Barre that you shall stand to the Popes Mandate and take your corporall oathe at his appointment to this effecte Then the Messingers of the Archbishop of Yorke and of the Bishoppes of London and Salisbury swoare in like sorte that their Lordes should subiecte themselues to the Popes commandement and take an oath to that purpose Neuertheles the same day hee
lastly made by the same Pope Archbishop of Beneuent Next is Iohn of Salisbury a man of mauellous learning and raysed after the Martyrdome of saint Thomas to the Bishoppricke of Charters Then Robert an Englishman created Bishop of Hereford After him Reynold also of England surnamed Lumbard preferred to the Bishoppricke of Bathe whom wee suppose to bee corruptly inserted for wee finde him not any where in the Catalogue of the Saintes familiar frindes who followed him in his persecution for whom beeing rather numbred among his enemyes Peter of Bloyes wrote an Apologie which shall after appeare Geralde insueth who was promoted to the Bishoppricke of Couentry and Huhge by nation à Roman who succeeded Geralde in his Bishoppricke Moreouer Gilbertus Angelus afterwardes Bishoppe of Rochester And likewise Rafe made in his exile Deane of Rhemes Lastly after others who were honored with Ecclesiasticall dignityes is Hubert of Millane first instauled in the Archbishoppricke of that Church and after called to the high Pontificall authority of the Church of Rome by the name of Vrban the third Others are in like sorte remembred as worthy of soe greate a father and Master who as they were partakers of his passion soe were they of his glory Such was the family of this most famous man not seruing him to please the eye but endowed with like constancy as their Master in suffering laborious afflictions truly Apostolicall men gloriously shyning with Apostolicall forces and therfore reputed worthie to bee promoted beefore others in Ecclesiasticall honors Pope Alexander beeing refused by the Romans and lying at Tusculan sent from thence these letters to the Archbishoppe of Biturees and the Bishop of Nyuers vpon occasion of the excommunication denounced by saint Thomas against the afore recyted Bishoppes of England Alexander Bishoppe seruant of the seruantes of God to his reuerent brethren the Archbishop of Biturees and the Bishop of Niuers sendeth greeting with Apostolicall benediction Wee suppose it is not vnknowne to your brotherhood how Thomas of holy memory late Archbishopp of Canterbury vpon our commandement denounced the sentence of excommunication against the Bishoppes of London and Salisbury The Popes letter for absolution of two English Bishops the which wee ratifying and confirming corroborated the same with our Apostolicall authority Now beecause the sayde Bishoppes beeing both aged and one of them sicke cannot trauell to our presence wee haue thought good to commend to yee of whose wisedome and honesty wee are confident theyr absolution for which the Messingers of Henry king of England with the Messingers also of the same Bishoppes haue bin earnest sutors Wherfore by our Apostolicall letters wee command your brotherhoode that if within one moneth after the beares heereof returne home yee heare not our Legates haue passed the Aples which Legates wee haue determined to send to those partes as well to vnderstand the depth of that heynous offence lately committed as also for the kinge absolue them from the bandes of excommunication taking first according to the manner of the Church an oathe of them to obey our Mandate the sentence of Suspension giuen vpon the same cause for which they were lastly excommunicated remayning neuertheles still in the former vigor And if it appeareth vnto yee that the Bishop of Salisbury by reason of his sicknes cannot trauell to yee then which will please vs right well that yee will personally goe vnto him or if yee cannot goe then that yee will send ouer some sufficient men whom wee and yee may confidently trust who taking first an oathe of him publickly in the face of the Church to obey our Mandate may therupon absolue him But if you brother Archbishoppe cannot personally execute this then doe you brother Bishopse taking with you the Abbot of Pontianacke carefully performe it according to these our directions Dated at Tusculan 8. Kalend. Maij. Hetherto Pope Alexander as it is rehearsed in Rogeres Chronicle Now amydd all this The Murderers of S. Thomas flye to the Pope for their remedy these sacrilegious murderers of the Martyr who hetherto remayned in the furthest parte of England on the landes beelonging to one of them when they sawe all men flye their company yea and that the very vnreasonable creatures eschewed them as accursed for dogges albeeit hungry abhorred to eate the bread they gaue them as taynted with the poyson of excommunication and aboue all their owne consciences guylty of this greate sinne inforcing them principally to detest themselues calling on the Saint whom they slaughtered they sought mercy at his handes to whom themselues had bin most vnmercifull and cruell Wherfore amyd their showers of teares and clowdes of sorrowe there shyned out to them a beame of hope for obtayning pardon and one onely way appeared beeing this to trauell vnto Rome to Pope Alexander Christes Vicar and falling downe at his feete and opening the enormity of their offence to receaue from him the medicyne hee would apply to them They came to Rome and fled to that Pastor whom hee from whom hee receaued that supreme power had taught not to kill and spoyle but cary on his shoulders the lost sheepe where that renowned Pastor byndeth vp what is broken strengtheneth what is infirme seeketh out what is lost and recouereth what is cast away this wise Archsurgeon pouring oyle and wyne into the deepe hartes of the wounded soe waked them vp as hee deliuereth them from all euills that may happen They are therfore inioyned for remission of this intollerable sacriledge to trauell beeyōd the seas to the regions which were glorifyed with our Sauiours presence euen to those places that where Christ wrought our saluation in the middest of the earth by shedding his blood for the redemption of mankinde they who had most wickedly shed the most innocent bloode might there bee purged with the bloode of his passion Their death who killed S. Thomas In their iourney one of them and hee the cheefest who encouraged the rest and first wounded the most holy man whose name was William Tracy comming into Calabria and remayning a while at Consentia beeing there taken with a greeuous infirmity of his body was compelled to stay the other three goeing on as they were inioyned Soe truly for an example of the iustice of Allmighty God hee could passe no farther then Italy that the Westerne world might bee admonished and none should heereafter dare for feare of soe seuere a punishment to lay rash and violent handes on our lordes annoynted For God stroke him with soe terrible a sickenes as his flesh rotting and his very synewes and bones appearing the same beeing dissolued from the ioyntes eyther of it selfe fell away or was haled of with his handes beeing impatient of his greife and his owne executioner yet euer vntill the very last gaspe imploring the assistance of saint Thomas whom himselfe had martyred All which beeing published to the Christian world by the Bishops of Consentia is affirmed in the end of the often recyted history