¶ Here begynneth the lyfe of the blessed martyr saynte Thomas The martir saynte Thomas was son to Gylberde Bequet a burgeys of the Cite of London And was borne in y e place where as now standeth the churche called saynte Thomas of Akers And this Gylberde was a good deuote man and toke the crosse vpon hym and wente on pylgrymage to the holy lande and had a seruaunt w t hym And whan he had acomplisshed his pylgrymage he was taken homwarde by the hethenmen and brought in prison of a prince named AmerauÌ„t where longe tyme he and his felyshyp suffred moche peyne and sorowe And the prynce hadde great affeccyon towarde this Gylberd and had oft coÌ„munycyon with hym of the cristen feyth of y e royalme of Englande by whiche conuersacion it fortuned that y e doughter of this prynce had especiall loue vnto this gylberde was famylier with hym and on a tyme she disclosed hir loue to hym sayenge if he wolde promyse to wed hir she shulde forsake frendes heritage and countre for his loue and become cristen and after longe comunycacion betwene them he promysed to wed hyr yf she wolde become cristen tolde to her the place of his dwellynge in England after by the purueauÌ„ce of god the same Gylberd escaped came home and after thys it fortuned so y t this prynces doughter stale away passed many a wylde place great adueÌ„ture by goddes purueauÌ„ce came at the last to london demauÌ„dynge crieÌ„ge Beket beket for more englysshe coude she nat wherefor the people drewe a boute her what for the straunge araye of her as for that they vnderstod her not many a shrewed boye so longe she went tyl she came before gylberdes dore as she stode there y e seruante that had be w t Gylberd in prison whiche was named Rychard saw her knew anone that it was the prynces doughter y t had them in pryson he shewed it to his master and tolde to hym how this mayde stode at his dore anone he went forth to se her as sone as she sawe hym she fell in a soune for Ioye gylberd toke her vp coÌ„forted her brought her in to his house syth went to the bysshops which then were syxe at Poules rehersed all the matter after they crystened her forthwith weded her vnto gylberd beket And within tyme resonable accustomed was brought forth bytwene thyem a fayre sone named Thomas And after thys yet the sayd gylberde went agayne in to the holy land and was .iii. yere or he came agayne thys chylde grewe forth tyll he was set to scole and lerned well be came vertuouse And whan he was .xxiiii. yere olde his mother passed out of this world after this he serued a merchauÌ„te of London a whyle in kepynge his charge comptes and frome hym he went to Stygande archebyssope of CauÌ„terbury and he was in so great fauoure with hym that he made hym archedeken chefe of his couÌ„seyle And well executed he his offyce iÌ„ punysshynge the culpable cherisshynge y e good people dyuers tymes went to Rome to supporte helpe holy chirche And after this Harry the secoÌ„de that was the empres sone was made kynge of englonde and he ordeyned this Thomas chauÌ„celer had great rule the land stode in ê“sperite saynt ThomÌ„s stode so greatly in the kynges fauoure y t the kynge was coÌ„tent with all that he dyd whaÌ„ the kynge went in to normaÌ„dy he betoke the gouernauÌ„ce of his sone the realme in to y e rule of saynt Thomas whiche he wysely gouerned tyll his retorne agayne anone after dyed Thybaude tharchebyssope of CauÌ„terburye the kynge gaue his nomynacion to saynt Thomas by the chapyter was electe in y e yere of his age .xliiii. and was ful loth to take that great charge on hym so at last had his bulles he was sacred stalled became an holy man sodeynly chauÌ„ged in to a new man doynge great penauÌ„ce as in werynge heer w t knottes and abreche of the same downe to y e knees and on a trynite sondaye he receyued his dygnyte there was at that tyme the kynge with many a great lord .xvi. bysshopes And fro thens was sent the abbote of Euesam to the pope with dyuers other clerkes for the Paule whyche he gate brought to hym and he full mekelye receyued it And vnder his habyte he ware the abyte of a monke and so was he withinforth a monke and outwarde a clerke dyd great abstyneÌ„ce makynge his body lene and his soule fat he vsed to be well seruyde at hys table toke but a lytell refeccion therof lyuede holyly in gyuynge good ensample After thys many tymes y e kynge wente ouer in to normandye in his absence alway saynt Thomas had the rule of his son of the realme y e whiche was gouerned so well that the kynge coude him great thaÌ„ke then abode longe in thys realme whan so was y t the kynge dyd anyethynge ayenst the fraunchyses lybertes of holy chyrche seynt thomas euer withstode it to his power And on a tyme whan the fees of London of Wynchestre were vacant and voyde the kynge kepte them bothe longe in hys handes for to haue the profytes of them wherfore Thomas was heuy came to the kynge desyred hym to gyue tho .ii. byssopryches to some vertuouse men anone the kynge grauÌ„ted hym his desyre and ordeyned one master Roger bysshope of wynchestre the erle of glocestres sone bysshope of loÌ„don named syr Robert and anone after saynt Thomas halowed the abbaye of redynge which y e fyrst harry fouÌ„ded And y e same yere he traÌ„slated saynt Edward kynge and coÌ„fessoure at westmynster where he was layde in a ryche shryne in shorte tyme after by the entysemeÌ„t of the deuyll fell great debate varyaunce stryfe bytwene y e kynge saynt Thomas y e kynge sende for all the bysshoppes to appere before hym at westmynster at a certeyne daye At whiche daye they assembled before hym whom he welcomed and after sayde to them how y t the archebyssop wolde destroye his lawe not suffer hym to enioy suche thynges as his predecessours had vsed before hym wherto saynt ThomÌ„s answered y t he neuer entendyd to do thynge that shuld displease the kynge as ferre as it touchede not y e fraunchyse lyberte of holy churche Than the kynge rehersed how he wold not suffre clerkes that were theues haue y e execucion of y e lawe To whiche saynt ThomÌ„s sayd y t he ought not execute them but they longe to y e correccion of holy churche other dyuers poyntê to whiche saynt ThomÌ„s wold not agre To whiche y e kynge sayd now I se well y u woldest for do y e lawes of this land y t haue ben vsed in the dayes
of my predycessours but it shall not ly in thy power so the kynge beynge wrothe depê‘ted Than y e bysshopes all couÌ„seyled saynt ThomÌ„s to folowe y e kyngê entent or els y e land shuld be in great trouble in lykewyse the lordes temporall y t were his frendê couÌ„seylled hym the same saynt ThomÌ„s sayd I take god to record it was neuer myne entent to displeas y e kynge or to take any thynge y t longeth to his ryght honoure than y e lordes were glade brought hym to the kynge to oxenford y e kynge dayned not to speke to hym and than y e kynge called all y e lordes spirituall temporall to hym sayd he wold haue all y e lawes of his fornfaders there new confermed And there they were coÌ„fermed by the all y e lordes spirytuall temporall And after this y e kynge charged them for to come to hym in Claryndon to his perlament at a certeyne daye assygned on payne to renne iÌ„ his indygnacyon at that tyme so departed And thys perlament was holden at claryndon the. ix yere of the kynges reygne and the yere of our lorde xi C. Ixiiii At thys ê‘lament were many lordes whiche al were ayenst saynt Thomas And than the kynge syttyng in his parlyament in the prefeÌ„ce of all his lordes demauÌ„ded them yf they wolde abyde kepe the lawes y t had ben vsed in his forfathers dayes Than saynt Thomas spake for the partye of holy churche sayde All olde lawes y t ben good ryght not ayenst our moder holy churche I grauÌ„t w t good wyll to kepe them And than the kynge sayde y t he wolde not leue one poynt ef his lawe and wexed wroth w t saynt Thomas than certayne bysshopes requyred saynt ThomÌ„s to obey y t kynges desyre wyll saynt ThomÌ„s desyred respyte to knowe the lawes than to gyfe an answere whan he vnderstode them all to some he coÌ„sented but many he denyed wold neuer be agreable to theÌ„ wherfore y e kynge mas wrothe sayd he wold hold kepe theÌ„ lyke as his pÌ„dycessours had done before hym wold not mynysshe one poynt of them Than saynt ThomÌ„s sayd to the kynge w t full great sorowe heuy chere Nowe my moste dere lorde gracyouse kynge haue pyte on vs of holy churche your bedemen gyue vs respyte for a certayne tyme thus departed euery man And saynt Thomas wente to wynchester there prayed our lord deuoutly for holy churche and to gyfe hym ayde strength for to defende yt For vtterly he determyned to abyde by the lybertes frauÌ„chyse and fell downe on his knees full sore wepynge and sayde O good lord I knowlege y t I haue offended for myne offence trespas this trouble cometh to holy churche I purpose good lorde to go to Rome to be assoyled of myne offences deê‘ted towarde CauÌ„terbury anone y e kynge sent his officers to his manoyres despoylled them bycause he wolde not obey y e kyngê statutes And the kynge coÌ„mauded to cease all his landes goodes in to his handes and than his seruauÌ„ts deê‘ted frome hym he went to y e seesyde for to haue gone ouer the see but the wynde was ayenst hym so thryes he toke his shype myght nat passe than he knewe that it was nat our lordes wyll y t yet he shold not departe retourned secretly to Caunterbury at whose comynge his men made great Ioy and on the morne came y e kynges offycers for to haue seased all his goodes For the noyse was y t saynt ThomÌ„s fled the lande Wherfore they hadde dispoyled all his manoyres seased them in to y e kynges handes whaÌ„ they came they founde hym at Caunterbury where they were sore abasshed and retourned to the kynge enfourmynge hym y t he was yet at CauÌ„terbury anon after saynt Thomas came to the kynge to wodestoke for to pray hym to be better dysposed to warde holy churche than sayd y e kynge to hym in skorne may not we two dwell bothe in this land arte y u of 〈…〉 sturdy harde of herte to whome saynt ThomÌ„s answered syr y t was neuer my thought but I wold fayne please you do all y t ye desyre so that ye hurt not the lybertes of holy churche for them wyll I mayntayne whyle I lyue euer to my power w t whiche wordes y e kynge was sore moued swore that he wolde haue them kept in especyall yf a clerke were a thefe he shuld be Iuged executed after y e kynges law by no spirytuall lawe And sayde he wolde neuer suffre a clerke to be his mayster in hys owen lande And charged saynt ThomÌ„s to apere before hym at North hampton and brynge all the bysshopps of thys land with hym so departed Saynt Thomas besought god of helpe socoure for y e bysshopps whiche ougte to be w t hym were moost ayenst hym And after thys saynt Thomas went to northaÌ„pton where y e kynge helde than his great couÌ„seyl in the castell with all his lordes And whan he came before the kynge he sayde I am come to obey your coÌ„maundement but before this tyme was neuer bysshope of cauÌ„terbury thus entreated for I am hed of y e churche of all england and am to you syr kynge your goostly father yt was neuer goddes lawe that the sone shulde destroy y t father whiche hath charge of your soule by your sterynge hath made all the bysshops y t shuld abyde by y e ryght of y e churche to be ayenst holy churche and me And ye knowe well that I may not fyght but I am redye to suffre deth rather than I shuld suffre to lese y e ryght of holy churche Than sayde y e kynge y u spekest as a proude clerke but I shall abbate thy pryde or I leue the. For I must taken with the. Thou vnderstandest well that thou were my chaunceler many yeres And ones I lent to the. v. C. pouÌ„de whiche y u neuer yet hast repayed whiche I wyll that thou pay me agayne or elles in contynent thoushalte go to pryson And than saynt ThomÌ„s answered ye gaue me that .v. C. pouÌ„d and it is not syttynge to demaunde y t whiche ye haue gyuen not withstandynge he fouÌ„de suerte for y e sayd v. C. pounde departed for that day And after thys the next day the kynge demaunded .xxx. M. pounde that he had surmysed on hym to haue stoleÌ„ he beynge chaunceler wherupon he desyred day to answere at whiche tyme he sayde y t whan he was archebysshop he set hym fre theryn without any clay me or dette byfore good recorde wherfore he ought not to answere to y e demauÌ„de the bysshops desyred saynt ThomÌ„s to obey the kynge but in no wyse he wold not agre to suche thynges as shulde touche ayenst the lybertes of the
pay for y e dispeÌ„ses of hym all his kynnesmen And in y e meane whyle y e kynge of englond ordeyned his sone kyng made hym to be crowned by tharche bysshope of yorke and other bysshoppes whiche were ayenste the statutes of the lande For the archebysshope of Caunterburye shulde haue also consented also haue crowned hym wherefore seynt Thomas gat a bulle for to accurse theym that so dyd ayenste hym also on them y t occupye y e goodes longynge to hym yet after thys the kynge laboured so moche y t he accorded the kynge of englonde and saynt thomas whiche accorde endured not longe for the kynge varyed frome it afterwarde but saynt Thomas vpon his accorde came home to CauÌ„terburye where he was receyued worshypfully sent for them that had trespased ayenst hym by y e auctorypte of y e popes bull openly denounced theim accursed vnto y e tyme they came to amendemeÌ„t whan they knewe thys they came to hym wolde haue made hym to assoyle them by force sent worde ouer to the kynge howe he had done wherof the kynge was moche wroth sayd yf he had meÌ„ in his lande that loued hym they wolde not suffre suche a traytour in his lande a lyue forthwith foure knyghtes toke theyr counseyle togydder thought they wolde do the kynge a pleasure emprysed to slee saynt thomas sodeynly departed toke theyr shyppynge towarde englonde whaÌ„ the kynge knewe of theyr departynge he was sory sent after them but they were on the se departed or the messeÌ„gers came wherfore y e kynge was heuy and sory These ben the names of y e foure knyghtes Syr Reignolde bereson syr Hughe moruele syr Wylliam tracy syr Richard de bryto On crystenmas daye saynt Thomas made a sermon at Caunterbury in his owen chyrche wepynge prayed y e people to pray for hym for he knew well his tyme was nygh there executed y e sentence on them y t were agaynst y e righte of holy churche y t same daye as y e kynge sate at mete all y e bred that they handled wared anone mowly hore y t no man might ete of it y e bred y t they touched nat was faire good for to ete hese .iiii. knyghtyê afore sayd came to Caunturbury on y e tewesdaye in Cristmas weke aboute euensonge tyme came to saynt Thomas sayd that the kynge coÌ„maunded hym to make amendes for y e wronges y t he had done also y t he shulde assoyle all them y t he had acursed anone or elles they wolde sle hym Than sayde Thomas all y t I oughte to do by ryght y t wyll I with a good wyll do but as the sentence that is executed I may not vndo but y t they wyl submyt them to y e correccion of holy chirche for it was done by our holy father y e pope not by me Than sayde syr Reynold but yf y u assoyle y e kynge vs vnder standynge the curse it shal coste the thy lyfe and saynt Thomas sayde y u knowest well ynough y t the kynge I were accorded on mary Magdaleyns day y t this curse shulde go forth on them y t had offeÌ„ded the chirche Than on of the knyghtes smote hym as he kneled byfore the aulter on the heed on syr edwarde gryme that was his croyser put for the his arme w t y e crosse to bere of y e stroke the stroke smote the crosse in sondre his arme almoost of wherfore he fled for fere so dyd all y e moÌ„kes that were y t tyme at complyn they smote eche at hym y t they smote of a great pece of y e skulle of his heed y t his brayne felle on y e pauement so they slew hym martred hym there cruelly that one of them brake the poynt of hys swerde ageynst the pauement and thus this holy archebysshop saynt Thomas suffred deth in his owne churche for the right of holy churche whan he was deed they stired his brayne after went in to his chaÌ„bre toke away his goodes his hors out of his stable toke away his bulles wryttyngê delyuered them to sir Robert Broke to bere in to FrauÌ„ce to the kynge as they serched his chambre they founde in a cheste ii shertes of heare made full of great knottê they sayd certaynly he was a good man comynge downe into y e chirche warde they began to drede fere y t the grounde wolde nat haue borne them were sore agast for they supposed y e the erthe wolde haue swalowed them all quicke than they knew that they had done amys and anone it was knowen all about how y t he was martred anone after toke this holy body vnclothed hym fouÌ„de bisshops clothynge aboue habit of a monke vnder next his flesshe a harde heare full of knottes whiche was his sherte his breche was of the same the knottes styked faste within the skynne and all his body full of wormes he suffred great peyne and was thus martred the yere of our lorde .xi. C. lxxi was .liii. yere olde And soon after tidynges came to the kynge how he was slayne wherfore the kynge toke great sorowe and sente to Rome for his absolucion now after that saynt Thomas departed fro the pope the pope wolde dayly loke vpon the whyte chesyle that saynt Thomas had sayd masse in and that same day that he was martered he sawe it torne into redde where by he knew well that that same day he suffred martirdome for y t right of holy churche and coÌ„maunded a masse to requiem slempnly to be songe for his soule And whan that the quere began for to synge Requiem an aungel on hie aboue beganne the offyce of a martyr Letabitur iustus And than anone after all the hole quere folowed syngynge forth the masse of y e office of a martyr And than the pope thanked god y t it pleased hym to shewe suche myracles for his holy martyr at whose tombe by the meryte and prayers of this holy martyr oure blessed lorde there hath shewed many myracles the blynde haue recouered there theyr syght the dombe theyr speche the deef theyr herynge the lame they re lymmes the deed theyr lyfe Therfore let vs praye to thys glorious martyr to be our aduocate that by his peticion we may come vnto euerlastynge blysse Amen ¶ Thus endeth the lyfe of the blessed martyr saynt Thomas of Caunturbury Imprynted by me Rycharde Pynson prynter vnto the kynges noble grace