Unto these reasons thus proponed by the king (to haue his purpose take effect) the archbishop and his suffragans, with the rest of the bishops, answered verie pithilie, labouring to proue that it was more against the liberties of the church, than that they might with reason well allow. Wherevpon the king being moued exceedinglie against them, demanded whether they would obserue his roiall lawes and customes, which the archbishops and bishops in the time of his grandfather did hold and Their order saued. obeie or not? Wherevpon they made answere, that they would obserue them, Saluo ordine suo, Their order in all things saued. But the king being highlie offended with such exceptions, vrged the matter so, that he would haue them to take their oth absolutely, & without all exceptions, The king offended with the bishops. but they would none of that. At length he departed from London in verie great displeasure with the bishops, hauing first taken from the archbishop Thomas all the offices and dignities which he enioied since his first being created chancellor.
Howbeit, after this, manie of the bishops séeing wherevnto this broile would grow, began to shrinke from the archbishop, and inclined to the king. But the archbishop stood stiflie in his opinion, and would not bend at all, till at length not onelie his suffragans the bishops, but also the bishop of Liseux (who came ouer to doo some good in the matter) R. Houed. and the abbat of Elemosina (who was sent from the pope) persuaded him to agree to the kings will, in so much that being ouercome at last with the earnest suit of his freends, he came first to Woodstocke, and there promised the king to obserue his lawes, Bona fide, Faithfullie, and R. Houed. without all collusion or deceit.
1164. Ger. Dor. A councell at Clarendon. Shortlie after, in the feast of S. Hilarie, a councell was holden at Clarendon, whereto the archbishop, and in manner all the lords spirituall and temporall of the land made their repaire. Here the archbishop would haue willinglie started from his promise, if first the bishops, and after the earles of Leicester and Cornewall, Robert and Ger. Dor. Reignald (which Reignald was vncle to the king) and lastlie two knights templers, had not mooued him to yéeld to the kings will. But (amongst the rest) these two knights, namelie Richard de Hastings, and Hosteus de Boloigne were verie earnest with him, & at length preuailed, though not for conscience of dutie, wherewith he should haue beene touched; yet with feare of danger, which (by refusing to satisfie the kings will) he should haue brought not onelie vpon himselfe, but also vpon the other bishops there present.
These knights séemed to lament his case, as if alreadie they had séene naked swords shaken about his eares. And indeed, certeine of the kings seruants that attended vpon his person after the manner of a gard, went to and fro, rushing vp and downe the chambers, shaking their bright battell axes readie appointed, and looking as if they would forthwith run vpon the bishops. Wherevpon the archbishop being touched with remorse, and séeming to striue against his determinat purpose, consented to obey the kings pleasure, and so promised in the word of a préest, Matt. Paris. The archbishop Becket receiueth an oth. swering furthermore, that he would obserue the kings lawes and customes, without expressing these words, Saluo ordine meo, Mine order saued, which he had vsed before. The like oth did all the bishops take. But the archbishop refused at that time to seale to the writing that conteined the articles of the oth which he should haue obserued, requiring as it were a time to consider of them, sith in so weightie a matter nothing ought to be doone without good and deliberate aduice, wherefore he tooke with him a copie thereof, and so did the archbishop of Yorke an other, and the third remained with the king.
He repenteth him in that he had receiued an oth. Matth. Paris. Shortlie after, the archbishop considering further of this oth which he had taken, repented himselfe greeuouslie therof, in so much that he absteined from saieng of masse, till he had by confession and fruits of penance (as saith Matth. Paris) obteined absolution of the pope. For addressing and sending out messengers with all spéed vnto the pope, with a certificat of the whole matter as it laie, he required to be assoiled of the bond which he had vnaduisedlie entred into. This suit was soone granted, in so much that the pope directed his especiall letters vnto him, conteining the same absolution in verie ample and large manner, as Matth. Paris dooth report. And thus began a new broile.
The archbishop in the meane time, perceiuing that the liberties of the church were now not onelie embezelled, but in maner extinguished, and being loth to make any further attempt against his former dealings, would now (without the kings knowledge) haue departed the realme, wherevpon comming to Romnie, he tooke shipping, to haue passed ouer into The archbishop Becket would haue fled out of the realme. France, and so to haue gone to the popes court. But by a contrarie wind he was brought backe into England, and thereby fell further into the kings displeasure than before, in so much that, whereas an action was commensed against him of late for a manor, which the archbishops of Canturburie had of long time held: now the matter was so vsed that the archbishop lost the manor, and was moreouer condemned to paie the arrerages, and thus his troubles increased euen through his owne malapertnesse and brainesicknesse; whereas all these tumults might haue béene composed and laid asléepe, if he had béene wise, peaceable, patient, and obedient. For,
M. Pal. in suo sag. Vir bonus & sapiens quærit super omnia pacem,
Vúltque minora pati, metuens grauiora, cauétque,
Ne paruo ex igni scelerata incendia surgant.
The archbishop to appeare at Northampton. R. Houed. In the end, the archbishop was cited to appeere before the king at Northampton, where the king vsed him somewhat roughlie, placing his horsses at his Inne, and laid disobedience to his charge, for that he did not personallie appeare at a certeine place before his highnesse, vpon summons giuen vnto him[2] for the same purpose. Wherevnto though the archbishop alledged that he had sent thither a sufficient deputie to Sentence giuen against the archbishop. make answere for him; yet could he not be so excused, but was found giltie, and his goods confiscat to the kings pleasure.
Now when the archbishop heard that sentence was in suchwise pronounced against him; "What maner of iudgement (saith he) is this? Though I hold my peace, yet the age that shall hereafter follow, will not hide it in silence; for sithens the world began, it hath not beene heard, that any archbishop of Canturburie hath béene iudged in any of the king of Englands courts for any maner of cause; partlie in regard of the dignitie and authoritie of his office, and partlie bicause he is spirituallie the father of the king and all his people. This is therefore a new forme and order of iudgement, that the archbishop should be iudged by his suffragans, or the father by his sons."
The next daie the king required of him the repaiment of fiue hundred marks, which he had lent him when he was chancellor. Now although he The archbish. condemned in fiue hundred marks. affirmed that he receiued the same by waie of gift, and not by waie of lone; yet bicause he confessed receit, he was condemned in that debt, forsomuch as he could not prooue the title the gift.