their meal. He saluted the intruders; but they sat down looking sternly on him, and without making any return to his salutation. After a short silence, Reginald said, We come from the king, to demand the absolution of the bishops. Becket replied, it was out of his power. A dispute followed. They upbraided him as a man who owed every thing to the king. He reminded two of them that they had once been his attendants. At last, the archbishop said, You seem to threaten. If all the swords in England were drawn against my head, you would gain nothing by that.' 'We will do more than threaten,' was their fierce reply. And withdrawing into the court, they began to buckle on their armour; as men who expected a contest with the archbishop's adherents. In the meanwhile the clergy closed the doors, and almost draged Becket into the church; his pride making him unwilling to appear to flinch from violence. Perceiving that his party were shut out, Reginald seized a hatchet from a workman, and soon forced an entrance. His companions pushed forward, and one cried, where is Thomas Becket, where is the traitor?' To this no answer was given. But when another called out, where is the archbishop? Here,' said Becket; but no traitor.' He was standing near the high altar, and some person struck him with the flat of his sword, and said, 'fly, or you are a dead man.' He would not stir; but, when they attempted to drag him to death without the church, he struggled, and the murderers did their foul deed.

6

Thus perished this poor sinner, in that same church which, but four short days before, he had filled with the language of pride, and the sound of his curses, instead of teaching meekness and forgiveness. Yet because his haughty temper enabled him to press forward even to death, with unbending stubbornness, in the maintenance of privileges which gratified the pride, and favored the vices of

BECKET MURDERED AND WORSHIPPED.

407

the Romish clergy, they called him a saint and a martyr; and invented a thousand fables to spread the belief that miracles were wrought by his influence. After some time, they even introduced into the church service a prayer for salvation, as if it was to be obtained by his merits; being so ignorant of the word of God that they knew not, or else despising that Scripture which saith, There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved* but the name of Jesus Christ. A hundred thousand pilgrims, deluded by these idle tales, and by their erroneous teaching, have been known to visit his tomb in one season, They came from all parts of Europe; idly fancying that a dead man could take pleasure in the trouble they underwent to do him reverence; and dishonoring the one Mediator between God and man† by seeking among created beings for a more able, or more willing advocate with the Father than Jesus Christ, the righteous. And not only was Thomas Becket idolatrously worshipped in a cathedral particularly named Christ's church; but, as if that were little, its name was changed by usage to St. Thomas's; and in one year, when the offerings on the altar of Christ were but a few pence, those brought to Becket's more honored altar amounted to six hundred pounds.

Whilst the murderers of Becket were yet but on their way, the king, having recovered his self-command, had consulted the nobles about him; and it was resolved that the Archbishop should be arrested.

Three barons were to be sent across the sea for this purpose; and some inquiry being necessarily made, as to whom the king should employ, Reginald Fitz-Urse and his companions were found to be missing. Henry immediately suspected the reason

*Acts iv. 12.

+1 Tim. ii. 5,

1 John ii. 1.

of their concealed departure, and hastened off persons in pursuit, to command them back; but it was too late. The news that they had already slain the Archbishop, in his cathedral, soon reached the king, and filled him with horror at the dreadful consequences of his passionate and hasty words. He found it to be too true, that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. It setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell*. But though the guilt becomes more visible when sin being finished, bringeth forth death, the flame must have been burning in his heart before, however unknown the depth of his guilt might be to him. Thus He who seeth the heart taught the apostle to declare, that whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer already †. Let not, therefore, those persons whose hatred meets with powerful obstacles, instead of finding, like the King, executioners too ready to bring about its natural end, think themselves less wicked than he. His grief, like all his other passions, was most violent, when he could no longer help seeing his guilt. He burst out into loud and bitter lamentations, covered his head with ashes, and, shutting himself up in his chamber, refused for three days either food or consolation. Yet it must be feared that, like all sinners, whose eyes have not been opened to the deformity of sin by meditation on the word of God, and the teaching of the Spirit, the king regretted the consequences likely to fall upon himself, more than he did the course of his evil language. He knew that all his hopes of resisting the overgrown power of churchmen must now be given up, as he would have to plead before the Pope for pardon on almost any terms. He was conscious that he must expect all Christendom to join against him, if he should refuse to make any satisfaction required by the Church for the murder of an Archbishop, † 1 John iii. 15.

*Jas. iii. 6.

GRIEF OF THE KING.

409

reputed by many an eminent saint; nor could he otherwise expect to clear his character from the foul imputation of having intended to employ the murderers, whom his words had undeniably instigated.

As soon, therefore, as he could bring himself to discuss the subject with his counsellors, it was agreed that the king should send a deputation of nobles and prelates immediately, to say to the pope all that could decently be urged in his behalf; and to express his willingness to perform any penance the pope might enjoin. But such was the wickedness which notoriously mixed itself up with almost every part of this corrupt religion, that the embassy thus sent to procure absolution for one sin, was instructed to commit another; being provided with ample gifts to bribe the papal court, that the penance imposed might be the lighter. When these envoys reached Rome, they were at first refused access to the pope, and when they did obtain an audience, they had no sooner pronounced the words 'Henry, king of England,' than the whole assembly cried out, Forbear, forbear,' and broke up in disorder. But of this court it might truly be said, every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. When the king's bribes had been distributed, the pope was content to excommunicate the murderers and their abettors, without including the king; respecting whose guilt or innocence two cardinals were appointed to make inquiry.

In modern times we should expect the murderers to be seized, put upon their trial, and brought to the scaffold. But the punishment of great offenders was then the personal act of the sovereign, rather than the work of impartial laws; and Henry was ashamed to take upon himself the punishment of men, who would not have risked their lives to commit

* Isai. i. 23.

T

an unpopular crime but for his taunting language. Being unable to live under excommunication, they travelled to Rome; probably carrying with them all the money they could raise; and the papal court, which would have put them to death, without mercy, for disputing its erroneous doctrines, was content with requiring that they should go on a crusade; to blot out the stain of Becket's blood by shedding more, in offensive warfare against the nation and kindred of his mother.

The king, too, quitted Normandy to conduct a war, which the court of Rome had encouraged him to undertake. He could not easily be so blind as to think it would wipe away his sins; for he sailed to engage in an unprovoked attack upon the Irish, a people not charged with any heresy. But it had been arranged, that his conquests in Ireland should bring in a lasting profit to the papal treasury; so the king might expect to gain, thereby, easier terms, when the legates should make their report to the роре.

The agreement alluded to was of some standing. Early in Henry's reign he had informed pope Breakspear, commonly called Adrian IV, that he proposed to conquer Ireland; to subject its people to fixed laws; to root out vice; and to compel the Irish to pay a tax, of one penny upon each house to his holiness. The popes affected to consider themselves as the common fathers of all Christian nations; and therefore Adrian ought, in consistency, to have declared that he could take no pleasure in hearing of Henry's design to engage the English in an unprovoked warfare with their Christian brethren and neighbours in Ireland. The popes also call themselves infallible guides in all things appertaining to the word of GOD; and any really faithful spiritual guide would have reminded Henry, that princes are not exempt from the command, which saith, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, nor any thing