Thomas à
Becket.

Becket at Great Berk

hampstead.

and general comfort of the people, and to teach them to obey the country's laws, as well as to obey those laws themselves. But in those days it was otherwise.

Thomas à Becket stood by the Pope. He was the son of a citizen of London, who went with the Crusaders to the Holy Land, and who married the daughter of a Saracen. He early showed great ability, and thus gained the friendship of Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him to Italy to gain knowledge, and on his return promoted him to high offices. When Henry came to the throne, Thomas à Becket was made chancellor, and was intrusted with the education of the King's son. The Thomas à King bestowed on him also much property in land, and gave him the castle at Great Berkhampstead to live in. Here he dwelt in the greatest splendour, and his pomp and luxury were beyond anything that had ever been seen. His historian, in describing his luxuries, gives a curious illustration of the manners of the times. He says that his rooms were every day in winter covered with clean straw or hay, and in summer with green rushes, lest the gentlemen who visited him should soil their fine clothes by sitting on a dirty floor. This does not give one a very exalted idea of his grandeur; but what are now every-day comforts, were in those days unheard-of luxuries. He was fond of hawking, hunting, and feats of horsemanship. When Archbishop Theobald died, the King put Becket in his place. He knew that Becket was aware of his intention to put down the encroachments of the clergy, and he thought he might rely on him as his friend. But no sooner did Becket become archbishop, than his whole nature seemed to change. He kept up his former pomp

The King

thinks Becket

will be his

friend.

sides with

and splendour in the number of his servants, but in his own person he put on the most rigid austerity. He wore sackcloth next his skin; his usual food was plain bread, and his drink was pure water. He gave up the great offices of state which Henry had bestowed on him, and told the King that henceforth he must devote himself to his spiritual concerns. The fact was that he was an ambitious man, and was Thomas à resolved to support the power of that church of Becket which, in England, he had now become the head. the Pope. An opportunity soon came for showing his intentions. A priest grossly insulted a gentleman's daughter, and murdered her father. The King demanded that the priest should be delivered up, to be punished according to the laws of the land; but Becket, now Archbishop of Canterbury, refused, and maintained that he should be judged by the church alone. The King summoned the clergy, to decide what was to be done; and it was settled that a priest who committed a crime should be judged by the laws of the realm, as if he were a layman. Becket pretended to submit ; but, being supported by the Pope, he again opposed the King. Finding he was likely to be worsted in the conflict, he escaped secretly to France.

of Becket's

After an absence of six years, he was allowed to return to England, and he soon again put the power of the church in opposition to the power of the King. Henry was much provoked, and at last ex- The King claimed, "To what a miserable state am I reduced, complains, when I cannot be at peace in my own realm by opposition. reason of only one priest; there is no one to deliver me from my troubles." Henry, it is to be hoped, did not mean that he wished the archbishop to be murdered, but his words were heard by four knights, who

determined to take the part of the king against the archbishop. They went to Canterbury, and demanded of Thomas à Becket that he should take the oath of allegiance to the King. He refused; and the knights, full of murderous thoughts, retired to put on their armour. They then followed the archbishop

Penance of Henry IL before Becket's Shrine. (From an ancient Painting on Glass.)

into the church, and one of them cried out, "Where is the traitor ?" The archbishop, who was no coward, seized him and flung him to the ground. The knight rose and struck him, and then the four knights together fell upon him, unarmed as he was, A.D. 1170. and murdered him, in the year 1170.

Becket

is murdered,

This was, indeed, a dreadful crime. It is fortunate for us that the principles for which Becket strove are not the principles of our days; but the murder of the archbishop was a crime which cannot be justified by any consideration, whether human or divine.

à Becket becomes

St. Thomas

à Becket.

The Pope and the clergy in general naturally looked Thomas on Becket as a martyr, and three years after his death, he was canonised, or made a saint, by the Pope. His body was removed to a magnificent shrine in Canterbury Cathedral, enriched with presents from all parts of Christendom. Pilgrims went thither to obtain his intercession with Heaven, and even the King himself made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas à Becket. His kingdom was disturbed by rebellion, and by an invasion from Scotland, and it was believed that these disasters were a judgment on him for the murder of St. Thomas à Becket. He therefore made this pilgrimage to the shrine. He walked barefoot towards it, knelt down, remained in fasting and prayer a whole day, and watched the holy reliques all night. He even submitted to greater humiliation he assembled the monks together, put a scourge into the hands of each, and allowed them to lash his bare shoulders.

It is said, that in one year 100,000 pilgrims arrived in Canterbury, and paid their devotions at the tomb of St. Thomas à Becket. The shrine was destroyed by Henry VIII. at the time of the Reformation, but there are still sixty-four churches in England dedicated to his memory.

The year following the death of Thomas à Becket was rendered memorable by Henry's conquest of Ireland. Henry was now very powerful. In addition to England and Ireland, about a third part of France

Death of

Henry the
A. D. 1189.

Second,

Richard
Cœur de

Lion, or
the Lion-

heart,

belonged to him; and in his contests with the Pope, he sacrificed but little real power.

The conclusion of his reign was, however, rendered miserable by the undutiful conduct of his sons. Their mother Eleanor, although she had herself violated the sanctity of the marriage bed, was greatly incensed against Henry for his profligate life, and she stirred up her sons to rebel against him. The ingratitude of his favourite son, John, in joining the conspirators, grieved him greatly, and hastened his death.

Henry died at Chinon, in Touraine, and was buried at Fontevraud, in Anjou.

Reign of Richard the First.

A. D. 1189 to A. D. 1199.

Henry the Second was succeeded by his third son Richard, commonly called "Cœur de Lion," or the Lion Heart, on account of his bravery. Richard A. D. 1189. was sincerely sorry for his undutiful conduct to his father, and when he came to the throne he showed his grief. by immediately taking into his counsel all his father's faithful servants who had opposed the rebellion of his sons.

Massacre of the Jews.

The commencement of Richard's reign was disgraced by a very savage act, for which, however, the people are to be blamed, rather than the King. The day before his coronation the King had proclaimed that Jews and women should not be allowed to be present. It is said he was afraid he might suffer from the supposed magical arts of the Jews.