haue so required that their letters, also which he had obtayned, should not be deliuered to tharchbishop of York. without our knowledge and consent therin. This is certein & so perswade your self boldly without any scruple, doubt or mistrust, that it neuer was my minde or purpose nor neuer shall be God willyng, to subdue you, or your churche vnder thobedience of any person to be subiect saue onely to the byshop of Rome. And therfore we warne you and charge you, that if you shall perceiue the kyng to deliuer these foresayd letters (which we trust he will not attempt, without our knowledge to do) forthw^t by some trusty messenger or by your letters, you will geue vs knowledge therof: wherby we may prouide vppon the same both your person, your churche, and also your city committed to you, to be clearly exempt by our autority apostolicall, from all power and iurisdiction of any legacy.

Vpon these letters and such other, as is sayd before: Becket semed to take all his boldnes to be so stoute and sturdy agaynst hys prince as he was. The Pope (beside these) sēt secretly this chaplain of hys, & directed an other letter also vnto the kyng: graunting and permittyng at hys request, to make the archbishop of Yorke legate apostolicall.

The kyng (after he had receiued his letters sent from the pope) began to put more strength to his purposed procedynges agaynst the archbyshop: begynning first with the inferiors of þ^e clergy, such as were offenders agaynst his lawes: as felons, robbers, quarellers, breakers of peace, & especially such as had cōmitted homicide & murders: MarginaliaMore then an C. murthers done by the clergye.
Guliel Neuburg. lib. 2. cap. 16.wherof more then an C. at that tyme were proued vpon the clergy (as witnesse Guliel. Neuburgensis in hys boke de Gestis Anglorum. lib. 2. cap. 16.) vrging & cōstraynyng them to be reined after the order of the law temporall, & iustice to be ministred to them accordyng to theyr desertes: as first to be depriued, and so to be cōmitted to the seculer handes. Thys semed to Becket to derogate from the liberties of holy church, that the seculer power should passe in causes criminall, or sit in iudgement agaynst any ecclesiasticall person. This law, the roysters (then of the clergy) had picked and forged out of Anacletus and Euaristus: by whose falsly alledged and pretensed autority, they haue deduced this their constitution from the Apostles: which geueth immunuity to all ecclesiasticall persons to be free from secular iurisdiction. Becket therfore (like a valiaunt champion fighting for his liberties, and hauyng the pope on hys side) would not permit his clerkes infamed otherwise to be conuented, then before ecclesiasticall iudges: there to be examined and depriued for their excesse, & no secular iudge to procede agaynst them. So that after their depriuation, if they should incurre the lyke offence agayne: then the temporall iudge to take hold vpon them, otherwise not. This obstinate and stubburne rebellion of the archbishop, stirred vp much anger & vexation in the kyng: and not onely in hym, but also in all the nobles and in al the bishops (for þ^e greater parte) that almost he was alone a wonderment to all the realme.

The kings wrath dayly increased more and more agaynst him (as no meruell was) & MarginaliaBecket cited to Northamton.caused hym to be cited vp to appeare by a certein day at the towne of Northāpton: there to make aunswer to such thinges, as should be layd to his charge. So when the day was come (all the Peres and nobles, with the prelates of the realme vpon the kynges proclamation beyng assembled in the castell of Northampton) great fault was found with the archbishop, for that he (personally cited to appeare) came not hym selfe, but sent an other for hym. The cause why he came not, Houedon assigneth to be thus: for þ^t the kyng had placed hys horse and horsmen in the archbishops lodgyng (whiche was a house there of chanons) wherwith he beyng offended sent word agayne, that he would notappeare vnles hys lodgynges were voyded of the kyngs horsmen. &c. MarginaliaThe archbishop condemned in the councell of Northāton in the losse of all hys moueables.Wherupon (by the publike sentence as well of all the nobles, as of the byshops) all his mouables wer adiudged to be confiscate for the kyng, vnles the kinges clemency would remit the penalty. The stubburne archbishop agayn (for his part) quarelling agaynst the order and forme of the iudgement, complaineth: alledgyng for him selfe (seyng he is their primat and spirituall father not onely of all other in the realme, but also of the kyng him selfe) not to be conuenient the father so to be iudged of his childrē, nor þ^e pastor of his flock, so to be condēned: saying moreouer þ^t the ages to come should know, what iudgement was done. &c. But especially he cōplaineth of his fellowe bishops (when they shoulde rather haue taken his part) so to sit in iudgement agaynst their Metropolitane: and this was the first dayes action. The next day folowyng, the kyng layd an action agaynst hym for one that was his marshall (called Ihon) for certain iniury done to him: and required of the said archishop the repaying agayne of certain mony, whiche he (as he sayd) had lent vnto him being chauncelor, the summe wherof came to 500. markes. This mony tharchbishop denyed not but he had receiued of the king, howbeit (by the way and title of gift, as he tooke it) though he could bring no probation therof. Wherupon, the kyng required hym to put in assuraunce for the payment therof: wherat the archbishop making delais (not well contēted at the matter) was so cald vpon, that either he shoulde be countable to þ^e kyng for the mony, or els he should incur present daunger, the king being so bent against hym. The archbishop being brought to such a straite (& destitute of his own suffragans) could here by no meanes haue escaped, had not v. persons of their own accord stepped in, beyng bound for him, euery man in one c. markes a peece. And this was vpon the ii. day concluded. MarginaliaThe 3. day.The morowe after (which was the iii. day of the councel) as the archbyshop was sitting below in a certeine conclaue with his felowhyshops aboute hym consulting together, (the doores fast locked to them, as the king had willed and cōmaunded) it was proponed vnto him in the behalf of the king, that he had had diuers bishoprikes and abbarikes in his hand which were vacant (with the frutes and reuenues thereof due vnto the kyng, for certeine yeares) wherof he had rendred as yet no accompt to the kyng: wherfore, MarginaliaBecket requyred to geue accompt.it was demaunded of him to bring in a full and a cleare reckning of þ^e same. This (with other such like) declared to all the counsel, great displeasure to be in the king, and no less daunger toward the archbishop.

THus while the bishops and prelates wer in councel, (aduising and deliberatyng what was to be done) at length it came to voyces, euery mā to say his mind, and to geue sentence what were the beste way for their archbishop to take. MarginaliaThe verdes of Winchester.First begā Henry bishop of Winchester, (who then tooke part with Becket, so much as he durst for feare of the kyng) who sayd, he remembred that the sayd archbishop (first beyng archdeacon, and then Lord chancelor, at what time as he was promoted to þ^e church of Canterburye) was discharged from all bandes and recknings of the temporal court, as all the other bishops could not but record to the same.

MarginaliaThe coūcel of the byshop of London.Next spake Gilbert bishop of London, exhorting and motioning the archbishop that he should call with hym selfe to minde, from whence the kyng tooke hym and set him vp: what & how great thinges he had done for him: also that he should consider with hym selfe the daungers & perils of the tyme: and what ruine he might bring vpō the whole church (& vpon them al there present) if he resisted the kynges minde in the thinges he required. And if it were to render vp hys Archbishoprike (although it were x. tymes better then it is) yet he should not sticke with the kyng in the matter. In so doyng it myght hap-MarginaliaCanterburye.