you) I haue now suffered & abstained a long space, wayting if the Lord had geuen you to take a better hart vnto you, which haue turned away cowardly your backes in the day of battaile: or if any of you would haue returned agayne to stand like a wall for the house of Israell: at least if he had but shewed him self in the field makyng but the countenaunce of a warrier against them, which cease not dayly to infeste the Lambe of God. I wayted and none came: I suffered, and none rose vp: I held my peace, & none would speake: I dissēbled and none would stand with me in like semblaūce. Wherfore, seyng I see no better towardnes in you: this remaineth onely, to enter action of complaint agaynst you, and to cry agaynst mine enemies. Rise vp (O Lord) and iudge my cause, reuenge the bloud of the churche whiche is wasted and oppressed. The pride of them that hate his liberty, riseth vp euer: nether is there any þ^t doth good, no not one. Would God (brethren beloued) there were in you any minde or affection to defende the liberty of the churche: for she is builded vpon a sure rocke, that although she be shaken yet she can not be ouerthrown. MarginaliaThe church of Christ cā not be ouer throwen. Ergo Becket ought not to be resisted.And why then seke ye to confound me? Nay rather, your selues in me then me in you: A man which haue take vpon me all the perill, haue sustained al the rebukes, haue sustained all the iniuries, haue suffered also for you all, to the very banishment.

MarginaliaSeruitude and libertie of the church wrongfully defined. The words of holi scripture clarkly applyed.And so it was expedient one to suffer for that church that therby it might be released out of seruitude. These things discusse you simpelly with your selues, and way the matter. Attend I say diligently in your mindes for your parts: that God for his part remouyng from your eyes all maiesty of rule and of impery (as he is no accepter of person) may take from your harts the veile, that ye may vnderstand and see what ye haue done, what ye entend to do, and what ye ought to do. Tell me, whiche of you all can say that I haue taken frō him since þ^e time of my promotiō either ox, or asse: if I haue defrauded hym of any peny: if I haue misiudged the cause of any man wrongfully: Or if by the detriment of any persō I haue sought my owne gayne, let him cōplain & I will restore him fourefold. And if I haue not offfended you, what thē is þ^e cause þ^t ye thus leaue & forsake mein þ^e cause of god?

Why bend ye so your selues agaynst me in such a cause, that there is none more speciall belongyng to the churche?

Brethren, seke not to confound your selues and the churche of God (so much as in you is) but turne to me & you shalbe safe.

MarginaliaTourne to thee? Nay turne thou to the Lord and thou shalt be-saued.For the Lord sayth, I will not the death of a sinner but rather he should conuert and lyue. Stand with me manfully in the warre, take your armor and you shild, to defend me. Take the sword of the word of the mighty God, that we all together may withstand more valiantly þ^e malignant enemies (such as go about to take away the soule of the churche) whiche is her liberty: MarginaliaThe soule of the church is the libertye of the church with Becket.without whiche liberty, she hath no power agaynst them þ^t seke to incroche to their inheritaunce, the possession of Gods sanctuary. If ye will heare and follow me, know ye that the Lord will be with you, & with vs all in the defence of the liberty of his churche. Otherwise if ye will not, the Lord iudge betwixt me and you, and require the confusion of his churche at your handes: whiche church (whether the world will or no) standeth firmely in the word of the Lord wherupon she is builded, and euer shall till the houre come that she shall passe from this world to the father. For the Lord euer doth support her with his hand.

Wherfore, to returne to the matter: brethren remēber wel with your selues (which thing ye ought not to forget) what daunger I was brought vnto, & the church of God also whyle I was in Englande: MarginaliaVnbeseminge wordes of high presumption.at my departing out of England: and after my departure frō thēce: also in what daunger it standeth in at this present daye: But especially at that tyme, when as at NorthamptonChrist was iudged againe in my persō, MarginaliaChrist is not iudged in the persons of any traytor.before the iudgement seate of the high president. Who euer hearde the archbishop of Canterbury (being troubled for iniuries done to him and to his church, and appealing to the pope of Rome) to be iudged, condemned, appealed, and put to his sureties, & that of his owne Suffraganes. Where is this law sene, or the autoritie (nay rather peruersitye) of this canon heard of? And why yet shame ye not at thys your enormity? Why are ye not confounded? Or why doth not this confusion worke in you repentaunce, and repentance driue you to due satisfaction before God and men. For these and such other iniuries done to God and to hys church, and to me for Gods cause (whych wyth a good conscience I ought to suffer, MarginaliaConscience made where is none.because that without daunger of soule I ought not to dissemble them) I chose rather to absent my selfe for a season, and to dwel quietly in the house of the Lord, then in the tabernacle of sinners: vntill the time that (their iniquity being complete) the hartes of the wicked, and the cogitatiōs of the same should be opened. And these iniuries were the cause both of my appeale from the king: and of my departure frō thence, which ye terme to be sodden. But if ye wil speak that truth which ye know, it ought no lesse then to be soden: least (being foreknowen) it might haue bene preuented and stopped. And as God turned the matter it happened for the beste: both for the honor of the king, and better safety of them, which (seking my harme) shoulde haue brought slaunder to the king. If suche troubles folowed vpon my departing as ye say, let that be imputed to him which gaue the cause: the fault is in the worker, not in the departer: in him that pursueth, not in him that auoydeth iniuries: what would ye more? I presented my selfe to the court, MarginaliaBut he leuith out here the manner of his cōming to the courte and the sturdines of his behauiour.declaring both the causes of my comming, and of my appeale: declaring also the wrōges and iniuries done to me and to my church, & yet coulde haue no answer: neyther was there any that layde any thyng against me, before we came to the king. Thus, while we stood wayting in the court, whether any would come against me or not, they sent to my officials: charging thē not to obey me in my temporalities, nor to owe any seruice to me, or to any of myne. After my appellatiō made in the court: my church was spoyled: we (and they about vs) depriued of our goods: outlawed both of the Clergy and of the layity, men, women, and infantes: the goods of the church (that is, the patrimony of the crucifix) confiscate: and parte of the money turned to the kings vse, parte to your own cofers. Brother bishop of London, if this be true that we heare of you: and that to the vse of your own church ye conuert this mony: we charge you and require you forthwith by vertue of obedience: that within fourty daies after the sight of these letters (al delay and excuse set aside) ye restore againe within þ^e time aforesaid: all such goods & parcels as you haue taken away. For it is vnmeete and contrarye to all lawe, one church to be enriched with the spoile of a nother church. If ye stand vpon the autority that set you a worke: you must vnderstand, that (in matters cōcerning the church goods) he can geue no lawful autoritye, which committeth violent iniury. &c.What autority, and what scripture geueth this prerogatiue to Princes vppon church goodes, which you would attribute to them?

MarginaliaBecket seemeth here more skilful of his mass booke than of the booke of holy scripture other els he might se it no new thing in the old law for kinges to depriue priests, and to place whom they would.What, wyl they lay for them þ^e remedy of appeale? God forbid. It were euil with the church of God, if whē the sacrilegious extorcioner hath violently inuaded other mēs goods (especially the goods of þ^e church) he should after defend him with the title of appeale. &c.

Do not brethren, so confound together the ryght of the church and of the temporal regiment: For these two are much different, one borowing his autoritye of the other. Reade the scriptures, and ye shall finde what and how manye kinges haue perished for taking vpon them