cant, should be in the kynges handes vntill such tyme that he should chuse a Prelate therto: and he should be chosen out of the kynges chappels, and first before he were confirmed, he should do his homage to the kyng.

6. If any ple were to consistory brought, they should appele from thence to the archdeacon: and from thence to the Byshops court: and frō the Byshops court, to the archbyshops: and from thence to the kyng, and no further: So that in conclusion the complaintes of holy Church, must come before the kyng and not the pope.

7. That all debtes, that were owyng through trouth plyght, should not be pleded in spirituall but in temporall court.

8. That the Peter pence, which to the Pope were gathered should be taken to the kyng.

9. If any clerke for felonie were taken, and so proued: he should be first disgraded, and then through iudgement, to be hanged, or if he were a traytor to be drawen.

MarginaliaThe lawes of Claredoun.1. IF any person shall be found to bryng from the Pope or from the Archbishop of Canterbury, any writyng cōteinyng any indict or curse agaynst the Realme of Englād: the same man to be apprehended without delay, for a traytor, and execution to be done vpon the same.

2. That no Monke, nor any Clerke shalbe permitted to passe ouer into England, without a passeporte from the kyng or his Iustices: who so doth contrary, that man to be tached and inprisoned.

3. No man to be so bold once to appeale to the Pope, or to the Archbyshop of Canterbury, out of England.

4. That no decree, or commaundement procedyng frō the autoritie of the pope or the Byshop of Canterbury, to be receaued in Englād, vnder payne of takyng & inprisonyng.

5. In generall, to forbyd any man to cary ouer any commaundement or precept (either of clerke) or layman, to the pope or to the Archbyshop of Canterbury, vnder payne of inprisonment.

6. If any byshop, clerke, abbot, or lay man shall do contrary to this inhibition: or will kepe the sentence of interdityng: the same incontinent to be thrust out of the land, with all their kinred, and to leaue all their goodes behynd them.

7. All the possessions, goodes and cattell of such as fauour the pope, or the archbishop of Canterbury, to be seazed and confiscat for the kyng.

8. All such of the Clergy, as be out of the Realme hauyng their rents and profites out of the land: to be somoned and warned through euery shyre, within three monethes to repayre home: either els their rentes and goodes to returne to the kyng.

9. That saint Peters pence, should be no more payd to the Apostolicall see, but to be reserued diligently in the kynges cofers, and there to be at his commaundement. Atq;̀ aeæc Quadrilogo.

10. That the Byshops of Salesbury and Norwich, be at the kings mercy: and be somoned by the Shryfe and bedels, that they before the kynges iustices, do right to the kyng and his iustices: because (contrary to the statutes, of Clarendon) by commaundement they interdicted the land of Hugh Earle, and published the same in their Dioces with out licence of the kynges iustices.

By these and such other lawes and decrees it may appeare: that the abolishyng of the Pope, is no new thyng in the realme of England. This onely difference there is, that the pope beyng driuen out then, could not be kept out so lōg as now he is. The cause is, that the time was not yet come, that antichrist should so fully be reuealed. Neither was hys wickednes then so fully ripe in those dayes, as it hath bene now in our tyme. Now these premised, let vs returne where we left, to the matter betwixt the kyng and Thomas Becket.

THe kyng as is aforesayd, conuentyng his nobles and clearkes together, required to haue the punishmēt of certaine misdoers of the Clergy. But Thomas Becket not assentyng therunto: the kyng came to this point: to know whether he would consent with his clergy, that the customes then set forth in the realme (meanyng by the first part of those decrees aboue specified) should be obserued. To which the Archbyshop consultyng together with his brethren, geueth aunswere agayne, that he was contented the kynges ordinances should be obserued, MarginaliaBeckets additiō
Saluo ordine suo.addyng this withall, Saluo ordine suo: that is, sauyng his order. And so in like maner all the other byshops after, beyng demaūded in order aunswered with the same addition, Saluo ordine suo. MarginaliaThe Bishop of Chichester.Onely Hillarius byshop of Chichester, perceiuyng the kyng to be exasperate with that addition: in stede of Saluo ordine, agreed to obserue them Bona fide. The kyng hearyng thē not simply to agree vnto him but with an exceptiō, was mightely offended: who then turning to the Archbyshop and the Prelates sayd: that he was not well contented with that clause of theirs, Saluo ordine suo, which he sayd, was captious and deceitfull: hauyng some maner of venime lurkyng vnder, & therfore required an absolute graunt of them without any exception to agree to the kynges ordinances. To this the Archbishop aūswererh agayne, that they had sworne vnto him their fidelitie, both lyfe, body, and earthly honour: Saluo ordine suo: and that in the same earthly honour, also those ordinaunces were comprehēded: and to the obseruyng they would bynde themselues after no other forme, but as they had sworne before. The kyng with this was moued, & all his nobilitie, not a litle. As for the other byshops, there was no doubt but they would easely haue relented, had not the stoutnes of the Archbshop made thē more constant thē otherwise they would haue bene. The day being well spēt: the kyng (when he could get no other aunswere of them) departed in great anger: geuing no word of salutatiō to the byshops. And likewise, the byshops euery one to his owne house departed. The Byshop of Chichester (amongst the rest) was greatly rebuked of his felowes, for chaūging that exception cōtrary to the voyce of all the other. The next day followyng, the kyng tooke from the Archbishop all such honours and Lordshyps, as he had geuē him afore in the tyme that he was Chaūcellour: wherby appeared the great displeasure of the kyng agaynst him and the clergy. Not long after this, the kyng remouyng from London (vnknowyng to the byshops) sayled ouer to Normandy. Whether, the byshop of London called Gilbert (not long after) resorted to craue the kynges fauour: and gaue him counsell withall to ioyne some of the bishops on his side, least if all were against him , peraduenture he might sooner be ouerthrown. And thus the greatest nūber of þ^e byshops were by this meanes reconciled agayne to the kyng: MarginaliaThe stubberne wilfulnes of T. Becket.onely the Archbishop with a few other remained in their stoutnes stil. The kyng (thinkyng to try all manner of wayes) when he saw no feare nor threates coulde turne him: did assay him with gentlenes, it would not serue. Many of the nobles labored betwixt them both, exhortyng him to relent to the kyng, it would not be. Likewise the Archbishop of Yorke with diuers other Byshops and abbotes (especially the bishop of Chester) did the same. Besides this his own houshold dayly called vpō him: but no man could persuade him. At length, vnderstandyng (partly by them that came to him) what daunger might happen not onely to himselfe, but to all the other clergy vpon the kyngs displeasure: partly consideryng the old loue & kyndnes of the kyng towardes him in tyme past, was content to geue ouer to the kinges request: MarginaliaT. Becket relenteth to the kyng.and came to Oxford to him, reconcilyng himselfe about the addition, which displeased the kyng so much. Wherupon, the king (beyng somewhat mitigate) receiueth him with a more chearefull countenance: but yet not all so familiarly as before, saying: that he would haue his ordinaunces and procedynges after the forme confirmed in the publike audience & open sight of hys Byshops and all his nobles. After this, the kyng (beyng at Clarendon) there called all his pieres and prelates before him: requiryng to haue that performed which they had promised, in consentyng to the obseruyng of his graundfathers ordinaunces and procedynges. The archbyshop suspectyng (I cannot tel what) in the kyngs promise drew backward, & now would not that he would before. At last, with much ado he was inforced to geue his assent. First came to him the byshop of Salisbury and of Norwiche, who (for old matters in daungered to the kyng long before) came weepyng & lamentyng to the archbyshop, desyring him to haue some compassion of them, and to remit this pertinacy to the kyng: lest if he so continued (through his stoutnes to exasperate the kynges displeasure) happely it might redounde to no small daunger, not onely of them which were in ieopardy already: but also of himselfe to be imprisoned, and the whole Clergy to be indaungered. Besides these two byshops, there went to him other two noble pieres of the realme labouring with him to relent and cōdescend to the kyngs desire. If not, they should be inforced to vse violence, as neither would stand with the kynges fame, and much lesse with his quietnes.