forget not the ignominy of thy Church, which thou hast builded in thy bloud. Reuenge the bloud of thy saintes which is spilt: reuenge (O Lord) the afflictions of thy seruaunts, of whom there is an infinite number. For the pride of them which hate and persecute thee, is gone vp so high: that we are not able to beare them any longer. Whatsoeuer your seruaunts shall do, all those things shall be requyred at your handes: for he seemeth to haue done the harme, which hath geuen the cause therof. Doubtles; the sonne of the most highest (except you amēd and cease from the oppressing of the church and clergy, and kepe your hand from troublyng of them) will come in the rod of hys fury at the voyces of such as cry to hym, and at the sighes of them that be in bandes: when the tyme shall come for hym to iudge the vnrighteousnes of men in equity and seueritie of the holy ghost. For he knoweth how to take awaye the breath of Princes, and is terrible among Kinges of the earth. Your deare and louyng grace I wish well to fare. Thus fare ye well agayne and euer.

1. The scope of this Epistle is this, to proue that Bishops and priestes ought not to come vnder the courte and controllement of temporall power.

2. This similitude holdeth not. For though the smalnesse of a Citie blemisheth not the prerogatiue of a kyngdome: yet the euilnes and rebellion of a city, doth worthely blemish his own prerogatiue.

3. So sayth the Popes decrees, Dist. 10. but the scripture of God importeth otherwyse. Abiathar the priest was deposed of kyng Salomon, not for any heresie, but for other causes. 3. Reg. 1. 2. Ionathas toke his priesthoode of kyng Alexander. And Simon of Demetrius. 1. Mach. 7. Christ offered tribute to Cesar for hym and for Peter. Also Peter sayeth: be ye subiect to euery humaine creature: & followeth, whether it be to the kyng as to the chiefe. &c. Item Pope Leo submitted hymselfe to Ludouicus the Emperour with these wordes: And if we do any thyng incompetently, and doe swarue from the pathe of righteousnesse, we wyll stande to your reformation, or of them whome you shall sende.2. q. 7. Hos.

4. Notwithstandyng the sayd Constantinus writyng to the bishops congregated at Tyrus, first chydeth them, then commaundeth them to resort vnto hys presence, to haue theyr cause iudged and decided. Trip hist lib 3. cap. 7.

5. The father vnder obedience. &c. If fatherhoode go by age, I suppose that king Henry was elder then Becket. If fatherhoode consist in authoritie, I iudge the autoritie of a kyng, to be aboue the autoritie of an Archbishop. If the see of Caunterbury make the fatherhoode: yet had Becket no cause to clayme fatherhoode ouer the kyng, seing the sonne ordeined the father (that is) seyng the kyng made hym his Archbishop, and not he made hym hys kyng.

6. By wicked bondes. All is wicked with the Papists, that bringeth thē in subiection to their Princes.

7. Ecclesiasticall matters be such, as properly belong to doctrine and diuine knowledge, for the institution of the soule, and information of conscience. In which both Princes and subiectes ought to follow theyr pastors so long as they go truely before them without error, or els not. But what maketh thys for the landes and liberties of churchmen?

8. Punishment due to malefactors and rebels, is not to be called persecution, but due correction.

9. Saul brake the commaundement of God, and was reiected. Ozias contrary to the commaundement of God toke the office of a priest, and was striken. Oza agaynst the expresse worde of the law put his hand to the Arcke, and was punished. But what expresse worde had Kyng Henry why he should not correct and punishe rebellious Byshops, and wycked priestes within hys owne realme? wherefore these similitudes accorde not. As for Achas he was no so much punished for takyng the priestes office, as for spoyling the temple of the Lord, and offeryng to idoles.

10. Common lawes.) S. Augustine wryting to Boniface, sayeth thus: Whosoeuer obeyeth not the lawes of the Emperour (beyng made for the veritie of God) procureth to hymselfe great punishment. For in the tyme of the Prophetes, all the kynges which did not forbid and subuert all such thinges as were vsed of the people agaynst the law of God, are rebuked. And such as dyd withstande them, are commended aboue the rest.August.

11. Isidorus hath these wordes: Let temporall princes know, that they must render accompt to God for the church, which they haue at the handes of God to gouerne. &c.

12. The case of Archadius, Theodosius, Dauid, and of this kyng (as touching this matter) hath no similitude. In them was murder: This king doth nothyng, but clayme that which is his due. And though by the spirituall sword those kynges were resisted: yet it argueth not therefore, that the persons of them which haue the vse of the spiritual sword, are aboue the persons of them which haue the temporall sword.

Besides these letters of the Archbishop sent to þ^e kyng: the Pope also in the same cause writeth to the Kyng, beginnyng after this sort: Alexander Papa ad Henricum regem. Et naturali ratione, et forma iuris dictante, prouidentiam tuam credimus edoctam fuisse, quod quanto quis ab aliquo maiora suscepisse dignoscitur, tanto ei obnoxior & magis obligatus tenetur. &c. The whole tenor of the letter as he wrote it to the Kyng I would here expresse, but for tracting of the tyme, and straightnesse of roume, hauyng so many things els in this storye (by the grace of Christ) to be comprehended. But the letter tendeth to this effect: to exhorte and charge the Kyng to shew fauour to Thomas Becket. Where, in the processe of the Epistle, it followeth in these wordes: Ea propter seueritatem tuam per Apostolica scripta rogamu, monemus, & exhortamur in domino: nec non in remissionem peccatorum ex parte dei omnipotentis, & beati Petri principis Apostolorum autoritate nostra iniungimus, vt memoratum Archiepiscopum pro deo & ecclesia sua & honore tuo, nec non & totius regni tui in gratiam & fauorem tuum recipias. &c. That is: therfore we desire you, monish and exhorte your honor by these our Apostolicall writings, & also enioyne you vpō the remission of your sinnes in the behalfe of almighty God, and of S. Peter Prince of the Apostles by our authoritie, that you will receaue again the foresayd Archb. into your fauour and grace, for the honour of God, his Church, and of your owne Realme. &c. Thus you haue heard the Popes intreating letter: now here is an other letter sent vnto the foresayd King, wherein he doth manasse him, as in the tenor therof here followeth.

HOw fatherly and gently we haue oft tymes entreated & exhorted both by Legates and letters your princely honour, to be reconciled agayne with our reuerend brother Thomas Archb. of Cant. so that he and hys may be restored agayne to theyr Churches and other possessions to thē appertainyng: your wisdome is not ignoraunt, seyng it is notified and spread almost throughout all Christendome. For so much therfore, as hetherto we could not preuayle wyth you, neither moue nor stirre your mynde with fayre and gētle wordes: it lamenteth vs not a little, so to be frustrate & deceyued of the hope and expectation which we had conceyued of you. Especially seyng we loue you so dearely, as our own dearely beloued sonne in the Lord, and vnderstandyng so great ieopardy to hang ouer you.

But forasmuch as it is written, Cry out and cease not, lift vp thy voyce lyke a trumpe, and declare to my people their wickednes, and their sinnes to the house of Iacob. Also for as much as in Salomon it is commaunded, that the sluggish person should be stoned with the dung of Oxen: we haue thought good therfore, not to forbeare or supporte your stubbernnes any longer agaynst iustice and saluation. Neyther that the mouth of the foresayd Archbyshop shold be stopped from henceforth any more: but that he may freely prosecute the charge of hys office and dutie, to reuenge wyth the sword of Ecclesiasticall discipline, the iniuries both of hymselfe, and of hys Church committed to hys charge.

And here I haue sent vnto you two Legates, Petrus de ponte dei, and Bernardus de Corilio, to admonish you of the same. But if ye wil neither by vs be aduertised, nor geue eare to them in obeying: it is to be feared (doubtlesse) least such things as they shall declare to you from vs in our behalfe, may happen and fall vpon you. Dated at Beneuent, the 9. day before the Kalendes of Iune.

To aunswer these letters agayne: there was another certayne writing drawne out and directed to the Pope, made by some of the Clergy, as it semeth: but not without the consent of the king, as by þ^e title may appeare: inueying and disprouyng the misbehauiour of the Archb. The tenor wherof here followeth, and beginneth thus

MarginaliaAnswere to the Popes letter.Time now requireth more to secke helpe then to make cōplaintes. For so it is now, that the holy mother church (our sinnes deseruyng the same) lyeth in a daungerous case of great decay, which is like to ensue, excepte the present mercy of the Lord support her.MarginaliaFrederike falsely compared to Pharao, but thys was to clawe the pope withal.

Such is the wickednes now of schismatikes: that the father of fathers Pope Alexander (for the defence of hys fayth, and for the loue of righteousnesse) is banished out of hys countrey: not able to kepe fre residence in his own proper see, by reason of the indurate hart of Friderick the Pharao.