lation either belōgeth to themselues, or except speciall commaundement force them thereunto, or els vnlesse they take an other mans cause vpon them. First, that it belongeth nothyng vnto you, it is playne: for so muche as the contrary rather pertaineth to your duety: that is, to punish and to correct all such as rebell agaynst the Church. And if he which subuerteth the libertie of the Churche, and inuadeth the goodes therof (conuertyng them to his owne vse) be not heard appealyng for his owne defence: much lesse is an other to be heard appealyng for hym. Wherfore, as in this case neither he can appeale for hymselfe, nor yet commaunde you so to do: so nether may you receaue the cōmaundement to appeale for hym.

Thirdly as touchyng the takyng of an other mās cause or busines vpō you, to this I say and affirme: that ye ought in no maner of wise so to do, specially seyng the matter pertaineth to the oppression of the Church, and whereupon ensueth great damage to the same.

Wherfore, seyng it neither appertaineth to you, neither ought ye to receiue any such cōmaundement, nor yet to take vpon you any such cause as that is: your appeale is neither to be heard, nor standeth with any law. Is this the deuotiō and consolation of brotherly loue which you exhibite to your metropolitane beyng for you in exile? God forgeue you this clemency. And how now? will ye looke for your letters and messengers to be gently receuied here of vs? Neither do I speake this, as though there were any thyng in hand betwixt your part and ours: or that we haue done any thyng inordinately agaynst the person of the kyng, or agaynst hys lād, or agaynst the persons of the church, or intend (by Gods mercy) so to do. And therfore we say briefly and affirme constantly: that our lord the kyng can not complayne of any wrong or iniurie to be done vnto him, if he (beyng often called vpon by letters & messengers to acknowledge his faulte, neither will confesse his trespasse nor yet come to any satisfactiō for the same) haue the censure of seueritie by the pope and vs layd vpon hym. For no man can say that he vniustly is entreated, whom þ^e law doth iustly punish. And briefly to cōclude, know you this for certaine: that extortioners, inuaders, detainers of the Church goods, & subuerters of the liberty therof: neither haue any autority of the law to maintaine thē, neither doth their appealyng defend them, &c.MarginaliaThough the Popes law wil not defend them yet the law of the scripture wyll and doth.

MarginaliaThe letter of the Empresse to Becket.MY lord the Pope cōmaunded me (& vpō the forgeuenes of my sinnes inioyned me) that I should be a mediator and meanes of peace & concorde betwene my sonne & you, by reconcilyng of your selfe to him: wherunto (as you know) ye requested me. Wherfore,the earnester & with more affectiō (as well for the deuine honor as for holy church) I tooke the enterprise vpon me. But this by the way I assure you, that the kyng, his Barons, and councell, taketh it greuously: that you, whō he entirely loued, honored, and made chiefest in all his Realme (to the intent to haue more comfort and better trust in you) should thus (as the report is) rebell and styrre his people agaynst him. Yea and further, that (asmuch as in you lyeth) you went about to disherite him, and depriue him of his crowne. Vpon the occasion wherof, I sent vnto you our trusty and familier seruaunt Laurence Archdeacon, by whom I pray you that I may vnderstand your minde herein, and good wil toward my sonne: and how you meane to behaue your selfe (if my prayer and petition may be heard of him in your behalfe) toward his grace. But this one thyng I assure you of, that vnlesse it be through your great humilitie and moderation (euidently in you appearyng) you can not obtaine the fauour of the kyng. Herein what you meane to doe, I pray you send me word by your proper letters and messengers.

JF the kyng of England had bene an idolater, couetous an adulterer, an incest, a murderer, with such like: than the zeale of this archbyshop (threatnyng the kyng and such as tooke his part) had deserued prayse in this Epistle, and the scripture would haue borne him out therin. For these & such causes, should byshops prosecute the autoritie of the Gospell agaynst all persons. But the matter standyng onely vpon church goods, liberty (or rather licentiousnes of priests) making of Deanes, titles of Churches, superioritie of crownyng the kyng, with such other: to stand so stiffe in these, is not to defend the Church: but to rebell against the king. A-gayne, if the principles which he ere groundeth vpō were true: to witte that the pope were to be obeyed before princes: that the libertie of the Church standeth vpon the immunitie of priestes exempted from princes lawes: or vpon ample possessions of the Church: or that the Popes law ought to preuayle in all foreine countreys: and to bynde all princes in their owne dominions: or that the sentence of the pope and his Popelynges (how, or by what affection so euer it is pronounced) may stand by the vndoubted sentence of God: Thē; all the argumentes of this Epistle do proceede and cōclude well. But if they stād not ratified vpon Gods worde: but shakyng vpon mans traditions: Then whatsoeuer he inferreth or concludeth therupō (his assumpt beyng false) can not be true, accordyng to the schoole saying: One inconuenience beyng graunted in the begynnyng, innumerable follow therupon. So in this Epistle it happeneth as is aboue noted, that the Maior of this man is true, but the Minor is cleane false, and to be denyed.

Marginalia1169.But to proceede farther in the order of the history: After these letters sēt to and fro (the yeare of the Lord 1169) which was the. 15. of the raigne of Henry the ij. The kyng misdoubtyng and fearyng with himselfe that the Archbyshop would procede (or exceede rather) in his excommunication agaynst his owne person (to preuent the mischief) made his appeale to þ^e presence of þ^e pope: requiryng to haue certaine Legates sent downe from Rome from the Popes side, to take vp the matter betwene the Archbyshop & him: requiryng moreouer that they might also be absollued, that were interdicted. Wherupon, two Cardinals (beyng sent from Alexander the Pope with letters to the kyng) came into Normandy: where they appointed the Archbyshop to meete them before the kyng vpō S. Martins day. But the Archbyshop (neither agreeyng with the day nor place) delayd hys commyng to the viij. day after: neither would any further go then to Grisorsium. Where (the two Cardinals and the Archbyshop with other byshops conuentyng together) had a certaine intreaty of peace and reconciliation, but came to no conclusion. The contentes of which intreatie or action (because it is sufficiently cōtained in the Cardinals letters, who were called Gulielnius and Otho, written to the Pope) it shall require no further labour, but to shew out the wordes of the letter, where the sūme of the whole may appeare. The wordes of the letter be these.

WIlliam, and Otho, Cardinals of the Church of Rome, to Alexander the Pope, &c. Cōmyng to the land of the kyng of England, we found the controuersie betwixt him and the Archbyshop of Canterbury, more sharpe and vehement than we would. MarginaliaBecket stirring vp the French king against the kyng of England.For the kyng and the greater part of them about him sayd, that the Archbyshop had styrred vp the French kyng greuously against him. And also, the Earle of Flaunders his kinsman (who bare no displeasure to hym before) he made his open aduersary ready to warre agaynst him, as is by diuers euidences moste certaine. Thus when we came to Cadomus first to the kynges speach, we gaue the letters of your fatherhode to his hands: which after that he had receiued and considered (bringyng forth withall other letters receiued from you before, something diuers and alteryng from these which he receuied of vs) was moued and stirred with no litle indignation, saying: that the Archbyshop after our departure from you, had receiued of you other cōtrary letters, by the vertue wherof he was exempted from our iudgement: so that he should not be compelled to aunswere vs. Moreouer the sayd kyng to vs added and affirmed (& so did the bishops there present testifieng the same) that concernyng the old and auncient customes of his progenitors. (wherof complaint was made to you) all that, for the most part was false and vntrue which was intimate to you. Offering farther to vs, that if there were any such customes or lawes in his tyme that seemed preiudiciall or disagreble to the statutes of the Church: he would willyngly be content to reuoke and disanull the same. Whereupon, we with other Archbyshops, Byshops, and Abbotes of the lād (hearing the kyng so reasonable) laboured by all meanes we might that the kyng should not vtterly breake from vs, but rather should incline to vs to haue the matter brought before vs betwixt him and the forenamed Archbyshop: By reason wherof, we directed out our owne Chapleins with letters vnto hym, appointyng him both time & place where safely he might meete with vs in the feast of S. Martin. Neuerthelesse, he pretending certaine excuses made his dilato-