thurche And than they came to the kynge forsoke saynt ThomÌ„s agreed to all the kynges desyre the ê“per seruauÌ„tes of saynt ThomÌ„s flede frome hym forsoke hym than pore people came accoÌ„panyed hym in y e nyght came to hym tow lordes and tolde to hym y t the kynges meyny had enprysed to sle hym And the nexte nyght after he departed in thabbyte of a brother of Sympryngham so cheuysshed y t he weÌ„touer see Aud in the meane whyle certayne bysshops went to Rome to complayne on hym to the pope and the kynge sente letters to the kynge of fraunce not to receyue hym the kynge Lewys sayd though a man were banysshed had coÌ„mised there trespaces yet he shulde be fre in frauÌ„ce so after whan this holy saynt Thomas came he receyued hym well gaue hym lycence to abyde do there what he wold In this meanewhyle the kynge of englande sent certayne lordes to the pope coÌ„playnynge on the archebysshope Thomas whiche made greuouse coÌ„playntes whiche whaÌ„ the pope had herde he wolde gyue none answere tyll he had harde tharchebysshope ThomÌ„s speke whiche wolde hastely come thyder but they wolde not adyde his comynge but departed without spedynge of theyr ententes and came into englande agayne And anon after saynt ThomÌ„s came to rome on saynt Marcus day at afternone And whan his Cature shulde haue brought fy sshe for his dyner bycause it was fastynge day he coude gette non for no money came tolde his lorde saynt Thomas so and he bad hym by suche as he coude gete than he bought flesshe made it redy for theyr dyner and saynt ThomÌ„s was serued w t a capon rosted and his memny with boylled mete so it was that y e pope herde y t he was come sent a cardynall to welcome hym he foun hym at his dyner etynge flesshe whiche anon retourned tolde to the pope how he was not so perfyght a maÌ„ as he had supposed For contrary to the rule of the churche he eteth thys day flesshe The pope wold not beleue hym but sent another cardynall whiche for more euydent toke the legge of the capon in his kerchyef affermed the same And opened his kerchyef before y e pope and he founde the legge tourned in to a fysshe called a carpe and whan y e pope sawe it he say de they were not trwemen to say suche thynges of his good bysshope they sayde feythfully y t it was flesshe that he ete And after this saynt Thomas came to y e pope and dyd his reue rence obedience whome y e pope welcomed after certayne coÌ„munycacions he demaunded hym what mete y t he had eten sayde flesshe as ye haue hard before bycause he coude fynde no fysshe verry nede cÌ„pelled hym therto than y e pope vunderstode of y e myracle that the capons legge was tourned in to a carpe of his goodnes grauÌ„ted to hym to all them of y e dyocise of cauÌ„terbury lyceÌ„ce to ete flesshe euer after on saynt Marcus day whan et falleth on a fysshe day ê‘don w t all whiche is kepte accustomed vnto this day and than saynt Thomas enfourmed the pope howe y t the kynge of englande wolde haue hym coÌ„sent to dyuers artycles ayenst y e lybertes of holy churche add what wronge he dyd to y e same y t for to dye he wolde neuer coÌ„sent to them whan y e pope had harde hym he wepte for pyte thanked god that he had suche a bysshope vnder hym y t had sowell defended y e lyberesholy churche a non wroteroute letters bulles commauÌ„dynge all y e bysshops of cristeÌ„dome to obserue kepe y e same And than saynt Thomas offered to the pope his bysshopryke in to his handes his mytre in the crosse rynge the pope coÌ„maunded hym to Kepe it styll sayde he knewe no man so able as he was and after saynt Thomas sayde masse before y e pope in a white chessyble after masse he sayde to y e pope that he knewe by reuelacion y t he shuld dye for y e ryght of holy churche whan it shulde fall y e chessyble shulde be tourned frome whyte to rede And after he deê‘ted fro y e pope and came downe in to frauÌ„ce vnto thabbay of pouÌ„tney there had knwlege y t whan lords spyrytuall temporall whiche had been at Rome were come home had told y e kynge y t they in no wyse myght haue theyr entent Than the kynge was greatly wrothe And anon banysshed all the kynnesmen y t were longynge to saynt ThomÌ„s y t they shulde in coÌ„tynent voyde his lande made them to swere y t they shulde go to hym tell hym for hys sake they were exyled so they went ouer see to hym to pountney he beynge there was ful sory for theÌ„ after ther was a great chapyter in englaÌ„de of y e monkes of cisteaus there y e kynge desyred theÌ„ to wryte to pouÌ„tney that they shulde no lenger kepe ne susteyne Thomas the archebysshope For yf they dyd he wolde destroye them of that order beynge in englande for fere therof they wrote so ouer to pountney that he must depart thens wyth hys kynnesmen And so he dyd and was than full heuy and remytted his cause to god And a none after the kynge of frauÌ„ce sent to hym y t he shuld abyde where it pleased hym and dwell in hys realime wolde paye for y e costes of hym and his kynnesmen and he departed went to seynes thabbote brought hym on the waye saynt Thomas told hym how he knewe by a vysyon y t he shulde suffre deth martyrdom for the ryght of the churche the prayed hym to kepe secrete durynge hys lyfe after thys y e kynge of englande came in to frauÌ„ce there tolde y e kynge how saynt ThomÌ„s wolde destroy his realme than sayd how he wolde fordo suche lawes as his elders had vsed before wherfore saynt ThomÌ„s was sent for and they were brought to gydder the kynge of frannce laboured sore to set them at accorde but it wolde not befor y t on wold not mynysshe his lawes accustomes and saynt Thomas wolde not graunt that he shulde not do contrary y e lybertes of holy churche and than the kynge of fraunce helde w t the kynge of englande ayenst saynt ThomÌ„s and was wroth w t hym and commaunded hym to voyd his realme w t his kynnesmen and than saynt Thomas wyst not whether to go but comforted his kynnesmen as well as he myght purposed to haue gone into prouince for to haue begged his brede and as he was goynge the kynge of frauÌ„ce sent for hym agayne and whaÌ„ he came he cryed hym mercy and sayde he had offended god and hym and bad hym abyde in his realme where he wolde and he wolde
of my predycessours but it shall not ly in thy power so the kynge beynge wrothe depê‘ted Than y e bysshopes all couÌ„seyled saynt ThomÌ„s to folowe y e kyngê entent or els y e land shuld be in great trouble in lykewyse the lordes temporall y t were his frendê couÌ„seylled hym the same saynt ThomÌ„s sayd I take god to record it was neuer myne entent to displeas y e kynge or to take any thynge y t longeth to his ryght honoure than y e lordes were glade brought hym to the kynge to oxenford y e kynge dayned not to speke to hym and than y e kynge called all y e lordes spirituall temporall to hym sayd he wold haue all y e lawes of his fornfaders there new confermed And there they were coÌ„fermed by the all y e lordes spirytuall temporall And after this y e kynge charged them for to come to hym in Claryndon to his perlament at a certeyne daye assygned on payne to renne iÌ„ his indygnacyon at that tyme so departed And thys perlament was holden at claryndon the. ix yere of the kynges reygne and the yere of our lorde xi C. Ixiiii At thys ê‘lament were many lordes whiche al were ayenst saynt Thomas And than the kynge syttyng in his parlyament in the prefeÌ„ce of all his lordes demauÌ„ded them yf they wolde abyde kepe the lawes y t had ben vsed in his forfathers dayes Than saynt Thomas spake for the partye of holy churche sayde All olde lawes y t ben good ryght not ayenst our moder holy churche I grauÌ„t w t good wyll to kepe them And than the kynge sayde y t he wolde not leue one poynt ef his lawe and wexed wroth w t saynt Thomas than certayne bysshopes requyred saynt ThomÌ„s to obey y t kynges desyre wyll saynt ThomÌ„s desyred respyte to knowe the lawes than to gyfe an answere whan he vnderstode them all to some he coÌ„sented but many he denyed wold neuer be agreable to theÌ„ wherfore y e kynge mas wrothe sayd he wold hold kepe theÌ„ lyke as his pÌ„dycessours had done before hym wold not mynysshe one poynt of them Than saynt ThomÌ„s sayd to the kynge w t full great sorowe heuy chere Nowe my moste dere lorde gracyouse kynge haue pyte on vs of holy churche your bedemen gyue vs respyte for a certayne tyme thus departed euery man And saynt Thomas wente to wynchester there prayed our lord deuoutly for holy churche and to gyfe hym ayde strength for to defende yt For vtterly he determyned to abyde by the lybertes frauÌ„chyse and fell downe on his knees full sore wepynge and sayde O good lord I knowlege y t I haue offended for myne offence trespas this trouble cometh to holy churche I purpose good lorde to go to Rome to be assoyled of myne offences deê‘ted towarde CauÌ„terbury anone y e kynge sent his officers to his manoyres despoylled them bycause he wolde not obey y e kyngê statutes And the kynge coÌ„mauded to cease all his landes goodes in to his handes and than his seruauÌ„ts deê‘ted frome hym he went to y e seesyde for to haue gone ouer the see but the wynde was ayenst hym so thryes he toke his shype myght nat passe than he knewe that it was nat our lordes wyll y t yet he shold not departe retourned secretly to Caunterbury at whose comynge his men made great Ioy and on the morne came y e kynges offycers for to haue seased all his goodes For the noyse was y t saynt ThomÌ„s fled the lande Wherfore they hadde dispoyled all his manoyres seased them in to y e kynges handes whaÌ„ they came they founde hym at Caunterbury where they were sore abasshed and retourned to the kynge enfourmynge hym y t he was yet at CauÌ„terbury anon after saynt Thomas came to the kynge to wodestoke for to pray hym to be better dysposed to warde holy churche than sayd y e kynge to hym in skorne may not we two dwell bothe in this land arte y u of 〈…〉 sturdy harde of herte to whome saynt ThomÌ„s answered syr y t was neuer my thought but I wold fayne please you do all y t ye desyre so that ye hurt not the lybertes of holy churche for them wyll I mayntayne whyle I lyue euer to my power w t whiche wordes y e kynge was sore moued swore that he wolde haue them kept in especyall yf a clerke were a thefe he shuld be Iuged executed after y e kynges law by no spirytuall lawe And sayde he wolde neuer suffre a clerke to be his mayster in hys owen lande And charged saynt ThomÌ„s to apere before hym at North hampton and brynge all the bysshopps of thys land with hym so departed Saynt Thomas besought god of helpe socoure for y e bysshopps whiche ougte to be w t hym were moost ayenst hym And after thys saynt Thomas went to northaÌ„pton where y e kynge helde than his great couÌ„seyl in the castell with all his lordes And whan he came before the kynge he sayde I am come to obey your coÌ„maundement but before this tyme was neuer bysshope of cauÌ„terbury thus entreated for I am hed of y e churche of all england and am to you syr kynge your goostly father yt was neuer goddes lawe that the sone shulde destroy y t father whiche hath charge of your soule by your sterynge hath made all the bysshops y t shuld abyde by y e ryght of y e churche to be ayenst holy churche and me And ye knowe well that I may not fyght but I am redye to suffre deth rather than I shuld suffre to lese y e ryght of holy churche Than sayde y e kynge y u spekest as a proude clerke but I shall abbate thy pryde or I leue the. For I must taken with the. Thou vnderstandest well that thou were my chaunceler many yeres And ones I lent to the. v. C. pouÌ„de whiche y u neuer yet hast repayed whiche I wyll that thou pay me agayne or elles in contynent thoushalte go to pryson And than saynt ThomÌ„s answered ye gaue me that .v. C. pouÌ„d and it is not syttynge to demaunde y t whiche ye haue gyuen not withstandynge he fouÌ„de suerte for y e sayd v. C. pounde departed for that day And after thys the next day the kynge demaunded .xxx. M. pounde that he had surmysed on hym to haue stoleÌ„ he beynge chaunceler wherupon he desyred day to answere at whiche tyme he sayde y t whan he was archebysshop he set hym fre theryn without any clay me or dette byfore good recorde wherfore he ought not to answere to y e demauÌ„de the bysshops desyred saynt ThomÌ„s to obey the kynge but in no wyse he wold not agre to suche thynges as shulde touche ayenst the lybertes of the
¶ Here begynneth the lyfe of the blessed martyr saynte Thomas The martir saynte Thomas was son to Gylberde Bequet a burgeys of the Cite of London And was borne in y e place where as now standeth the churche called saynte Thomas of Akers And this Gylberde was a good deuote man and toke the crosse vpon hym and wente on pylgrymage to the holy lande and had a seruaunt w t hym And whan he had acomplisshed his pylgrymage he was taken homwarde by the hethenmen and brought in prison of a prince named AmerauÌ„t where longe tyme he and his felyshyp suffred moche peyne and sorowe And the prynce hadde great affeccyon towarde this Gylberd and had oft coÌ„munycyon with hym of the cristen feyth of y e royalme of Englande by whiche conuersacion it fortuned that y e doughter of this prynce had especiall loue vnto this gylberde was famylier with hym and on a tyme she disclosed hir loue to hym sayenge if he wolde promyse to wed hir she shulde forsake frendes heritage and countre for his loue and become cristen and after longe comunycacion betwene them he promysed to wed hyr yf she wolde become cristen tolde to her the place of his dwellynge in England after by the purueauÌ„ce of god the same Gylberd escaped came home and after thys it fortuned so y t this prynces doughter stale away passed many a wylde place great adueÌ„ture by goddes purueauÌ„ce came at the last to london demauÌ„dynge crieÌ„ge Beket beket for more englysshe coude she nat wherefor the people drewe a boute her what for the straunge araye of her as for that they vnderstod her not many a shrewed boye so longe she went tyl she came before gylberdes dore as she stode there y e seruante that had be w t Gylberd in prison whiche was named Rychard saw her knew anone that it was the prynces doughter y t had them in pryson he shewed it to his master and tolde to hym how this mayde stode at his dore anone he went forth to se her as sone as she sawe hym she fell in a soune for Ioye gylberd toke her vp coÌ„forted her brought her in to his house syth went to the bysshops which then were syxe at Poules rehersed all the matter after they crystened her forthwith weded her vnto gylberd beket And within tyme resonable accustomed was brought forth bytwene thyem a fayre sone named Thomas And after thys yet the sayd gylberde went agayne in to the holy land and was .iii. yere or he came agayne thys chylde grewe forth tyll he was set to scole and lerned well be came vertuouse And whan he was .xxiiii. yere olde his mother passed out of this world after this he serued a merchauÌ„te of London a whyle in kepynge his charge comptes and frome hym he went to Stygande archebyssope of CauÌ„terbury and he was in so great fauoure with hym that he made hym archedeken chefe of his couÌ„seyle And well executed he his offyce iÌ„ punysshynge the culpable cherisshynge y e good people dyuers tymes went to Rome to supporte helpe holy chirche And after this Harry the secoÌ„de that was the empres sone was made kynge of englonde and he ordeyned this Thomas chauÌ„celer had great rule the land stode in ê“sperite saynt ThomÌ„s stode so greatly in the kynges fauoure y t the kynge was coÌ„tent with all that he dyd whaÌ„ the kynge went in to normaÌ„dy he betoke the gouernauÌ„ce of his sone the realme in to y e rule of saynt Thomas whiche he wysely gouerned tyll his retorne agayne anone after dyed Thybaude tharchebyssope of CauÌ„terburye the kynge gaue his nomynacion to saynt Thomas by the chapyter was electe in y e yere of his age .xliiii. and was ful loth to take that great charge on hym so at last had his bulles he was sacred stalled became an holy man sodeynly chauÌ„ged in to a new man doynge great penauÌ„ce as in werynge heer w t knottes and abreche of the same downe to y e knees and on a trynite sondaye he receyued his dygnyte there was at that tyme the kynge with many a great lord .xvi. bysshopes And fro thens was sent the abbote of Euesam to the pope with dyuers other clerkes for the Paule whyche he gate brought to hym and he full mekelye receyued it And vnder his habyte he ware the abyte of a monke and so was he withinforth a monke and outwarde a clerke dyd great abstyneÌ„ce makynge his body lene and his soule fat he vsed to be well seruyde at hys table toke but a lytell refeccion therof lyuede holyly in gyuynge good ensample After thys many tymes y e kynge wente ouer in to normandye in his absence alway saynt Thomas had the rule of his son of the realme y e whiche was gouerned so well that the kynge coude him great thaÌ„ke then abode longe in thys realme whan so was y t the kynge dyd anyethynge ayenst the fraunchyses lybertes of holy chyrche seynt thomas euer withstode it to his power And on a tyme whan the fees of London of Wynchestre were vacant and voyde the kynge kepte them bothe longe in hys handes for to haue the profytes of them wherfore Thomas was heuy came to the kynge desyred hym to gyue tho .ii. byssopryches to some vertuouse men anone the kynge grauÌ„ted hym his desyre and ordeyned one master Roger bysshope of wynchestre the erle of glocestres sone bysshope of loÌ„don named syr Robert and anone after saynt Thomas halowed the abbaye of redynge which y e fyrst harry fouÌ„ded And y e same yere he traÌ„slated saynt Edward kynge and coÌ„fessoure at westmynster where he was layde in a ryche shryne in shorte tyme after by the entysemeÌ„t of the deuyll fell great debate varyaunce stryfe bytwene y e kynge saynt Thomas y e kynge sende for all the bysshoppes to appere before hym at westmynster at a certeyne daye At whiche daye they assembled before hym whom he welcomed and after sayde to them how y t the archebyssop wolde destroye his lawe not suffer hym to enioy suche thynges as his predecessours had vsed before hym wherto saynt ThomÌ„s answered y t he neuer entendyd to do thynge that shuld displease the kynge as ferre as it touchede not y e fraunchyse lyberte of holy churche Than the kynge rehersed how he wold not suffre clerkes that were theues haue y e execucion of y e lawe To whiche saynt ThomÌ„s sayd y t he ought not execute them but they longe to y e correccion of holy churche other dyuers poyntê to whiche saynt ThomÌ„s wold not agre To whiche y e kynge sayd now I se well y u woldest for do y e lawes of this land y t haue ben vsed in the dayes