The martir saynte Thomas was son to Gylberde Bequet a burgeys of the Cite of London . And was borne in the 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 with hym . And whan he had acomplisshed his pylgrymage / he was taken homwarde by the hethenmen / and brought in prison of a prince named Ameraūt where longe tyme he / and his felyshyp suffred moche peyne and sorowe . And the prynce hadde great affeccyon towarde this Gylberd / and had oft cōmunycyon with hym of the cristen feyth / & of the royalme of Englande by whiche conuersacion : it fortuned / that the 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 purueaunce of god / the same Gylberd escaped & came home / and after thys it fortuned so that this prynces doughter stale away & passed many a wylde place & great aduenture & by goddes purueaunce came at the last to london demaundynge & crienge 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 the seruante that had be with Gylberd in prison / whiche was named Rychard saw her & knew anone that it was the prynces doughter that 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 & conforted 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 merchaunte of London a whyle in kepynge his charge & comptes and frome hym he went to Stygande archebyssope of Caunterbury / and he was in so great fauoure with hym that he made hym archedeken & chefe of his counseyle . And well executed he his offyce / in punysshynge the culpable / & cherisshynge the good people / & dyuers tymes went to Rome to supporte & helpe holy chirche . And after this Harry the seconde that was the empres sone was made kynge of englonde / and he ordeyned this Thomas chaunceler / & had great rule / & the land stode in prosperite / & saynt Thomas stode so greatly in the kynges fauoure that the kynge was content with all that he dyd / & whan the kynge went in to normandy / he betoke the gouernaunce of his sone & the realme in to the rule of saynt Thomas / whiche he wysely gouerned tyll his retorne agayne / & anone after dyed Thybaude th archebyssope of Caunterburye / & the kynge gaue his nomynacion to saynt Thomas / & by the chapyter was electe in the 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 chaunged in to a new man doynge great penaunce as in werynge heer with knottes / and abreche of the same downe to the 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 abstynence 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 the kynge wente ouer in to normandye / & in his absence alway saynt Thomas had the rule of his son & of the realme / the whiche was gouerned so well / that the kynge coude him great thanke / & then abode longe in thys realme / & whan so was that 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 graunted hym his desyre / and ordeyned one master Roger bysshope of wynchestre / & the erle of glocestres sone bysshope of london named syr Robert / and anone after saynt Thomas halowed the abbaye of redynge / which the fyrst harry founded . And the same yere he translated saynt Edward kynge and confessoure at westmynster where he was layde in a ryche shryne / & in shorte tyme after by the entysement of the deuyll fell great debate varyaunce & stryfe bytwene the kynge & saynt Thomas / & the 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 that the archebyssop wolde destroye his lawe / & not suffer hym to enioy suche thynges as his predecessours had vsed before hym / wherto saynt Thomas answered that he neuer entendyd to do thynge that shuld displease the kynge / as ferre as it touchede not the fraunchyse & lyberte of holy churche . Than the kynge rehersed how he wold not suffre clerkes that were theues haue the execucion of the lawe . To whiche saynt Thomas sayd that he ought not execute them / but they longe to the correccion of holy churche / & other dyuers poyntis / to whiche saynt Thomas wold not agre To whiche the kynge sayd now I se well thou woldest for do the lawes of this land that haue ben vsed in the dayes of my predycessours / but it shall not ly in thy power / & so the kynge beynge wrothe depꝑted . Than the bysshopes all counseyled saynt Thomas to folowe the kyngis entent or els the land shuld be in great trouble / & in lykewyse the lordes temporall that were his frendis counseylled hym the same / & saynt Thomas sayd I take god to record it was neuer myne entent to displeas the kynge or to take any thynge that longeth to his ryght & honoure / & than the lordes were glade & brought hym to the kynge to oxenford / & the kynge dayned not to speke to hym / and than the kynge called all the lordes spirituall & temporall to hym / & sayd he wold haue all the lawes of his fornfaders there new confermed . And there they were confermed by the all the lordes spirytuall & temporall . And after this the kynge charged them for to come to hym in Claryndon to his perlament at a certeyne daye assygned / on payne to renne in 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 parlament were many lordes / whiche al were ayenst saynt Thomas . And than the kynge syttyng in his parlyament in the prefence of all his lordes demaunded them yf they wolde abyde & kepe the lawes that had ben vsed in his forfathers dayes . Than saynt Thomas spake for the partye of holy churche & sayde . All olde lawes that ben good & ryght & not ayenst our moder holy churche I graunt with good wyll to kepe them . And than the kynge sayde that he wolde not leue one poynt of his lawe and wexed wroth with saynt Thomas / & than certayne bysshopes requyred saynt Thomas to obey that kynges desyre & wyll & saynt Thomas desyred respyte to knowe the lawes & than to gyfe an answere / & whan he vnderstode them all / to some he consented / but many he denyed & wold neuer be agreable to them wherfore the kynge mas wrothe / & sayd he wold hold & kepe them / lyke as his predycessours had done before hym / & wold not mynysshe one poynt of them . Than saynt Thomas sayd to the kynge with 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 & fraunchyse / and fell downe on his knees full sore wepynge and sayde . O good lord I knowlege that 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 & departed towarde Caunterbury & anone the kynge sent his officers to his manoyres & despoylled them / bycause he wolde not obey the kyngis statutes . And the kynge commauded to cease all his landes & goodes in to his handes / and than his seruaunts departed frome hym / & he went to the 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 that yet he shold not departe / & retourned secretly to Caunterbury / at whose comynge his men made great Ioy / and on the morne came the kynges offycers for to haue seased all his goodes . For the noyse was that saynt Thomas fled the lande . Wherfore they hadde dispoyled all his manoyres / & seased them in to the kynges handes / & whan they came they founde hym at Caunterbury / where they were sore abasshed / and retourned to the kynge enfourmynge hym that he was yet at Caunterbury / & anon after saynt Thomas came to the kynge to wodestoke for to pray hym to be better dysposed to warde holy churche / & than sayd the kynge to hym in skorne / may not we two dwell bothe in this land / arte thou of 〈…〉 sturdy & harde of herte / to whome saynt Thomas answered syr that was neuer my thought / but I wold fayne please you / & do all that ye desyre / so that ye hurt not the lybertes of holy churche / for them wyll I mayntayne whyle I lyue euer to my power / with whiche wordes the 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 the 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 Thomas 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 the bysshopps whiche ougte to be with hym were moost ayenst hym . And after thys saynt Thomas went to northampton / where the kynge helde than his great counseyl / in the castell with all his lordes . And whan he came before the kynge / he sayde I am come to obey your commaundement / but before this tyme was neuer bysshope of caunterbury thus entreated / for I am hed of the churche of all england and am to you syr kynge your goostly father / & yt was neuer goddes lawe that the sone shulde destroy that father whiche hath charge of your soule / & by your sterynge hath made all the bysshops that shuld abyde by the ryght of the 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 the ryght of holy churche . Than sayde the kynge thou 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. pounde whiche thou neuer yet hast repayed / whiche I wyll that thou pay me agayne / or elles in contynent thoushalte go to pryson . And than saynt Thomas answered ye gaue me that .v. C. pound and it is not syttynge to demaunde that whiche ye haue gyuen / not withstandynge he founde suerte for the 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 stolen he beynge chaunceler / wherupon he desyred day to answere at whiche tyme he sayde that 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 the demaunde / & the bysshops desyred saynt Thomas to obey the kynge / but in no wyse he wold not agre to suche thynges as shulde touche ayenst the lybertes of the thurche . And than they came to the kynge & forsoke saynt Thomas & agreed to all the kynges desyre & the proper seruauntes of saynt Thomas flede frome hym & forsoke hym / & than pore people came & accompanyed hym / & in the nyght came to hym tow lordes and tolde to hym that the kynges meyny had enprysed to sle hym . And the nexte nyght after he departed in thabbyte of a brother of Sympryngham & so cheuysshed that he wētouer 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 commised there trespaces / yet he shulde be fre in fraunce / & 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 complaynynge on the archebysshope Thomas whiche made greuouse complayntes / whiche whan the pope had herde he wolde gyue none answere tyll he had harde th archebysshope Thomas 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 Thomas came to rome on saynt . Marcus day at afternone . And whan his Cature shulde haue brought fysshe 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 Thomas was serued with a capon rosted and his memny with boylled mete & so it was that the pope herde that 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 man 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 the pope and he founde the legge tourned in to a fysshe called a carpe and whan the pope sawe it he sayde they were not trwemen to say suche thynges of his good bysshope / they sayde feythfully that it was flesshe that he ete . And after this saynt Thomas came to the pope and dyd his reue rence & obedience whome the pope welcomed / & after certayne communycacions / he demaunded hym what mete that he had eten / & sayde flesshe as ye haue hard before bycause he coude fynde no fysshe / & verry nede c̄pelled hym therto / than the pope vunderstode of the myracle that the capons legge was tourned in to a carpe of his goodnes graunted to hym & to all them of the dyocise of caunterbury lycence to ete flesshe euer after on saynt Marcus day whan et falleth on a fysshe day / & pardon with all whiche is kepte & accustomed vnto this day and than saynt Thomas enfourmed the pope howe that the kynge of englande wolde haue hym consent to dyuers artycles ayenst the lybertes of holy churche / add what wronge he dyd to the same / & that for to dye he wolde neuer consent to them / & whan the pope had harde hym he wepte for pyte & thanked god that he had suche a bysshope vnder hym that had sowell defended the lyberesholy churche / & anon wroteroute letters & bulles commaundynge all the bysshops of cristendome to obserue & kepe the same . And than saynt Thomas offered to the pope his bysshopryke in to his handes & his mytre in the crosse rynge / & the pope commaunded hym to Kepe it styll / & sayde he knewe no man so able as he was and after saynt Thomas sayde masse before the pope in a white chessyble & after masse he sayde to the pope that he knewe by reuelacion that he shuld dye for the ryght of holy churche / & whan it shulde fall the chessyble shulde be tourned frome whyte to rede . And after he departed fro the pope and came downe in to fraunce / vnto th abbay of pountney / & there had knwlege that whan lords spyrytuall & temporall whiche had been at Rome were come home & had told the kynge that they in no wyse myght haue theyr entent / Than the kynge was greatly wrothe . And anon banysshed all the kynnesmen that were longynge to saynt Thomas that they shulde in contynent voyde his lande & made them to swere that 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 them / & after ther was a great chapyter in englande of the monkes of cisteaus & there the kynge desyred them to wryte to pountney 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 fraunce sent to hym that he shuld abyde where it pleased hym and dwell in hys realime & wolde paye for the costes of hym and his kynnesmen and he departed & went to seynes & th abbote brought hym on the waye & saynt Thomas told hym how he knewe by a vysyon that he shulde suffre deth & martyrdom for the ryght of the churche & the prayed hym to kepe secrete durynge hys lyfe / after thys the kynge of englande came in to fraunce / & there tolde the kynge how saynt Thomas wolde destroy his realme / & than sayd how he wolde fordo suche lawes as his elders had vsed before / wherfore saynt Thomas 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 that on wold not mynysshe his lawes & accustomes and saynt Thomas wolde not graunt that he shulde not do contrary the lybertes of holy churche / and than the kynge of fraunce helde with the kynge of englande ayenst saynt Thomas and was wroth with hym and commaunded hym to voyd his realme with 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 fraunce sent for hym agayne / and whan 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 pay for the dispenses of hym & all his kynnesmen . And in the meane whyle the kynge of englond ordeyned his sone kyng / & made hym to be crowned by th arche bysshope of yorke / and other bysshoppes whiche were ayenste the statutes of the lande . For the archebysshope of Caunterburye shulde haue also consented / & also haue crowned hym wherefore seynt Thomas gat a bulle for to accurse theym that so dyd ayenste hym & also on them that occupye the goodes longynge to hym & yet after thys the kynge laboured so moche that he accorded the kynge of englonde and saynt thomas whiche accorde endured not longe / for the kynge varyed frome it afterwarde / but saynt Thomas vpon his accorde came home to Caunterburye / where he was receyued worshypfully & sent for them that had trespased ayenst hym / & by the auctorypte / of the popes bull openly denounced theim accursed / vnto the tyme they came to amendement / & whan they knewe thys they came to hym & wolde haue made hym to assoyle them by force / & sent worde ouer to the kynge howe he had done / wherof the kynge was moche wroth / & sayd yf he had men in his lande that loued hym / they wolde not suffre suche a traytour in his lande a lyue / & forthwith foure knyghtes toke theyr counseyle togydder / & thought they wolde do the kynge a pleasure & emprysed to slee saynt thomas / & sodeynly departed & toke theyr shyppynge towarde englonde / & whan the kynge knewe of theyr departynge he was sory & sent after them but they were on the se & departed or the messengers came wherfore the kynge was heuy and sory . These ben the names of the foure knyghtes . Syr Reignolde bereson syr Hughe moruele / syr Wylliam tracy / & syr Richard de bryto . On crystenmas daye saynt Thomas made a sermon at Caunterbury in his owen chyrche / & wepynge prayed the people to pray for hym / for he knew well his tyme was nygh / & there executed the sentence on them that were agaynst the righte of holy churche / & that same daye as the kynge sate at mete all the bred that they handled wared anone mowly / & hore that no man might ete of it / & the bred that they touched nat was faire & good for to ete / & hese .iiii. knyghtyꝭ afore sayd came to Caunturbury on the tewesdaye in Cristmas weke aboute euensonge tyme / & came to saynt Thomas & sayd that the kynge commaunded hym to make amendes for the wronges that he had done / & also that he shulde assoyle all them that he had acursed anone or elles they wolde sle hym . Than sayde Thomas all that I oughte to do by ryght that wyll I with a good wyll do / but as the sentence that is executed I may not vndo / but that they wyl submyt them to the correccion of holy chirche for it was done by our holy father the pope & not by me Than sayde syr Reynold but yf thou assoyle the kynge & vs vnder standynge the curse it shal coste the thy lyfe . and saynt Thomas sayde thou knowest well ynough that the kynge & I were accorded on mary Magdaleyns day & that this curse shulde go forth on them that had offended the chirche Than on of the knyghtes smote hym as he kneled byfore the aulter on the heed / & on syr edwarde gryme that was his croyser put for the his arme with the crosse to bere of the stroke / & the stroke smote the crosse in sondre / & his arme almoost of / wherfore he fled for fere / & so dyd all the monkes that were that tyme at complyn / & they smote eche at hym / that they smote of a great pece of the skulle of his heed that his brayne felle on the pauement / & so they slew hym & martred hym & there cruelly that one of them brake the poynt of hys swerde ageynst the pauement / and thus this holy archebysshop saynt Thomas suffred deth in his owne churche for the right of holy churche / & whan he was deed they stired his brayne / & after went in to his chambre & toke away his goodes / & his hors out of his stable : & toke away his bulles & wryttyngꝭ / & delyuered them to sir Robert Broke to bere in to Fraunce to the kynge / & as they serched his chambre they founde in a cheste . ii . shertes of heare made full of great knottꝭ / & they sayd certaynly he was a good man / & comynge downe into the chirche warde they began to drede & fere that the grounde wolde nat haue borne them / & were sore agast / for they supposed the the erthe wolde haue swalowed them all quicke / than they knew that they had done amys / and anone it was knowen all about how that he was martred / & anone after toke this holy body & vnclothed hym & founde bisshops clothynge aboue / & habit of a monke vnder / next his flesshe a harde heare full of knottes / whiche was his sherte / & his breche was of the same / & the knottes styked faste within the skynne / and all his body full of wormes he suffred great peyne / and was thus martred the yere of our lorde .xi. C. lxxi . & was .liii. yere olde . And soon after tidynges came to the kynge how he was slayne wherfore the kynge toke great sorowe / and sente to Rome for his absolucion / now after that saynt Thomas departed fro the pope / the pope wolde dayly loke vpon the whyte chesyle : that saynt Thomas had sayd masse in / and that same day that he was martered he sawe it torne into redde : where by he knew well that that same day he suffred martirdome for that right of holy churche / and commaunded a masse to requiem slempnly to be songe for his soule . And whan that the quere began for to synge Requiem / an aungel on hie aboue beganne the offyce of a martyr . Letabitur iustus . And than anone after / all the hole quere folowed syngynge forth the masse of the office of a martyr . And than the pope thanked god that it pleased hym to shewe suche myracles for his holy martyr / at whose tombe by the meryte and prayers of this holy martyr / oure blessed lorde there hath shewed many myracles / the blynde haue recouered there theyr syght / the dombe theyr speche / the deef theyr herynge / the lame theyre lymmes / & the deed theyr lyfe . Therfore let vs praye to thys glorious martyr / to be our aduocate / that by his peticion we may come vnto euerlastynge blysse .