He refused, and the knights went away to put on their armour. Then the frightened monks dragged Becket into the cathedral, and shut the door. He commanded them to open it. They obeyed, and then fled in all directions, their master and three friends alone remaining. The knights rushed in, one of them shouting, "Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the king?" The answer came at once. "Here I am, no traitor, but the archbishop and priest of God." The knights did not want to commit murder within the Church, so they cried, "Flee, or thou art a dead man!" As Becket would not flee they strove to drag him out. Finding he was too big and strong for them to do that they struck him with their swords. Covering his eyes with his joined hands he bowed the head and 11 commended his soul to God. 12 Meantime the knights rained blows upon him. At last he fell flat upon his face, and one of the murderers 13 clave his skull. 1 5 2 3 secret Reform, a change for the better. rare, uncommon. ary, a person who writes letters for another. 4 laity, all persons who are not clergy. arrest, to take up. habits, way of life. 7 apparel, clothes. 8 Clarendon, near Salisbury. The laws passed there were called the "Constitutions of Clarendon." nicate, to turn out of the Church. 10 gratify, to please. commend, to give into the care of. 12 meantime, while this was going 13 clave, past tense of cleave, to split. on. 9 excommu 11 BECKET was loved by the people, and his murder filled the country with horror. After his death he was reckoned a saint, and year by year for centuries pilgrims from every county in England flocked to Canterbury to pray at the tomb of the "holy, blissful 2 martyr." Henry II. kept the nobles in such strict order that they had long been anxious to rebel. His three eldest sons were also dissatisfied because their father did not give them as much power as they would like. The discontent was 3 encouraged by the kings of France and Scotland, and by other rulers who were jealous of the English sovereign's might. Hitherto the people had been on Henry's side, but the murder of the archbishop set them against him. His enemies saw that their chance had come, and all rose at once. To win back the love of the English Henry did 4 penance at the tomb of Becket. As soon as he came in sight of Canterbury he got down from his horse, laid aside his kingly clothing, and took off his shoes. Then he walked barefoot to the church, knelt before the archbishop's 5 shrine, uncovered his back, and allowed the priests present to scourge him. The people, believing Henry had repented him of Becket's murder, at once 6 rallied to his side, and he defeated all his enemies. "So many prisoners were taken," says a writer of the time, "that it was hard to find cords enough to bind them, or jails enough to hold them." Thirteen years after, Henry's son Richard, aided by the King of France, again rebelled. Sick and sorrowful, Henry was not fit to carry on a war, and town after town fell into the hands of his enemies. At last he agreed to do what they wanted. He asked for a list of those who had joined with Richard, and it was brought to him. He was lying ill, so he ordered the names to be read out. The first which reached his ear was that of his favourite son John. Henry leaped from his bed and cried, "Is it true that John, my very heart, the best beloved of all my sons, has forsaken me?" It was but too true. The poor old man fell back, saying, "Now let things go how they may; I care no more for myself nor for the world." His heart was broken two days after, he died, and the rebel Richard reigned in his stead. 3 2 1 Pilgrim, one who goes a journey to visit a holy place. martyr, one put to death for his belief. encourage, to help, urge on, incite. 4 penance, punishment which a person takes willingly to show he is sorry for his sins. shrine, tomb. rally, to come together, unite. 5 THE 1 CRUSADES. 6 You have seen that Richard I. was a bad son; he was also a bad king. He cared more for his own glory than for the good of his people, and he did not see that the highest glory of a king is to secure the greatest good of his people. Instead of trying to win fame by ruling well he sought it by fighting in the Holy Land. From very early times Christians had been in the habit of going to Palestine for the purpose of visiting the various places connected with the history of Jesus. As long as the country remained under the government of the Roman emperors the pilgrims had to undergo no hardships beyond those of the journey. But in 637, forty years after the landing of Augustine in Britain, the land was conquered by the Arabs or Saracens. They believed in the religion founded by Mahomet, but they did not treat the Christians unkindly because they looked upon Jesus as a great prophet, second only to their own. In 1076, ten years after the battle of Senlac, the Saracens, in their turn, were conquered by the Turks. These were a fierce people who had gradually moved westward from their old home in Central Asia, taking unto themselves all the lands which lay before them. The Turks were Mahometans like the Saracens, but as they were savage, and hated Christianity, they heaped upon the pilgrims every injury and insult they could invent. They dragged the Patriarch of Jerusalem by his hair along the pavement, then flung him into prison, and kept him there till an enormous ransom had been paid for him. 2 |