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Monarchy and Church
Monarchy and Church; Part 6

Monarchy and Church; Part 6

Lastly, the number of "criminous clerks" was large, because the term "cleric" included a far larger class than it does nowadays. It embraced not only what we call the clergy, but all sorts of men in "minor orders" - exorcists, acolites, readers, sacristans, subdeacons - all who were engaged in the service of the Church, or who were intending to enter its orders, and had taken what was called the first tonsure. It was as if we were now to extend the term "clergy" to all the officials of a cathedral - the vergers and beadles, the singing men in the choir, and so forth. All the clerks of the king's Chancery were clerics. Indeed, for all practical purposes, all the professional classes, except soldiers and lawyers, were clerics. To some of these their orders meant little, save an exemption from the royal courts and a certainty of light punishment in cases of misdoing. Consequently clerical offenders, so far from being rare, were extraordinarily numerous. And as the Church courts claimed to try not only cases where a cleric was the accused party, but also any case in which a cleric was concerned, the number of cases withdrawn from the royal courts and dealt with by courts that could not inflict meet punishment was exceedingly large.

The issue, then, between Henry and his Archbishop, was of wide concern to both sides, and it was hotly fought out with whatever weapons each could find. Becket had given a vague assent in advance to the Constitutions before he saw them. When he saw them he strove to be allowed to qualify his words by adding, "saving the privileges of our order". The king would not accept this, since it offered Becket a loophole to escape from all rules, and after six days of stormy debate Becket withdrew his assent. Summoned again to a council at Northampton, Becket appeared in full robes clasping a crucifix; it was as if a baron had stalked in with visor down and drawn sword, an act of defiance. The king brought against him a series of charges relating to his conduct as Chancellor, and demanded an account of the moneys that had passed through his hands. Becket lost his temper and behaved so violently that the Bishop of London called him a fool to his face. But neither the rage of the king nor the disgust of his clerical brethren daunted Becket. He left the assembly declared a traitor. "This is a fearful day", said one of his trembling followers. "Ay", retorted Thomas, "but the Day of Judgment will be more fearful". He fled from the town at dead of night, and escaped to France.

Then began six years of incessant struggle, in which Becket revived old disputes, among them that about investitures. He sought help from Pope Alexander III, but Alexander himself being persecuted by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, dared not affront Henry by supporting Becket too warmly. Henry, on the other hand, pursued the fight vigorously by seizing the revenues of Canterbury. Becket replied by excommunicating Henry's ministers and bishops, and so the fight went on.

Monarchy and Church; Part 6

Chronology