¶ Here beginneth the life of the blessed martyr saint Thomas.  
The martyr saint Thomas was son to Gylberde Bequet a burgess of the Cite of London. And was borne in the place where as now standeth the church called saint Thomas of Akers. And this Gylberde was a good devote man/ and took the cross upon him/ and went on pilgrimage to the holy land/ and had a servant with him. And when he had acomplished his pilgrimage/ he was taken homeward by the hethenmen/ and brought in prison of a prince named Ameraunt where long time he/ and his fellowship suffered much pain and sorrow. And the prince had great affection toward this Gylberd/ and had oft communycyon with him of the christian faith/ & of the royalme of England by which conversation: it fortuned/ that the daughter of this prince had especial love unto this gylberde/ & was familiar with him: and on a time she disclosed her love to him/ saying if he would promise to wed her/ she should forsake friends/ heritage/ and country for his love/ and become christian/ and after long communication between them/ he promised to wed her if she would become christian/ & told to her the place of his dwelling in England/ & after by the purveyance of god/ the same Gylberd escaped & came home/ and after this it fortuned so that this princes daughter stolen away & passed many a wild place & great adventure & by god's purveyance came at the last to london demanding & crying Beket beket/ for more english could she not/ wherefore the people drew a bout her what for the strange array of her/ as for that they understood her not/ & many a shrewd boy/ so long she went till she came before gylberdes door/ & as she stood there the servant that had be with Gylberd in prison/ which was named Richard saw her & knew anon that it was the princes daughter that had them in prison/ he showed it to his master/ and told to him how this maid stood at his door/ & anon he went forth to see her/ & as soon as she saw him she fell in a son for joy/ & gylberd took her up & comforted her & brought her in to his house/ & sith went to the bishops which then were six at Paul's & rehearsed all the matter/ & after they christened her/ & forthwith wedded her unto gylberd beket. And within time reasonable & accustomed was brought forth between thyem a fair son named Thomas. And after this/ yet the said gylberde went again in to the holy land/ and was iii year or he came again/ & this child grew forth till he was set to school/ and learned well & be came virtuous. And when he was xxiiii year old his mother passed out of this world/ & after this he served a merchant of London a while in keeping his charge & compte and from him he went to Stygande archebyssope of Caunterbury/ and he was in so great favour with him that he made him archedeken & chief of his counsel. And well executed he his office/ in punishing the culpable/ & cherishing the good people/ & divers times went to Rome to support & help holy church. And after this Harry the second that was the empress son was made king of england/ and he ordained this Thomas chancellor/ & had great rule/ & the land stood in prosperity/ & saint Thomas stood so greatly in the kings favour that the king was content with all that he did/ & when the king went in to normandy/ he betook the governance of his son & the realm in to the rule of saint Thomas/ which he wisely governed till his return again/ & anon after died Thybaude tharchbishop of canterbury/ & the king gave his nomination to saint Thomas/ & by the chapter was elect in the year of his age xliiii and was full loath to take that great charge on him/ & so at last had his bulls/ he was sacred & stalled/ & became an holy man suddenly changed in to a new man doing great penance as in wearing here which knots/ and abreche of the same down to the knees/ and on a trinity sunday he received his dignity/ & there was at that time the king with many a great lord & xvi bishops. And fro thence was sent the abbot of Euesam to the pope with divers other clerks for the Paul which he gate & brought to him/ and he full meekly received it. And under his habit he ware the habit of a monk/ and so was he withinforth a monk/ and outward a clerk & did great abstinence making his body leanly/ and his soul fat/ & he used to be well seruyde at his table/ & took but a little refection thereof/ & lyvede holily in giving good ensample. After this many times the king went over in to normandy/ & in his absence always saint Thomas had the rule of his son & of the realm/ the which was governed so well/ that the king could him great thank/ & then abode long in this realm/ & when so was that the king did anyething against the franchises & liberties of holy church saint thomas ever withstood it to his power. And on a time when the fees of London & of Wynchestre were vacant and void/ the king kept them both long in his hands for to have the profits of them wherefore. Thomas was heavy & came to the king & desired him to give though ii byssopryches to some virtuous men/ & anon the king granted him his desire/ and ordained one master Roger bishop of wynchestre/ & the earl of glocestres' son bishop of london named sir Robert/ and anon after saint Thomas hallowed the abbey of reading/ which the first harry founded. And the same year he translated saint Edward king and confessor at westminster where he was laid in a rich shrine/ & in short time after by the entysement of the devil fell great debate variance & strife between the king & saint Thomas/ & the king send for all the bishops to appear before him at westminster at a certain day. At which day they assembled before him whom he welcomed/ and after said to them how that the archebyssop would destroy his law/ & not suffer him to enjoy such things as his predecessors had used before him/ whereto saint Thomas answered that he never intended to do thing that should displease the king/ as far as it touched not the franchise & liberty of holy church. Than the king rehearsed how he would not suffer clerks that were thieves have the execution of the law. To which saint Thomas said that he ought not execute them/ but they long to the correction of holy church/ & other divers poyntis/ to which saint Thomas would not agree To which the king said now I see well thou wouldest for do the laws of this land that have been used in the days of my predycessours/ but it shall not lie in thy power/ & so the king being wroth depꝑted. Than the bishops all counseyled saint Thomas to follow the kings intent or else the land should be in great trouble/ & in likewise the lords temporal that were his frendis counseled him the same/ & saint Thomas said I take god to record it was never mine intent to displeas the king or to take any thing that longeth to his right & honour/ & than the lords were glade & brought him to the king to oxenford/ & the king deigned not to speak to him/ and than the king called all the lords spiritual & temporal to him/ & said he would have all the laws of his fornfaders there new confirmed. And there they were confirmed by the all the lords spiritual & temporal. And after this the king charged them for to come to him in Claryndon to his perlament at a certain day assigned/ on pain to run in his indignation & at that time so departed. And this perlament was holden at claryndon the. ix. year of the kings reign and the year of our lord. xi. C. Ixiiii. At this parliament were many lords/ which all were against saint Thomas. And than the king sitting in his parliament in the presence of all his lords demanded them if they would abide & keep the laws that had been used in his forefathers days. Than saint Thomas spoke for the party of holy church & said. All old laws that been good & right & not against our mother holy church I grant with good will to keep them. And than the king said that he would not leave one point of his law and waxed wroth with saint Thomas/ & than certain bishops required saint Thomas to obey that kings desire & will & saint Thomas desired respite to know the laws & than to gift an answer/ & when he understood them all/ to some he consented/ but many he denied & would never be agreeable to them wherefore the king mas wroth/ & said he would hold & keep them/ like as his pndycessours had done before him/ & would not minish one point of them. Than saint Thomas said to the king with full great sorrow & heavy cheer. Now my most dear lord & gracious king have pity on us of holy church your bedemen/ & give us respite for a certain time/ & thus departed every man. And saint Thomas went to wynchester/ & there prayed our lord devoutly for holy church/ and to gift him aid & strength for to defend it. For utterly he determined to abide by the liberties & franchise/ and fell down on his knees full sore weeping and said. O good lord I knowledge that I have offended/ & for mine offence & trespass this trouble cometh to holy church I purpose good lord to go to Rome to be assoiled of mine offences & departed toward Caunterbury & anon the king sent his officers to his manoyres & despoiled them/ because he would not obey the kings statutes. And the king commauded to cease all his lands & goods in to his hands/ and than his servants departed from him/ & he went to the seaside for to have gone over the see/ but the wind was against him & so thrice he took his ship & might not pass/ & than he knew that it was not our lords will that yet he should not depart/ & returned secretly to Caunterbury/ at whose coming his men made great joy/ and on the morn came the kings officers for to have seized all his goods. For the noise was that saint Thomas fled the land. Wherefore they had despoiled all his manoyres/ & seized them in to the kings hands/ & when they came they found him at Caunterbury/ where they were sore abashed/ and returned to the king informing him that he was yet at Caunterbury/ & anon after saint Thomas came to the king to woodstock for to pray him to be better disposed to ward holy church/ & than said the king to him in scorn/ may not we two dwell both in this land/ art thou of 〈…〉 sturdy & hard of heart/ to whom saint Thomas answered sir that was never my thought/ but I would fain please you/ & do all that ye desire/ so that ye hurt not the liberties of holy church/ for them will I maintain while I live ever to my power/ with which words the king was sore moved/ & swore that he would have them kept/ & in especial if a clerk were a thief he should be judged & executed after the kings law/ & by no spiritual law. And said he would never suffer a clerk to be his master in his owen land. And charged saint Thomas to apere before him at North hampton/ and bring all the bishops of this land with him & so departed. Saint Thomas besought god of help & succour/ for the bishops which ougte to be with him were most against him. And after this saint Thomas went to northampton/ where the king held than his great counsel/ in the castle with all his lords. And when he came before the king/ he said I am come to obey your commandment/ but before this time was never bishop of canterbury thus entreated/ for I am head of the church of all england and am to you sir king your ghostly father/ & it was never goddess law that the son should destroy that father which hath charge of your soul/ & by your steering hath made all the bishops that should abide by the right of the church to be against holy church and me. And ye know well that I may not fight/ but I am ready to suffer death/ rather than I should suffer to lose the right of holy church. Than said the king thou speakest as a proud clerk/ but I shall abate thy pride or I leave the. For I must taken with the. Thou understandest well that thou were my chancellor many years. And once I lent to the. v. C. pound which thou never yet haste repaid/ which I will that thou pay me again/ or else in continent thoushalte go to prison. And than saint Thomas answered ye gave me that .v. C. pound and it is not sitting to demand that which ye have given/ not withstanding he found surety for the said v. C. pound/ & departed for that day. And after this the next day the king demanded xxx M. pound that he had surmised on him to have stolen he being chancellor/ whereupon he desired day to answer at which time he said that when he was archbishop he set him free therein without any clay me or debt before good record/ wherefore he ought not to answer to the demand/ & the bishops desired saint Thomas to obey the king/ but in no wise he would not agree to such things as should touch against the liberties of the thurche. And than they came to the king & forsook saint Thomas & agreed to all the kings desire & the proper servants of saint Thomas fled from him & forsook him/ & than poor people came & accompanied him/ & in the night came to him tow lords and told to him that the kings meinie had enprysed to slay him. And the next night after he departed in thabbyte of a brother of Sympryngham & so chevysshed that he wentover see. And in the mean while certain bishops went to Rome to complain on him to the pope/ and the king sent letters to the king of france not to receive him/ & the king Lewis said though a man were banysshed& had commised there trespasses/ yet he should be free in france/ & so after when this holy saint Thomas came/ he received him well & gave him licence to abide & do there what he would. In this meanwhiles the king of england sent certain lords to the pope complaining on the archbishop Thomas which made grievous complaints/ which when the pope had herd he would give none answer till he had hard tharchbishop Thomas speak which would hastily come thither/ but they would not adyde his coming but departed without speeding of their intents/ and came into england again. And anon after saint Thomas came to rome on saint. Marcus' day at afternoon. And when his Cature should have brought fish for his dinner/ because it was fasting day/ he could get non for no money/ & came & told his lord saint Thomas so/ and he bade him by such as he could get/ & than he bought flesh & made it ready for their dyner/ and saint Thomas was served with a capon roasted and his memny with boiled meet & so it was that the pope heard that he was come/ & sent a cardinal to welcome him/ & he foun him at his dinner eating flesh/ which anon returned/ & told to the pope how he was not so perfect a man as he had supposed. For contrary to the rule of the church/ he eateth this day flesh. The pope would not believe him but sent another cardinal which for more evident took the leg of the capon in his kerchief/ & affirmed the same. And opened his kerchief before the pope and he found the leg turned in to a fish called a carp and when the pope saw it he said they were not trwemen to say such things of his good bishop/ they said faithfully that it was flesh that he eat. And after this saint Thomas came to the pope and did his reave rinse & obedience whom the pope welcomed/ & after certain communycacions/ he demanded him what meet that he had eaten/ & said flesh as ye have hard before because he could find no fish/ & very need cmpelled him thereto/ than the pope vunderstode of the miracle that the capon's leg was turned in to a carp of his goodness granted to him & to all them of the diocese of canterbury licence to eat flesh ever after on saint Marcus day when et falleth on a fish day/ & pardon which all which is kept & accustomed unto this day and than saint Thomas informed the pope how that the king of england would have him consent to divers articles against the liberties of holy church/ add what wrong he did to the same/ & that for to die he would never consent to them/ & when the pope had hard him he wept for pity & thanked god that he had such a bishop under him that had sowell defended the lyberesholy church/ & anon wroteroute letters & bulls commanding all the bishops of Christendom to observe & keep the same. And than saint Thomas offered to the pope his bishopric in to his hands & his mitre in the cross ring/ & the pope commanded him to Keep it still/ & said he knew no man so able as he was and after saint Thomas said mass before the pope in a white chessyble & after mass he said to the pope that he knew by revelation that he should die for the right of holy church/ & when it should fall the chessyble should be turned from white to red. And after he departed fro the pope and came down in to france/ unto th'abbey of pountney/ & there had knwlege that when lords spiritual & temporal which had been at Rome were come home & had told the king that they in no wise might have their intent/ Than the king was greatly wroth. And anon banished all the kinsmen that were longing to saint Thomas that they should in continent void his land & made them to swear that they should go to him/ & tell him for his sake they were exiled/ & so they went over see to him to pountney & he being there was full sorry for them/ & after there was a great chapter in england of the monks of cisteaus & there the king desired them to write to pountney that they should no longer keep ne sustain Thomas the archbishop. For if they did he would destroy them of that order being in england/ & for fere thereof they wrote so over to pountney that he must departed thence with his kinsmen. And so he did/ and was than full heavy/ and remitted his cause to god. And a none after the king of france sent to him that he should abide where it pleased him and dwell in his realime & would pay for the costs of him and his kinsmen and he departed & went to seynes & thabbot brought him on the way & saint Thomas told him how he knew by a vision that he should suffer death & martyrdom for the right of the church & the prayed him to keep secret during his life/ after this the king of england came in to france/ & there told the king how saint Thomas would destroy his realm/ & than said how he would fordo such laws as his elders had used before/ wherefore saint Thomas was sent for/ and they were brought together & the king of france laboured sore to set them at accord but it would not before that on would not minish his laws & accustomes and saint Thomas would not grant that he should not do contrary the liberties of holy church/ and than the king of france held with the king of england against saint Thomas and was wroth with him and commanded him to void his realm with his kinsmen and than saint Thomas wist not whether to go but comforted his kinsmen as well as he might/ & purposed to have gone into province/ for to have begged his breed/ and as he was going the king of france sent for him again/ and when he came he cried him mercy and said he had offended god and him/ and bad him abide in his realm where he would/ and he would pay for the dispenses of him & all his kinsmen. And in the mean while the king of england ordained his son king/ & made him to be crowned by tharch bishop of york/ and other bishops which were against the statutes of the land. For the archbishop of Caunterburye should have also consented/ & also have crowned him wherefore saint Thomas got a bull for to accurse them that so did against him & also on them that occupy the goods longing to him & yet after this the king laboured so moche that he accorded the king of england and saint thomas which accord endured not long/ for the king varied from it afterward/ but saint Thomas upon his accord came home to canterbury/ where he was received worshipfully & sent for them that had trespassed against him/ & by the auctorypte/ of the pope's bull openly denounced them accursed/ unto the time they came to amendment/ & when they knew this they came to him & would have made him to assoil them by force/ & sent word over to the king how he had done/ whereof the king was much wroth/ & said if he had men in his land that loved him/ they would not suffer such a traitor in his land a live/ & forthwith four knights took their counsel together/ & thought they would do the king a pleasure & emprysed to slay saint thomas/ & suddenly departed & took their shipping toward england/ & when the king knew of their departing he was sorry & sent after them but they were on the se & departed or the messengers came wherefore the king was heavy and sorry. These been the names of the four knights. Sir Reignolde bereson sir Hugh moruele/ sir William tracy/ & sir Richard de bryto. On crystenmas day saint Thomas made a sermon at Caunterbury in his owen church/ & weeping prayed the people to pray for him/ for he knew well his time was nigh/ & there executed the sentence on them that were against the right of holy church/ & that same day as the king sat at meet all the bred that they handled warred anon mouly/ & hore that no man might eat of it/ & the bred that they touched not was fair & good for to eat/ & hese four knyghtyꝭ afore said came to Caunturbury on the tuesday in Cristmas week about evensong time/ & came to saint Thomas & said that the king commanded him to make amends for the wrongs that he had done/ & also that he should assoil all them that he had accursed anon or else they would slay him. Than said Thomas all that I ought to do by right that will I with a good will do/ but as the sentence that is executed I may not undo/ but that they will submit them to the correction of holy church for it was done by our holy father the pope & not by me Than said sir Reynold but if thou assoil the king & us under standing the curse it shall cost the thy life. and saint Thomas said thou knowest well enough that the king & I were accorded on marry Magdalen's day & that this curse should go forth on them that had offended the church Than on of the knights smote him as he kneeled before the altar on the heed/ & on sir edward grime that was his crosier put for the his arm with the cross to bear of the stroke/ & the stroke smote the cross in sondre/ & his arm almost of/ wherefore he fled for fere/ & so did all the monks that were that time at compline/ & they smote each at him/ that they smote of a great piece of the skull of his heed that his brain fell on the pavement/ & so they slew him & martyred him & there cruelly that one of them broke the point of his sword against the pavement/ and thus this holy archbishop saint Thomas suffered death in his own church for the right of holy church/ & when he was deed they stirred his brain/ & after went in to his chamber & took away his goods/ & his horse out of his stable: & took away his bulls & wryttyngꝭ/ & delivered them to sir Robert Broke to bear in to France to the king/ & as they searched his chamber they found in a chest. two. shirts of hear made full of great knottꝭ/ & they said certainly he was a good man/ & coming down into the church ward they began to dread & fere that the ground would not have borne them/ & were sore aghast/ for they supposed the the earth would have swallowed them all quick/ than they knew that they had done amiss/ and anon it was known all about how that he was martyred/ & anon after took this holy body & unclothed him & found bishops clothing above/ & habit of a monk under/ next his flesh a hard hear full of knots/ which was his shirt/ & his breach was of the same/ & the knots styked fast within the skin/ and all his body full of worms he suffered great pain/ and was thus martyred the year of our lord xi C. lxxi. & was liii year old. And soon after tidings came to the king how he was slain wherefore the king took great sorrow/ and sent to Rome for his absolution/ now after that saint Thomas departed fro the pope/ the pope would daily look upon the white chesyle: that saint Thomas had said mass in/ and that same day that he was martyred he saw it torn into red: where by he knew well that that same day he suffered martyrdom for that right of holy church/ and commanded a mass to requiem slempnly to be song for his soul. And when that the quere began for to sing Requiem/ an angel on high above began the office of a martyr. Letabitur justus. And than anon after/ all the hole quere followed singing forth the mass of the office of a martyr. And than the pope thanked god that it pleased him to show such miracles for his holy martyr/ at whose tomb by the merit and prayers of this holy martyr/ our blessed lord there hath showed many miracles/ the blind have recovered there their sight/ the dumb their speech/ the deaf their hearing/ the lame their limbs/ & the deed their life. Therefore let us pray to this glorious martyr/ to be our advocate/ that by his petition we may come unto everlasting bliss.  
Amen.   

¶ Thus endeth the life of the blessed martyr saint Thomas of Caunturbury. Imprinted by me richard Pynson/ printer unto the kings noble grace.