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CHARACTER OF ELEANOR.

reason that she was his fourth or fifth cousin, and marriage between persons even distantly related is forbidden by the Roman Catholic church. But the true reason, doubtless, was that she was a very troublesome woman; and Henry soon perceived that he had paid a dear price for the rich provinces she had brought him. She was constantly exciting his sons to rebellion, and it is said she administered poison to Rosamond, or the "fair Rosamond," as she is called in history, and thus caused her death.

5. The first thing that Henry did on coming to the throne, was to send away all the foreign soldiers that Stephen had brought into England, and to order all the castles that had been built during the civil wars to be demolished. He also confirmed the charter of privileges to the people. It has been said that "no king in so short a time had done so much good, and gained so much love, since Alfred."

6. In 1155 he recovered the territory which Stephen had ceded to the King of Scotland. He then carried his arms against the Welsh, who were very troublesome neighbors, and only granted them peace upon terms favorable to himself.

7. We next find him engaged in a war with the King of France, which, after several years' continuance, was ended by a marriage between his eldest son, Henry, an infant five years old, and Marguerite, the daughter of the King of France, who was not yet out of her cradle.

8. In 1165 he received a still further accession of power; for the Duke of Brittany, finding himself unable to keep in subjection his turbulent barons, resigned his territories to Henry, to hold them in trust for Constantia, his daughter, who was betrothed to Geoffrey, the third son of the king.

CHAPTER XLVI.

Thomas à Becket.-How he lost his rich Cloak.

1. WE must now introduce you to Thomas à Becket, who was at this time a very distinguished person, and whose quarrels with King Henry were a subject of concern and interest even to many foreign potentates. This celebrated man was the son of a citizen of London, and was the first Anglo-Saxon who had arrived at any kind of eminence since the Conquest.

2. He had early been remarked for his great abilities, and for his attachment to the cause of Matilda. When Henry came to the throne, he selected Becket as his favorite and companion, and at length made him his chancellor, which is the third dignity in the kingdom.

3. Becket now indulged himself in every kind of luxury and mag

5. What did Henry do in England? 6. In what wars did he engage? 7. How was the war with France ended? 8. What accession of power did he receive in 1165?

XLVI.-1. Who was Thomas à Becket? 2. To what office did Henry appoint him

THOMAS À BECKET.

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nificence. He never moved without a numerous train of servants; his ordinary retinue when upon a journey consisted of two hundred knights, each having his own attendants; there were eight wagons containing provisions, furniture, and clothes, besides twelve pack. horses loaded with plate, books, and money.

4. To each wagon was chained a fierce mastiff, and on each packhorse sat a monkey. In his dress, Becket was splendid in the extreme; the luxury of his table and of his furniture was greater than had ever been seen before.

5. Fitz-Stephen, who was his secretary, and wrote the history of his life, states as an instance of his extreme delicacy, "that in winter his apartments were every day covered with clean hay and straw, and in summer with green rushes, or boughs, that the gentlemen who paid court to him, and who could not, by reason of their number, find seats at table, might not soil their fine clothes by sitting on a dirty floor."

6. Though Becket had been admitted to the first order in the priesthood, he considered himself more a layman than an ecclesiastic, and employed his leisure in hunting, hawking, and similar amusements. He also engaged in military affairs, and conducted 700 knights, at his own expense, to attend the king in his war in France.

7. His house was a place of education for the sons of the chief nobility, and the king was often present at the entertainments he gave. As an instance of the familiarity with which the king treated Becket, Fitz-Stephen tells the following story:

8. One day, while they were riding together in the streets of London, they met a poor beggar shivering with cold. The king made the observation that it would be a good deed to give that poor man a warm coat. The chancellor agreed, and added, "You do well, sir, in thinking of such a good action."

9. "Then he shall have one presently," said the king, and, seizing on the chancellor's cloak, which was of scarlet lined with ermine, he tried to pull it off. The chancellor, not liking to part with it, held it fast, and the king and he were near pulling one another off their horses in the scuffle. At last, Becket letting the cloak go, the king gave it to the beggar, who was not a little astonished at the scene and at the gift.

CHAPTER XLVII.

Henry attempts to check the Usurpations of the Clergy.—They resist.-Death of Becket.

1. At the time of which we are now speaking, the usurpations of the clergy had reached such a height as to make it almost a mat

3, 4. What is said of his style of living? 5. What instance is given of his consideration for his courtiers? 8, 9. Relate the story of the loss of his cloak.

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USURPATIONS OF THE CLERGY.

ter of doubt, whether the king or the priests, particularly the Archbishop of Canterbury, should rule the kingdom.

2. Henry was not of a spirit tamely to submit to the encroachments of subjects. But the obligations which he was under to Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, prevented him from taking any measures to check them during the lifetime of that prelate.

3. But after his death, he determined to exert himself with activity, and, that he might be secure against any opposition, be advanced Becket to that dignity, feeling sure that he could depend on his compliance with his wishes.

4. But no sooner was Becket established in his new dignity, than he seemed changed in character, as well as in condition. He renounced all his gay and active amusements, and was always seen with a book in his hand, or else absorbed in deep meditation.

5. He affected the greatest austerities; he wore sackcloth next to his skin, fed upon bread and water, tore his back with whips and Scourges, and every day washed the feet of thirteen poor beggars. In short, the ostentation of affected sanctity made him take a satisfaction in inflicting on himself the severest penances.

XLVII.-1. What of the power of the clergy? 2, 3. What of Henry's feelings on the subject? 4, 5, 6. What change took place in Becket's conduct? 7. What are the con

DEATH OF BECKET.-1164.

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6. His conduct towards the king was not less changed. He withdrew from the intimacy with which Henry had treated him, and resigned the office of chancellor, saying he must now devote himself wholly to his spiritual functions. So far was he from giving any aid to the king's plans for a reformation, that he set himself up as the champion of the church.

7. But Henry was not to be deterred from the execution of his purpose, of lowering the pride and power of the priests. In 1164, he summoned a general council of the nobility and prelates at Clarendon. By this assembly certain laws were made, called the Constitutions of Clarendon, restraining the power of the clergy, and making them amenable to the laws of the country.

8. The laws were so just, that even Becket was compelled to assent to them. But he knew very well that the pope, to whom they were to be submitted for ratification, would never submit to enactments which in fact abolished his authority in England. It happened as he expected; the pope rejected the laws, and Becket retracted his assent.

9. The king and the prelate now lived in a state of constant hostility. The clergy supported Becket as far as they dared, and the barons espoused the king's party. At one time, Becket was deprived of his dignities and estates, and banished from the kingdom.

10. But the influence of the clergy over the unenlightened people compelled the king to reinstate him, and, upon one occasion, to submit to the humiliation of holding the stirrup, whilst the haughty prelate mounted his horse.

stitutions of Clarendon? Why so called? 9. How did the king treat Becket? 10. What mortification did the king meet with 11, 12, 13. Relate the particulars of Becket's death

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BECKET CANONIZED BY THE POPE.-1164–1176.

11. For eight years Henry was kept in a continual ferment. At last, in a moment of irritation, he unhappily exclaimed, "Is there nobody that will rid me of this turbulent priest?" words which were probably forgotten as soon as uttered by him.

12. But they were not forgotten by some who heard them. Four gentlemen of his household, who thought they should do the king an acceptable service, by executing what they fancied to be his wishes, set out immediately from Normandy, where the king then was, for England. When they arrived at Canterbury, they de manded admittance into the archbishop's palace.

13. The servants, apprehensive of some evil designs, obliged their master to fly into the cathedral, thinking the sanctity of the place would protect him. But the assassins followed him; and as he would not submit to be their prisoner, they slew him on the steps of the altar, as he knelt before it.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Becket canonized by the Pope.—Miracles performed at his Tomb.— Illustrations of Manners of the Clergy.

1. WHEN Henry heard of this murder, he was so much shocked that he shut himself up for three days, and refused to let any one come near him. At last his attendants forced open the door of his room, and persuaded him to take some refreshment.

2. The king chiefly dreaded the displeasure of the pope. He found means, however, by a well-timed embassy, to divert the resentment of his Holiness from himself, and it was expended in denunciations of the immediate actors. The clergy now magnified the sanctity of Becket, and two years after his death he was canonized by the pope, that is, added to the list of saints.

3. His body was then removed to a magnificent tomb which the king caused to be erected in Canterbury Cathedral. This was enriched by presents from all parts of Christendom, and it is estimated that, in one year, more than one hundred thousand pilgrims arrived at Canterbury, and paid their devotions at his tomb.

4. A great many ridiculous stories were told by the priests, and readily believed by the ignorant and superstitious people, of the miracles performed here. At this shrine, not only dead men were said to be restored to life, but also cows, dogs, and horses.

A story is related of the successor of Becket, which illustrates the manners of the times. In 1176, the pope's representative in England, called the pope's legate, summoned an assembly of the clergy, at which he himself presided. Richard, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Roger, Archbishop of York, both claimed the honor of sitting on the right hand of the legate.

6. The question of precedency created a dispute between them,

XLVIII.-1. How was Henry affected by the news of the murder of Becket? 2. What