The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1881-10-01

which he was standing but in vain. Beckett was
a tall, powerful man. expert in the of weapons.
Had he snatched sword from one of these, he
might have saved his life, but temporal arms he
had long since laid aside and he only stood still,
| clasped his hands in prayer and commended his
soul to his God. Reginald Fitzurse began to
fear that people might break in to his rescue
and struck blow which wounded his head, as
well as the arm of Edward Grim, who fled to the
altar but Beckett did not move hand or foot
only, as the blood flowed from his face, he said:
In the name of Christ and for the defense of the
Church am ready to die" Tracy struck him
again twice on the head: he staggered, and as he
was falling the fourth stroke, given by Brito,
cleft off the top of his skull with such violence
that the sword broke against the pavement.
The murderers, after making sure of his death,
left the church The monks took up his corpse,
unwounded, save the crown of his head, which
was shattered to pieces above his tonsure, and
laid it out on the high altar, deeming that he had
indeed been a sacrifice and weeping as they be-
held the beauty of his peaceful expression, as if
he had calmly fallen asleep. They folded out
wards the hair-cloth shirt he had always worn
secretly and as the blood still trickled from the
wound it was caught in a dish.
The threats of Randolph de Broc obliged them
to bury him in haste the next morning, and they
were strictly forbidden to place his coffin among
those of the former Archbishops-a command
which they obeyed from the dread that other
wise his remains might be insulted. They had
not long to fear. Europe rang with horror at the
crime, and admiration, rather than compassion
for the victim No one was more shocked than
the King himself, who was at Bure, in Normandy
when the news reached him. For three days he
remained shut up in his room, taking no food and
seeing no one, in an agony of grief and dismay at
the consequence of his hasty words, and dwelling
on those days of early friendship which he had
passed with the murdered Beckett Not till these
first paroxysms of grief were over was he even
able to think of the danger he was in, and he
then sent off an embassy to explain to the Pope
how far he was from intending the bloody deed
and to entreat forgiveness.
He was at q loss how to treat the murderers.
He could not punish what his own words had
been supposed to authorize and he dared not let
them escape, lest he should be supposed to be
their defender. He therefore let them reap the
benefit of the liberties for which Beckett had
clerk therefore it was left to the censures of the
Church.
They had in the meantime fled to Morvllle's
castle, in Cumberland where they found them
selves regarded with universal execration Their
servants shrank from their presence, and in the
exaggerations of tradition it was said that the
very dogs would not approach them.
Overwhelmed with remorse they set out for
Italy, and dreaded and avoided, as if they bore
mark like the first murderer and vagabond"
they threw themselves at the feet Of the Pope and
entreated to know what they should do to obtain
mercy He ordered them to go on pilgrimage to
Jerusalem, and they all went except Tracy, who,
lingering behind, was seized with dreadful ILL
within three years, with deep marks of penitence
and were buried before the door Of the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre.
Henry obtained pardon from the Pope on Civ
ing up all attempts at subecting the Church to the
law of the State and on giving large sum of
money to maintain two hundred knights for three
years in the Holy Land He also largely endow
ed Mary and Agnes Beckett, the Archbishops
sisters, with possessions in his newly conquered
domain in Ireland, and one of them became the
ancestress of the noble family of Butler Earls of
OrmOnde.
The next year. 1174, Henry II, who was broken
down with grief at the rebellion of his sons, rode
from Southampton to Canterbury without resting,
taking no food but bread and water, entered the
city and walked through the streets barefoot to
the cathedral and into the crypt, where he threw
himself PROSTATE ON the ground, while Gilbert
Folliot preached to the people. In the chapter
house Henry caused each of the clergy present,
to the number of eighty, to strike him over the
shoulders with knotted cord, and afterwards
spent the whole night beside the tomb.