the civil magiftrate. This Becket opposed, alledging the privileges of the church.

In order to determine this matter, the king fummoned a general council of the nobility and prelates at Clarendon, to whom he submitted this great and important affair, and defired their concurrence. Thefe councils seem at that time convened rather to give authenticity to the king's decrees, than to enact laws that were to bind their pofterity. A number of regulations were there drawn up, which were afterwards well known under the title of the Conftitutions of Clarendon, and were then voted without oppofition. By these regulations, it was enacted, that clergymen accused of any crime fhould be tried in the civil courts; that laymen fhould not be tried in the fpiritual courts, except by legal and reputable witneffes. These with some others of lefs confequence, or implied in the above to the number of fixteen, were readily fubfcribed to by all the bifhops present; Becket himself, who at firft fhewed fome reluctance, added his name to the number. But Alexander, who was then pope, condemned them in the strongest terms, abrogated, annulled, and rejected them.

This produced a conteft between the king and Becket, who having attained the highest honours the monarch could bestow, took part with his holiness. In the midst of this dispute Becket, with an intrepidity peculiar to himself, arraying himself in his epifcopal veftments, and with the crofs in his hand, went forward to the king's palace, and entering the royalapartments, fate down, holding up the crofs as his banner of protection. There he put himself, in the most folemn manner, under the protection of the fupreme pontiff; and upon receiving a refufal to leave the kindom, he fecretly withdrew in disguise, and at last found means to cross over to the conti

nent.

The

The intrepidity of Becket, joined to his apparent fanctity, gained him a very favourable reception upon the continent, both from the people and their go

vernors.

The pope and he were not remifs to retort their fulminations, and to fhake the very foundation of the king's authority. Becket compared himself to Christ, who had been condemned by a lay tribunal; and who was crucified a-new in the prefent oppreffions under which the church laboured. But he did not reft in complaints only. He iffued out a cenfure, excommunicating the king's chief minifters by name, all that were concerned in fequeftring the revenues of his fee, and all who obeyed or favoured the conftitutions of Clarendon.

Frequent attempts, indeed, were made towards an accommodation; but the mutual jealoufies that each bore to the other, and their anxiety not to lofe the leaft advantage in the negociation, often protracted this defirable treaty.

At length, however, the mutual aim of both made a reconciliation neceffary; but nothing could exceed the infolence with which Becket conducted himself upon his firft landing in England. Inftead of retiring quietly to his diocefe, with that modefty which became a man juft pardoned by his king, he made a progrefs through Kent, in all the fplendor and magnificence of a fovereign pontiff. As he approached Southwark, the clergy, the laity, men of all ranks and ages, came forth to meet him, and celebrated his triumphal entry with hymns of joy. Thus, confident of the voice and the hearts of the people, he began to launch forth his thunders against those who had been his former oppofers. The archbishop of York, who had crowned Henry's eldeft fon in his abfence, was the firft against whom he denounced fentence of fufpenfion. The bishops of London and Salisbury he actually excommunicated. One man

he

he excommunicated for having fpoken against him; and another, for having cut off the tail of one of his horses.

Henry was then in Normandy, while the primate was thus triumphantly parading through the kingdom; and it was not without the utmost indignation that he received information of his turbulent infolence. When the fufpended and excommunicated prelates arrived with their complaints, his anger knew no bounds. He broke forth into the moft acrimonious expreffions against that arrogant churchman, whom he had raised from the loweft ftation, to be the plague of his life, and the continual disturber of his government. The archbishop of York remarked to him, that fo long as Becket lived, he could never expect to enjoy peace or tranquility; and the king himself burft out into an exclamation, that he had no friends about him, or he would not fo long have been expofed to the infults of that ungrateful hypocrite. These words excited the attention of the whole court; and armed four of his most refolute attendants, to gratify their monarch's fecret inclinations. The confpirators being joined by fome affiftants at the place of their meeting, proceeded to Canterbury with all that hafte their bloody intentions required. Advancing directly to Becket's house, and entering his apartment, they reproached him very fiercely for the rafhness and the infolence of his conduct. During their altercation, the time approached for Becket to affift at vefpers, whither he went unguarded, the confpirators following and preparing. for their attempt. As foon as he had reached the altar, where it is juft to think he afpired at the glory of martyrdom, they all fell upon him; and having cloven his head with repeated blows, he dropt down dead before the altar of St. Benedict, which was befmeared with his blood and brains. Ꭰ

Nothing

Nothing could exceed the king's confternation upon receiving the firft news of this prelate's cataftrophe. He was inftantly fenfible that the murder would be ultimately imputed to him; and at length, in order to divert the minds of the people to a different object, he undertook an expedition against

Ireland.

Ireland was at that time in pretty much the fame fituation that England had been, after the firft invafion of the Saxons. They had been early.converted to Christianity; and, for three or four centuries after, poffeffed a very large proportion of the learning of the times. Being undisturbed by foreign invafions, and perhaps too poor to invite the rapacity of conquerors, they enjoyed a peaceful life, which they gave up to piety, and fuch learning as was then thought neceffary to promote it. Of their learning, their arts, their piety, and even their polifhed manners, too many monuments remain to this day for us to make the leaft doubt concerning them; but it is equally true, that in time they fell from these advantages; and their degenerate pofterity, at the period we are now speaking of, were wrapt in the darkest barbarity.

At the time when Henry firft planned the invafion of the island, it was divided into five principalities, namely, Leinfter, Meath, Munster, Ulfter, and Connaught; each governed by its refpective monarch. As it had been usual for one or other of those to take the lead in their wars, he was denominated fole monarch of the kingdom, and poffeffed of a power resembling that of the early Saxon monarchs in England. Roderic O Connor, king of Connaught, was then advanced to this dignity, and Dermot M'Morrogh was king of Leinfter. This laft named prince, a weak, licentious tyrant, had carried off and ravished the daughter of the king of Meath, who being ftrengthened by the alliance of the king

of

of Connaught, invaded the ravisher's dominions, and expelled him from his kingdom. This prince, thus justly punished, had recourfe to Henry, who was at that time in Guienne; and offered to hold his kingdom of the English crown, in cafe he recovered it by the king's affiftance. Henry readily accepted the offer; but being at that time embarraffed by more near interefts, he only gave Dermot letters patent, by which he empowered all his fubjects to aid the Irish prince in the recovery of his dominions. Dermot, relying on this authority, returned to Bristol, where, after fome difficulty, he formed a treaty with Richard, furnamed Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, who agreed to re-inftate him in his dominions, upon condition of his being married to his daughter Eva, and declared heir of all his territory. Being thus affured of affiftance, he returned privately to Ireland, and concealed himself during the winter, in the monaftery of Ferns, which he had founded. Robert Fitzstephens was the firft knight who was able, the enfuing spring, to fulfil his engagements, by landing with an hundred and thirty knights, fixty efquires, and three hundred archers. They were foon after joined by Maurice Pendergaft, who, about the fame time, brought over ten knights, and fixty archers; and with this small body of forces they refolved on befieging Wexford, which was to be theirs by treaty. This town was quickly reduced; and the adventurers being reinforced by another body of men to the amount of an hundred and fifty, under the command of Maurice Fitzgerald, compofed an army that ftruck the barbarous natives with awe. Roderic, the chief monarch of the ifland, ventured to oppofe them, but he was defeated; and foon after the prince of Offory was obliged to fubmit, and give hostages for his future conduct.

Dermot being thus re-inftated in his hereditary dominions, foon began to conceive hopes of extendD 2

ing