the civil magiftrate. This Becket oppofed, 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 feem 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 Constitutions of Clarendon, and were then voted without oppofition. By these regulations, it was enacted, that clergymen accused of any crime thould be tried in the civil courts; that laymen fhould not be tried in the Spiritual courts, except by legal and reputable witneffes. Thefe, with fome others of lefs confequence, or implied in the above, to the number of fixteen, were readily fubfcribed to by all the bishops prefent; 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 contest between the king and Becket, who having attained the highest honours the monarch could beftow, took part with his holiness. In the midst of this difpute Becket, with an intrepidity peculiar to himself, arraying himself in his epifcopal vestments, and with the crofs in his hand, went forward to the king's palace, and entering the royal apartments, fat 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 kingdom, he fecretly withdrew in difguife, and at laft found means to crofs over to the continent.

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 thake the very foundation of the king's authority. Becket compared himself to Chrift, 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 ministers by name, all that were concerned in fequeftering 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 lose 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 just 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 lanch forth his thunders against those who had been his former oppofers. The archbishop of York, who had crowned Henry's eldest son in his abfence, was the first against whom he denounced fentence of fufpenfion. The bishops of London and Salisbury he actually excommunicated. One man

he

he excommunicated for having spoken against him ; and another for having cut off the tail of one of is horfes.

Henry was then in Normandy, while the pri mate was thus triumphantly parading through the kingdom; and it was not without the utmost indignation that he received information of his turbu lent infolence. When he 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 raifed from the lowest station to be the plague of his life, and the continual difturber of his government. The archbishop of York remarked to him, that fo long as Becket lived, he could never expect to enjoy peace or tranquillity; and the king himself burst out into an exclamation, that he had nofriends about him, or he would not fo long have been expofed to the infults of that ungrateful hypocrite. Thefe words excited the attention of the whole court; and armed four of his moft 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 haste their bloody inten tions required. Advancing directly to Becket's houfe, and entering his apartment, they reproached him very fiercely for the raihnefs and the infolence of his con duct. 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 aspired 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. F

Nothing

Nothing could exceed the king's confternation upon receiving the first news of this prelate's catatrophe. 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 first invation 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 thefe advantages; and their degenerate pofterity, at the period we are now fpeaking of, were wrapt in the darkest barbarity.

At the time when Henry firft planned the invation of the island, it was divided into five principalities, namely, Leinster, Meath, Munfter, Ulfter, and Connaught; each governed by its refpective monarch. As it had been ufual for one or other of thofe to take the lead in their wars, he was denominated fole monarch of the kingdom, and poffeffed of a power refembling that of the early Saxon monarchs in England. Roderick O Conner, king of Connaught, was then advanced to this dignity, and Dermont M Morrogh was king of Leinfter. This laft named prince, a weak, licentious tyrant, had carried off and ravifhed the daughter of the king of Merth, who being strengthened by the alliance of the king

of

of Connaught, invaded the ravisher's dominions, and expelled him from his kingdom. This prince, thus juftly 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 alliftance. Henry readily accepted, the offer; but being at that time embarraffed by more near interests, he only gave Dermot letters patent, by which he empowered all his fubjects to aid the Irish prince in the recovery of his dominions. Der mot, 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 reinftate 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 affistance, 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 fpring 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 fmall 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. Roderick, the chief monarch of the ifland, ventured to oppose them, but he was defeated; and foon after the prince of Offory was obliged to fubmit, and gave hoftages for his future conduct.

Dermot being thus reinftated in his. hereditary dominions, foon began to conceive hopes of extend

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ing