once more the sons of St Benedict shall chant the
Mass of St Thomas before the shrine new made: _Gaudeamus omnes in
Domino, diem festum celebrantes, sub honore beati Thomae Martyris, de
cujus passione gaudent angeli et collaudant filium Dei_.

For the great shrine, which for so long had been the loftiest beacon
in England of the Christian Faith, was destroyed. It was the first
work of the last Henry to avenge his namesake, and having made another
Thomas martyr in the same cause, to wipe out for ever all memory of
the first who had steadfastly withstood his predecessor. It is strange
that the severed head of Blessed Thomas More should lie in the very
church whence Henry II. set forth to do penance for the murder of the
first Thomas.

We have no authentic record of the final catastrophe, such deeds are
usually done in darkness. All we really know is that in 1538 "the
bones, by command of the Lord (Thomas) Cromwell, were there and then
burnt ... the spoile of the shrine in golde and precious stones filled
two greate chests such as six or seven strong men could doe no more
than convey one of them out of the church." That the shrine was of
unsurpassed magnificence we have many witnesses. "The tomb of St Thomas
the Martyr," writes a Venetian traveller who had seen it, "surpasses
all belief. Notwithstanding its great size it is wholly covered with
plates of pure gold; yet the gold is scarce seen because it is covered
with various precious stones as sapphires, balasses, diamonds, rubies
and emeralds; and wherever the eye turns something more beautiful than
the rest is observed; nor in addition to these natural beauties is the
skill of art wanting, for in the midst of the gold are the most
beautiful sculptured gems, both small and large as well as such as are
in relief, as agates, onyxes, cornelians and cameos; and some cameos
are of such size that I am afraid to name it; but everything is far
surpassed by a ruby, not larger than a thumb-nail, which is fixed at
the right of the altar. The church is somewhat dark and particularly in
the spot where the shrine is placed, and when we went to see it the sun
was near setting and the weather cloudy; nevertheless I saw the ruby as
if I had it in my hand. They say it was given by a king of France."

To carry out the theft with impunity it was first of all necessary to
degrade the great national hero and saint and expose his memory to
ridicule. In November 1538 St Thomas was declared a