ing part in the ceremony, on the
ground that it belonged only to an Archbishop of Canterbury to crown a
king, and this excommunication had been ratified by the Pope. It was
therefore possible that the whole ceremony might go for nothing.

17. =The Return of Archbishop Thomas. 1170.=--To obviate this danger
Henry again sought to make peace with Thomas. An agreement was come to
on the vague terms that the past should be forgotten on both sides.
Henry perhaps hoped that when Thomas was once again in England he
would be too wise to rake up the question of his claim to crown the
king. If it was so he was soon disappointed. On December 1, =1170=,
Thomas landed at Sandwich and rode to Canterbury amidst the shouts of
the people. He refused to release from excommunication the bishops who
had taken part in young Henry's coronation unless they would first
give him satisfaction for the wrong done to the see of Canterbury,
thus showing that he had forgotten nothing.

[Illustration: Part of the choir of Canterbury Cathedral (in building
from 1175-1184).]

18. =Murder of Archbishop Thomas. 1170.=--The aggrieved bishops at
once crossed the sea to lay their complaint before Henry. "What a
parcel of fools and dastards," cried Henry impatiently, "have I
nourished in my house, that none of them can be found to avenge me on
one upstart clerk!" Four of his knights took him at his word, and
started in all haste for Canterbury. The Archbishop before their
arrival had given fresh offence in a cause more righteous than that of
his quarrel with the bishops. Ranulf de Broc and others who had had
the custody of his lands in his absence refused to surrender them,
robbed him of his goods, and maltreated his followers. On Christmas
Day he excommunicated them and repeated the excommunication of the
bishops. On December 29 the four knights sought him out. They do not
seem at first to have intended to do him bodily harm. The
excommunication of the king's servants before the king had been
consulted was a breach of the Constitutions of Clarendon, and they
bade him, in the king's name, to leave the kingdom. After a hot
altercation the knights retired to arm themselves. The archbishop was
persuaded by his followers to take refuge in the church. In rushed the
knights crying, "Where is the traitor? Where is the archbishop?"
"Behold me," replied Thomas, "no traitor, but a priest of God." The
assailants strove to lay hands upon him. He struggled and cast fort