as he had been a prince. He played the
courtier altogether, and fashioned himself wholly to the
king's delights. He ruffled it out in the whole cloth with a
mighty rabble of disguised ruffians at his tail. He sought
the worldly honour with him that sought it most. He thought
it a pleasant thing to have the flattering praises of the
multitude. His bridle was of silver, his saddle of velvet,
his stirrups, spurs, and bosses double gilt; his expenses
far passing the expenses of an earl. That delight was not on
the earth that he had not plenty of. He fed with the
fattest, was clad with the softest, and kept company with
the plesantest. Was not this (think you) a good mean to live
chaste? I trow it was. _Englyshe Votaryes_, pt. ii., sign.
P. vi. rect. Printed by Tisdale, 8vo. The orthography is
modernized, but the words are faithfully _Balean_! Thus
writes Tyndale: and the king made him (Becket) his
chancellor, in which office he passed the pomp and pride of
Thomas (Wolsey) cardinal, as far as the ones shrine passeth
the others tomb in glory and riches. And after that, he was
a man of war, and captain of five or six thousand men in
full harness, as bright as St. George, and his spear in his
hand; and encountered whatsoever came against him, and
overthrew the jollyest rutter that was in the host of
France. And out of the field, hot from bloodshedding, was he
made bishop of Canterbury; and did put off his helm, and put
on his mitre; put off his harness, and on with his robes;
and laid down his spear, and took his cross ere his hands
were cold; and so came, with a lusty courage of a man of
war, to fight an other while against his prince for the
pope; when his prince's cause were with the law of God, and
the pope's clean contrary. _Practise of Popish Prelates._
_Tyndale's Works_, edit. 1572, p. 361. The curious
bibliographer, or collector of ancient books of biography,
will find a very different character of Becket in a scarce
Latin life of him, printed at Paris in the black letter, in
the fifteenth century. His archiepiscopal table is described
as being distinguished for great temperance and propriety:
"In ejus mensa non audiebantur tibicines non cornicines, non
lira, non fiala, non karola: nulla quidem praeterquam mundam
splendidam et