The Life And Martyrdom Of St Thomas Becket

THE life of St. Thomas of Canterbury is exceptionally well known. More than seven hundred years have elapsed since he died, and yet his history stands out before us with a distinctness and minuteness that is extremely rare among the records of great men. The witnesses to the facts are both numerous and trustworthy. They wrote of matters of which they had personal knowledge, and their writings were in the hands of those who were the most capable of judging of their truthfulness. The universal and vehement interest taken in all that concerned St. Thomas, while later on it may have caused an embroidery of legends to be attached to his name, would ensure attention to the minutest details while the story was yet fresh, and this is a guarantee for accuracy and care. The substantial agreement of several writers, evidently independent of one another, is a further assurance of fidelity. The personal character of the writers is above suspicion, and their ability manifest; and lastly, all that skilful editing can do for them has happily been done, and that too at the public expense. Benedict, a Inonk of Christ Church, Canterbury, is said by the editor of the Quadrilogue (about 1220) to have been on the day of the martyrdom among the Saint's more intimate friends, and to have recorded those things of which he was an ear or eye witness. He wrote only of the martyrdom and of the subsequent miracles. No copy of his narrative of the martyrdom exists, but considerable fragments have been preserved in the Quadrilogue. The miracles are now in six books. Of these the last two art: by another hand, as events are there related which happened after Benedict's death. He died in 1193 or 1194 at Peterborough, of which house he was made abbot in 1177. The fourth book of miracles is of about the date of Benedict's election as Abbot of Peterborough, for it mentions the great fire at Rochester, which occurred in the April of that year. But the work is not in strict chronological order, for after the passage relating to the fire, a letter is inserted addressed to Odo as Prior of Canterbury; but Odo was made Abbot of Battle, and Benedict himself became Prior of Canterbury in 1175. The first three books of miracles, according to Mr. Magnusson, formed the original volume, and all that is related in them happened during the seventeen months that fol1owed the martyrdom. In July, 1172, William was charged to record the miracles in addition to Benedict, who had fulfilled that office from the beginning. By this fact Mr. Magnusson ingeniously dates not Benedict only but Fitzstcphcn. For Fitzstephen says that there was a Codex which was read in the Chapter at Canterbury, which related the miracles wrought in England, and he adds that those in France, Ireland, and elsewhere had as yet no historian. This Codex was Benedict's volume, ending then with the third book; and Mr. Magnusson concludes that Benedict's three books were written before Fitzstephen's Life of St. Thomas; and further that Fitzstephen wrote before William of Canterbury began, that is within the first seventeen months. The argument is pressed perhaps a little too closely, as there would be but one Codex until William had made some progress with his work. Afterwards Gervase speaks of two volumes of miracles, Benedict's and Williams and the mention of one by Fitzstephen may fairly be taken to mean that there then was but one.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1859 edition. Excerpt: ... NOTES AND REFERENCES. The names of Herbert de Bosham, Roger de Pontigny, Edward Grim, and John of Salisbury, tell their own tale of their respective opportunities of learning the events they narrate, as they have been frequently mentioned as personally present, and as having taken parts in the scenes of which they were afterwards the historians. John of Salisbury was so called because he was for many years a canon of that church (Fitz-St. Vita, ed. Giles, i. p. 215). He was elected Bishop of Chartres on the 22d of July 1176 (Gerv. p. 1434), before which time he had written his Life of St. Thomas (vide infr. note 436). The date of Herbert's book is given us by himself (i. p. 37). He began it in the fourteenth year after the martyrdom, and ended it in the pontificate of Urban III. (i. p. 367), who reigned from December 1185 to October 1187. It was professedly supplemental to the writers who had preceded him. William Fitz-Stephens gives his own credentials: "I was the fellow-citizen of my lord, his cleric, and one of his household. Called by himself to a share of his anxieties, I was dictator in his chancery; when he sung Mass, I was the subdeacon of his chapel; when he sat to hear causes, I read the letters and documents that were presented; and I conducted some causes at his bidding. I was present with him at the Council of Northampton, where matters were transacted of such high importance; I saw his martyrdom at Canterbury; and of many other things which are here written I was an eye and ear witness, while others, again, I learnt from those who witnessed them." Odo, the prior whom St. Thomas had appointed just before his martyrdom (supr. p. 336), was made Abbot of Battel, July 19, 1175 (Chron. of Battel, p. 166; Gerv. p. 1432). He was...

The life of St. Thomas of Canterbury requires no introduction. Panegyric and preliminary explanation are equally unnecessary, for he is not a man the circumstances of whose career are but little known. Every one will look for the most entire sympathy with him and his cause in the following pages, and the writer cordially acknowledges that he entertains, and is proud of, this feeling. At the same time, he hopes that no one will think that because the Saint, whose life he has ventured to write, is a hero in his eyes, he has recorded one word that he did not consider to be completely borne out by the ancient authorities. ln so controverted a part of history, he has laid modern books aside, and has relied for his facts on contemporary writers alone; and his endeavour has been to enable the reader to weigh for himself the evidence on which his own judgment has been formed.