following
very curious passage:--

"ITEM, for as moche as it appereth now clerely, that Thomas
Becket, sometyme Archbyshop of Canterburie, stubburnly to
withstand the holsome lawes establyshed agaynste the enormities
of the clergie, by the kynges highness mooste noble progenitour,
kynge HENRY the Seconde, for the common welthe, reste, and
tranquillitie of this realme, of his frowarde mynde fledde the
realme into Fraunce, and to the bishop of Rome, mayntenour of
those enormities, to procure the abrogation of the sayd lawes,
whereby arose moch trouble in this said realme, and that his
dethe, which they untruely called martyrdome, happened upon a
reskewe by him made, and that, as it is written, he gave
opprobrious wordes to the gentyllmen, whiche than counsayled hym
to leave his stubbernesse, and to avoyde the commocion of the
people, rysen up for that rescue. And he not only callyd the one
of them bawde, but also toke Tracy by the bosome, and violently
shoke and plucked hym in suche maner, that he had almoste
overthrowen hym to the pavement of the Churche; so that upon
this fray one of their company, perceivynge the same, strake
hym, and so in the thronge Becket was slayne. And further that
his canonization was made onely by the bysshop of Rome, bycause
he had ben a champion of maynteyne his usurped auctoritie, and a
bearer of the iniquitie of the clergie, for these and for other
great and urgent causes, longe to recyte, the Kynge's {228}
Maiestie, by the advyse of his counsayle, hath thought expedient
to declare to his lovynge subjectes, that notwithstandynge the
sayde canonization, there appereth nothynge in his lyfe and
exteriour conversation, wherby he shuld be callyd a sainct, but
rather estemed to have ben a rebell and traytour to his prynce.
Therefore his Grace strayghtly chargeth and commandeth that from
henseforth the sayde Thomas Becket shall not be estemed, named,
reputed, nor called a sayncte, but bysshop Becket; and that his
ymages and pictures, through the hole realme, shall be putte
downe, and avoyded out of all churches, chapelles, and other
places; and that from henseforthe, the dayes used to be
festivall in his name shall not be observed, nor the service,
office, antiphoners, colletes, and prayers, in his name redde,
but rased and put out of all the bokes[