The British nation a history / by George MWrong . n he saw that he had beentrapped. AVhat were the vague customs that he under-took thus publicly to obey? Henry soon made this clear.A committee composed of the oldest and wisest of thebarons drew up hurriedly, within nine days, a documentfamous in history as the Constitutions of Clarendon. Insixteen articles it defined the ancient customs, andBecket saw at once that to j^ut his seal to them was tosurrender all for which he had been struggling. Therewere to be no appeals to Rome; the clergy might noteven go abroad without the kings consent; the
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The British nation a history / by George MWrong . n he saw that he had beentrapped. AVhat were the vague customs that he under-took thus publicly to obey? Henry soon made this clear.A committee composed of the oldest and wisest of thebarons drew up hurriedly, within nine days, a documentfamous in history as the Constitutions of Clarendon. Insixteen articles it defined the ancient customs, andBecket saw at once that to j^ut his seal to them was tosurrender all for which he had been struggling. Therewere to be no appeals to Rome; the clergy might noteven go abroad without the kings consent; the kinghimself was to be supreme over the Church courts;clerics must appear before laymen. Hitherto any oneordained by a bishop had been held to have become bythis act a freeman, but bishops were now forbidden tointerfere with a lords power over his vassals, and mightno longer ordain a villein without his lords consent.Undoubtedly for most of these provisions warrant couldbe found in the ancient customs of England, but, since7 98 THE BRITISH NATION. Henry II banisihxo Beckets Kelatives Hildebrands time, new views of Church authority hadripened, and the more gentle Anselm would assuredly nothave assented to what was demanded of Becket. For sixdays he vainly opposed tlie constitutions clause by clause.The debates ended, and the king demanded that Becketand the other bishops should affix their seals to the docu-ment. I will never seal them, never as long as Ibreathe, said Becket. He withdrew to Winchester, full of remorse that hehad given even averbal promise toobey tlie customs.yhie months laterlie again met theking in a councilat Xortham2)ton, but was still deli-ant, and at lengthboldly announcing liis appeal to Rome, , he escaped fromXorthampton in disguise, and after an adventurous jour-ney reached the Continent. Henry was powerless to reach Becket, but he relent-lessly banished his relatives from England. The Cister-cians ventured to shelter Becket at Pontignvmurder. ^^^ Henry for