889 La nuit que l'endemain dut estre l'asemblee,
A treis liwes de Turs, la u fu purparlee,
Jut saint Thomas a Turs ovoc sa gent privee.
Par Rotrout l'arcevesque a cele veie alee.
Par ç'ad la volenté le rei mult espruvee. 4445
890 Kar li reis li mustrout defors mult bel semblant ;
Pur ço diseient tuit, li petit e li grant,
Que ja mais nel harreit li reis a sun vivant.
Pur ç'ala saint Thomas a Turs la nuit devant,
Saveir s'i entendist ço qu'en alout disant. 4450
891 Pur ço s'ala a Turs cele nuit herbergier
E saveir se li reis le voldreit la baisier.
Mais il ne porta la maaille ne denier ;
Mais il ne porta la maaille ne denier ;
Ses guages li covint rachater u laissier.
Ne li reis nel baisa, n'il nes fist desguagier. 4455
892 Forment en fu trublez li huem Nostre Seignur.
Ses sumiers fist chargier en la puinte del jur,
Rova qu'il se mesissent erramment el retur.
Li reis estut as estres en cel palais auchur,
E vit si tost errer les hummes sun pastur ; 4460
893 E après els le vit grant aleüre errer.
Après li fist li reis ignelement aler ;
Rova qu'il l'atendist, qu'il volt a lui parler.
Ainz erra une liwe, qu'il volsist arester.
Hors veie esteit turnez pur ses hures chanter. 4465
894 Desur une vert place unt le rei atendu.
E chanterent lur hures ; ne sunt pas descendu.
E li reis vint a lui, si tost cum l'a veü.
Li reis e l'arcevesque se sunt entrevenu,
E li uns aveit l'autre encontré de salu. 4470
895 "El nun des treis persones, fait li reis, sumes trei. "
Car saint Thomas aveit ilueches ovoec sei
Le prelat de Ruem (Rotrout ot nun, ço crei) ;
Einsi furent dunc trei, entre els dous e le rei.
E lur clerc se teneient ariere en un conrei. 4475
896 " Reis, fait li sainz Thomas, mal estes enseigniez.
Vus n'estes mie tels cum estre solïez
Al tens que vus servi, ainz estes tuz changiez,
Quant en vostre cité ai mes guages laissiez.
Nel fesist Loëwis pur enguagier ses fiez. " 4480
897 Dunc ad li reis surris ; ne sai s'i out faintié.
Fait il : " Sire arcevesque, or vus vei mult irié ;
Mais or suffrez a tant, car bien ert adrescié.
Altres besuignes m'orent le quer si enlascié,
Ne poi entendre a vus pur terre ne pur fié. " 4485
898 Quant il orent ensemble, tant cum voldrent, parlé,
Muntent sur lur chevals e sunt acheminé.
Li reis ala ariere, il sunt avant alé.
Mais l'endemain se sunt a Anbaise asemblé ;
Par semblant e par diz la se sunt acordé. 4490
899 Tutes les covenances unt iloec recordees,
E li reis les ad bien, oiant tuz, graantees.
Ses lettres a pendant seel l'en ad dunees,
Qui sunt a ses justises e a sun fil alees.
Richarz Malban e Hue li Clers les unt portees. 4495
900 S'oïr volez les letres, jes vus sai tresbien dire,
Si cum li reis les fist e diter e escrire :
" D'Engleis e de Normanz Henris e ducs e sire
Saluz a sun chier fiz Henri, rei de l'empire.
Saciez que l'arcevesque Thomas de Cantorbire 4500
901 " S'est a mei acordez tut a ma volenté.
Pur ço comant que il e tuit, lai e letré,
Li suen qui pur li furent hors del païs alé,
Pais aient, e le lur, - rien n'en seit recolpé, -
Aient plenierement par trestut mun regné ; 4505
902 " E que li arcevesques e li suen ensement
Tiengent bien e en pes e honurablement
E terres e iglises e altre tenement,
Tut isi cum il tindrent treis meis derrainement
Devant ço qu'il eissist d'Engleterre od sa gent. 4510
903 " Les plus vielz chevaliers faites dunc asembler
E les plus ancïens que vus porrez trover
El fiu de Salewode. Ço qu'il purrunt jurer
Qu'a l'arceveschié deie, de tut cel fiu, aler,
Faites a l'arcevesque e baillier e livrer. 4515
904 " Quant les avrez veües, les letres retenez. "
Mais li sainz arcevesques, qui mult par ert senez,
Comanda que li briés fust escriz e mustrez
Altresi as estranges par tut cum as privez ;
Car del retenir fu li moz forment notez. 4520
905 Li briés fu a Ambaise saint Thomas graantez,
Mais a Chinun fu puis a ses hummes livrez.
L'arcevesques i fu testemonies numez
Qui de l'arceveschié de Ruem ert chasez.
Par tut les a li reis, tant cum pout, traïnez. 4525
906 D'Ambaise fist en France saint Thomas returner
E cum sun messagier en sa besuigne aler.
E a Ruem se durent andui entrecuntrer ;
La li dut li reis faire cinc cenz mars aporter,
Dunt il porreit ses detes a cel'hure aquiter. 4530
907 Car li reis li dut rendre par fine covenance
Quanqu'il out pris del suen e des suens a va illance ;
Ne l'en volt sainz Thomas faire nul'alegance.
Mais li premiers deniers est encore en balance ;
Li reis l'ad mis encore en mult bele suffrance. 4535
908 Bien trente milie livres out de l'arceveschié,
Estre tut ço qu'il out eü e purchacié
Des rentes a tuz cels qui erent dechacié.
Car mult furent raienz li humme de cel fié,
E li bois l'arcevesque vendu e ess illié. 4540
909 Li humme l'arcevesque en Engleterre alerent ;
Les letres al viel rei al jovene rei porterent.
Assez firent transcriz e par tut les mustrerent
E les plus gentilz hummes del honur asemblerent,
Al rei as justises ovoec els le menerent. 4545
910 E quant les ourent fait devant le rei aler,
E durent la parole l'arcevesque mustrer,
Il s'alerent seer, n'i voldrent mot suner ;
Pur sun seignur ne volt nul d'els en place ester.
Faintié virent par tut ; en faintié furent per. 4550
911 Les justises le rei firent lunge traïne.
Tute l'arceveschié remest einsi frarine,
Ainz que cil dui eüssent des maneirs la saisine,
Ne remist buef ne vache ne chapuns ne geline,
Cheval, porc ne berbiz, ne de blé plaine mine. 4555
912 A la Sainte Marie Magdalene en esté
Furent li arcevesques e li reis acordé.
Tresqu'a la Saint Martin l'unt par respit mené,
Ainz qu'il eüst saisine de sa proprieté,
Tant que Randulf del Broc out tut pris e fulré. 4560
913 Liqueus rendra raisun de ço qu'en ad eü,
U li reis u Randufs, al grant jur irascu ?
La ierent coveitus senz fin mort e perdu,
La ne purra nul d'els faire de l'autre escu.
De quanque Randuls fist, adrecement n'en fu. 4565
914 Deus adrecera tut, qui tut seit e tut veit ;
Deus est si dreiturels ne poet faire fors dreit,
E il het tut malice, e justisier le deit.
Les justises erranz ferunt la poi d'espleit ;
Cil les jugera tuz qui nuls d'els ne deceit. 4570
915 Deus, cum par est mainz huem pur le siecle avoglez !
N'i est amurs ne fei ne pais ne charitez.
Se tuz les biens del mund aveie conquestez,
Si que mes fiz en fust après mes jurs chasez,
Ja n'en sereie mielz devant Deu apelez. 4575
916 Se j'achat abeïes u haltes eveschiez
Dunt jo seie en cest siecle levez e eshalciez,
Devant Deu en serai asprement chalengiez.
Ja de tuz mes parenz n'i serai point aidiez.
Mult achate l'onur quin est a mort jugiez. 4580
917 Si tost cum saint Thomas fu acordez al rei,
De sun fuc li sovint, qui petiz ert en fei,
Qui aveit meserré par seignuril desrei.
El païs enveiad sun angele devant sei,
Qui sa veie esneast e ostast le fangei. 4585
Translation
889 On the night before which on the next day the assembly was to
be held three leagues from Tours, in the place where it was previously
agreed and arranged, that night St. Thomas was to lodge in Tours itself
with his private circle of people. [He was advised] by archbishop Rotrou
that this was the way to go, for by this the intentions of the king
could be put to the test. 4445
890
As the king was outwardly showing great kindness towards him, and
because of this everyone, both the humble and the grand, were saying
that the king would never hate him [again] whilst he [the king] lived,
Thomas travelled to Tours the night before to establish whether what he
was hearing was true. 4450
891 For this he
proceeded to Tours that night to lodge there to find out whether the
king would give him the kiss of peace. But he did not bring any money,
neither halfpenny nor penny; he was unable to release his pledges from
their bond before he left. And neither would the king kiss him, nor
provide the means which to have his bonded items released. 4455
892
And this troubled the vassal of our Lord a great deal. He had his
sumpter horses loaded up at the break of day. And to his men he ordered
that they must make ready to return immediately. And the king was
looking out of the window of his chamber in the upper storey of this
tall palace, and saw the men of his pastor leave speedily. 4460
893
And he saw him [Becket] follow after them in great haste. The king
rapidly sent some men to go after him, to implore that he should attend
him. But he rode on a further league before he deigned to stop and turn
off the trackway to chant his hours. 4465
894
Thus it was in a green lea he waited for the king. And they sang their
hours. Without dismounting he [Becket] went up to the king the moment he
saw him. The king and the archbishop went up against each other. And
the one met the other with greetings of salutation. 4470
895
<<And we are now the three Persons [a joke about the Holy
Trinity],>> said the king [in jest], <<for we are
three.>> As St. Thomas had with him the prelate of Rouen (called
Rotrou, I believe); thus there were three of them, the two of them and
the king, and their clerics stood back from them lined up in battle
order. 4475
896 <<King,>> said St.
Thomas, <<you have been very poorly advised. You have not behaved
towards me in the way that you used to at the time when I served you.
You seem to have changed, for when I was in your city I had to leave
behind my pledges unredeemed. [King] Louis would not have to pledge his
fiefs. 4480
897 Then the king smiled; I do not
know whether he was being deceitful when he said: <<Sire
archbishop, now I see that you are very angry, but for now you suffer
much, but soon all will be put right. Other matters have preoccupied me,
that I could not listen to you, neither about land nor fiefs.>>
4485
898 For a time they were together, and then
when having spoken with one another for as much as they wanted to, they
mounted up on their horses, and set off along the road. The king
travelled behind in the rear and they went off first up front. On the
next day they reconvened at Amboise. 4490
899 All the clauses of the agreement between
them were there set down in writing. And the king acceded to them within
the hearing of all present. To his letters he appended his seal, and
directed that copies should be given to him [Becket] and sent to his son
[Henry the Young King] and his justices. Richard Malband and Hugh le
Clerc delivered them. 4495
900 If you want to listen to this I can well
tell you about them. To his son the king said and wrote: <<Henry,
of England and Normandy, both sire and duke, salutations to his dear
son, Henry, king of the empire, know that the archbishop, Thomas of
Canterbury 4500
901 has come to an agreement with me in
accordance with my will. For this I command that he and all his people,
lay and lettered, those men who left the country, they have peace, and
to them they may have their possessions. Nothing is to be held back, or
cut back. They shall have what is theirs in full, wherever in my
kingdom.>> 4505
902 and that the archbishop, and his people
likewise, may have in peace and harmony, both lands and churches
[benefices], whatever was held three months before he left England with
his people. 4510
903 Let the oldest and longest-standing
knights you can find in the honour of Saltwood gather together to swear
which of its fees are to be handed back to the archbishop. And then to
hand them over and deliver them to him. 4515
904 "Put these letters into safekeeping after you have read them."
