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The turning point came when the specter of the martyrdom of Thomas à Becket was raised. |
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"If Hubert de Burgh should die in prison," London warned, "you will be guilty of the murder of a man under the protection of the Church. Remember that all your grandfather's power was not enough to protect him. Remember how, to save his soul, he walked naked and barefoot and knelt to be beaten with rods in the full eye of all, crying mea culpa for his fault and his offense." |
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Henry shuddered. He was rather fond of going barefoot in his shirt to do penance for this fault and that. There was a delicious sense of contrition and uplift in it. But that was at his choice, and all who were invited to attend were sympathetic and also uplifted by the purity and humility of their king. What London was threatening was different. Henry knew he would be an object of ridicule and shame, and he knew the Church must win, for it was God's special thing, and it would extract the harshest penalty. There had to be another way. |
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When stimulated, Henry's mind was quick and agile. He preserved his face by dismissing the bishops once more, but this time with an assurance that they would have his full answer the next day. By then he was ready. Once before, de Burgh had sought sanctuary. That time he had crawled out himself, begging Henry's mercy because the sanctuary had been surrounded and no food could be brought to him. Rather than starve, he had broken sanctuary himself. What had been done once could be done again. |
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The next day, as he had promised, Henry gave his judgment. He agreed that de Burgh would be returned to the church near Devizes. Roger of London saw the gleam in the king's eye, and he knelt down, soft-voiced, to beg for mercy, to plead that de Burgh be allowed to live in peace in that church. He would be no danger to anyone there, the bishop pleaded; he was an old man |
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