Garnier: King's Delegation meets with the Pope, November 1164

Extract from
http://txm.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/bfm/pdf/becket.pdf
https://goo.gl/xyem88
Stanzas 448-466
Lines 2236 - 2330


448
De Compiegne se sunt li messagier turné.
E frere Franc ad bien sun message achevé :
L’apostolie l’a dit ; il l’a bien esculté.
L’arcevesque Thomas ad ore tant erré
2240 Que venuz est a Sanz, u la pape ad trové.

449
Mais ainceis que venist a Sanz li Deu amis,
Eut li reis a la pape ses messagiers tramis,
Evesques e baruns e chevaliers de pris.
Li apostolies ert de Rume idunc fuitis,
2245 E surjorna a Sanz meis, semaines e dis.

450
L’arcevesques i vint qui d’Evrewic ert maistre,
Vuit li Rus, e l’evesque i vint de Wirecestre,
E li quens d’Arundel e Richarz d’Ivecestre,
Johanz d’Oxeneford, l’evesque d’Execestre,
2250 Hue de Gundevile, Hylaires de Cicestre.

451
Cil de Saint Waleri, Renals, i est venuz,
Henris li fiz Gerold, qui ert des reaus druz,
Gilebert Foliot, qui ne s’i fist pas muz,
E des autres plusurs, e jovenes e chanuz.
2255 Tels i parla purquant qui fu pur fol tenuz.

452
Devant la pape esturent li messagier real.
Alquant diseient bien, pluisur diseient mal,
[70] Li alquant en latin, tel buen, tel anomal,
Tel qui fist personel del verbe impersonal,
2260 Singuler e plurel aveit tut parigal.

453
Tel i out des prelaz parla si egrement
Que la pape li dist : « Frater, tempreement ;
Car mesdire de lui ne sufferai neent. »
Lur paroles n’ai pas tutes ci en present,
2265 Mais ço que unt requis dirrai, mun escïent.

454
« Sire, li reis Henris, funt li li messagier,
Vus requiert e deprie cum sun pere treschier
Que dous tels chardenals li faciez enveier
Qui bien puissent par tut lïer e deslïer,
2270 Ne par apel nes puisse nuls huem contralïer.

455
Mais qu’il seient si fort e en tel poesté
Que quanqu’il ferunt seit en estabilité ;
Devant els n’ait apel ne contredit furmé.
E se li reis Henris a de rien meserré
2275 Encontre l’arcevesque, par els seit amendé.

456
E se li arcevesques ad vers li trespassé,
Par els seit adrescié, jugié e achevé. »
Ici semblout aveir par tut grant leauté ;
Mais n’i out un sul mot par tut de verité,
2280 Fors mult grant trecherie e decevableté.

457
Li reis ert riches huem, sages e de grant art ;
Sout bien que chardenal sunt pernant e lumbart :
Coveitus sunt d’aveir plus que vilain d’essart.
Li reis ad dous privez, Sorel e dan Blanchart :
2285 Tost funt del buen malvais e del hardi cuart.

458
Ne porent l’apostolie par engin deceveir.
Il lur ad respundu cum huem de grant saveir :
« Tel poesté ne puet nuls chardenaus aveir.
Par mei n’avra nul d’els de desraisun poeir ;
2290 En poesté de pape ne voil nul aseeir. »

[71] 459
Mes quant li messager le rei alerent la,
Renald l’arcediacres a Curbuil sejorna.
Encontre les messages tresqu’a Paris ala.
Cel’henor li fesissent, par amor lor prea,
2295 Ke od lui herbergassent ; grant gré lor en savra.

460
De bones genz, ço dit, en sun païs esteit,
Mes por sun arcevesque departi s’en esteit.
Se l’onur li fesissent que il lor requereit,
Li boens reis Loëwis de plus cher l’en avreit,
2300 Ki abé de Curbuil a cel tens fet l’aveit.

461
« Por le rei ne volum, funt il, od vus manger ;
Mal gré nus en savreit, car ne vus ad pas chier.
– Ne porrez, fet il, tot a la pape espleitier.
Mes se volez od mei a mun cust herberger,
2305 D’un de ses enemis porrez le rei vengier. »

462
Dunc sunt avant a Sanz a l’apostoile alé.
E quant ne porent faire ço qu’orent demandé,
Un afaire lor ad la pape graenté :
Que Rogers d’Everwic ert legaz del regné.
2310 Li bref en furent fait ; mes ne furent livré.

463
Mes Reinals li Lumbard fud de la curt privez.
Quant sout que cist afaires fu issi atornez,
De nuit est a la curt priveement alez.
Car li reis d’Engletere ert le jor mult dotez,
2315 Ne il ne voleit pas que il fust encusez.

464
A l’apostoile ad dit : « Sire, ne fetes ja.
Si Roger d’Everwic la legation a,
Les prelaz que li reis het, toz desposera. »
Tant fist que l’apostoile toz les briefs detrencha
2320 Qu’il aveit ainz fet fere, e altres lor livra.

465
Li messagier le rei se sunt mult entremis
De faire lur espleit, mais il n’i unt plus pris.
Muntent en lur chevals, ariere se sunt mis.
[72] Cil de Saint Waleri ot en la terre amis ;
2325 Altrement fussent il mesmené el païs.

466
Il ne voleient pas lur arcevesque atendre,
Car il nel porent pas en nul liu entreprendre.
Tost freeit d’els tel chose a l’apostolie entendre
Dunt peüssent mult tost en nuisance descendre ;
2330 N’il ne se porent pas a tuz les puinz defendre.

448
[King Henry's] messengers arrived from Compiègne. And brother Franco delivered his message well. He related it to the Pope who listened to it attentively. Archbishop Thomas set off immediately. He came to Sens where he found the Pope.

449
But before the friend of God arrived there, king [Henry] had already sent his own envoys to the Pope: bishops, barons and knights of renown. The Pope had fled from Rome and had been living in Sens for many months, weeks and days..

450
Among those who came there were the archbishop of York, where he was master; seen there were [Guy] le Roux, and the bishop who was from Worcester; and the earl of Arundel and Richard of Ilchester, John of Oxford and the bishop of Exeter, Hugh de Gundeville, Hilary [bishop] of Chichester.

451
Came there [also] Renaud de Saint Valéry, Henry Fitz Gerald who were intimates of the king, Gilbert Foliot [bishop of London] who did not remain silent there, and many others, both young and old [those whose hair had turned grey]. On that account such persons who spoke there were held to be quite insane.

452
The kings envoys stood before the Pope. Some spoke well, many spoke badly, some expressed themselves in Latin without regard to its [grammatical] rules, such as the one who made impersonal verbs personal, [and] treating singular and plural forms as completely equal.

453
[And] such as the prelate who spoke in so harsh a manner [so much so] that the Pope said to him: <<Brother, have restraint, as I will not suffer anyone speaking ill of him.>> I do not have all of their [exact] words [used] before me, but I will mention those of note known to me.

454 <<Sire, king Henry,>> the envoys said to him, <<beseeches and requests that, as his dearest [spiritual] father, you will send to him two such cardinals who are sufficiently empowered in all matters to bind and to loose [to act with indisputable authority] so that no one can contradict their decision[s] by an appeal,

455
>> But that they should be strong enough and have such powers that whatever they do should be steadfast such that [at any hearing] before them no one may organize an appeal or challenge their decision, and that if king Henry has committed a wrong towards the archbishop, it should be put right by them.

456
>> And if the archbishop has committed a transgression against him, it should be set to rights, judged and completely settled by them.>>
All this sounded as if it was made in complete great faith; but in truth, not one word of it had any sincerity. Indeed it was nothing but full of trickery and very great deceit.

457
The king is a rich man, wise and of considerable skill. Know well that cardinals are all-take and greedy for money [like Lombards]. Covetous are they for wealth more than a villein is for cleared land [in a forest]. The king has two privy counsellors in his private circle, Sorel [he who is avaricious for red (refined) gold] and Lord Blanchart[he who is desirous of blanched (fine) silver].who are quick atmaking the good evil and the daring cowards.

458
They were not able to deceive the Pope by trickery. He replied to them like a man possessed of great wisdom: <<Such power cannot be held by any cardinal. By me I will grant no one such power contrary to reason. I have no wish to set up anyone in the dominion of the Pope.>>

Rough Translation [temporary]

458
The Pope was not deceived by this trick; he replied as a very wise man: "No cardinal can hold such power. No one will benefit by me from an unjust authority, and I do not intend to install one in the pontificate! "

459
And when the king's messengers went to the Pope, the archdeacon Renaud resided in Corbeil, and he went to meet them to Paris. He kindly begged them to do him the honour of lodging at his house, and he thanked them in advance.

460
In his country, he tells them, he belonged to a good family, but he had left because of his archbishop. If they did him the honour he solicited, he would be more esteemed by the good King Louis, who had made him abbot of Corbeil.

461
"Because of our king," said they, "we will not eat with you; he will not be pleased with it, for he does not love you. "You will not succeed in obtaining everything from the Pope," said Renaud, "but if you agree to stay with me at my expense, you will succeed in avenging the King of one of his enemies." "

462
After that, they continued on their way to Sens, at the Pope's house. And as he could not do what they had asked, he promised them as a concession that Roger [archbishop] of York would be legate-born for the kingdom; the act was drawn up, but was not delivered.

463
Renaud le Lombard was a familiar of the apostolic court. When he heard that the affair had thus turned out, he went there secretly at night -for the King of England was very much feared by day, and he did not want to be denounced-

464 and he said to the pope, "Lord, do not do that! If Roger of York obtains the legation, he will lay down all the prelates that the king hates. Renaud did so well that the Pope cut into small pieces the act he had had made before, and delivered another piece to the messengers.

465
The king's messengers went to great lengths to achieve their ends, but they obtained nothing more. They mounted on horseback and returned. Renaud de Saint-Valery had relations in the country; otherwise, they would have been mistreated.

466
They did not want to wait for their archbishop because they were not able to attack in any way: it would make them, early on, understand the Pope something that could very quickly serve them, and they could not defend themselves on all points.

References

David Knowles (2 January 1951). The Episcopal Colleagues of Archbishop Thomas Becket: Being the Ford Lectures Delivered in the University of Oxford in Hilary Term 1949. Cambridge University Press. pp. 91–. ISBN 978-0-521-05493-5.

John Morris (1859). The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Etc. Chapter XIX The Pope: Longman, Brown. pp. 160–.

John Allen Giles (1846). The Life and Letters of Thomas À Becket: Now First Gathered from the Contemporary Historians. Chapter XXII Whittaker and Company. pp. 278–.

James J. Spigelman (2004). Becket & Henry: The Becket Lectures. James Spigelman. pp. 157–. ISBN 978-0-646-43477-3.

William Holden Hutton (8 May 2014). Thomas Becket. Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-1-107-66171-4.