[Sidenote: _Ex Quadrilagio._ The king and the arch. Becket met togither in the presence of the French king.] Wherevpon the two kings met diuerse times, and the archbishop Thomas comming with the French king, at one time humbled himselfe so to the king of England, that knéeling downe at his féet, he said: "My souereigne liege lord, I commit the whole cause of the controuersie betwixt your grace and me, vnto your maiesties order, Gods honour onlie reserued." The king offended with that ambiguous exception, said to the king of France: "Whatsoeuer displeaseth this man, is taken (as he interpreteth it) contrarie to Gods honour, and so by that shift will he chalenge to himselfe all that belongeth vnto me. But bicause you shall not thinke that I go about to resist Gods honour, or him, in any reasonable order, looke what the greatest and most holie of all his ancestors haue doone vnto the meanest of mine ancestours, let him doo the same vnto me, and I am contented therewith." All the companie present cried, "that the king humbled himselfe enough." "My lord archbishop (said the French king) will you be greater than saints, and better than saint Peter? Wherof stand you in doubt? Behold, your peace is at hand." [Sidenote: The present state of the church in Becket daies.] The archbishop made answer in commendation of the present state of holie church, as thus: "My holie predecessours in their time, although they cut not all things away that extolled it selfe against God, yet did they cut off diuers: but if they had plucked vp all by the hard roots, which might offend, who should now haue raised the fire of temptation against vs? We are in much better case (thanks be to God) and as we haue laboured in their lot and number, so are we partakers of their labour and reward. What if any of them had béene defectiue or excessiue in any point, are we bound to follow the example of their defection or excesse? We blame Peter for his denieng of Christ, but we praise him in reproouing of Neros violence with danger of his life. The church hath risen and increased out of manie dangerous oppressions, our fathers haue suffered manie things, bicause they would not forsake the name of Christ; and ought I to suppresse his honour, to be reconciled vnto any mans fauour? God forbid, God forbid." [Sidenote: The archb. Becket blamed of arrogancie.] When the Noble men present heard this answer of a subiect against his souereigne, they all held against him, imputing the fault to the archbishops arrogancie, that the peace was not made betweene the king and him, insomuch that there was an erle which openlie said; "Sith he resisteth the will of both the realmes, he is not worthie to be succoured by either of them from henceforth: and therefore being cast out of England, let not France receiue him."