archebishope. Ogy. What els/there ys no pylgremage
more holy. Me. I wold fayne here of yt, and
I shold nat trouble you. Ogy. I pray you here,
& take good hedd. Kente ys callyd that parte
of England, that buttythe apon Frauce and Flanders,
the cheffe cytye there of ys Cantorburye, in yt there
be ij. || D iij.|| Abbayes, bothe of thaym be of Saynte
Benedycts ordre, but that which ys callyd Saynte Augustyns
dothe apere to be the oldre, that whiche ys callyd
now Saynte Thomas dothe apere to haue be the Archebyshope
of Cantorburys see, where as he was wontyd to lyue
with a sorte of monkes electe for hymselffe, as Byshopes
now adayes be wontyd to haue thayr howses nye vnto
the churche, but aparte frome other canons howses.
In tymes paste bothe Byshopes & Chanones were wontyde
to be monkes, as may be playnly prouyd by many argumentes.
The churche which ys dedycate to Saynte Thomas, dothe
streche vpe apon heght so gorgeously, that it wyll
moue pylgrymes to deuocion a ferre of, and also withe
hys bryghtnes and shynynge he dothe lyght hys neybures,
& the old place whiche was wontyd to be most holy,
|| now in respecte of it, is but a darke hole and
a lytle cotage. There be a couple of great hye
toures, which doo seme to salute strangeres aferre
of, and thay dow fyll all the contray abowt bothe
farre and nere, with the sownde of great belles, in
the fronte of the temple, whiche is apo the southe
syde, there stand grauen in a stone thre armyd men,
whiche with thayr cruell handes dyd sleye the most
holy saynte Thomas, and there is wryten thayr surnames
Tracy, Breton, and Beryston. Me. I pray you
wharfore doo thay suffer thos wykyd knyghtes be so
had in honoure. Ogy. Euyn suche honor is gyuen
to thaym as was gyue to Iudas, Pylate, and Caiphas,
& to the compauy of the wykyd sowdyeres, as you may
se payntyd in the tables that be sett before aultres.
Thayr surnames be putto lest any man hereafter shuld
vsurpe any || D iiij.|| cause of thayr prayse.
Thay be payntyd byfore mennes eyes, bycause that no
cowrtyer after thys shuld laye violet handes other
apo Byshopes, or the churche goodes. For thes
thre of this garde strayght apon that wykyd acte,
wente starke madde, nor thay had neuer had thayr mynde
ayen, but that thay prayd to blessyd saynt Thomas.
Me. O blessyd pacyence of suche martyres. Ogy.
At our entre in, lord what a pryncely place dyd apere
vnto vs, where as euery ma that wyll may goo in. Me.
Is there no maruayle to be sene. Ogy. Nothynge
but the greate wydnes of the place, and a sorte of
bokes, that be bownde to pyleres wherein is the gospell
of Nicodemus, and I cannat tell whos sepulkre. Me.
What than? Ogy. Thay do so dylygetle watche
lest any ma shulde entre in to the quere of yron,
that thay wyll skarsly suffre a man || to loke apon
it, whiche is betwyxte the greate churche & the hye
quere (as thay calle it) a man that wyll go thyther
must clyme vp many stayres byfore, vndre the whiche


