338 ANN AXS OP SOGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 1171. a hundred and sixty miles. The monks of the church of Canterbury, on this, shut the doors of the church, and so the church remained with the celebration of the mass suspended for nearly a whole year, until they had received a reconriliation of the church9 1 from our lord the pope Alexander. But the monks took up the body of their martyr, and the first night placed it in the choir, performing around it the service for the dead. It is also said, and with truthfulness, that when they had completed around the body the obsequies of mortality, and while he was lying on the bier in the choir, about daybreak he raised his left hand and gave them the benediction ; after which, they buried him in the crypt. As for the knights who had perpetrated this unholy deed, instantly becoming conscious of the heinousness of their conduet, and despairing of forgiveness, they did not dare to return to the court of the king of England, but retired into the western9 8 parts of England to Knaresborough, the town of Hugh de Morville, and there remained until they had become utterly despised by the people of that district. For all persons avoided any communication with him, and no one would eat or drink with them. The consequence was that they ate and drank by themselves, and the remnants of their victuals were cast out to the dogs, which, when they had tasted thereof, refused to eat any more. Behold the signal and deserved vengeance of God ! that those who had despised the anointed of the Lord should be despised even by dogs. However, a considerable time after this, the four knights above-named, who felt the accusation of their own consciences for having perpetrated this deed, went to Alexander, the pope of Borne, and, being enjoined by him to do penance, set out for Jerusalem. Performing penance according to the pope's injunctions, they died at Montenegro, and were buried at Jerusalem before the doors of the Temple. The inscription on their tomb was to the following effect:9 9 "Here lie the wretched men who martyred the blessed Thomas, archbishop of Canter 3" On the reconciliation of a church, it was consecrated anew by the bishop, and sprinkled throughout with holy water. 9 3 Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, can hardly be said to be in the West of England. m The latter part of the epitaph is couched in the following jingle :— " Annus millenus, centenus, septuagenus, Primus erat, primas quo ruit ense Thomas."