But though the Archbishop and the King had given each other the "kiss
of peace," yet the reconciliation was on the surface only; underneath,
the old hatred smoldered, ready to burst forth into flame. As soon as
he reached England, Becket invoked the thunders of the Church against
those who had officiated at the coronation of Prince Henry. He
excommunicated the Archbishop of York with his assistant bishops.

The King took their part, and in an outburst of passion against Becket
he exclaimed, "Will none of the cowards who eat my bread rid me of
that turbulent priest?" In answer to his angry cry for relief, four
knights set out without Henry's knowledge for Canterbury, and brutally
murdered the Archbishop within the walls of his own cathedral.

170. Results of the Murder.

The crime sent a thrill of horror throughout the realm. The Pope
proclaimed Becket a saint with the title of Saint Thomas. The mass of
the English people looked upon the dead ecclesiastic as a martyr who
had died in the defense of the Church, and of all those--but
especially the laboring classes and the poor--around whom the Church
cast its protecting power.

The great cathedral of Canterbury was hung in mourning; Becket's
shrine became the most famous in England. The stone pavement, and the
steps leading to it, still show by their deep-worn hollows where
thousands of pilgrims coming from all parts of the kingdom, and from
the Continent even, used to creep on their knees to the saint's tomb
to pray for his intercession.