Thomas Becket. Father John S. Hogan

Чтение книги онлайн.

       8

       Archiepiscopal Servant

      Life in the archbishop’s household was hectic. Like many ecclesiastical centers in England at the time, it was a mix of diocesan chancery, monastery, and secular court, all sharing the same buildings and coexisting in relative peace — but with intrigue. Thomas struggled at first in this new environment. There was a hierarchy among the clerks; some were very well educated, and these would have considered Thomas an inferior. But rather than stunt the young man, the situation actually stirred his ambition. He saw how clerks had risen up the ranks, some being appointed archdeacons of various dioceses so they would, in time, easily slip into the episcopacy. Thomas may or may not have had designs on holy orders, but his ambition was growing, and the first step toward advancement was to enter the ranks of the clerics, as was normal for those who served the Church in a professional capacity. He received minor orders soon after he was appointed clerk, and as he entered the clerical state, his status changed. In accordance with the much-disputed custom, he was now subject to ecclesiastical rather than civil jurisdiction in many areas.

      Thomas’s whole world changed. No longer a resident in London, he now lived a peregrinate existence, moving with the archiepiscopal court from Canterbury to the various manors Theobald occupied in accordance with his business. Working for the official Church then, as now, was challenging in many ways, including morally; it was not, perhaps, the best place to see the Gospel at work. There were those who sought to serve the Church and the archbishop, but there were others who saw every action, every decision, every development, in terms of moving up and down ladders, making or breaking careers. The game of power occupied many in the archbishop’s household, and in the daily activity of the archiepiscopal court, politics was as much a motivation for them as the Church’s mission. The court teemed with all the emotions of men who were seeking to make something of their lives. In that context, alliances were made and broken, friendships formed, individuals noted and marked. A way of doing things in terms of procedure, law, and custom became a status quo that was carefully adhered to, not only to ensure that things were done right but also to keep peace, to keep certain individuals in check, and to unite the whole body ecclesiastical as one whenever a threat came from outside.

      Such was the way of life in any court, but in this one, the hardworking and committed archbishop, a man of faith, made all the difference. He inspired loyalty. Dropped into this clerical soup, Thomas had to hit the ground running and find friends among the staff. One prominent member of the court, however, may not have been initially inclined to a positive relationship with him: Roger de Pont L’Évêque. Roger was a native of Normandy, born around 1115. Upon his entrance into Theobald’s service, it was obvious that his ability matched his ambition, which was far-reaching and intense. Thomas’s early biographer William of Canterbury relates that Thomas formed an alliance with Roger and another clerk, John of Canterbury. The three, William insists, made a pact to protect and help one another advance their interests and careers. Given that it was rare for the three to be absent from the household at the same time, there was always at least one to keep an eye on what was happening and inform the others when they returned.¹ Frank Barlow in his modern biography suggests that Roger was suspicious of the newcomer from the moment Thomas arrived and that he regarded the manner of the young Londoner’s arrival as irregular.² That Theobald quickly developed an affection for Thomas did not help matters, and so whether or not Roger and Thomas were allies, close or otherwise, their relationship soon became bitter and confrontational.³ Perhaps Roger, as an ambitious young man, was indeed wary of Thomas, but judged that for the time being, it was more conducive to his career to form an alliance with this new arrival. As Thomas advanced, however, Roger’s ambition may have overcome whatever affection for Thomas or initial pragmatism he may have had. Later events would lead Roger to despise him even more.

      Thomas had few qualifications for his position. He was probably hired because Theobald wanted someone with experience in financial matters, which Thomas had thanks to Osbert, and saw in him a young man who could be trained for greater things. As he would have expected, Thomas started at the bottom as the junior clerk assigned the lowliest of tasks: filing, taking statements, doing odd jobs, being ordered about by his seniors. He watched his steps in the first few weeks, taking careful note of how things were done and how people worked and reacted. He aimed to be helpful and competent; and as he completed his work in an exceptional manner, not only was Theobald vindicated in his decision, but others noticed this young man’s ability. One of those was Theobald’s brother, Walter the Archdeacon. Walter was always happy to have someone help him with his duties, particularly when he had to stand in at the court while Theobald was away on business. For Walter, Thomas gradually became that clerk who was always willing to help; this was a smart move on Thomas’s part.⁴

      To bring his education up to the standard required of a clerk, Theobald assigned Thomas to study with a tutor, who would not only teach him the knowledge he needed for his day-to-day work but also help develop his natural skills and fit him for tasks the archbishop already had in mind for this new protégé. The tutor was already teaching Theobald’s nephews, so Thomas was more than likely included in classes that had already been arranged. These lessons were not a leisurely familiarizing of oneself with Church law and practice; rather, as soon as he was appointed to mentor the new clerk, the tutor arrived with an armful of works for Thomas’s attention, prominent among them works on canon law.⁵ One of the important tasks of the primate’s court was dealing with legal matters, and for this Theobald needed capable advisors and clerks who were well versed in the law. As Thomas was seemingly marked out for legal work, Theobald had to ensure that he not only grasped the fundamentals of canon law, but also knew his way around the complexities of the Church’s legal system in order to harmonize it with, and at times challenge, the system of civil laws. Experts on canon law and other matters pertaining to the life of the Church would have been regular visitors to Canterbury, and Theobald may have given Thomas the opportunity to speak with them and thereby supplement his studies. Thomas would doubtless have become acquainted with the reforms of Pope Saint Gregory VII,⁶ since they had recently affected relations between the Church and the secular powers in various realms. As a servant of the Church, the new clerk would need to understand not only the law of these reforms, but also the response with which they had been met.

      Thomas was doing well. Theobald was not given to fawning over his servants, but he was impressed with his new clerk. СКАЧАТЬ