And prayed at the beginning
Of this enterprise and daring;
But there was no prayer
Nor commandment of father,
Of brother, of friend, or of neighbor
That followed the king’s inclination.
The pope often
Commands and prays gently
That he do nothing against the establishment
Of the reign nor of the holy Church.
They hold all in contempt
And don’t follow his writ,
All against their consciences
And against holy obedience.
At the end it seems obvious
That their work doesn’t please God.
Much evil and bother comes from this
Having crowned the young king,
Without the absent archbishop,
Other bishops suspended
And the others excommunicated
And confounded and exiled,
And war between father and son
A mortal, bitter conflict.
Enemy the years of his youth
And around the age, more or less, of thirty,
The young king Henry died,
About which young and old are sad.
Of his beauty, of his largesse,
Of his goodness, of his prowess
You could say much,
But that would be outside the story.
The news is spread
And all is known throughout the land
About the crowning of Henry
The young who was so elevated
Affirmed by all, all accomplished.
King Henry the young was acclaimed king
Who was so handsome
And brave and a noble young man.
When holy Thomas heard it said
Don’t be surprised if he was angry,
For to his person belongs
The royal coronation;
And if he can’t be present;
They at least need his agreement.
But now it was otherwise and worse:
Neither was he present nor his counsel given.
Then when he hears of this offense
He complains to the pope
About those of his subjection
Who made such an error
Concerning their father and prelate
Who alone for them combats all
And who suffers exile for all
And the mortal wrath of the king
This wrong grieves him more
Than the grievance of the king
More he suspects and more is discouraged,
For it’s like a blow on a wound.
Between two millstones lies Thomas
When he’s taken high and brought low;
He seems like wheat or grain
Which is ground to make bread.
The pope, when he hears, is much moved by it
And so is the whole kingdom of France.
From another side the king of France *
[The pope] prays that he [King Louis] take vengeance for it
The pope, as he wants his service
And his love without pretension.
William, the prelate of Sens
Of the evils holy Thomas is afflicted with... **
 

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