▁compiled ▁only ▁from ▁secondary ▁sources ▁and ▁drew ▁mainly ▁on ▁an ▁earlier ▁bi ography ▁by ▁Edward ▁Gr im , ▁who ▁witness ed ▁Be cket ' s ▁Death ▁first ▁hand ▁and ▁was ▁wounded ▁trying ▁to ▁save ▁him . ▁Gu ern es ▁immediately ▁started ▁working ▁on ▁a ▁second ▁draft ▁and , ▁being ▁a ▁wand ering ▁cler ic , ▁went ▁to ▁England ▁to ▁interview ▁the ▁e y ew it ness es ▁of ▁Be cket ' s ▁death ▁in ▁the ▁Can ter bury ▁area . ▁Gu ern es ▁completed ▁the ▁text , ▁in ▁ 1 1 7 4 , ▁drawing ▁primarily ▁on ▁Edward ▁Gr im ▁and ▁William ▁of ▁Can ter bury , ▁and ▁consult ing ▁Bened ict ▁of ▁Peter borough ▁and ▁William ▁Fitz ste phen . ▁Although ▁Gu ern es ▁did ▁not ▁personally ▁know ▁Be cket , ▁he ▁tells ▁us ▁he ▁saw ▁him ▁numerous ▁times ▁r iding ▁against ▁the ▁French . ▁ ▁Vie ▁de ▁Saint ▁Thomas ▁Be cket ▁ ▁Gu ern es ' s ▁work ▁is ▁the ▁earliest - known ▁life ▁of ▁Be cket ▁written ▁in ▁French , ▁and ▁the ▁earliest ▁known ▁verse ▁life ▁of ▁Be cket . ▁There ▁are ▁six ▁manuscript s ▁of ▁the ▁second ▁draft , ▁all ▁of ▁them ▁are ▁Ang lo - N orm an ▁and ▁none ▁of ▁them ▁older ▁than ▁the ▁ 1 3 th - century . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁Ian ▁Short ▁exam ined ▁a ▁fragment ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁draft ▁which ▁was ▁assumed ▁lost ▁and ▁noted ▁that ▁the ▁second ▁draft ▁was ▁far ▁less ▁influenced ▁by ▁Gr im . ▁