Thomas More

one of the greatest prodigies of Wit and Learning that this Nation ever before his time produced, Son of Sir Joh. More Knight, one of the Justices of the Kings Bench, was born in Milk-street within the City of London, an. 1480. trained up in Grammar learning in St. Anthonies School there, and afterwards received into the Family of Card. Joh. Moreton Archb. of Canterbury, merely for the towardliness of his Person, and the great hopes that the pregnancy of his parts then promised. About the Year 1497. ’tis said by some late Authors (f)(f) Tho. More Gr. Grandson to Sir Thomas, in The Life of Sir Tho. More, printed about the Year 1627. cap. 1. p. 20. and J. H. in The Life (also) of the said Sir Tho. printed at Lond. in 8 vo. an. 1662. p. 4. that that worthy Cardinal did send him to Canterbury College in Oxon, to obtain Academical Learning, but upon what grounds they report so, it appears not. Miles Windsore (whom I shall mention among these Writers under the Year 1624.) who came to the University of Oxon, in the time of Queen Mary, doth (g)(g) In Collectaneis quibusdam ad rem Historic. & Antiq. pertinent. MS. penes me A. W Vide etiam B. Twynum in Apol. Antiq. Acad. Oxon. lib. 3. Sect. 311. tell us more than once that he had his Chamber, and studied in the Hall of St. Mary the Virgin, and constant tradition doth say the like, and ’twas never reported to the contrary, before those two Authors here cited (Tho. More and J. H.) published their respective Books. What continuance Sir Tho. made in Oxon, or whether he took a Degree, it appears not, neither can we find means to resolve us, because the University Registers of that Age are deficient. However, this is certain, that at what time our Author studied in this University, Grocynus read publickly the Greek Tongue there; whom, he constantly hearing, became a great proficient in that Language, and other sorts of Learning by the helps of Lynacre his Tutor; then, if I mistake not, Fellow of Allsouls Coll. From Oxon he removed to an Inn of Chancery at London called New Inn, where continuing for a time according to the manner and custom of those that intended to make a proficiency in the municipal Laws, translated himself to Lincolns Inn, where easily conquering those Studies, was at length called to the Bar. Afterwards growing into great favour with K. Hen. 8. who highly valued him for his Learning, Wisdom, Experience, and extraordinary gifts of nature that he was endowed with, conferr’d these honors and employments successively upon him, viz. the Mastership of the Request, the intrusting him in several Embrassies, the honor of Knighthood, the Treasureship of the Exchecquer, Chancellorship of the Dutchy of Lancaster, the Embassage to the Emperor and French King, and at length upon the removal of Cardinal Wolsey, had the great Seal delivered to him 25. Oct. 21. Hen. 8. and then also declared High Chancellor of England; in which last office no Person ever before did carry himself more uprightly, or with greater liking to the generality of People, than he. On the 16. May 24. Hen. 8. he delivered up the great Seal to the King at his Mannour House called York-place near Westminster, in the presence of Thomas Duke of Norfolk, upon the foresight of some evil matters that were like to come to pass, and on the 20. of the same Month the said Seal was delivered by the King, in his Mannour of Pleasaunce, otherwise called East-Greenwych to Sir Thomas Audley Knight. After this, Sir Thomas retired to his House (h)(h) The same House where Sir Joh. Danvers lately lived, where two Pyramids are at the gate. at Chelsey near London, where continuing for a time in the enjoyment of his Muse, not without severe devotion, was at length, for not acknowledging the King’s Supermacy over the Church of England, committed Prisoner to the Tower of London; where remaining several Months very close, to the endangering of his health, his Daughter Margaret, Wife of William Roper of Tenham and Eltham in Kent, wrot a Letter to Thomas Cromwell chief Secretary of State, (the contents of which I have (i)(i) In the Paper Office at Whitehall. seen) intreating him to be good to her Father in Prison, kept so close that his health is utterly decayed. Another also I have seen from Dame Alice More his Wife to the aforesaid Cromwell, beseeching him to be good to her poor old Husband, whose close keeping, destroys his body. Also the be good to her and hers, considering their necessity—“For my good Master (saith she) as I would be saved before our Lord, I am driven to that point, that I am fain to make sale of certain imployments and old stuff to find Mr. More, and me, and my poor houshold with, &c. ” with other like matters written by that whining Woman, which I shall now for brevity omit, and only at present tell the Reader that no Man was more patient, pious, and severe in the course of his life than he. He was also very meek, humble, charitable, and a despiser of the things of this World, and nothing was wanting in him to make a compleat Christian. His parts were great and profound, his skill in Divinity, municipal Laws, the Latin and Greek Languages, in Poesie, Mathematicks and what not, was excellent and without compare. All which endowments made him not only beloved of Kings and Nobles, but of the lights of Learning of his time, as Erasmus, Colet, Tonstal B. of Durham, Fisher B. of Rochester, Grocyn, Lynacre, Liyle, Paice, Elyot, Lupset, Leland, &c. most of which, especially Foreign Writers, have celebrated his Memory in their respective Works, and all ingenious Scholars at this time bear a great respect to his Name and Lucubrations. He hath written in English.

A merry jest how a Sergeant would learn to play a Fryer.—Written in Verse.

Verses on a hanging of a painted Cloth in his Fathers House.—Containing 9 Pagiants, and Verses in each.

Lamentation on the Death of Elizabeth Wife of King Hen. 7. An. 1503.

Verses on the Book of Fortune.

These four beforegoing, being written in his Youth, are not numbred among his Works.

History of K. Rich. 3.—This, which was never quite finished, is the same, I presume, that is intituled The tragical History of K. Rich. 3. printed under Sir Thom. More’s Name at London 1651. in 8vo. His Great Grandson (k)(k) Tho. More in The Life of Sir Tho. More; at the later end. saith, that he did not only write elegantly the Life of Rich. 3. in English, (which is abroad in print tho corrupted and vitiated) but in Latin also, not yet printed.

Memorare novissima.

Dialogue concerning Heresies and matters of Religion.

Supplication of Souls, made against the supplication of Beggars.—This is sometimes called The supplication of Purgatory, written against that of Beggars, made by Sim. Fish of Greys Inn Gent.

The confutation of Tyndale’s Answer of Sir Th. More’s Dialogues.

The second part of the confutation—Written 1533.

Answer to Joh. Fryth’s Book made against the Blessed Sacrament—Written the same Year.

An Apology—This was written against a Book intit. A Treatise of the division between the spirituality and temporality. Against which Apology, was published a Book called Salem & Bizance, written Dialogue-wise. Lond. 1533. oct.

The debellacyon of Salem and Bizance. Lond. 1533. oct

Answer to the first part of the poysoned Book, which a nameless Heretick hath named, The Supper of our Lord.

Treatise upon the passion of Christ.

A

Certain Letters written by him, after he had given over the Office of Lord Chancellor.

Certain Letters written by him while he was Prisoner in the Tower.—All which treatises were collected and printed in one Vol. at London, an. 1557. fol. Among them are,

A godly instruction—written in Lat.

His Epitaph—In Lat. See the Copy of it in Joh. Weevers Book intituled, Ancient funeral Monuments. p. 522, 523, and in the beginning of Maur. Channy or Chawney his Historia aliquot nostri saeculi martyrum. printed 1550. in qu. He hath also translated into English (1) The life of Joh. Picus Earl of Mirandula. (2) An exposition of a part. of the possion of Christ.

His Latin Works, besides those two little things beforementioned are these.

De optimo repub. statu, deque nova insula Utopia, libellus aureus, &c. Basil. 1518. there again 1563, both in qu. and at Oxon 1663. in oct. Translated into English, with notes added to it in the Margin, by Ralph Robinson of C. C. C.—Lond. 1557. oct. Published also at the same place 1639. in oct. by one Bernard Alsop, who dedicates it to Cressacre More of More-place in Northmimes in Hertfordshire Esq. one of the posterity, and next in blood to our Author Sir Tho. More. The said Utopia also was published in Italian, at Venice 1548.

Epigrammata. Bas. 1518. 1563. oct. Lond. 1638, &c.

Progimnasmata. Bas. 1563.

Responsio ad convitia Martint Lutheri. written in the Year 1523. This I take to be the same with Vindicatio Henrici 8. Regis Angliae & Galliae, à calumniis Lutheri. Lond. 1523. qu. published under the name of Gul. Rosseus.

Quod pro fide mors fugienda non est. Written in the Tower of London, 1534.

Precationes ex Psalmis. Collected there the same Year.

Imploratio divini auxilii contra tentationem, cum insultatione contra Demones, ex spe & fiducia in Deum. Lugd. 1572. He also translated from Greek into Lat. Dialogi Luciani, with other matters of that Author—Bas. 1563. All which (except Precationes ex psalmis, beforemention’d) together with his History of K. Rich. 3. and his Expositio passionis Domini, were printed at Lovaine, 1566.

Epistolae. Bas. Lond. 1642.

Epistola ad Acad. Oxon, an. 1519. Ox. 1633. qu. See in Tho. James under the Year 1638.

History of the pitiful life, and unfortunate death of Edward 5. and the then Duke of York his Brother. Lond. 1651. oct. This last being in English, and published the last of all his Works; I do therefore put it here. At length this our worthy Author being brought to his trial in Westminster-hall, was there for Treason (for denying the King’s Supremacy) condemned to be hang’d, drawn, and quarter’d. But that Sentence being mitigated by the K. he only lost his Head on Tower-hill 6. July, in Fifteen hundred thirty and five. 1535 Soon after his Body was buried in the Chappel belonging to the Tower called St. Peter ad Vincula, by the care of his Daughter Margaret, to which place, as ’tis said, she afterwards removed the Body of John Fisher B. of Rochester, who being beheaded for the same matter on 22. June going before, was buried in the Church-yard of Allhallows Barkin. But More’s Body continuing not long in that Chappel, was by the said Margaret removed to Chelsey Church near London, and there deposited on the South side of the Choire or Chancel. Over it is a large Epitaph made by himself, after he had given up his Chancellorship, which is printed in several Books and by several Authors. As for his head, it was set upon a pole on London-bridge, where abiding about 14 days, was then privily bought by the said Margaret, and by her for a time carefully preserved in a leaden Box, but afterwards with great devotion, ’twas put into a Vault (the burying place of the Ropers) under a Chappel joyning to St. Dunstans Church in Canterbury,] where it doth yet remain, standing in the said Box on the Coffin of Margaret his Daughter buried there. Much more, as ’tis probable, I could say of his Death and Burial, could I see a Book intit. Expositio fidelis de morte Thomae Mori. Printed in 8 vo. in the Year 1536. but the Book is very scarce, and I could never see no more of it than the bare title. One More of Hertfordshire (descended from him) had one of his Chaps, and was by his among other rarities carefully preserved till the Rebellion broke out in 1642. Jasper and Ellis Heywood, Jesuits, Sons of Joh. Heywood the noted Poet in the time of Hen. 8 had one of the teeth of the said Sir Tho. More, but they being loth to part with their right to each other, the tooth (l)(l) Ib. in Si [•] Tho. Mores life before mention’d. fell asunder and divided of it self. The said Sir Thomas had issue by his first Wife Jane, the Daughter of John Cowlt of Cowlts Hall in Essex three Daughters, and one Son named John, who being little better than an Ideot, (as ’tis said) took to Wife in his Fathers life time Anne, Daughter and sole Heir of Edward Cressacre of Baronburgh in Yorkshire, by whom he had issue (1) Thomas, (right Heir of his Father and Grandfather) who had 13 Children, of which Five were Sons. The four eldest lived in voluntary contempt, and loathed the World, before the World fawned on them. The first was Thomas, born anew, and baptized on that day of the Year (6. July) on which Sir Thomas suffered death. This Thomas having the Estate come to him, married, (*)(*) So he saith in the said life. and had several Children, but being a most zealous Catholick, and constantly affected to the French Nation and Crown, did at his own cost and charge, with unwearied industry, assemble all the English Persons of note that were then in and about Rome to supplicate his Holiness for a dispatch of a contract between the K. of England and Henrietta Maria of France an. 1624-25. which being done, the said Thomas, who was the Mouth or Speaker for the said English Persons, died XI. April (according to the accompt followed at Rome) an. 1625. aged 59. and was buried in the middle almost of the Church of St. Lewis in Rome, leaving then behind him the life of his Gr. Grandfather Sir Tho. More’s, incomparably well written, published (at London I think) in 4to, about 1627 and dedicated to Henrietta Maria beforementioned. Over the said Tho. Mores Grave, was soon after laid a monumental Stone at the charge of the English Clergy at Rome, and an Epitaph engraven thereon, a Copy of which was sent to me by I know not whom, (as several things of that nature are, from other places) running thus. D. O. M. S. Thomae Moro dioc. Ebor. Anglo, magni illius Thomae Mori Angliae Cancellarii & Martyris pronepoti atꝫ haeredi, viro probitate & pietate insigni; qui, raro admodum, apud Britannos exemplo, in fratrem natu minorem, amplum transcripsit patrimonium, & presbyter Romae factus, inde fuisse sedis Apostolicae in patriam profectus, plusculos annos, strenuam fidei propagandae navavit operam: postea cleri Anglicani negotia septem annos Romae, & 5 in Hispaniâ P. P. Paulo 5to, & Gregorio 15 summa cum integritate & industria suisque sumptibus procuravit. Tandem de subrogando Anglis Episcopo ad Urbanum 8 missus negotio feliciter confecto laborum mercedem recepturus, ex hac vita migravit, XI. Apr. An. 1625. aet. suae 59. Clerus Anglicanus moestus P.—The second Son of the said Joh. More (Son of Sir Thomas) was Augustine, who dyed unmarried. The third was Thomas the second, or Thomas junior, born at Chelsey 8. Aug. 23. Hen. 8. who, when he came to mans Estate, (m)(m) Tho. More in the life of Sir Tho. More, p. 361 degenerated from the Catholick Religion, and lived and died a professed Minister, leaving Issue several Children, of whom the eldest Cressacre More (who was born at Baronburgh in Yorkshire 3. July 1572.) lived afterwards (n)(n) Ib. p. 361. in no commendable fashion. The fourth was Edward, (o)(o) Ib. p. 360, 361. born after Sir Thomas his death, and having not his blessing as Thomas (the first) and Augustin in bad, degenerated from the Catholick Religion. The fifth was Bartholomew, who died young of the Plague in London. The Pictures of most of these Mores, mention’d here by me, viz. of Sir Joh. More the Father, and his Lady, Sir Thomas the Son, and his Lady, John the Grandson, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Cicely, the Grand Daughters, &c. were most admirably well depicted by the curious hand of Hans Holbin, well known to, and acquainted with, Sir Thomas More. Which piece, being an original, remaineth to this day (1689) in the House [•] f the Lenthals at Besills-Lee near to Abendon in Berks. Round which is an Inscription, shewing the names and matches of those that are there depicted, but now scarce legible. To conclude, if any curious Person is desirous to know more of this noted Author Sir Tho. More, who hath been, and yet is, wonderfully celebrated throughout the learned World, let him consult (1) His life (p)(p) MS. in archiv. bib. Bod. written by Will. Roper before-mention’d. (2) Dr. Tho. Stapleton his Book (q)(q) Edit. Duac. 1588. & Col, Agrip. 1599. entit. De tribus Thomis, mostly as to this Sir Tho. More, taken from that written by Roper. (3) His life written by Thom. More before-mention’d, much of which is taken from the former two. (4) His life (r)(r) Printed at Lond. 1662. oct. written by J. H. (Haddesdon I think) collected from Stapleton and More, especially the last, which was, and is scarce to be had. (5) A Book written by Maur. Channey or Chawney, sometimes a Carthusian near London, intit. Historia aliquot nostri saeculi, &c. which Book, and its Author, I shall mention elsewhere. (6) His life intit. The mirror of virtue in worldly greatness. Paris 1616. in oct. (7) A MS. of his life (whether a Copy of that MS. written by Roper I know not) in the Library of the Free-School at Colchester. The Reader is now to know that Will. Roper beforementioned who married Margaret More, was born in Kent, and educated for a time in one of the Universities. Afterwards he succeeded his Father John Roper in the Office of Prothonotary of the Kings Bench; which, after he had kept and faithfully performed 54 Years, he resign’d it to his Son Thom. Roper. The said William was very bountiful both at home and abroad, merciful, meek, and a Staff to such that were poor, oppressed, and imprison’d. At length after he had lived a Widower 33 Years, and 82 in this vain World, he submitted to fate 4. Januar. 1577. Whereupon his body was buried next to that of Margaret his Wife, in a Vault under a Chappel joining to the Chancel belonging to the Church of St. Dunstan in Canterbury. The life of Sir Tho. More before-mentioned, written by this Will. Roper, I have several times perused, the beginning of which is, Forasmuch as Sir Tho. More Knight, &c.