themselues to be fine either in wearing that which was vneasie or in stroaking vp their hayre to make themselues high foreheads he would tell them that if God gaue them not hell he should doe them great iniurie for they tooke more paynes to please the world and the diuell then manie euen vertuous men did to cleanse their soules and please God Manie such speaches tending to deuotion and care of their soules had he euerie day at dinner and supper after the reading was done as is before sayd with such heauenlie discourses flowing with eloquence that it might well be sayd of him which the Queene of Saba sayd of Salomon Blessed art thou and blessed by thy Lord God and blessed are all they that attende and wayte on thee For no doubt there was the spirite of God in that familie where euerie one was busied about somewhat or other no cardes no dice no companie keeping of the men with the women but as it were in some religious house all chaste all courteous all deuout their recreations was either musike of voices or viols for which cause he procured his wife as I haue sayd to play thereon to draw her minde from the worlde to which by nature she was too much addicted but so as Sir THOMAS would say of her that she was often penny-wise and pound-foolish sauing a candle's ende and spoyling a veluett gowne Of her also he meant it when in his bookes of Comfort in Tribulation he telleth of one who would rate her husband because he had no minde to sett himself forward in the world saying vnto him Tillie vallie tillie vallie will you sitt and make goslings in the ashes my mother hath often sayd vnto me it is better to rule then to be ruled Now in truth answered Sir THOMAS that is truly sayd good wise for I neuer found you yet willing to be ruled And in another place of the same booke he calleth this wife of his a iollie Maister-woman 3. For all his publike affayres and housholde exercises he neuer left of to write learned bookes either of deuotion or against heresies which now beganne to spreade themselues from Germanie into Flanders from thence into England by manie pestiferous pampheletts and bookes against which Sir THOMAS MORE laboured with his penne more then anie other English man whatsoeuer in regarde of his zeale to God and the honour of his immaculate spouse the Catholike Church as appeareth by his foure bookes of Dialogues a worke full of learning and witt where he argueth most profoundly of the Inuocation of Saints pilgrimages relikes and Images he teacheth also substantially how we may knowe which is the true Church and that that Church cannot erre After he had ended this booke there was a lewde fellow sett out a pamphlett intituled the Supplication of Beggers by which vnder pretence of helping the poore he goeth about to cast out the Clergie and to ouerthrowe all Abbies and religious houses bearing men in hand that after that the Gospell should be preached beggars and bawdes should decrease thiefes and idle people be the fewer c. Against whome Sir THOMAS wrote a singular booke which he named A Supplication of the soules in Purgatorie making them there complaine of the most vncharitable dealing of certaine vpstarts who would perswade all men to take from thē the spirituall almes that haue bene in all ages bestowed vpon these poore soules who feele greater miserie then anie beggar in this world and he proueth most truly that an ocean of manie mischieuous euents would indeede ouerwhelme the realme Then sayth he shall Luther's gospell come in then shall Tindall's Testament be taken vp then shall false heresies be preached then shall the Sacraments be sett at naught then shall fasting and praier be neglected then shall holie Saints be blasphemed then shall Almightie god be displeased then shall he vvithdravve his grace and lett all runne to ruine then shall all vertue be had in derision then shall all vice raigne and runne forth vnbrideled then shall youth leaue labour and all occupation then shall folkes waxe idle and fall to vnthristinesse then shall vvhores and thieues beggars and bavvdes increase then shall vnthriftes flocke togeather and eache beare him bolde of other then shall all lavves be laughed to scorne then shall seruants sett naught by their maisters and vnrulie peop'e rebelle against their gouernours then vvill rise vp riseling and robberie mischiefe and plaine insurrection vvhereof vvhat the ende vvill be or vvhen you shall see it onely God knovveth And that Luther's new Gospell hath taken such effect in manie partes of Christendome the woefull experience doth feelingly to the great griefe of all good folkes testifye to the world Of all which and that the land would be peopled to the deuouring of one another he writeth particularly more like one that had seene what had ensued alreadie then like one that spoke of things to come He wrote also a laboursome booke against Tindall refuting particularly euerie periode of his bookes a short treatise also against young Father Fryth in defence of the reall presence which that heretike did gainesay and for that was after burnt Against Fryer Barnes his church he wrote also an Apologie and a defence thereof vnder the name of Salem and Byzanze which are all sett forth togeather with that most excellent peece of worke comprised in three bookes of Comfort in Tribulation which subiect he handleth so wittily as none hath come neare him either in weight of graue sentences deuout considerations or fit similitudes seasoning alwaies the troublesomnesse of the matter with some merrie ieastes or pleasant tales as it were sugar whereby we drinke vp the more willingly these wholesome druggs of themselues vnsauorie to flesh and bloud which kinde of writing he hath vsed in all his workes so that none can euer be wearie to reade them though they be neuer so long 4. Wherefore I haue thought it not a misse to sett downe in this place amongst a thousand others some of his Apophthegmes which Doctour Stapleton hath collected in two whole Chapters Doe not thinke saith Sir THOMAS MORE that to be alwaies pleasant which madde men doe laughing For one may often see a man in Bedlem laugh when he knockes his head against the wall vttering this to condemne them that esteeme all things good or badde which the common people iudge to be Againe A sinner saith he cannot taste spirituall delights because all carnall are first to be abandoned By an excellent similitude he teacheth vs why few doe feare death thus Euen as they which looke vpon things afarre of see them confusedly not knowing whether they be men or trees euen so he that promiseth vnto himselfe long life looketh vpon death as a thing farre of not iudging what it is how terrible what griefes and dangers it bringeth with it And that none ought to promise himselfe
doubt but that he was an elect and saued soule so that it was impossible for him to sinne or fall out of God's fauour Of this dangerous poison of securitie he hauing druncke a full draught he came on a time to Sir THOMAS to request him because he was highly in the king's fauour that he would gett him a licence to pieache what the spiritt had taught him for he was assured that God had sent him to instruct the world not knowing god wote anie reason of this his mission but only his priuate spirit to whome Sir THOMAS in a smiling manner replyed Is it not sufficient sonne Rooper that we that are your friēds should knowe that you are a foole but that you would haue your follie proclamed to the world After this he often disputed with him about matters of religion yet neuer could he bring him to hearken to anie reason euerie day seeming more obstinate then other vntill at length he sayd in sober sadnesse I see sonne noe disputation will doe thee good henceforth therefore I will dispute with thee no more only will I pray for thee that God will be so fauourable as to touch thy hart and so committing him to God they parted And he earnestly powred out his deuotions before the Diuine mercie for that intent And beholde my vncle not long after being inspired with the light of grace beganne to detest his heresies and as another S. Austin was wholy conuerted so that euer after he was not only a perfect Catholike but liued and dyed a stoute and valiant Champion thereof whose almes in charitable vses was so great that it is sayd that he bestowed euerie yeare to the value of fiue hūdred pounds especially in his latter daies in which he enioyed an office of great gayne and commoditie and after his death I haue heard it reported by thē that were seruants in his house that whilst his bodie lay vnburied for three or foure daies there was heard once a day for the space of a quarter of an hower the sweetest musike that could be imagined not of anie voices of men but angelicall harmonie as a token how gratious that soule was to Almightie God and to the quires of Angells Now this was a more speciall fauour which God grāted to Sir THOMAS his deuout prayers then the raysing of a dead man to life by how much more the death of the soule is of more danger then the death of the bodie yet it is certaine also that this glorious man begged also corporall life for some of his deare friends On a time his daughter Margaret wife to this William Rooper fell sicke of the sweating sickenesse of which maniedyed at that time who lying in so great extremitie of the disease that by no inuentions nor deuises that anie cunning phisiciā could vse at that time hauing cōtinually about her most learned wise and expert that could begotten she could by no meanes be kept from sleepe so that euerie one about her had iust cause to despaire of her recouerie giuing her vtterly ouer her father as he that most loued her being in noe small heauinesse at last sought for remedie of this her desperate case from God wherefore going as his custome was into his new building there in his Chappell vpon his knees most deuoutly euen with manie teares besought Almightie God vnto whome nothing was impossible of his goodnesse if it were his blessed will that at his meditation he would vouchsafe gratiously to graunt this his humble petition where presently came into his minde that a glister was the onlie way to helpe her which whē he tolde the phisicians they confessed that it was the best remedie indeede much marueling of thēselues they had not remembred if which was immediately ministred vnto her sleeping for else she would neuer haue bene brought to that kinde of medicine And although whē she awaked throughly Gods markes an euident and vndoubted token of death plainely appeared vpon her yet she contrarie to all expectation was as it were miraculously and by her fathers feruēt prayer restored to perfect health againe whome if it had pleased God at that time to haue taken to his mercie her father solemnely protested that he would neuer haue medled with anie worldlie matters after such was his fatherlie loue and vehement affection vnto this his Iewell who most neerely of all the rest of his Children expressed her fathers vertues although the meanest of all the rest might haue bene matched with anie other of their age in England either for learning excellent qualities or pietie they hauing bene brought vp euen frō their infancie with such care and industrie and enioying alwaies most vertuous and learned maisters So that the schoole of Sir THOMAS MORE' 's children was famous ouer the whole world for that their witts were rare their diligence extraordinarie and their maisters most excellent men as aboue the rest Doctour Clement an excellent Grecian and phisician who was after reader of the phisicke-lecture in Oxford and sett out manie bookes of learning After him one William Gūnell who read after with greate praise in Cambridge and besides these one Drue one Nicolas and after all one Richard Hart of whose rare learning and industrie in this behalfe lett vs see what may be gathered out of Sir THOMAS his letters vnto them and first to M. r Gunnell thus I haue receaued my deare Gunnell your letters such as they are vvont to be most elegant full of affection Your loue towards my children I gather by your letter their diligence by their owne for euerie one of their letters pleaseth me very much yet most especially I take ioy to heare that my daughter Elizabeth hath shevved as greate modestie in her mother's absence as anie one could doe if she had bene in presence lett her knovve that that thing liked me better then all the epistles besides for as I esteeme learning vvhich is ioyned vvith vertue more then all the threasures of kings so vvhat doth the fame of being a great schollar bring vs if it be seuered from vertue other then a notorious and famous infamie especially in a vvoman vvhome men vvill be readie the more vvillingly to assayle for their learning because it is a rare matter and argueth a reproche to the sluggishnesse of a man vvho vvill not stick to lay the fault of their naturall malice vpon the qualitie of learning supposing all their ovvne vnskillfullnesse by comparing it vvith the vices of those that are learned shal be accounted for vertue but if anie vvoman on the contrarie parte as I hope and vvishe by your instruction and teaching all mine vvill doe shall ioyne manie vertues of the minde vvith a little skill of learning I shall accounte this more happinesse then if they vvere able to attaine to Craesus's vvealth ioyned vvith the beautie of fayre Helene not because they vvere to gett great fame thereby although that inseparably follovveth all vertue as
Chaūcellourship worth yearely the sūme of 100. pound thereof had he some by his wife some left by his father some he purchased and some fees had he of Temporall men so may euerie man soundly guesse that he had no greate parte of his liuing of the Clergie to make him partiall to them Now touching rewardes or lucre which rose to him by his writing for which good Father Tindall sayd he wrote his bookes and not for anie affection he bare to the Clergie no more then Iudas betrayed Christ for anie fauour he bare to the Bishopps Scribes and Pharisies it is a most shamefull lye and slaunder as may appeare by his refusall of the 4. or 5. thousand pound offered him by the Clergie Concerning Tindall's false translation of the New Testament first it is to be considered as these good bretheren partely denye the very Text it selfe and whole bookes of the sacred Scripture as the booke of the Machabies and certaine others and Luther S. Iames's Epistle also and as they adulterate and commaculate and corrupt the whole Corps of the same with their wrong and false expositions farre disagreeing from the Comment of the ancient Fathers and Doctours and from the fayth of the whole Catholike Church So haue they for the aduancing and furthering of the sayd heresies of a sett purpose peruerted mistranslated the sayd holie Scripture And after such shamefull sorte that amōgst other their mischieuous practises whereas in the Latine Epistle of S. Paul is read in the olde translation fornicarij in the new they haue Sacerdotes that is priests for the good deuotion they beare to the sacred Order of Priesthood And their patriarche Luther with his translation of the sayd holie Scripture into the Dutch toung hath wonderfully depraued corrupted and defiled it as we could by diuerse proofes easily shewe whome his good schollar Tindall in his English translatiō doth matche or rather passe wherein he turneth the word Church into Congregition Priest into Senior or elder which word Congregation absolutely of itselfe as Tindall doth vse it doth no more signifye the Congregation of Christiā men then a fayre flocke of vnchristian geese neither this word Presbyter for Elder signifyeth any whitt more a Priest then an eldersticke manie other partes of his Translation are sutable to this as where in spight of Christ's and his holie Saints images he turneth Idolls into Images and for the like purpose of setting forth his heresie Charitie into Loue Grace into Fauour Confession into repentance and such like for which as also for diuerse of his false faythlesse hereticall assertions as well that the Apostles left nothing vnwritten that is of necessitie to be belieued That the Church may erre in matter of Fayth That the Church is only of chosen elects Touching the manner and order of our election Touching his wicked and detestable opinion against the free wil of man Touching his fond and foolish paradoxes of the elect though they doe abhominable haynous actes yet they doe not sinne and that the elect that doth once hartily repent can sinne no more he doth so substantially pleasantly confute and ouerthrowe Tindall that yf these men that be enuenomed and poysoned with these pestilent heresies would with indifferent mindes reade the sayd Sir THOMAS MORE' 's answer there were good hope as it hath God be thanked chanced to manie alreadie of their good speedie recouerie But alacke the while and woe vpon the subtle craft of the cursed diuell that so blindeth them and the wretched negligent and little regarde that these men haue to their soule 's health that can be content to sucke in the deadlie poyson of their soules by reading and crediting these mischieuous bookes yet will not once vouchsafe to take the holesome depulsiue Triacle not to be fetched from Geneua but euen readie at home at their hands in Sir THOMAS MORE' 's bookes against this dreadfull deadlie infection But to returne now againe to the sayd Tindall Lord what open fowle and shamefull shifts doth he make for the defence of his wrong and pestiferous assertions with what spitefull shamefull lyes doth he belye Sir THOMAS MORE and wretchedly depraueth his writings not being ashamed though his playne manifest wordes lye open to the sight of all men to the cōtrarie to depraue his answers And amongst other that he should affirme that the Church of Christ should be before the Gospell was taught or preached which things he neither writeth nor once thought as a most absurde vntruth but that it was as it is very true before the written Gospell And the sayd Sir THOMAS MORE seing that by Tindall's owne confession the Church of God was in the world manie hūdred yeares before the written lawes of Moyses doth well thereof gather and conclude against Tindall that there is no cause to be yeelded but that much more it may be so and is so indeede in the gracious time of our redemption the holie Ghost that leadeth the Chnrch from time to time into all truth being so plentiefully effused vpon the same The Church of Christ is and euer hath bene in manie things instructed necessarie to be belieued that be not in anie Scripture comprized These manie other strong reasons to proue the common knowne Catholike Church and none other to be the true Church of Christ And seing we doe not knowe the verie bookes of Scripture which thing Luther himselfe confesseth but by the knowen Catholike Church we must of necessitie take the true and sound vnderstanding of the sayd Scriptures and all our fayth from the sayd Church which vnderstanding is confirmed in the sayde Church from the Apostles time by infinite miracles and with the consent of the olde Fathers and holie martyrs with manie other substantiall reasons that Sir THOMAS MORE here layeth downe haue so appaled and amazed Tindall that he is like a man that were in an inexplicable labyrinth whereof he can by no meanes gett out And Tindall being thus brought oftentimes to a bay and vtter distresse he scuddeth in and out like a hare that had twentie brace of grayhounds after her and were afeared at euerie foote to be snatched vpp And as Sir THOMAS MORE merrily yet truly writeth he did winde himself so wilily this way and that way and so shifteth him in out and with his subtile shifting so bleareth our eyes that he maketh vs as blinde as a catt and so snareth vs vp in his matters that we can no more see where about he walketh then ys he went visible before vs all naked in a nett in effect playeth the verie blinde hobbe about the house sometimes when there is no other shift then Tindall is driuen to excuse himselfe and his doings as he doth for the word Presbyter which he translated first Senior then 〈◊〉 wherein for excuse of his fault at great length he declareth 4. fayre vertues in himselfe malice ignorance errour and follie And where