Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	lord_n	soul_n	13,508	5	5.1021	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44051	The history of the life and death of Sr. Thomas More, Lord High Chancellor of England in King Henry the Eights time collected by J.H., Gent.; Tho. Mori vita et exitus	Hoddesdon, John, fl. 1650.	1662 (1662)	Wing H2293; ESTC R9021	72,524	216

well but for my part I see no great cause why I should much joy in my gay house or of any thing belonging thereunto when if I should but seven years lye buried under ground and then arise and come thither again I should not fail to find some therein that would bid me get me out of doors and tell me it were none of mine What cause have I then to like such a house as would so soon forget his Master Again tell me Mrs. Alice how long do you think may we live and enjoy it Some twenty years said she Truly said Sir Thomas if you had said some thousand years it had been somewhat and yet he were a very bad Merchant that would put him self in danger to lose Eternity for a thousand years how much the rather if we are not sure to enjoy it one day to an end And thus her perswasions moved him but little Not long after came there to him the Lord Chancellor the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk with Secretary Cromwel and some others of the privy Councell at two several times to procure him by all means either precisely to confesse the Kings Supremacy or plainly to deny it whereunto as appeareth by his examination set out in his English works they could never bring him because he was unwilling to aggravate the Kings displeasure against himself saying only That the Statute was like a two edged sword if he spoke against it he should procure the death of his body if he consented to it he should purchase the death of his soul Shortly hereup on Mr. Rich afterward Lord Rich then newly made the Kings Solicitour Sir Ri. Southwell and one Mr. Palmer the Secretaries servant were sent by the King to take away all his Books Mr. Rich pretending friendly discourse with Sir Thomas said unto him as it proved after of set purpose Forasmuch as it is well known Mr. More that you are a man both wise and well learned as well in the Laws of the Realm as otherwise I pray you Sir let me be so bold as of good will to put unto you this case Admit there were an Act of Parliament made that all the Realm should take me for King would not you Mr. More take me for King Yes Sir said Sir Thomas More that would I. I put case further said Mr. Rich That there were an Act of Parliament that all the Realm should take me for Pope would not you then take me for Pope For answer said Sir Thomas to your first Case the Parliament may well meddle with the state of Temporal Princes but to make answer to your other case I wil put you this Case Suppose the Parliament would make a Law that God should not be God would you then Mr. Rich say that God should not be God No Sir said he since no Parliam may make such a Law No More as Mr. Rich reported Sir Tho should say but yet he made no such inference as he vouchsafed after to M. R. his face could the Parliament make the King supreme head of the Church Upon which report of Mr. Rich's Sir Thomas was shortly after indited of high treason upon the new Statute of Supremacy in which it was made treason to deny the King to be the Supream head of the Church into which judgment were put these hainous words Malitiously traiterously and Diabolically He had a little before this begun a Divine Treatise of the passion of Christ and as some write when he came to expound those words of the Gospell And they laid hands upon him and held him these Gentlemen took from him all his Books Inke and Paper so that he could go on no further Which being done he applyed himself wholly to meditation keeping his Chamber windows fast shut and very dark the occasion whereof the Lieutenant of the Tower asking him He answered When all the wares are gone the shop windows are to be shut up When Sir Thomas More was brought from the Tower to Westminster-Hall to answer the inditement and thereupon arraigned at the Kings-Bench Bar where he had often asked his Fathers blessing he openly told the Judges that he would have abidden in law and demurr'd upon the inditement but that he thereby should have been driven to confesse of himself that he had denyed the Kings Supremacy which he protested he never did wherefore he thereto pleaded not guilty and reserved to himself advantage to be taken of the body of the matter after verdict to avoid that in ditement adding withall that if only those odious terms Maliciously Traiterously and Diabolically were taken out of the Inditement he saw nothing in it that should justly charge him of any Treason CHAP. XII 1 Sir THOMAS MORE' 's Arraignment 2 His answer to the Inditement 3 Mr. Rich his Oath against Sir Thomas More clearly rejected 4. Sentance of Death pronounced against Sir Thomas More NOw when the King had endevoured all means possible to get Sir Thomas his consent to his laws as knowing that his example would draw many more after him being a man so eminent for wisdome and rare vertues and could no way obtain his desire he commanded him to be called to his arraignment at the Kings-Bench-Barre having been prisoner at the Tower somwhat more then a twelvemonth whither he went leaning on his staffe because he had been much weakned by his imprisonment his countenance shewing much chearfulnesse and resolution His Inditement which was very long and odious was read by the Kings Atturny which being ended the Lord Chancellor and the Duke of Norfolk spoke to this effect unto him You see now how grievously you have offended his Majesty yet he is so merciful that if you will but leave your obstinacy and change your opinion we hope you may obtain pardon of his Highnesse Whereunto Sir Thomas resolutely replyed thus Most noble Lords I have great cause to thank your Honours for this your courtesie but I beseech Almighty God that I may continue in the mind I am in through his Grace unto death After this he was permitted to say what he could in his own defence in answer to his Inditement who thereupon began as followeth When I think how long my accusation is and what hainous matters are laid to my charge I am strucken with fear lest my memory and wit both which are decaled together with the health of my body through a long impediment contracted by my imprisonement be not now able to answer these things on the suddain as I ought and otherwise could After this there was brought him a chair on which when he was sat he proceeded thus There are four principal heads if I be not deceived of this my Inditement every one of which God willing I purpose to answer in order To the first that is objected against me to wit That I have been an enemy of a stubborness of mind to the Kings second marriage I

brought about nine of the clock out of the Tower and from thence led to the place of execution where going up the scaffold which seemed to him so weak that was ready to fal he said merrily to the Lieutenant I pray you Mr. Lieutenant see me safe up and for my coming down let me shift for my self Then desired he all the people to pray for him and to bear witnesse with him that he should then suffer death in and for the faith of the holy Catholique Church a faithful servant both of God and the King Which done he kneeled down and after his prayers ended he turned to the Executioner and with a chearful countenance said Pluck up thy spirits man and be not afraid to do thine office my neck is very short take heed therefore thou strike not awry for saving thine honesty when the executioner would have covered his eyes he said I will cover them my self and presently he did so with a cloth he had brought with him for that purpose then saying his head upon the Block he bad the Executioner stay untill he had removed aside his beard saying That that had never committed any treason So with great alacrity and spiritual joy he received the fatall blow of the Axe which at once severed his head from his body Thus passed Sir Thomas More out of this world on the very same day on which himself had most desired When news of his death was brought to the King who was at that time playing at Tables Queen Anne looking on he cast his eyes upon her and said Thou art the cause of this mans death and presently leaving his play he betook himself to his chamber an there fell into a melancholy fit But whether this were from his heart or to seem lesse cruell then he was indeed it is hard to conjecture for on the one side the remembrance of his faithful service so many years employed for the good of the whole Kingdome could not but make the Kings heart somwhat to relent and on the other side his unmerciful dealing with his son and heir his small allowance to his wife his cruelty against all his children shewed that he had an implacable hatred against him for the cause aforesaid His daughter Margaret was the most gently dealt with and yet very sore threatned both because she kept her fathers head for a relique which being to be thrown off London-Bridge into the Thames she had procured and that she intended to publish her fathers works yet for all that after a short imprisonment she was at last sent home to her husband Sir Thomas More was of a mean stature well proportioned his complexion tending to phlegmatick his colour white and pale his hair neither black nor yellow but between both his eies gray his countenance amiable and chearful his voice neither big nor shrill but speaking plainly and distinctly it was not very tunable though he delighted much in musick his body reasonable healthful only that towards his latter end by using much writing he complained much of his breast In his youth he drank much water wine he only tasted of when he pledged others he loved salt meats especially poudred beef he was a great lover of milk cheese eggs and fruit and usually he did eat of brown bread which he rather used to punish his taste then any love he had unto it Now when intelligence of Sir More 's death was brought to the Emperour Charles the fift he sent for Sir Thomas Eliot Embassador there resident and said unto him My Lord Embassador we understand that the King your Master hath put his faithful Servant and grave Wise Counsellor Sir Thomas More to death but Sir Thomias Eliot seeming to excuse the matter by some doubt of the report the King told him It was too true and this will we say said the Emperour that if we had been Master of such a Servant of whose doings our selves have had these many years no small experience we would rather have lost the best and strongest City of our Dominions then have lost so worthy a Counsellor To conclude if with more care we look into the story of this worthy mans life it will not appear to us that his death could any way redound to the honour of the King for first he was put to death by a statute wherein he had never offended either by word or deed and that too which concern'd not temporal policy but religion only which as being fearful to offend his conscience though he refused to approve of himself yet did he never reprove it or any other m●n for taking it Secondly that he would have no respect unto his eminent qualities who was a man of known humanity of mild behaviour affability bounty eloquence wisdome innocency of life wit learning exceedingly beloved and admired of all men all which might be motives sufficient to pardon a guilty offender Thirdly that he would not consider him that had done him so much good service and the whole Kingdome such good offices his faithfull Counsellor for twenty years together his wise Embassador his just Lord Chancellor and indeed the very flower of the Kingdome who at last drawing towards old age obtained an honourable dismission from his Office and lived privately at home with his Wife children and nephews never committing the least offence against any burthensome to no man but of such courtesie to all and of such excellency of nature that he would not suffer any one to part from him if any thing qualified without some gift none was so great a stranger to him whom he would not seek to do some favour for To be short his bounty had so engraven him in every ones hearts that at his death there was a generall lamentation for his losse Nay Erasmus saith that he saw tears come from those men who never had seen Sir Thomas More nor received any benefit from him and he professes that while he was writing of him the tears gushed from him whether he would or no. Now Reader I will keep thy eye no longer upon this dolefull Subject which as it made the Spectators weep so it cannot but fetch a Tear or two from thee if thou art any friend to an innocent worth yet I would not send thee away sad neither wherefore I have after this Tragicall story prepared an entertainment in the following Chapter which looks like a Comedy and may serve as Wine and Bisket at a Funerall to allay thy sadnesse A view of Sir MORE 's Wit and Wisdome SIR Thomas More whose only merry jests and witty sayings were they all together were sufficient to fill a Volume when he lived in the City of London being one of the Justices of peace he used to go to the Sessions at Newgate where it fell out that one of the antientest Justices of the Bench was wont to chide the poor men whose purses had been cut for