vvhich thinke as I doe I am not boūd to cōforme my selfe to these alone hauing the Doctours of the Church on my side vvho could not be dravven neither for hopes nor feares Finally to the last he wisely answered that although to denye the decree of a generall Councell vvere a damnable acte yet to vvithstande a statute of one realme's making vvhich contradicteth the constant opinion of the vvhole Church is neither a rash deede nor an obstinate but most laudable and Christianlike All which disputation my aunte Rooper sett downe in a letter to her sister Alington printed togeather with Sir THOMAS his letters After all this my aunte Rooper sought to fright him with the danger of death which might perhaps moue him to relente when he cannot hinder his mishappes but now he might preuēt all being yet not too late wherevnto how hūbly he speaketh of his owne frailtie and how confidently he relyeth vpon Gods mercie may be seene at large whose wordes are so humble so zealous so godlie that they are able to pierce anie mans hart that will reade them in the latter ende of his workes they breathe out an Angelicall spiritt farre different from the presumptuous speaches of either heretike or desperate man Lord helpe me yf God for my manie and grieuous sinnes vvill suffer me to be damned his Iustice shal be praised in me but I hope he vvill procure for me that his mercie shall haue the vpper hand nothing can happen but that vvhich God pleaseth and vvhat that is though it should seeme euill vnto vs yet it is truly the best 4. At another time when he had questioned with my aunte Rooper of his wife childrē and state of his house in his absence he asked her at last how Q. Anne did In sayth Father sayd she neuer better there is nothing else in the Courte but dancing and sporting Neuer better sayd he alas Megg alas it pittieth me to remember vnto what miserie poore soule she will shortly come these dances of hers will proue such dances that she will spurne our heads of like foote bals but it will not be lōg ere her head will dance the like dance And how prophetically he spoke these words the ende of her Tragedie proued it most true M. r Lieutenant coming into his chamber to visite him rehearsed the manie benefitts and friendshipps that he had often receaued from him and therefore that he was bound to entertaine him friendly and make him good cheare but the case standing as it did he could not doe it without the king's displeasure wherefore he hoped that he would accept of his good will of the poore fare he had whereto he answered I verily belieue you good M. r Lieutenant and I thanke you most hartily for it and assure yourselfe I doe not mislike my fare but whensoeuer I doe then spare not to thrust me out of your doores Now whereas the oath of Supremacie and marriage was comprized in few wordes in the first Statute the Lo Chancellour and M. r Secretarie did of their owne heads adde more wordes vnto it to make it seeme more plausible to the king's eares and this Oath so amplifyed they had exhibited to Sir THOMAS and others of which their deede Sir THOMAS sayde to his daughter I may tell thee Megg that they who haue committed me hither for refusing an oath not agreable with their owne statute are not able by their owne law to iustifye mine imprisonment wherefore it is great pittie that anie Christian prince should be drawen to followe his affections by flexible counsell and by a weake Clergie lacking grace for want of which they stande weakely to their learning abuse themselues with flatterie so shamefully Which wordes coming to the Councell's eares they caused another Statute espying their ouersight to be enacted with all these conditions Another time looking out of his windowe to beholde one M. r Reynolds a religious learned and vertuous Father of Sion and three monkes of the Cbarterhouse going forth of the Tower to their executiō for now king Henry beganne to be fleshed in bloud hauing putt to death the Nunne and diuerse others and manie after for the Supremacie and his marriage Sir THOMAS as one that longed to accompanie them in that iourney sayde to his daughter thē standing besides him Loe doest not thou see Megg that these blessed Fathers be now as chearefully going to death as if they were bridegroomes going to be married whereby good daughter thou maist see what a great difference there is betweene such as haue in effect spentall their daies in a straight hard and penitentiall life religiously and such as haue in the world like worldlie wretches as thy poore father hath donne consumed all their time in pleasure and ease licentiously For God considering their lōg continued life in most sore and grieuous pennance will not suffer them anie longer to remaine in this vale of miserie but taketh them speedily hence to the fruitiō of his euerlasting deitie whereas thy sillie father who hath most like a wicked Caytife passed forth most sinfully the whole course of his miserable life God thinketh him not worthie to come so soone to that eternall felicitie but leaueth him still in the world further to be plunged and turmoiled with miserie By which most humble and heauenlie meditation we may easily guesse what a spirite of Charitie he had gotten by often meditation that euerie sight brought him new matter to practise most heroicall resolutions Within a while after this M. r Secretarie coming to him from the king who still gaped more for Sir THOMAS his relenting then all his other subiects pretended much friendshipp towards Sir THOMAS and for his comfort tolde him that the king was his good and gratious Lord and minded not to vrge him to anie matter wherein he should haue anie cause of scruple from thenceforth to trouble his consciēce As soone as M. Secretarie was gone to expresse what comfort he receaued of his words he wrote with a coale as he did vsually manie other letters because all his Inke had bene taken from him by the king's expresse commaundement certaine wittie verses which are printed in his booke All the while Sir THOMAS was in the Tower he was not idle but busied himself in writing with a coale for the most parte spirituall treatises as the Three bookes of Comfort in Tribulation where in a dialogue manner vander the names of two Hungarians fearing the Turkes running ouer their Countrie who had made great preparations therefore he paynteth out in liuelie coulours both the danger that England stoode then in to be ouerwhelmed with heresie and how good Catholikes should prepare themselues to loose libertie life and lands and whatsoeuer can be most deare vnto them rather then to forsake their fayth It is a most excellent booke full of spirituall and forcible motiues expressing liuely Sir THOMAS his singular resolution to apply all those
England from Richard 〈◊〉 the vsurper and also most happily procured the two houses of Lancaster and Yorke to be vnited by marriage In this famous mans house this youth learned most diligently aboundance of wisedome and vertue and now he beganne to shew to the world what man he was likelie to proue For the Cardinall often would make triall of his pregnant witt especially at Christmas merriments when hauing plaies for recreacion this youth would suddenly steppe vp amongst the players and neuer studying before vpon the matter make often a parte of his owne inuention which was so wittie and so full of ieasts that he alone made more sporte and laughter then all the players besides for which his towardlienesse the Cardinall delighted much in him and would often say of him vnto diuerse of the Nobilitie who at sundrie times dined with him that that boy there wayting on him whosoeuer should liue to see it would proue a maruelous rare man But when this most reuerend Prelate sawe that he could not profitt so much in his house as he desired where there were manie distractions of publike affaires hauing great care of his bringing vp he sent him to the Vniuersitie and placed him in Canterbury-Colledge at Oxford now called Christs-church where in two yeares space that he remained there he profited exceedingly in Rhetorick Logick and Philosophie and shewed euidently what wonders witt and diligence can performe when they are ioyned as seldome they are in one painefull student There his whole minde was sett on his booke for in his allowance his father kept him verie short suffering him scarcelie to haue so much monie in his owne custodie as would pay for the mending of his apparrell euen no more then necessitie required and of his expences he would exact of him a particular accounte which course of his fathers he would often both speake of and praise it when he came to riper yeares affirming that by this meanes he was curbed from all vice and withdrawen from manie idle expences either of gayming or keeping naughtie companie so that he knew neither play nor other riott wherein most yong men in these our lamentable daies plunge themselues too timely to the vtter ouerthrow as well of learning and future vertue as their temporall estates This strictnesse of his father in creased in him also a great reuerence and obedience after vnto him againe in so much that in all his life after he was so dutiefull vnto him that he neuer offended nor contradicted him in anie the least worde or action still shewing towards him admirable deedes of humilitie euen at that time when in the eye of the world he farre surpassed his father in dignitie which may be seene by asking him blessing euerie day duly euen after he was Lord Chancellour of England and when he and his father mett publikely at Lincolnes-Inne or other where he would still offer him the place of precedence though the Iudge by reason of his sonne 's office did still refuse it such was the pietie and submissiue minde of this humble man such againe was the prouident care of the father towards his sonne that one can hardly guesse which of the two were more worthie the father of such a sonne or the sonne of such a father yet I iudge the father more happie that enioyed such an admirable sonne and wish that my Children may imitate in this kinde their vertuous Anncestours 4. When this towardlie youth was come to the age of eighteene yeares he beganne to shew to the world his ripenesse of witt for he wrote manie wittie and goodlie Epigrammes which are to be seene in the beginning of his English Workes he composed also manie prettie and elegant verses of the Vanitie of this life and the inconstancie thereof which his father caused to be sett vp with pictures and pageants which are also in the beginning of his greate English Volume he translated for his exercise one of Lucian's Orations out of Greeke into Latine which he calleth his first fruits of the Greeke toung and thereto he added another Oratiō of his owne to answer that of Lucian's for as he defended him who had slaine a tyrant he opposeth against it another with such forcible arguments that this seemeth not to giue place to Lucian either in inuention or eloquence As concerning his diuerse Latine Epigrammes which he either translated out of Greeke into Latine or else composed of his owne manie famous authours that then liued doe make mention of them with great praise For 〈◊〉 Rhenanus in his epistle to Bilibaldus Pitcheimerus writeth thus THOMAS MORE is maruelous in euerie respect for he compoundeth most eloquently and 〈◊〉 most happily how sweetly doe his verses slowe from him hovv nothing in them seemeth constrained hovv easie are all things there that he speaketh of nothing is hard nothing rugged nothing obscure he is pure he is vvittie he is elegant besides he doth temper all things vvith mirth as that I neuer read a merrier man I could thinke that the Muses haue heaped vpon him alone all their pleasant conceipts and vvittie merriments moreouer his quippes are not biting but full of pleasantnesse and verie proper yea rather anie thing then stinging for he 〈◊〉 but vvithout mordacitie he 〈◊〉 yet vvithout contumelie The like iudgement of his Epigrammes doth that famous Poëte Leodgarius à Quercu publike Reader of Humanitie in Paris giue and that not so much by his words as by his deedes For he hauing gathered of the Epigrammes of diuerse famous men a Collection he hath sett out more Epigrammes of Sir THOMAS MORE' 's then of anie other writer yet because rarenesse of anie excellent qualitie is still enuyed by some man or other one Brixius a German wrote a booke against these Epigrammes of Sir THOMAS MORE' 's which he called Antimorus with such commendation that Eramus earnestly besought Sir THOMAS that he would not ouerwhelme his friend Brixius with such an answer as his rashnesse deserued adding this of this his foolish booke Antimorus I heare vvhat learned men speake of Brixius novv after he hath vvritten his Antimore vvhich as I heare it not vvillingly of him so vvould I lesse vvillingly he are thē so speake of you vvherefore seing I perceaue hovv hard a matter it is to temper an ansvver to so spitefull a booke but that you must giue some scope vnto your passions I deeme it best for you not to regard but vvholy to contemne the matter yet this I vvould not counsell you my best friend to doe if there vvere anie thing in that malitious Antimore vvhich did truly blemish your fame so that it vvere necessarie for you to vvipe it avvay c. Which friendlie counsell Sir THOMAS MORE in some sorte followed for although he had answered Brixius fully in a little treatise which alreadie he had published before Erasmus his letter came to his hands yet vpon the receipt thereof he endeauoured by
to giue ouer all care of husbandrie and lett out our farme to others vntill vve haue better and at more leasure considered of it yet if vve haue more vvorkemen in our house then vve haue neede of such may be dismissed if they can be cōmodiously placed vvith other maisters but I vvill not suffer anie to be sent avvay to runne at randon vvithout a place to dvvell in At my returne to the king I see things go so as it is likelie I shall stay vvith him a good vvhile yet because of this misfortune perhaps I shall gett leaue to come and see you some time this next vveeke vvhen as vve vvill cōferre more at leasure about these our housholde affaires Farevvell from the Court. At Woodstock 13. Sept. 1539. But marke how God rewarded this his patience for it was in October next that he was made Lo Chancellour by which office he might easily haue purchased manie faire houses if his minde had aymed at worldlie riches and not rather thirsted after heauenlie rewards Some haue not stucke to say that if Sir THOMAS had bene so happie as to haue dyed of his naturall death about this time he had bene a very fortunate man liuing and dying in all mens fauour in the highest iudgements of the world and prosperous also to his posteritie for he had left them a fayre and great inheritance especially by the king's gracious guift But in my minde they are all carnally wise that affirme this and no way haue tasted of heauenlie wisedome For the last Scene of this Tragedie is the best and not to be wished to haue bene omitted for all the land king Henry enioyed though you adde the abbeylands and all after which now his fingars endes beganne to itche For that Card. Wolsey had shewed already a president thereof by getting leaue of the Pope to dissolue certaine small Abbyes for the building and maintenance of that great College of Christ-Church in Oxford which for that cause as I thinke is S. Peter's worke and lieth still vnfinished 6. Though in all his life time Sir THOMAS had shewed liuelie examples of manie excellent vertues as pietie zeale of God's honour wisedome Iustice liberalitie contempt of the world riches yea what not yet his most heroicall vertues towards his ende he hath expressed more liuely and exactly as his magnanimitie cōtempt of honours of wife children possessions life it selfe and whatsoeuer can be of vs desired and in steede thereof hath chosen disgraces extreame aduersities imprisonment losse of dignities goods and inheritance and hath taken vp his Crosse and followed Christ in sheding of his bloud to his honour no champion is crovvned till he hath gotten the victorie And beholde he most gloriously triumpheth ouer the flesh by forsaking his life and leauing it the world by despising it and the diuell by resisting manfully all his temptations When Sir THOMAS had behaued himselfe in his office of the Chācelour-shipp for the space of two yeare and a halfe so wisely that none could mende his doings so vprightly that none could take exception against him or his iust proceedings and so dexterously that neuer anie man did before or since that which he did For he had taken such order for the dispatching of all mens Causes that on a time sitting as ludge there and hauing finished one cause he called for the next to be heard whereto was answered that there was not one Cause more depending This he caused to be sett downe vpon recorde whereas at this day there are little fewer then a thousand if not more whereof some lye in the suddes by the space of diuerse yeares When as I say Sir THOMAS had deserued high commendations of euerie one and now perceaued that the king was fully determined to proceede to the vnfortunate marriage of Anne Bullen and for that cause a Parlement was called wherein Sir THOMAS being the chiefe Officer of the higher house was with diuerse Bishops and Noble men commaunded by the king to goe downe to the lower house to shew vnto them both what manie vniuersities beyond the seas Oxford and Cambridge at home had donne in that behalfe with their publike zeales testifying the same All which matters at the king's commaunde he opened to the Lower house not shewing his minde therein yet doubting as good cause he had least further attemps should after follow which contrarie to his conscience by reason of his office he was likelie to be putt vnto he made great suite to the Duke of Norfolke his singular good friēd that he would be a meanes to the king that he might be discharged with his Maiesties fauour of the Chancellourshipp wherein for certaine infirmities of his bodie he pretended himself vnable anie longer to serue The Duke being often thereto by Sir THOMAS sollicited at length obtayned of the king when at a time cōuenient by his Maiestie appointed Sir THOMAS repaired to the king to yeelde vp vnto him the great Seale of England which his Maiestie courteously receaued at his hands with greate praise thankes for his worthie seruice in that office at which time it pleased his highnesse to say thus vnto him That for the seruice he had hitherto done vnto him in anie suite that he should hereafter haue vnto him that either should concerne Sir THOMAS his honour that very word it liked his Highnesse to vse vnto him or that should appertaine to his profitt he should not fayle to finde him a good gracious Lord. But how true these wordes proued lett others be ludges when the king not only not bestowed vpon him the value of one pennie but tooke from him and his posteritie all that euer he had either giuen by himselfe or left him by his father or purchased by himselfe The next morning being holieday few yet knowing what had bene donne he went to Chelsey church with my Ladie and his children and familie after masse was donne because it was a custome that one of my Lord's gentlemen should then goe to my Ladie 's pewe and tell her my Lord was gone before then did he himselfe come making vnto her a courtesie with his cappe in his hād sayd may it please your Ladieshipp to come forth now my Lo is gone whereto she imagining it to be but one of his ieastes as he vsed manie vnto her he sadly affirmed vnto her that it was true for he had resigned vp his office and the king had graciously accepted it This was the way that he thought fittest to breake this matter vnto his wife who yet was full sorie to heare it it may be she spoke then those wordes which I haue rehearsed before Tillivally what will you doe M. r MORE will you sitt and make goslings in the ashes it is better to rule then to be ruled But to requite her braue minde he beganne to finde fault with her dressing for he saw a greate fault about
authoritie and sweare also to the succession of Q. Anne's children accounting the Ladie Marie illegitimate within a moneth or thereabouts after the enacting of this statute all the Clergie as well Bishops as priests yet no lay man but Sir THOMAS MORE were summoned to appeare at Lambeth before the Lo Archbishop Cranmer the Lo Chancelour Audley M. r Secretarie Cromevvell the Abbott of Westminster with others appointed Commissioners by the King to tender this oath vnto them On the same morning that Sir THOMAS was to goe thither as he was accustomed before he tooke anie matter of importance in hand he went to Chelsey church and there was Confessed and receaued at masse deuoutly the blessed Sacrament and whereas euer at other times before he parted from his wife and children they vsed to bring him to his boate and there kissing them bad them Farewell at this time he suffered none of them to follow him forth of his gate but pulled the wickett after him and with a heauie hart as by his countenance appeared he tooke boate with his sonne Rooper and their men in which sitting sadly a while as it were with Christ in his agonie in the gardin at the last sodainely he rounded my vncle in the eare and sayd I thanke our Lord sonne the field is wonne whereto my vncle answered at randon as not knowing then his meaning I am very glad thereof But one may easily knowe what he meant and so my vncle afterward perceaued that the burning loue of God wrought in him so effectually that it now had conquered all carnall affections trusting to that saying of our Sauiour Beholde and haue confidence I haue conquered the vvorld How wisely he behaued himself at Lambeth may beseene in a letter of his sent after to my aunte Rooper which is sett out in printe in the latter ende of his English Workes with others his most singular letters wherein he liuely describeth to his children all his troubles sheweth what a heauenlie spiritt he had to endure all for Gods sake trusting still chiefely to Gods goodnesse not to his owne strength the effect whereof is this After he vvas called before them he requested of them to see the oath vvhich vvhen he had read vnto himselse he ansvvered that he neither vvould finde faulte vvith the oath nor with the authors of it nor vvould blame the conscience of anie man that had taken it but for himselfe he could not take it vvithout endangering his soule of eternall damnation vvhich if they doubted of he vvould svveare vnto them that that vvas the chiefe cause of his refusall in vvhich second oath if they doubted to trust him hovv then could they trust him in the former Which he hauing sayd my Lo Chancelour replyed that all there were hartily sorie he should make such an answer for they constantly affirmed that he was the first mā that denyed to take it which would greatly aggrauate the king's displeasure against him and forthwith they shewd him a Catalogue of the Nobilitie and manie others who had taken it and had subscribed their names therevnto Yet because he would not blame anie man's conscience therein he was commaunded to walke into the gardin a while and presently all the Clergie men some Bishops manie Doctours and priests were called in who all tooke it except Bishop Fisher and one Doctour Wilson without anie scruple stoppe or stay the vicar of Croyden saith Sir THOMAS called for a cuppe of beere at the butterie barre quia erat notus Pontifici and he drunke valde familiariter After all these had soone dispatched the matter for which they were sent for Sir THOMAS was called in againe and the names of all that had taken the oath were shewed him whereto for himselfe he answered as before then they often obiected vnto him obstinacie because he would neither take it nor giue anie reason why he refused it to which he replied that his deniall only would prouoke the King's indignation sufficiently against him and therefore he was loath anie further to aggrauate his displeasure shewing what vrgent necessitie drew him vnto it howbeit if his Maiestie would testifye that his expressing the causes wherefore he refused it would not prouoke against him his further anger he would not sticke to sett them downe in writing and if anie man could satisfye those reasons to the content of his conscience he would take the oath most willingly Then Cranmer my Lo archbishop vrged him that seing he was not certaine of his conscience but that it was a thing certaine that he must obey his Prince therefore was he to reiect that doubtfull conscience of his and sticke to the latter which was vndoubted Yet if this argument were of anie force then in all controuersies of religion we may soone be resolued to to follow whatsoeuer anie king commaundeth vs. And when the Abbott of Westminster had sayd that he might very well suspect his owne conscience to be erroneous because he alone would seeme to controle all the wisedome of the whole realme who had made and taken it Thereto Sir THOMAS answered that if he alone should stand against so worthie a kingdome he had great cause to feare his owne conscience but if that of his side he could produce a farre greater number of a learned men as they he thought himselfe not then bound to reforme his conscience by follovving the consent of one kingdome against the generall receaued opinion of the vvhole Christian vvorld When M. r Secretarie seemed greately to pittie him Sir THOMAS added yf anie hard thing happened vnto himselfe he could not preuent it without he should endanger his owne soule Then asked they him whether he would sweare to the succession to which he answered that he was willing enough to doe that if the oath were sett downe in such wordes as he might safely take it Thereto my Lord Chancellour sayd see M. r Secretarie he will not sweare to that neither but vnder a certaine forme of words No truly replied Sir THOMAS except I finde that I may sweare it without danger of periurie and with a safe conscience 2. When he had thus behaued himselfe he was cōmitted to the custodie of the abbott of Westminster for the space of foure daies during which time the king consulted with his councell what order were meete to be taken with him And at the first albeit they were resolued that he swearing an oath not to be knowen whether he had sworne to the Supremacie or no or what he thought thereof he should be discharged yet did Q. Anne by her importunate clamours so sore exasperate the king against him that contrarie to the king's former resolution but indeede for the greater honour of God and his martyr the king caused againe the oath of Supremacie to be ministred vnto him who although againe he made thereto a discreete qualifyed answer neuerthelesse he was forthwith committed to
holesome medicines to himself now being readie to practise in deede whatsoeuer he setteth downe in wordes 4. When he had remained a good while in the Tower my Ladie his wife obtained leaue to see him that he might haue more motiues to breake his conscience who at the first comming to him like a plaine rude woman and somewhat worldlie too in this māner beganne bluntely to salute him What the good yeare M. r More I maruell that you who haue bene hitherto alwaies taken for a wise man will now so play the foole as to lie here in this close filthie prison and be content to be shutt vp thus with mice and ratts when you might be abroad at your libertie with the fauour and good will both of the king and the Councell if you would but doe as all the bishopps best learned of his realme haue donne and seing you haue at Chelsey a right fayre house your librarie your bookes your gallerie your gardine your orchard and all other necessaries so handsome about you where you might in companie of me your wife your Children and housholde be merrie I muse what a Gods name you meane here still thus fondly to tarrie After he had a good while heard her he sayd vnto her with a chearefull countenance I pray thee good M. ris Alice tell me one thing What is that sayth she Is not this house as neare heauen as mine ovvne she āswering after her custome Tillie vallie tillie vallie he replyed how sayst thou M. ris Alice is it not so indeede Bone Deus man will this geare neuer be left Well then M. ris Alice if it be so I see no great cause vvhy I should much ioye either of my fayre house or anie thing belonging therevnto vvhen if I should be but seauen yeares buried vnder the ground and rise and come thither againe he might haue sayd but seuaen moneths I should not fayle to finde some therein that vvould bid me gett me out of doores and tell me plainely that it vvere none of mine what cause haue I then to like such a house as vvould so soone forgett his Maister Againe tell me M. ris Alice how long doe you thinke may we liue and enioye it Some twentie yeares sayd she Truly replyed he yf you had sayd some thousand yeares it had bene somewhat and yet he vvere a very bad marchant that vvould putt himself in danger to leese eternitie for a thousand yeares hovv much the rather if vve are not sure to enioy it one day to an ende And thus her perswasions moued him but a little thinking of those wordes of Iob to his wife tempting him quasi vna exstultis mulieribus locuta est Not long after this came there to him at two seuerall times the Lord Chancellour the Duke of Norfolke and Suffolke with M. r Secretarie and certaine others of the Priuie Councell to procure him by all meanes and policies they could either to confesse precisely the king's Supremacie or plainely to deny it Here may we see that those verie men which seemed to crye before vnto him O sanna benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini say here tolle tolle crucisigeeum this is the ficklenesse of the worldlie men But to this as appeareth by the examinations sett out at the ende of his English Workes they could neuer bring him because he was loath to aggrauate the king's displeasure against himselfe saying only that the Statute was like a two-edged sworde if he should speake against it he should procure the death of his bodie and if he should cōsent vnto it he should purchase the death of his soule 6. After all these examinations came M. r Rich afterwards made the Lo Rich for his good seruice donne in this point then newly created the king's Sollicitour S.r. Richard Southvvell and one M. r Palmer M. r Secretarie's man were sent by the king to take away all his bookes M. r Rich pretending to talke friendly with Sit THOMAS sayd thus vnto him as it proued after of sett purpose For as much as it is well knowen M. r More that you are a man both wise well learned in the lawes of this realme in all other studies I pray you Sir lett me be so bolde as of good will to putt vnto you this Case Admitt there were an act of Parlement made that all the realme should take me for king would not you M. r More take me for king Yes Sir said Sir THOMAS that I would I putt the Case further sayd M. r Rich that there were an act of Parlement that all the realme should take me for Pope would not you then take me for Pope For answer sayd Sir THOMAS to your first Case the Parlement may well M. r Rich meddle with the state of Temporall princes but to make answer to your other Case suppose the Parlement should make a lawe that God should not be God would you then M. r Rich say that God should not be God No Sir sayd he that would I not For no Parlement can make such a lawe No more reported he that Sir THOMAS should say but indeede he made no such inference as he auouched after to M. r Rich his face could the Parlement make the king supreame head of the Church and vpon this only reporte of M. r Rich Sir THOMAS was shortly after indited of high treason vpon the new Statute of Supremacie At this time M. r Lieutenant reported that M. r Rich had so vile a smell about him that he could scarce endure him which Sir THOMAS also felt 7. He had a little before this begunne a diuine treatise of the passion of Christ but when he came to expounde those wordes of the Ghospell And they layde hands vpon him and held him these gentlemen tooke from him all his bookes Inke and paper so that he could write no more Which being donne he applyed himselfe wholy to meditation keeping his chamber windowes fast shutt and very darks the occasion whereof M. r Lieutenant asking him he answered when all the wares are gone the shoppe windowes are to be shutt vp Yet still by stealth he would gett little peeces of paper in which he would write diuerse letters with a coale of which my father left me one which was to his wife which I accounte as a precious Iewell afterwards drawen ouer by my grandfathers sonne with inke 8. What respect Sir THOMAS had not to displease the king in anie of his deedes or answers may be seene by his discreete behauiour in all his proceedings For first in his bookes he neuer handled exactly the Popes Supremacie though vrgent occasion were giuen him by the bookes which he tooke in hand to confute secondly whatsoeuer writing he had touching that Controuersie he either made them away or burnt them before his troubles as also a booke which the Bishopp of Bath had written of that matter thirdly he would
worshippfull vertuous and well learned men as were in the Parlemēt assembled at the making of that law euer meant to haue anie man punished by death in whome there could be found no malice taking malitia for maleuolentia for if malitia be taken in a generall significacion for anie sinne no man there is that can excuse himselfe thereof Wherefore this very word malitiously is only materiall in this Statute as the word forcible is in the Statute of forcible entrie for in that Case if 〈◊〉 enter peaceably and putt his aduersarie out forcibly it is no offence but if he enter forcibly he shall be punished by that Statute Besides all the vnspeakable goodnesse of the king's highnesse towards me who hath bene so manie wayes my singular good Lord and gracious Soueraigne he I say who hath so dearely loued trusted me euen from my first coming into his royall seruice vouchsafing to grace me with the dignitie of being one of his Priuie Councell and hath most liberally aduanced me to offices of great Creditt and worshipp finally with the chiefe dignitie of his Maiestie's high Chancellour the like whereof he neuer did to anie Temporall man before which is the highest office in this noble realme and next to his royall person so farre aboue my meritts and qualities honouring and exalting me of his incomparable benignitie by the space of these twentie yeares and aboue shewing his continuall fauours towards me and now at last it hath pleased his Highnesse at mine owne humble suite 〈◊〉 me licence with his Maiestie's fauour to bestowe the residue of my life in the seruice of God for the better prouision of my soule to discharge and disburthen me of that weightie dignitie before which he had still heaped honours more and more vpon me all this his highnesse's bountie so long and so plentiefully powred vpon me were in my minde matter sufficient to conuince this slaunderous accusation so wrongfully by this man surmized and vrged against me which I committ to your Lordshipps honourable consideracions whether this oath be likelie or not to be true M. r Rich seing himselfe so euidently to be disproued and his Creditt so fowlely defaced caused Sr. Richard Southvvell M. r Palmer who in the time of their communication were in the same chamber with them two to be there sworne what words had passed betweene them wherevpon M. r Palmer vpon his deposition sayd that he was so busie in the thrusting vp of Sir THOMAS'S bookes in to a sacke that he tooke no heede to their talke S. r Richard Southvvell also sayde likewise that because he was appointed only to looke to the conueying of the bookes he gaue no eare vnto them And after all this Sir THOMAS alleaged manie other reasons in his owne defence to the vtter discreditt of M. r Riche's foresayde euidence and for proofe of the clearenesse of his owne Conscience 4. But for all that euer he could doe or say the Iurie of Twelue men whose names were S. r Thomas Palmer S. r Thomas Peirt George Louell esquier Thomas Burbage esquier Geoffrey Chamber gentleman Edvvard Stockmore gentleman William Browne gentleman Iaspar Leake gentleman Thomas Billington gentleman Iohn Parnel gentleman Richard Bellame gentleman George Stoakes gentleman These I say going togeather and staying scarce one quarter of an hower for they knew what the king would haue donne in that Case returned with their verdict Guiltie Wherefore the Lo Chancellour as Chiefe Iudge in that matter beganne presently to proceede to Iudgemēt which Sir THOMAS hearing sayd vnto him My Lord when I was towards the law the manner in such cases was to aske the prisonner before sentence whether he could giue anie reason why Iudgement should not proceede against him Vpon which words the Lo Chancellour staying his sentence wherein he had alreadie partely proceeded asked Sir THOMAS what he was able to say to the contrarie who forthwith made answer in this sorte For as much as my Lords this Inditement is grounded vpon an acte of Parlement directly repugnant to the lavves of God and his holie Church the supreme gouernement of vvhich or of anie parte thereof no Temporall person may by anie lavv presume to take vpon him that vvhich rightfully belongeth to the Sea of Rome vvhich by speciall prerogatiue vvas granted by the mouth of our Sauiour Christ himself to S. Peter and the Bishops of Rome his successours only vvhilst he liued and vvas personally present here vpon earth it is therefore amongst Catholike Christiās insufficient in lavv to charge anie Christian man to obey it And for proofe of this sound assertion he declared amongst manie reasons sound authorities that like as this realme alone being but one member and a small parte of the Church might not make a particular lavv disagreing with the generall lavv of Christ's vniuersall Catholike Church no more then the Cittie of London being but one member in respect of the vvhole realme may enact a 〈◊〉 against an Act of Parlement to binde thereby the vvhole kingdome So shevved he further that this lavv vvas euen contrarie to the lavves and statuies of this our realme not yet repealed as they might euidently see in Magna Charta vvhere it is sayd that Ecclesia Anglicana libera sit habeat omnia iura integra libertates suas illaesas And it is contrarie also to that sacred oath vvhich the king's highnesse himself and euerie other Christian prince alvvaies receaue vvith great sollemnitie at their Coronatiōs Moreouer he alleaged that this realme of England might vvorse refuse their obdience to the Sea of Rome then anie childe might to their naturall father For as S. Paul sayd to the Corinthians I haue regenerated you my children in Christ so might that vvorthie Pope of Rome S. Gregorie the Great say to vs Englishmen yee are my Children because I haue giuen you euerlasting saluation For by S. Augustin and his follovvers his immediate messengers England first receaued the Christian Faith vvhich is a farre higher and better inheritance then anie carnall father can leaue to his children for a sonne is only by generation vve are by regeneration made the spirituall Children of Christ and the Pope To these wordes the Lo Chancellour replied that seing all the Bishopps Vniuersities best learned men of this realme had agreed to this Act it was much marueled that he alone should so stiffely sticke thereat and so vehemently argue there against it To which wordes Sir THOMAS answered that if the number of Bishopps and vniuersities vvere so materiall as his Lordshipp seemeth to make it then doe I my Lord see little cause vvhy that thing in my conscience 〈◊〉 make anie change for I do not doubt but of the learned and vertuous men that are yet aliue I speake not only of this realme but of all Christendome about there are ten to one that are of my minde in this matter but if I should speake