St THOMAS MORE, layman, 1535

A DAUGHTER'S FAREWELL

His daughter awaited his return to the Tower on the entrance by the wharf. As soon as she saw him,

after his blessing upon her knees reverently received, she, hasting towards him, without consideration or care of herself, pressing in amongst the midst of the throng and company of the guard, that with halberds and bills went round about him, hastily ran to him, and there, openly, in sight of them, embraced him, took him about the neck and kissed him. Who, well liking her most natural and dear daughterly affection towards him, gave her his fatherly blessing and many godly words of comfort besides. She was not able to say any words but “ Oh, my father! Oh, my father!” “Take N patience, Margaret,” he said, “ and do not grieve; God has willed jt so. For many years -didst thou know the secret of my heart.” From whom after she was departed, like one that had forgotten herself, being all, ravished with the entire love of her father, having respect neither to herself nor to the press of people, suddenly turned back, ran to him as before, and divers times kissed him lovingly, till at last she was fain to depart, the beholding whereof made those present for very sorrow to weep and mourn.

“Going, they went and wept, casting their seeds ; but coming, they shall come with joyfulness carrying their sheaves.”—Ps. cxxv. 6, 7.

St THOMAS MORE, Layman, 1535

ALONE WITH GOD

“Now when he .had remained: in the Tower little more than a; month, my wife, longing to see her father, by her earnest suit at length got leave to go unto him. At whose coming, after the Seven Psalms and Litany said (which whensoever she came unto him, ere he fell

in talk of any worldly matter he used accustomably to say with her), among other communications he said unto her, ‘I  believe, Meg, that they have put me here ween that they have done me a high displeasure ; but I assure thee, on my faith, mine own good daughter, if it had not been for my wife and ye that be my children, 1 would not have failed. long ere this to have closed myself in as strait a room, and straiter too. But since I have come hither without mine own desert, I trust that God of His goodness will discharge me of my care, and with His gracious help supply my lack among you. I find no cause, I thank God, Meg,.to reckon myself in worse case here than at  home, for methinks God maketh me a wanton, and setteth me on His lap, and dandleth me.”’

“i will allure her and lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her heart.”—Osee ii. 14

Saint THOMAS MORE, Layman, 1535

THE UNITY OF CHRISTENDOM

Biography

" SINCE I am condemned, and God knows how, I wish to speak freely of your statute for the discharge of my conscience. For the seven years that I have studied the matter, I have not read in any approved doctor of the Church that a temporal lord could or ought to be head of the spirituality. For one bishop of your opinion, I have a hundred saints of mine ; and for one Parliament of yours, and God knows of what kind, I have all the General Councils for 1000 years ; and for one kingdom, I have all the kingdoms of Christendom. I say further, that your statute is ill made, because you have sworn never to do anything against the Church, which through all Christendom is one and undivided, and you have no authority, without the common consent of all Christians, to make a law or Act of Parliament or Council against the union of Christendom. The true reason for my condemnation is my unwillingness to consent to the King's second marriage ; but I hope, in the Divine goodness and mercy, that as St. Paul and St. Stephen, whom he persecuted, are now friends in Paradise, so we, though differing here, shall be united hereafter. I pray God to protect the King and to give him good counsel."

" Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."—MATT. xii. 25 .

Saint THOMAS MORE, Layman, 1535

TIME AND ETERNITY

Biography

WHEN his wife came to see him she reproached him roundly for preferring to stay among the rats and mice in a close, filthy prison, when he might be enjoying his liberty, the goodwill of the King, and the company of his family in his " right fair" house at Chelsea. " I muse what a God's name you mean here still thus fondly to tarry," she cried. Sir Thomas said cheerfully, "I pray thee, good Mistress Alice, tell me one thing : is not this house as near Heaven as mine own?" " Tilly vally, tilly vally," quoth she, in her homely fashion. " Bone Deus, man, will this gear never be left ? " " Well, then," quoth he, " I see not why I should much joy in my house, when, if I arose after being seven years dead, the new owner would bid me get out of doors, or why should I like a house so soon forgetful of his master? How long do you think we may live and enjoy it ? " " Some twenty years," said she. " Truly," replied he, "if you had said some thousand years it had been somewhat; and yet he were a bad merchant that would risk Eternity for a thousand years ; how much the rather, if we are not sure to enjoy it one day to an end."

"One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."— 2 PET. iii. 8.

Saint THOMAS MORE, Layman, 1535

NO COMPROMISE

Biography

His keenest trial arose from the endeavour of his beloved daughter to persuade him to take the oath, as she had done herself. She urged that he was more to the King than any man in England, and therefore ought to obey him in what was not evidently repugnant to God's law. That in favour of the oath were all the learned men of England, and nearly all the bishops and doctors, save Fisher. More answered that he condemned no one for taking the oath, " for some may do it upon temporal hopes, or fear of great losses, for which I will never think any have taken it; for I imagine that nobody is so frail and fearful as myself. Some may hope that God will not impute it unto them for a sin, because they do it by constraint. Some may hope to do penance presently after, and others are of opinion that God is not offended with our mouth, so our heart be pure ; but as for my part I dare not jeopardy myself upon these vain hopes." As to the numbers against him, he had on his side many more in other parts of Christendom, and all the doctors of the Church.

"He that is not with Me is against Me : and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." —MATT. xii. 30.

Thomas More was canonised in 1935, the four hundreth anniversary of his execution.

Saint Thomas More with his family

His Last Letter

Our Lord bless you, good daughter, and your good husband, and your little boy, and all yours, and all my children, and all my god-children and all our friends. Recommend me when ye may to my good daughter Cecily, whom I beseech Our Lord to comfort; and I send her my blessing and to all her children, and pray her to pray for me. I send her a handkercher, and God comfort my good son, her husband. My good daughter Daunce hath the picture in parchment that you delivered me from my Lady Coniers, her name on the back. Show her that I heartily pray her that you may send it in my name to her again, for a token from me to pray for me.

I like special well Dorothy Colly. I pray you be good unto her. I would wot whether this be she that you wrote me of. If not, yet I pray you be good to the other as you may in her affliction, and to my good daughter Jane Aleyn too. Give her, I pray you, some kind answer, for she sued hitherto me this day to pray you be good to her.

I cumber you, good Margaret, much, but I would be sorry if it should be any longer than to-morrow, for it is St. Thomas's even, and the utas of St. Peter; and therefore, to-morrow long I to go to God. It were a day very meet and convenient for me.

I never liked your manner towards me better than when you kissed me last; for I love when daughterly love and dear charity hath no leisure to look to worldly courtesy. Farewell, my dear child, and pray for me, and I shall for you and all your friends, that we may merrily meet in heaven. I thank you for your great cost. I send now my good daughter Clement her algorism stone, and I send her and my godson and all hers God's blessing and mine. I pray you at time convenient recommend me to my good son John More. I liked well his natural fashion. Our Lord bless him and his good wife, my loving daughter, to whom I pray him to be good, as he hath great cause; and that, if the land of mine come to his hands, he break not my will concerning his sister Daunce. And the Lord bless Thomas and Austin, and all that they shall have.