his patrons. In return for a dedication or the presentation of a book, the author would sometimes receive a gift in money, an office, or a benefice. There are no dedications prefixed to More's English works. It was, however, put about that More had become a wealthy man by means of his writings. In his Apology he enters on this matter fully, showing how small was his income from land or other source; and that, except from the royal grants or salaries belonging to his offices, "not one groat" of his yearly revenue had come to him since he wrote his first book. He continues: "But then say the brethren that I have taken great rewards in ready money of divers of the clergy". He allows that a liberal offer had been made, "but (he says) I dare take God and the clergy to record, that they could never fee me with one penny thereof; but as I plainly told them I would rather have cast their money into the Thames than take it. For albeit they were good men and honourable, yet look I for my thanks of God that is their better, and for whose sake I take the labour and not for theirs. . . . Although they (the heretics) should call me Pharisee for the boast, and Pelagian for my labour, I am not fully so virtueless, but that of mine own natural disposition, without any special peculiar help of grace thereto, I am both over proud and over slothful also, to be hired for money to take half the labour and business in writing, that I have taken in this gear since I began." *

His son-in-law gives us further details. The clergy agreed to make up a sum of four or five thousand pounds at the least. The Bishops of Durham (Tunstall), Bath (Clark), and Exeter (Voysey), were charged to convey this present, and pressed it on him; on his refusal, they urged him to bestow it on his wife and children. It was all to no purpose, and the money was restored to the subscribers.+

Apology, ch. x.; English Works, p. 867.

+ Roper's Notes, xiv. Sir J. Mackintosh remarks that " £5000 was a hundred times the amount of his income; and according to the rate of interest at that time would have yielded him £500 a year".

This honourable testimonial had been offered probably soon after the resignation of the chancellorship in the summer of 1532. Still more honourable to himself was his own conduct when chancellor, as related by Roper. The water-bailiff of London, who had formerly been in his service, heard certain merchants-probably those trafficking with Germany, and who were infested with Lutheranism-railing against More. He made it known to the chancellor, and begged him to punish their malice. Sir Thomas replied: "Why, Mr. Bailiff, would you have me punish them by whom I receive more benefit than by you that be my friends? Let them, in God's name, shoot never so many arrows at me; as long as they do not hit me, what am I the worse?"*

A man who would neither receive recompense from his friends, nor resent injury from his enemies, was a worthy champion of the Catholic faith.

* Roper, n. viii.

CHAPTER XVI.

FIRST TROUBLES.

THE

subject of the last two chapters has somewhat interrupted the chronological course of this narrative, since it was necessary to group together matters extending over several years, both before, during and after More's chancellorship. The record of his literary labours has brought us to the period of his troubles, which begins with the year 1534. Even before his elevation he was full of anxiety, not on his own account, but for the evils he saw impending over the Church and over England. "Walking with me," writes Roper, "along the Thames' side at Chelsea, in talking of other things, he said to me: 'Now would to Our Lord, son Roper, upon condition that three things were well established in Christendom, I were put in a sack and here presently cast into the Thames'. 'What great things be those, sir,' quoth I, 'that you should so wish?' 'In faith, son, they be these,' quoth he; the first is, that whereas the most part of Christian princes be at mortal wars, they were all at universal peace. The second, that whereas the Church of Christ is at this present sore afflicted with many errors and heresies, it were settled in perfect uniformity of religion; the third, that whereas the matter of the king's marriage is now come in question, it were to the glory of God and quietness of all parties brought to a good conclusion." Roper does not give the date of this conversation; from the mention of war, it would seem to

have been in 1528, before More's last embassy to Cambrai. He did his best to bring about peace from national strife, and to prevent the spread of heresy; with regard to the divorce, as he could do no good, he prudently kept aloof.

When he laid down the chancellorship, he had received the assurance from the king of his continued favour, but he had good reasons to distrust one so capricious and despotic, now carried forward by passion and surrounded by bad advisers. Roper tells us of the advice he gave to Thomas Cromwell. "Mr. Cromwell," said More, "you are now entered into the service of a most noble, wise, and liberal prince; if you will follow my poor advice, you shall, in your counsel-giving to his Grace, ever tell him what he ought to do, but never what he is able to do; for if the lion knew his own strength, hard were it for any man to rule him." Unfortunately, Cromwell did the very opposite, and became the evil genius of the king, finding prey for the lion, until at last he was himself devoured. During the later months of 1532 and the whole of 1533 Sir Thomas avoided Henry's court as much as possible, and gave himself to the composition of his books. He was, however, a careful observer, and while meditating his own course, was preparing for the worst. When the divorce was pronounced by Cranmer, Sir Thomas said to his son-in-law: "God grant, son, that these matters within a while be not confirmed with oaths". At Pentecost, 1533, Anne Boleyn, who had been secretly married to the king before the pretended divorce, and afterwards publicly acknowledged as queen,/made her magnificent entry into London for her coronation. More's holy friend, Fisher, had been arrested, and kept out of the way, for it was known he would take no part in such an act. It was, no doubt, supposed that Sir Thomas would not dare to absent himself. Yet this he did. The matter is thus related by Roper: "He received a letter from the Bishops of Durham, Bath, and Winchester (Tunstall, Clerk, and Gardiner), requesting him both to keep their company from the Tower

to the coronation, and also to take £20 (that by the bearer thereof they had sent him), to buy him a gown; which he thankfully receiving, still tarried at home. At their next meeting he said merrily: My lords, you required two things of me, the one I was so well content to grant, that I thought I might be the bolder to deny the other'. He then explained that he took the money because the bishops were rich and he was poor; but his reason for refusing the invitation he illustrated by one of his merry tales, the moral of which was that the bishops were in danger of losing their honour first, and being afterwards destroyed, but as for himself, destroyed he might be, but dishonoured he was resolved he would not be.

It was noticed in his family that he would now often speak of "the joys of heaven and the pains of hell, of the lives of the holy martyrs, of their marvellous patience, and what a happy and blessed thing it was for the love of God to suffer the loss of goods, of liberty, and even life. He would add that for himself, if he could perceive himself encouraged by his wife and children to die in a good cause, for joy thereof he would merrily run to death." Notwithstanding this interior readiness to suffer, no one could be more cautious to give no unnecessary offence. Sir James Mackintosh remarks that "he most warily retired from every opposition but that which conscience absolutely required. He displayed that very peculiar excellence of his character, which, as it showed his submission to be the fruit of sense of duty, gave dignity to that which in others is apt to seem and to be slavish.” ↑

He had himself written as follows: "Our Lord advised His disciples that if they were pursued in one city, they should not come forth and foolhardily put themselves in peril of denying Christ by impatience of some intolerable torments, but rather flee thence into some other place, where they might serve Him in quiet, till He should suffer them to fall in such point that there were no way to escape. And then would He have them + Life of More, p. 150.

* Roper.