792 
M O 
More was zealous in his endeavours to difcourage vexa¬ 
tious and litigious fuits, though he was not altogether 
difinclined to the profecution of herefy. He had, as we 
have feen, a warm and ardent attachment to the then e.fta- 
blifhed fyftem of religion; and could not bear the contempt 
that the reformers threw upon it, which he conceived to 
be fubverfive of all regular government and fubordination. 
He was, probably, confulted by Henry when he compofed 
his work againft Luther ; and to that reformer’s contemp¬ 
tuous anfwer he wrote a reply, in which, having the ar¬ 
gument againft him, he heaped together all the terms of 
virulent abufe that,the Latin language could afford. He 
afterwards wrote againft the hiftorian Tindal; and could 
not even fpeak of the reformers, or heretics as he called 
them, without hatred and fury. In a letter to Erafmus, 
he declares, without hefitation, that, fo great was his dif- 
like to them, that unlefs they repented he would torment 
them by all the means in his power. It is even faid, and 
feemingly on unqueftionable authority, that he caufed 
Mr. Bainham, a gentleman of the Temple, accufed of 
favouring the new opinions, to be whipped at his own 
houfe, in his prefence; and afterwards faw him put to 
the torture in the Tower. By thefe feverities this unfor¬ 
tunate gentleman was induced to recant; but, as it hap¬ 
pened in other cafes, he afterwards repented of his ti¬ 
midity, avowed his opinions, and was actually burnt in 
Smithfield : this was probably after More was out of of¬ 
fice, as Erafmus aflerts that no one was ever put to death 
while he was chancellor. His intolerance in matters of 
faith is a fubjeft of great regret; but his prejudices were 
thofe of an honeft heart, though unqueftionably in this 
Pefpeft of a narrow mind. The bifhops, feeling their 
obligations to him for affiftance in the fupport of their 
icaufe, made up a purfe among themfelves, and prefented 
it to liim; but he refufed it, and would not permit any 
of his family to accept it. 
His integrity and fcrwptxlous regard to confcience were 
foon to be put to the fevereft teft, and the manner in 
which he went through his trial has conferred great ho¬ 
nour on his memory. Nothing could induce him ever 
to concur in the king’s favourite project of a divorce ; 
and, being fenfible that Henry would, notwithftanding any 
advice to the contrary, in the end carry the point, he re- 
ftgned the feals after holding them two years and a half. 
This was no fmall lacrifice in a pecuniary point of view, 
and confidering his large family ; for he was but flenderly 
furnifhed for an honourable retirement, having little more 
than i col. of yearly revenue left; but his mind was fully 
prepared to fubmit to every neceflary retrenchment. He 
provided fituations for his gentlemen and fervants among 
his friends of the nobility and prelacy, leffened his houfe- 
hold by parting with his married children and their fa¬ 
milies, who hitherto had refided with him; and, quitting 
all political concerns, devoted liimfelf entirely to letters 
and religion. 
Although the king had expreffed himfelf very graci- 
oufly to fir Thomas on his refignation of the feals, yet it 
appears that the chancellor’s refiftance to his will deeply 
offended him; and, in that arbitrary reign, ruin was 
never far from the man who dared to thwart his fove- 
reign’s pleafure. The firft circumftance that brought him 
into trouble and danger was the impoiture of Elizabeth 
Barton, called the maid of Kent. When flie opened her 
commiffion to admonifti the king of his crimes againft 
the church, fire called upon More, and made a declara¬ 
tion to him of her pretended revelations. Her affefted 
fimplicity and holinefs feem to have made an impreilion 
upon him ; and he held fome converfations with her, and 
wrote her a letter. Upon thefe grounds the kingdirefted 
him to be named as an accomplice with her in the bill 
of attainder that was brought in againft her. While this 
was hanging over him, a committee of council was ap¬ 
pointed to hear his juftification of himfelf; but the real 
purpofe was to induce him, through apprehenfion, to 
give that aflent to the king’s divorce and lecond marriage 
R E. 
which he had hitherto refufed. Relying, however, on 
his innocence in this buiinefs, and refolved to undergo 
any extremity rather than violate his confcience, he re¬ 
filled both threats and perfuafions; and he perfeftly 
cleared himfelf alfo of another fingular charge that was 
brought againft him ; which was, having induced the king 
to publilh that book againft Luther, in which the pope’s 
authority was held forth in terms that were now found 
inconfiftent with the meditated attacks upon the Romifn 
fee. Henry, ftill more exafperated with his defence, was 
with the utmoft difficulty prevailed upon to ftrike his 
name out of the bill, and not till it had been fuggefted 
to him that More’s manifeft innocence might poftibly 
produce his acquittal even in his majefty’s own prefence. 
The known disfavour of the king encouraged feveral 
accufations of the late chancellor for mifconduft in his 
office, all of which he triumphantly refuted; but another 
danger impended, which his principles rendered it im- 
poffible for him to avoid. Elenry had now refolved to 
throw oft’ all fpiritual allegiance to the pope, and to de¬ 
clare himfelf the head of the church of England; and, 
by the act of parliament to fecure the fucceffion to the 
iflue of his new queen Anne Boleyn, an oath was im- 
pol'ed Upon all fubjefts, containing an acknowledgment 
of the king’s claim of ecclefiaftical fupremacy, and a re¬ 
nunciation of all obedience to the biffiop of Rome; and 
the penalties of treafon were denounced againft all who 
ffiould refufe to take it. By a committee of the cabinet- 
council at Lambeth, fir Thomas More was cited to appear 
and take this oath. He declared himfelf ready to fwear 
to the fucceffion after a form of his own drawing; but 
affirmed that as the oath was worded he could not in 
confcience take it: at the fame time he did not prefume 
to cenfure thofe who had not the fame fcruples with him¬ 
felf. Continuing ftedfaft in his refufal, the council de¬ 
bated what Ihould, be done with him. Cranmer advifed 
complying with his offer of accepting his oath to the fuc¬ 
ceffion according to his own terms; but the king, per- 
fonally irritated againft him, and inflexible in his deter¬ 
minations, would admit of no compromife; and More 
was accordingly committed to the Tower, and indifted 
for treafon on the ftatute. A new aft was palled in the 
enfuing feffion of parliament, more ftrongly declaratory 
of the king’s ecclefiaftical fupremacy ; and a ne.w form of 
oath refpefting the fucceffion was enjoined, under the 
penalties contained in the former aft. This new oath 
was offered to More in the Tower, who only oblerved, 
that they were not able to juftify his imprifonment by 
the former ftatute, and that it was a pity any Chriftian 
prince Ihould be abuled by a council fo flexible to all his 
inclinations. As no ground could be gained upon him, 
he was exprefsly excepted out of a general pardon, and 
a particular aft was palled to attaint him of mifprifion 
of treafon. 
At length, after he had lain in prifon near fifteen 
months, a relolution was taken of bringing him to crial 
at the King’s Bench. To this indiftment he pleaded 
not guilty; and fuch was the clearnefs and ftrength of 
the arguments he produced in his defence, that the at¬ 
torney-general had not a word to reply. Rich, the l'oli- 
citor-general, however, fwore, that fir Thomas, in a con- 
verfation with him, direftly affirmed that the parliament 
couid not make the king l'upreme head of the church ; 
and, although this was moft folemnly aflerted by the pri- 
foner to be a falfehood, and there was no other evidence 
to confirm it, the obfequious jury brought him in “ Guilty 
of high trealon.” In that difgraceful age of fervitude, 
juries, indeed, feemed to have had no other rule than 
the king’s pleafure; and a criminal in the eyes of the 
court was almoft lure of being condemned by his coun¬ 
try. The illuftrious culprit received his fentence with 
all the ferenity of confcious innocence, and was re-con¬ 
veyed to the Tower. At the Tower-wharf, his favourite 
daughter, Mrs. Roper, was waiting to take her laft fare¬ 
well of him. At his approach, lhe burft through the 
a throngs 
