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70S 
throng-, fell on her knees before her father, and clofely 
embracing him, could only utter, “ My father, O my 
father!” He tenderly returned her embrace, and ex¬ 
horting her to patience, parted from her. She foon, in 
a paflion of grief, again burft through the crowd, and 
clung round his neck in fpeechlefs anguifh. His firmnefs 
was now overcome; tears flowed plentifully down his 
cheeks, till with a final kifs flie left him. All his fubfe- 
quent behaviour was marked not only with the ealmnefs 
of refignation, but with the humorous and even mirthful 
call; which was radical in his temper. The king fponta- 
r.eoufly remitted the fentence of hanging and quartering, 
and changed it into beheading; upon which fir Thomas 
laid in his jeliing manner, “ God forbid bis majefty fhould 
ufe any more fuch lenity to any of my friends; and God 
keep my pofterity from fuch pardons.” He expreffed great 
thankfuln.efs for the permiflion given to his wife and fa¬ 
mily to attend his funeral; and he acquiefced in the tyran¬ 
nical, mandate, “ that he fhould not ufe many words at 
his execution.” Being denied the ufe of pen and ink, he 
wrote a letter with a coal to his daughter Roper, to whom 
he alfo fent his whip and hair-fhirt, of which circum- 
ttances of his devout difcipline file was the foie confidant. 
On the fatal day, July 5, 1535, he deeded himfelf in his 
bed apparel, and walked cheerfully to the place of exe¬ 
cution. Obferving that the fcaffold was weakly built, 
he turned to the lieutenant of the Tower, and laid, “ I 
pray you, Mr. Lieutenant, fee me fafe up, and for my 
coining down let me drift for myfelf.” He defired the 
fpebtators to pray'for him, and to bear witnefs that he 
died in and for the holy catholic church, and a faithful 
fervarit both of God and the king. He then laid his 
prayers;- and, when he had finilhed, he addrefied himfelf 
with a lively and pleafant countenance to the executioner, 
and exhorted him to perform his office boldly, and take 
pare that he did not ftrike awry. Then calmly laying 
his head on the block, and having defired the executioner 
to flay till he had removed his beard, “ for that had com¬ 
mitted no trealon,” he received a fingle ftroke, which 
fevered his head from his body. This was the end of fir 
Thomas More, at the age of fifty-five. His manner of 
leaving the world has, by fome, been cenfured as too 
light and indifferent; but it is a juft privilege of inno¬ 
cence to indulge all the gaiety that may be natural to it 
even in the molt ferious occalions. A more immaculate 
character has’rarely left the world, and he doubtlefs really 
felt that eafe at heart from the exchange of exiitence he 
was about to make, which his behaviour denoted. 
Of his manner of life during iris profperity, Erafmus 
has drawn the following interelling picture: “ More has 
built near London, upon the Thames, a commodious 
houfe, neither mean nor the objebl of envy. There he 
converfes affably with his family, his fon and daughter- 
in-law, his three daughters and their hulbands, with ele¬ 
ven grand-children. There is no man living lo affebtion- 
ate to his children; and he loves his old wife as well as 
if flie were a young maid. Such is the excellence of his 
temper, that whatever happens which could not be pre¬ 
vented, he is as well plealed, as if it could not have been 
better. His houfe may be refembled to Plato’s academy, 
or rather may be called a fchool oruniverfity of Chriftian 
religion, for there is no one in it who does not read or 
ftudy the liberal lciences : piety and virtue are the care 
of all: no quarrels or interoperate words are heard; none 
are feen idle. His houfeliold difcipline is not maintained 
by hartti and lofty language, but by all kindnefs and 
courtefy; every one performs Iris duty with alacrity, nor 
is fober mirth wanting.” We further learn that he was 
fond of.mufic, in which feveral of his family were profi¬ 
cients.. His attachment to the fine arts is attefted by iris 
patronage of Holbein, whom he entertained in his houie 
nearly three years. His piety almolt exceeded the mea- 
fure of a pious age. Of Iris filial duty a pleafing anecdote 
is given during his chancellorlhip; when, as he palled 
through Wettnrinfter-hall to his feat, he never failed to 
Voii XV. No. 1084., 
go into the court of King’s Bench while his Hither was 
fitting as judge, and al-k his Welling. His learning was 
various and extenlive; his elocution ready and agree¬ 
able. For wit few men of bis time were comparable to- 
him; but it was of the good-humoured kind, except 
when exafperated by religious controvprfy, which feerrts 
to have been the only topic capable of altering the natu¬ 
ral fweetnefs of his difpolition. In fine, the qualities of 
his mind were fo happily blended and tempered, that he 
wanted little of being a perfebl charabter. His writings, 
except the Utopia, were chiefly polemic, and have long 
fallen into oblivion. His Engliih works were published 
collebtively, by order of queen Mary, in 1557; of bis 
Latin works, editions were given at Bafil in 1567, and at 
Louvain in 1566. His Utopia was tranllated by biftiop 
Burnet; and an improved edition of this verfion was- 
publilhed by Dr. Warner in 1758. 
Of his children, Iris favourite, Margaret, the wife of 
William Roper, efq. molt refembled him in talents and 
difpofition. She was educated on the molt liberal plan; 
and became a miftrefs of the Greek and Latin languages, 
of arithmetic, and the fciences then ufually taught, and 
of various mufical internments. She wrote with elegance 
both in Engliih and Latin. In the latter her Ityle was fo 
pure, that cardinal Pole could fcarcely be brought to 
believe that her compolitions were the work of a female. 
Erafmus addretted an epiftle to her, in which he mentions 
her as celebrated for folid learning as well as for man¬ 
ners and virtue. Her reverence and attebtion for her 
father -were unbounded. After his head had been ex- 
pofed during fourteen days upon London-bridge, the 
found means to procure it, and, preferving it carefully in 
a leaden box, gave airebtions that it fhould be placed in 
her arms when flie was buried ; which was accordingly 
done. Life of More by Dr. Warner. Gen. Biog. 
MORE (Antonio), an eminent portrait-painter, born 
at Utrecht in 1519, learnt his art under John Schoreeh 
His manner refembled that of Holbein, but with lefs deli¬ 
cacy of finiflring; and he occafionally adopted a bold maf- 
culine ftyle, and difplayed a good, knowledge of the chiaro- 
feuro. Cardinal Granveile recommended him to the em¬ 
peror Charles V. who fent him into Portugal, where he 
painted the king, John III. Iris queen, and the infanta 
Mary, firft wife of Philip II. and was moft amply re-, 
warded. He afterwards came to England to paint the 
portrait of queen Mary, then engaged to the fame Philip, 7 
and for that pibture received iool. a gold chain, and tvas 
made painter to their majefties, with a penfion of 100J. per 
quarter. He remained in England during Mary’s reign, 
and was very much employed, fo that molt of the noble' 
manfions in the country are adorned with fome of his pic¬ 
tures. On the death of that queen, More returned with- 
Philip to Spain, highly favoured by the king, who treated 
him with a degree of familiarity that feerns quite out of 
charabter in fo grave and haughty a monarch. A fportive 
retaliation of a jocular freedom of the king’s, was how¬ 
ever, fuppofed to place his life in danger; for More ven¬ 
tured to return a flap on the (houlder which Philip in a 
playful moment gave him, by rubbing fome carmine on 
his majefty’s hand. This behaviour was accepted by the 
monarch as a jell; but it was hinted to More that the holy- 
tribunal might regard it as facrilege ; and he fled, to lave 
himfelf, into Flanders, where he was employed by the 
duke of Alva. Philip invited him-hack to Spain, but he 
excufed himfelf, and did not return. 
He ingratiated himfelf fo well with the duke, that, after- 
employing his pencil, he made him receiver of the reve¬ 
nues of Weft Flanders. Upon this elevation, fir Antonio 
(for he had been knighted) burned his eafel, and gave 
away his painting-tools. He lived magnificently, and by 
Iris ftately and handfome prefence well became the dignity- 
of his ftation. He died at Antwerp in 157 5, at the age of 
fifty-fix. This matter did not confine himfelf wholly to- 
portrait, but painted fome hiftorical works with applaufe. 
Mr. Fufeli lays of him, that he had fomething of the. Ita- 
9 Q ban 
