Rome about it The dispensation questioned And supplyed by a new confirmation He foresaw the fal of his Religion in England Sir Thomas More 's Embassie for peace and his happy successe therein Bishop Stokely his quirk in Queen Katharines marriage His conference with Sir Thomas about it Stokely undermines the Cardinal The Cardinals fal Sir Thomas More elected Lord Chancellor The honorable Ceremony with which he was enstald The Duke of Norfolk's Oration in behalf of Sir Thomas More Of his worthiness for so great an employment The first Lay-man that ever was made Lord Chancellor Good reasons why that old custome was now salt red Sir Tho. Mores modest and discrete reply He acknowledgeth his own unworthiness The Dukes love The Kings favour bounty Which he esteems beyond his deserts All which increase in him a resolution to discharge well this so great charge He desireth favourable interpretation of his endeavours A wise consideration of his predecessors example The dangeâ—s of high honours A warning to use them well Sir Thomas Mores behaviour to all suitors especially to the poorer sort No access to Bribery Means how great men may do favours in justice Notable integrity Even against his own kindred * Long delaies in Law the misery of poor Clients remedied by Sir Tho. More A pleasant Tale of a Tub. Sir Thomas More 's humble behaviour towards his Father the antientest Judg of the Kingdome His admirable zeal in the cause of his Religion A liberal reward proffered him nobly by the Bishops of England As nobly and magnanimously refused by him only for Gods caused Sir Thomas More his penances Hair-shirt His merâ—ciful works to his poor neighbours Liberality to his parish Church K. Henry desires Sir Thomas to allow his divorce Sir Thomas Mores refusal for the time accepted by the King A Parliament called for Q. Annes marriage Sir Thomas sues to depose his Office Sir More 's humbleness in the height of his Honours A remarkable Record that no Cause was left undecided in the Chancery The death of Sir John More Sir Tho. never enjoied his Fathers inheritance Rare poverty in a Lord High Chancellor Upon Sir Thomas his suite to resign up his Office the King graciously accepteth his desire Of his Children living with him All his Children hitherto dwelt with him An incomparable resolution after so great an honour to bear chearfully so low an estate Honourable poverty in so great a personage A pleasant jest to divert his wife from sorrow His remote preparations for suffering Continual talking of spiritual matters A good lesson for a Statesman The marriage concluded at St. Albans to be lawfull Sir Thomas More refuseth to be at Q Anns marriag His counfell and prediction to the Bishops his friends A notable story prophetically applyed His resolution rather to be devoured then deflowred The kings displeasure Sir Thomas his more immediate preparation for death A Christian stratagem The first occasion of calling him in question for Q. Anne The Nun of Kent warned by revelation to rebuke K. Henry She conferreth her revelation with Bish Fisher Her talk with Sir Tho. More Accusatians procuredagainst Sir Tho. More That he impugned the Kings marriage â—…rrels picked against his Chancellorship A supposed Bribe pleasantly confuted A courteous refususal of an honest reward Another of like nature Sir Thomas his first examinations The kings Deputies to attach Sir Thomas More Their fair words to win him Fairly answered with a mild and constant refusal The Deputies threats Sir Thomas More accused for Author of the Kings Boâ—k for the Pope His evident refutation Wise and wary counsel of Sir Tho. to the King the King acknowledgeth the obligation of his Crown to Rome His merry heart after his examination A fall given to the Devil The Kings indignation against Sir Tho. More Prudent and politique advine in so bad a Cause Proceeding against Sir Tho. More deferred A gallant answer to a friends fear The Oath of supremacy Sir Tho. cited to take it His preparation before his going His discreet behaviour in that cause He resuseth the Oath for conscience sake All the Clergie but Bish Fisher and D. Wilson did take the Oath Upon what conditions Sir Tho. offered to set down his reasons of refusal Sir More 's offer proceedeth not of uncertainty but because he was sure his reasons were unaswerable All Christendome of more authority then all England The Oath of succession Sir More 's imprisonment first in Westminster Then by Q. Annes importunity in the Tower The upper garment the Porters Fee His mans Oath His discourse with his daughter Margaret Prevented with Prayers The comfort he found in his impriâ—onment Sir Thomas More foretelleth Q Annes death His pleasant answer to his Keepers honest excuse The ignorance of the Oath makers His meditation on death upon the execution of 24 Religious men Secretary Cromwel hiâ— visit A pretty dialogue between Sir Tho. More and his Lady His answer The prisâ—n as neer heaven as his own house Eternity to be preferred before Temporality Another visit Mr. Rich his Case Surely a poor ground for an Inditement of Treason An accident very remarkable if true at the taking away of his Books His merry jest upon it The substance of the inditement The Arraignment of Sir Tho. More His Inditement The Judges charges His resolution Sir Thomas his answer to the inditement 1. How sincerely he had alwaies told the King his mind concerning the marriage The continuation of his imprisonment and afflictions 2. Why he refused to tell his judgment of the law of Supremacy Lay-men not concerned in this Law No law can punish silence that is without malice Whether his silence were malicious Obedience first to God then to man 3. That he never counselled or induced B. Fisher The contents of his letters to the said Bishop 4. The law of Supremacy like a two-edged sword Mr. Rich his Oath against Sir Tho. More Disproved by Sir Th. Oath to the contrary His exception against the witnesse as unworthy of credit If it had been true there had been no Malice Malice in Law The improbability of Mr. Rich's deposition Mr. Rich his witnesses do fail him The Jury verdict guilty Excepted against by Sir Tho. The Act of Parliament against Gods Law No Lay-man may be head of the Church Against the Laws of the Kingdom Against the Kings own Oath Against the peculiar Obligation of England to Rome The Lord Chancellors reply The condemnation of Sir Th. More The Sentence Mitigated by the King Sir More 's charity to his Judges The manner of Sir Th. his return to the Tower Great constancy courtesie and chariâ—y A great experiment of love in the only son of Sir Th. More The great passion of his daughter Margaret A consideration of this mutuall passion of father daughter How devoutly and cheerfully he attended his execution His pleasant comceit upon a Courtier His last letter to his daughter Margaret His blessing to his heir His hair-shirt and Discipline Notice given him from the King of of the day of his death Most welcome unto him He must use but few words at his execution His wife and children permitted to be at his burial His comfortable courage He puts on his best apparell that day His liberality to his executioner The manner of his death His words at his death His prayers Words to the Executioner He covereth his eyes himself His death The K. sadnesse at the news of his execution The imprisonment of his daughter Margaret The favour and physiognomy of Sir Thomas More The judgment of Charles the fifth Emperour and King of Spain concerning Sir Th. More 's death Circumstances worthy some consideration in his death A witty reprehension An unmannerly reprehension mannerlyreturned on the reprehender A bold debter handsomly told his own A pleasant arbitrament between his Lady and a begger A witty censure of a witlesse writing A merry mistake Sinners distasted Why few fear death No man sure of long life Worlds vanity Worldly losses hurt not The folly of old misers How fond it is to love this world Affliction more profitable then pleasure Against deferring of amendment Pusillanimity a dangerous temptation Danger of prosperity Of riches and honours All riches of this world none of our own Covetousnesse Bad Merchants Riches are not goods The worst affection Almes-deeds The world a prison To suffer for God Prayer Detraction Ingratitude Faith the mistresseâ— of reason Better prevent then redresse Desire of heaven Bad life no miracle School Divinity An Apologie for Sir Tho. M pleasantnesse of wit
together in one parish whereas your self can well tell I am sorry you compel me to speak it you were alwaies esteemed very light of your tongue a great dicer and gamester and not of any commendable fame either there or at your house at the Temple where hath been your bringing up Can it therefore seem likely to your Honourable Lordships that in so weighty a cause I should so unadvisedly overshoot my self as to trust M. Rich a man alwaies reputed of me for a man of so little truth and honesty so farre above my Soveraign Lord the King to whom I am so deeply indebted for his manifold favours or any of his noble and grave Counsellors that I would declare only to Mr Rich the secrets of my Conscience touching the Kings Supremacy the special point only mark so long sought for at my hands which I never did nor ever would reveal after the statute once made either to the Kings Highnesse or to any of his noble Counsellors as it is well known to your Honours who have been sent for no other purpose at sundry several times from his Majesties person to me in the Tower I refer it therefore to your judgments My Lords whether this can seem a thing credible to any of you And if I had done as Mr. Rich hath sworn seeing it was spoken but in familiar secret talk affirming nothing but only in putting of Cases without any unpleasing circumstances it cannot justly be taken for Maliciously and where there is no malice there â—an be no offence Bâ—sides this My Lords I cannot think that so many worthy Bishops so many honourable personages and so many worshipful vertuous and well learned men as were in the Parliament assembled at the making of that Law ever meant to have any man punished by death in whom there could be found no malice taking Malitia for Malevolentia for if Malitia be taken in a generall signification for any sin no man is there that can excuse himself thereof Quia siâ—dixerimus quod pecatum non habemus nosmetipsos seducimus verit as in nobis non est Wherefore this word Malitiously is only materiall in this Statute as the word forcible is in the Statute of Forcible Entry for in that Case if any enter peaceably and put his adversary out forcibly it is no offence but if he enter forcibly he shal be punished by that Statute Besides this the unspeakable goodnesse of the Kings Highnesse towards me who hath been so many waies my singular good Lord and gracious Soveraign He I say who hath so dearly loved and trusted me even from my first coming into his Royall service vouchsafing to grace me with the honour of being one of his privie Councell and hath most liberally advanced to offices of great credit and worship finally with the chief dignity of his Majesties High Chancellour the like whereof he never did to any temporal man before which next his Royal Person is the highest Office in this noble Reaâ—m so far above my merits and qualities honouring and exalting me of his incomparable benignity by the space of these twenty years and more shewing his continual favours towards me and now at last it hath pleased his Highnesse at mine own humble suit to give me licence with his Majesties favour to bestow the residue of my life for the better provision of my soul in the service of God to discharge and disburthen me of that weighty dignity before which he had still heaped honours more and more upon me all this his Highnesse goodnesse so liberally extended to me were in my mind matter sufficient to convince this slanderous accusation so wrongfully by this man surmised and urged against me which I commit to your Lordships honourable considerations whether this Oath be likely to be true or no. Mr. Rich seeing himself so evidently disproved and his credit so foully defaced caused Sir Rich. Southwel and Mr. Palmer who in the time of their communication were in the same Chamber with them to be there sworn what words had passed betwixt them whereupon Mr. Palmer upon his deposition said that he was so busie in the trussing up of Sir Thomas his Books into a sack that he took no heed to their talk Sir Rich. Southwel said likewise that because he was appointed only to look to the conveighing of the Books he gave no ear unto them And after this Sir Thomas alleadged many other reasons in his own defence to the discredit of Mr. Rioh his foresaid evidence and for proof of the clearnesse of his own conscience But for all that ever he could do or say the Jury found him guilty Wherefore the Lord Chancellor as chief judge in that matter began presently to proceed to judgment which Sir Thomas hearing said unto him My Lord when I was towards the Law the mannet in such Cases was to aske the prisoner before Sentence whether he could give any reason why judgment should not proceed against him Upon which words the Lord Chancellor staying his Sentence wherein he had already partly proceeded asked Sir Thomas what he was able to say to the contrary who presently made answer as followeth Forasmuch as my Lords this Inditement is grounded upon an Act of Parliament directly repugnant to the Laws of God and his holy Church the Supreme Government of which or of any part thereof no Temporal person may by any Law presume to take upon him as rightfully belonging to the See of Rome it is therefore in Law among the Catholique Christians insufficient to charge any Christian man to obey He also further declared for proof of his assertion that like as this Realm alone being but one member and a small part of the Church might not make a particular Law disagreeing with the general Law of the universal Catholique Church no more then the City of London being but one poor member in respect of the whole Realm might make a law against an Act of Parliament to bind the whole Realm So also he further shewed that this law was contrary to the laws and statutes of the land yet unrepealed as they might evidently perceive in Magna Charta where it is said Quod Ecclesia Anglicana libera sit habeat libertates suas illaesas And also contrary to that sacred Oath which the Kiâ—â— Highnesse himself and every other Christian Prince alwaies with a great solemnity received at their Coronations Alledging moreover that no more might this Kingdome refuse obedience to the See of Rome then might the child to his natural father To these words the Lord Chancellor replyed that seeing all the Bishops Universities and best learned men of this Realm had agreed to this Act it was much marvelled that he alone should so stifly stick thereat and so vehemently argue there against it To which words Sir Thomas answered That if the number of Bishops and Universities were so material as his Lorship
Dr. Stapleton AN Apologie for Sir More 's pleasantnesse of Wit THE HISTORY OF Sr. THO. MORE CHAP. I. 1 Sir Thomas Mores Parentage 2 The place and year of his birth 3 His education first studies and employments of youth SIR Thomas More was the only son of Sir John More Knight and one of the Justices of the Kings Bench a man singular for his many rare perfections which are set down by his son in his Epitaph extant extant among his Latin Works Cambden reports of him for proof of his pleasantnesse of wit that he would compare the great number of women to be chosen for wives unto a bag full of Snakes having amongst them but onâ— Eel now if a man puts his hand into this bag he may chance to light on the Eel but 't is 2 hundred to one if he be not stung with a Snake Many such witty similitudes he used both in his private discourses and publiquâ— auditory by which and many other his perfections of wit and grace one might guess that thiâ— child was likely to prove singular having so worthy a father Sir Thomas More was born at London in Milkstreet where his father for the most part dwel in the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred and eighty and in the twentieth year of Edward the fourth Shortly after whose birth was there this presage of his future eminency His Nurse riding with him over a water the Horse stept aside into a deep place and put both her and the child in great danger of their lives but she endevouring suddenly to prevent the harm of the Infant threw it over a hedge into a field near adjoyning and afterward by Gods assistance escaped safe herself When she came to take him up again to her amazement she found him to have no hurt at all but the Babe sweetly smiled upon her Wherefore his father as supposing him sent into the world for some great end was much the more careful of his education and so put him to the Free-school of London called St. Anthonies where after he had been brought up in the Latine tongue his father shortly after procured him to be recived into the house of the Right Reverend Prelate Cardinal Moorton Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord High Chancellor of England where though he was young of years yet would he in the Christmas time suddenly sometimes step in among the Players and never studying for the matter make a part of his own there presently amongst them which was so witty and full of Jests that he alone made the lookers on more sport then all the Players beside in whose wit and towardnesse the Cardinal much delighting would often say of him to the Nobles that several times dined with him This child here waiting at the Table whosoever shall live to see it will prove a marvellous man Whereupon for his furtherance in learning he placed him in Canterbury Colledge in Oxford now called Christ Church where when he was both in the Greek and Latine tongue sufficiently instructed he was then for the study of the Law put to an Inne of Chancery called New-Inne where for his time he very well prospered And from thence was admitted to Lincolns-Inne with very small allowance continuing his study there until he was made and accounted a worthy Utter Barrister And then to his commendation he for some time read a publique Lecture of S. Austin De Civitate Dei in the Church of S. Laurence in the Old Jury whereunto there resorted Dr. Groyein an excellent man and others of the most learned of the City of London Then was he made Reader of Furnivals-Inne so remaining by the space of three years and more after which time he gave himself to devotion and prayer in the Charter-house of London religiously living there without vow about four year CHAP. II. 1 Sir Thomas Mores marriage 2 His first preferments 3 His danger in King Henry the sevenths Reign NOw about this time there lived a pleasant Gentleman and of an ancient Family of New-hall in Essex by name M. John Colt who several times invited him to his house being much delighted in his company and proffered him the choice of any of his daughters three young Gentlewomen of very good carriage and complexion whose honest conversation and vertuous education enclined him there especially to set his affection and although he most desired the second daughter for that he thought her the fairest and most handsome yet when he considered that it would be both a great grief and some blemish also to the eldest to see her younger sister preferred before her â—he then of a kind compassion framed his fancie toward her and soon after married her never the more discontinuing his study of the Law at Lincolns-Inne but still plying the same until he was called to the Bench and had read twice which is as often as any Judge of the Law doth read and to which few but rare and singular Lawyers do ever attain Before which time he had placed himself and his wife in Bucklersbury in London where he had by her one son and three daughters in vertue and learning brought up from their youth whom he would often exhort to take vertue and learning for their meat and play but for their sauce In the latter end of King Henry the sevenths Reign a Parliament was called wherein Sir Thomas More ere ever he had read in the Court was chosen Burgesse there was then demanded by the King one Subsidie and three Fifteens for the marriage of his eldest daughter the Lady Margaret that then should be as indeeed she was shortly after the Queen of Scots when the consent of the Lower House was demanded to these impositions most of the rest either holding their peace or not daring to speak against them though very unwilling to grant them Sr Thomas making a grave speech argued so strongly why these exactions were not to be granted that thereby the Kings demands were cleer overthrown and his request denyed so that one Mr. Tyler of the Kings Privy Chamber being present thereat went immediately from the House and told his Majesty that a beardless boy had frustrated all his expectations whereupon the King being very much incensed at him would not be satisfied until he had some way revenged it Now forasmuch as he nothing having nothing could lose the King devised a causeless quarrel against Sir John More his father keeping him in the Tower until he had made him pay to him a hundred pounds fine hereupon it sell out that Sir Thomas More coming in a suit to Doctor Fox Bishop of Winchester one of the Kings privie Councel the Bishop called him aside and pretending great favour to him promised him that if he would be ruled by him he would not fail to restore him again into the Kings favour meaning as it was afterward conjectured
the old holy Doctors and at his coming next to the Court in talking with his Majesty of the foresaid matter he said To be plain with your Grace neither my Lord of Durham nor my Lord of Bath though I know them both to be wise vertuous learned and honourable Prelates nor my self with the rest of your Councel being all of us your Majesties own servants so much bound unto your Highnesse for your great favours daily bestowed upon us be in my judgment meet Councellors for your Grace herein but if your Highnesse please to understand the very truth you may have such Councellors devised as neither for respect of their own worldly profit nor for fear of your Princely authority will be inclined to deceive you and then named S Hierome S. Austine and divers other holy Doctors both Greeks and Latines and also shewed what authority he had gathered out of them which although the King as not agreeing with his desires did not very well like of yet were they by Sir Thomas More who in all his communication with the King in that business had alwaies most discreetly demeaned himself so wisely tempered that both at that present he took them in good part and often afterwards had thereof conference with him again After this were there certain questions propounded among his Councell Whether the King in the case of his first marriage needed to have any scruple at all and if he had what way were best to remove it The most of his Councel were of opinion that there was good cause because Queen Katherine being married before to Prince Arthur King Henrie's elder brother was not to be wife to two brothers and therefore for discharging of this suit was to be made to the See of Rome where the King by liberality hoped to obtain his desires wherein as it appeared afterwards he was much deceived Then was there for the triall and examination of this matrimony procured from Rome a Commission in which Cardinal Campegius and Cardinall VVolfey were joyned Commissioners who for the determination thereof sat at the Black-Friers in London where a Libell was put in for annulling the former Matrimony alledging that marriage between the King and the Queen to be utterly unlawfull but on the other side for proof that it was lawfull there was brought in a Dispensation In which after divers disputations thereupon held there appeared an imperfection which by an instrument or brief upon search found in the Treasury of Spain and sent to the Commissioners into England was supplyed and so judgement should have been given by the Pope accordingly had not the King upon intelligence thereof before the said judgment appealed to the next generall Councel after whose appellation the Cardinal upon that matter sate no longer It fortuned before the businesse of the said Matrimony was brought in question when this foresaid Mr. Rooper in discourse with his father-in-law of a certain joy commanded unto him the happy estare of this Kingdom that had so Catholick a Prince that no Heretick durst shew his face so vertuous and learned a Clergie so grave and sound a Nobility so loving and obedient Subjects all agreeing together in one faith and dutifulnesse as though they had Cor unum Animam unam one Heart and one Soul Sir Thomas replyed In truth it is indeed son Rooper as you say and in commending all degrees and estates of the same far exceeded him and yet son Rooper I pray God said he that some of us as high as we seem to it upon the mountains treading Hereticks under our feet live not the day that we gladly would wish to be at a league and composition with them to let them have their Churches quietly to themselves so that they would be content to let us have ours quietly to our selves When his son had told him many reasons why he had no cause so to expresse himself VVell said he I pray God son Rooper some of us live not till that day yet shewing him no reason why he should put any doubt therein To whom he said By my troth Sir it is very desperately spoken but withall recants that term who by these words perceiving him in some choler said merrily unto him VVel well son Rooper it shall not be so it shall not be so whom as I have said before in all the time of continuall residence with him he could never perceive so much as once disturbed with anger But now to return again where I left after the supplying of the imperfections of the Dispensation sent as is before related to the Commissioners into England the King taking the matter for ended and then intending to proceed no further in it assigned the Bishop of Durham and Sir Thomas More to goe Embassadors to Cambray a place then neither Imperiall nor French to treat of a peace between the Emperour the French King and him In the concluding whereof Sir Thomas More so worthily behaved himself procuring in our league farre more advantages unto this Kingdome then at that time by the King or his Councel was thought possible that for his good service in that employment the King made him Lord Chancellor and caused the Duke of Norfolke openly to declare unto the people as you shall see here hereafter more at large how much all England was bounden unto him CHAP. VIII 1 The Cardinal degraded of his Office 2 Sir THOMAS MORE made Lord High Chancellor of England Now upon the coming home of the Bishop of Durham and Sir Thomas More from Cambray the King was as earnest in perswading Sir Thomas More to agree to his second marriage as before by many and divers wayes provoking him thereunto for which cause as it was thought he the rather soon after made him Lord Chancellor and further told him that though at his going over the sea to Gambray he was in utter despair thereof yet he had conceived since some good hope to bring it about for although his marriage being against the positive Lawes of the Church and the written Lawes God was holpen by the Dispensation yet was there another thing found out of late he said whereby his marriage appeared to be so directly against the Law of Nature that it could in no wife be dispensable by the Church as Dr. Stokely whom he had then preferred to be Bishop of London and in that case chiefly credited was able to inform him with whom he prayed him in that point to conferre But for al his conference with him he saw nothing of such force as could induce him to change his opinion therein yet the Bishop relating to the King their conference so favourably reported of Sir More 's carriage therein that he said he found him very desirous to finde some matter in his Highnesse cause wherein he might truly serve his Grace to his contentation This Bishop Stokely being by the Cardinall not long before openly disgraced and awarded
confesse that I alwaies told the King my opinion therein as my conscience dictated unto me which I neither would or ought to have concealed I am so far from thinking my self guilty of high Treason as that on the contrary I being demanded my opinion by so great a Prince in a matter of such importance whereupon the quietnesse of a Kingdome dependeth If I should have basely flattered him against my own Conscience and not uttered the truth as I thought then I should worthily have been accounted a wicked subject and a perfidious traitor to God Herein I had offended the King if it can be an offence to tell ones mind plainly when our Prince asketh us I suppose I have been already punished enough for this fault with most grievous afflictions with the loss of all my goods and committed to perpetual imprisonment having been shut up already almost these fifteen moneths My second accusation is that I have transgressed the Statute in the last Parliament that is to say being a Prisoner and twice examined by the Lords of the Councell I would not disclose unto them my opinion of a malignant perfidious obstinate and traiterous mind whether the Ki. were Supreme head of the Church or no but answerd them that this Law belonged not unto me whether it were just or unjust because I did not enjoy any benefit from the Church yet I then protested that I never had said or done any thing against it neither can any one word or action of mine be produced to make me culpable yea this I confesse was then my speech unto their Honours that hereafter I would think of nothing else but of the bitter passion of our blessed Saviour and of my passage out of this miserable world I wish no harm to any and if this wil not keep me alive I desire not to live By al which I know that I could not transgresse any Law or incurre any crime of treason for neither this Statute nor any Law in the world can punish any man for holding his peace for they only can punish either words or deeds God only being Judge of our secret thoughts At which words because indeed they were very urgent the Kings Atturney interrupted him and said Although we have not one word or deed of yours to object against you yet have we your Silence which is an evident sign of a malitious mind because no dutifull subject being lawfully asked this question will refuse to answer To which Sir Thomas answered My silence is no sign of any malicious mind which the King himself may know by many of my dealings neither doth it convince any man of breach of your Law For it is a Maxim amongst the Civilians and Canonisty Quiâ—acet consentire videtur He that holdeth his peace seemeth to consent And as for that you say No good subject will refuse to answer directly I think it verily the duty of a good subject except he be such a subject as will be an evill Christian rather to obey God then man to have more care of offending his conscience then of any other matter in the world especially if his conscience procure neither heavy scandall nor sedition to his Prince or Countrey as mine hath not done for I here protest unfeignedly that I never revealed it to any man living I now come to the third capital matter of my Inditement whereby I am accused that I maliciously attempted traiterously endeavoured and perfidiously practised against this Statute as the words thereof affirm because I wrote eight sundry packets of letters whilst I was in the Tower unto Bishop Fisher by which I exhorted him to break the same Law and induced him to the like obstinacy I would have these letters produced and read against me which may either free me or convince me of a lye But because you say the Bishop burnt them al I will here tell the truth of the whole matter Some were only of private matters as about our old friendship and acquaintance one of them was in answer to his whereby he desired of me to know how I had answered in my examinations to this Oath of Supremacy Touching which this only I wrote unto him again that I had already set led my conscience let him settle his to his own good liking and no other answer I gave him God is my witnesse as God I hope shal save this my soul and this I trust is no breach of your Laws The last objected crime is that being examined in the Tower I did say that this Law was like a two-edged Sword for in consenting thereto I should endangen my soul in refusing it I should lose my life Which answer because Bishop Fisher made the like it is evidently gathered as you say that we both conspired together Whereto I reply that my answer there was but conditional if there be danger in both either to allow or disallow this Statute and therefore like a two-edged Sword it seemeth a hard thing that it should be offered to me that never have hitherto contradicted it either in word or deed These were my words what the Bishop answered I know not If his answer were like mine it proceeded not from any conspiracy of ours but from the likenesse of our wits and learning To conclude I unfeignedly avouch that I never spake word against this Law to any living man although perhaps his Majesty hath been told the contrary To this full answer the Atturny replyed no more but the word Malice was in the mouth of all the Court but no man could produce either word or deed to prove it yet for all this for proof to the Jury that Sir Thomas More was guilty of this Treason Mr. Rich was called forth to give evidence unto them upon his Oath which he did affirming that which was spoken of before in their discourse in the Tower against whom now sworn Sir Thomas began in this manner to speak If I were a man my Lords that did not regard an Oath I needed not at this time in this place as it is well known to you all stand as an accused person And if this Oath Mr. Rich which you have taken be true then I pray that I may never see God in the face which I would not say were it otherwise to gain the whole world Then did he recite before the Councell the whole discourse of all their communication in the Tower according as it was truly adding this In good faith Mr. Rich I am more sorry for your perjury then for mine own peril and know you that neither I nor any man else to my knowledge ever took you to be a man of such credit as that I or any other would vouch safe to communicate with you in any matter of importance You know that I have been acquainted with your manner of lite conversation a long space even from your youth to this time for we dwelt long