The life and death of Sr. Thomas Moore, who was Lord Chancelor of England to King Henry the Eight

The Preface to the Reader.

1. AS I cannot but daily thinke of the rare and admirable ver∣tues both of nature and grace,* 1.1 which did shine most perspi∣cuously in the blessed life and glorious death of that worthie Champion of Christs Church S^r. THOMAS MORE; so also haue I often had an ear∣nest desire, especially for the spirituall behoofe of my selfe and my Children (who are as small brookes deriued by naturall propagation frō that spacious sea of rare perfections; or like tender twigs drawing sappe from the fruitfull roote of his noble excellēcies) to giue them a taste, accor∣ding to my poore abilitie, of some few of his most heroical vertues; professing my self vtterly vnable to sett downe his life in writing, as he deserueth.

* 1.22. For if that Apelles the principall paynter that euer liued, was thought only fitt to drawe with his pencell the pourtraicture of Alexander the Great; or if Lysippus the most curious engra∣uer was the onlie man, which was suffered to ca∣rue in brasse the beauteous feature of the same so worthie a personage; for feare least that some vn∣skillfull workeman might rather blemish his fa∣uour, then anie waies grace it: what courage can I haue to vndertake a worke of so great difficultie as this, who know myselfe a verie puney in compa∣rison of so manie famous men, that haue vnder∣gone this businesse alreadie, finding in the verie beginning of this mine enterprise my small capa∣citie ouerwhelmed with the plentie and copious∣nesse of this subiect? and yf I should boaste my witt and skill to be equall with learned Staple∣ton's, who at large and with great diligence and dexteritie hath sett forth the life of this great ser∣uant of God in his booke intituled The three Thomases, I should, vanish away in mine owne pride, knowing my self right well most vnworthie to be compared vnto him; or if I should challen∣ge

vnto my selfe more certaintie of the matter related, then my great vncle M^r. William Roo∣per could haue, euerie one might iudge me both vaine and arrogant, of whose sinceritie none that euer knewe him or heard of him, can doubte, I being the third in descent from S. THOMAS, and he his owe sonne-in law, with whome he had familiarly conuersed y space of sixteene yeares togeather, as he himself confes∣seth;* 1.3 yet for all this I haue now at last ventured to discourse a little of the life and death of this glorious Martyr (for so without enuie I hope I may call him) non vt electus ex multis, sed quasi relictus ex omnibus, not as one that may be thought fitt to sett his life forth with good grace, but as he, who only vpon a naturall affe∣ction to his Ancestour, trusting chiefly of Gods ayde, and this Saint's holie praiers, is em∣boldened to say somewhat thereof; this being one propertie of affection, to suppose, that whosoeuer hath spoken, or whatsoeuer hath bene sayd of him, whome we loue, all that we thinke nothing, if we ourselues haue not sayd

somewhat in his praise; although (alas) we are often the vnfittest men for that purpose, we being not able to vtter what we conceaue, be∣cause our passion taketh away much of our conceipt; and therefore we vtter for the most parte either broken words, or vnperfect sen∣tences, more intelligible to him, that searcheth the secretts of mens harts, then to others that heare them spoken, or reade them in our wri∣tings.

* 1.43. But one may aske me, why I should challenge more affection to this man, then anie other of my kinne, of whome few or none haue endeauoured to write any thing hither∣to; I answer, that though I haue had more cause perhaps then anie man else to loue him, and honour him, which is best knowen to my selfe, and not fitt to be related vnto all men, secre∣tum meum mihi; yet will I not ascribe to my selfe so great a priuiledge of louing him best, I being the yongest and meanest of all my fa∣milie; lett this suffice him, that is a curious sear∣cher of this my deede, that as Doctour Staple∣ton

was moued to take paines in setting forth the actions of S. THOMAS MORE, because he was borne in the verie same moneth and yeare, wherein he suffered his glorious martyrdome;* 1.5 so was I borne anew and regenerated by the holie Sacrament of Baptisme on the verie sa∣me day (though manie yeares after) on which S^r. THOMAS MORE entred heauen triumphant, to witt, on the sixt day of Iuly And therefore haue I had some speciall confidence of his par∣ticular furtherance and blessing. For how, I pray you, could I euer haue hoped to haue liued as heyre of S^r. THOMAS his familie,* 1.6 and to en∣ioye at this time some parte of his inheritance, all which by his attaynder he had lost vtterly from himself and his children, if his praiers had not, as it were begged it at Gods hands? besides I was the yongest of thirteene children of my father, the last & meanest of fiue sonnes, foure of which liued to mens estate; and yet it hath bene Gods holie pleasure, to bestowe this in he∣ritance vpon me; which though perhaps I ha∣ue no cause to boaste of, because it may be a

punishment vnto me for my faultes, if I vse it not well, and a burden which may weighe me downe full deepe; yet will the world coniectu∣re it to be a great blessing of God, and so I ought to acknowledge it: And although I knowe my∣self the vnfittest and vnworthiest of all the fou∣re to manage this estate, yet they either loathed the world, before the world fawned on thē, li∣uing in voluntarie contempt thereof, and dyed happie soules, in that they chose to be accoun∣ted abiect in the sight of mē; or else they vtterly cast of all care of earthlie trash, by professing a strayte and religious life, for feare least the dan∣gerous perills of worldlie wealth might gaule their soules, and the number of snares, which hang in euerie corner of this world, might en∣trappe thē to the endangering of their eternall saluation; and left me poore soule to sinke or swime, or, as I can, wade out of these dangerous whirle pooles, amongsts which we wordlings are ingulphed; the multitude of which eminent perils doe force me to cry first and chiefly to CHRIST IESVS: saying with his Apostles: Lord,

saue me, for I am in danger of drowning; and then also to craue the especiall assistance of S^r. THOMAS MORE his prayers, by whose interces∣sion I hope to wafte this my poore barke vnto her assured hauen of heauen, though shaken and crushed with winde and weather.

4. But none of vs must thinke,* 1.7 that his as∣sistance is all, we must putt our owne helping hands thereto:

Nāgenus & proauos, & quae non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco. —

his meritts are not our warrant, yea rather his exāples haue layde a greater loade on the bac∣kes of his posteritie, in that we are bound to imitate his actions more then anie other, or else more harme will fall vpon vs, because we haue not followed the foote stepps of our wor∣thie Forefather,* 1.8 according as Moyses comma∣unded the Israelites saying in his Canticle: In∣terroga patrem tuum, & annunciabit tibi; maio∣res tuos, & di••ent tibi; which the Apostle also counselleth Christians in these wordes: Quorum videntes Conuersationem, imitaminifidem. But

should I therefore wish I had not bene his Grandchilde, because I haue incurred a greater bond, and shall runne into greater infamie, by forsaking my dutie? noe; God forbidde; yea ra∣ther this will I boldely affirme, not vpon vaine glorie, but vpon the confidence I haue of this singular man's blessing; if God would haue gi∣uen me choice, before he created me of no∣thing, wether I would be the sonne of some fa∣mous Emperour, magnificent King, noble Du∣ke, couragious Lord, or his, whose I was, I would most willingly haue chosen to be the same I am (to Gods eternall glorie be it spoken.)

* 1.95. Wherefore relying vpon the assistance of this most excellent Saint, I will endeauour briefly to sett downe for mine owne instructiō, and my Childrens, the life & death of S^r. THO∣MAS MORE; who was as a bright starre of our Countrie in the tempestuous stormes of perse∣cution, in which we sayle to our heauenlie Cit∣tie; on whome God heaped a number of most singular endewments; as, aboundance of witt, profound wisedome, happie discretion, perfect

Iustice, exceeding Temperance, sweete affabili∣tie, and all excellencies of nature and morali∣tie, besides supernaturall and Theologicall guifts; as, Charitie in a high degree, both to∣wards God and his neighbour, a Fayth most cō∣stant, which would not be daunted with anie threates or disgraces, that his Prince or Coun∣sellours could thunder out against him, nay not with death it selfe; a magnanimitie not to be ouercome either by feare of anie losses, or hope of anie dignities; religion and such deuo∣tion as scarcely could be looked for in anie of a lay profession; which perfections beganne to shine in his infancie, and continued in the pro∣gresse of his actions, and did not ende, but in∣creased by his most glorious death which was an enterance into a most happie kingdome, wherein he both can and will haue compas∣sion and helpe vs in these our miseries; because he was raysed by God to be one of the first fa∣mous warriours in this our long persecution. Wherefore he may worthily be sett before our eyes, as a perfect patterne and liuelie example

to be imitated by vs: for he had more to loose, then most men in the land, being second to none but to the Chiefest, either in worldlie di∣gnitie, or his Prince's fauour; and yet did he wil∣lingly forgoe all, yea life it selfe, rather then to wrong his Conscience, in consenting to anie thing against the law of God, and Iustice, as by this ensuing discourse will particularly ap∣peare.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The end and sco∣pe of this vvork:
• * 1.2

  Though beyond my abili∣ty and capacity▪
• * 1.3

  Yet vn∣dertaken out of zeale and loue to the me∣mory of S. Th. M.
• * 1.4

  And for speciall cause knovvn to my self alo∣ne.
• * 1.5

  As also for being borne on the day of his mar∣tyrdom▪
• * 1.6

  And by his pray∣ers ha∣uing the honour to be the heyre of his fami∣ly.
• * 1.7

  Not pre∣suming only vpō his me∣rits:
• * 1.8

  VVhich lay à gre∣ater bur∣den of i∣mitation vpon vs;
• * 1.9

  But tru∣sting vpō his pray∣ers: and setting his life & death as a sampler before our eyes.