William Roper

“ But so purpose I to bear my self in every man's company, while I live, that neither good man nor bad, neither monk, friar, nor nun, nor other man or woman in this world, shall make me digress from my truth and faith, either towards God, or towards my natural prince, by the grace of Almighty God ”

“ The truth is there were so many persons of corrupt minds and ill principles who abused the Reformation to serve their own vile purposes, that it is not to be at all wondred at that Sir Thomas as well as others entertained very strong prejudices against it. In Germany all was in an uproar; the boors and common people seem'd to act as if all was their own, and that they were now at liberty to plunder whom they pleased. Erasmus, who was on the spot, thus represents their behaviour. ”

“ In 1716, Thomas Hearne, the celebrated antiquary, gave to the world another impression, and boasts of having had the choice of several manuscript copies; he does not however seem to have been fortunate in the one he selected, but he has followed it most scrupulously in every particular, errors and redundancies not excepted. His various readings at the end of the volume offer many emendations, of which he, perhaps with too punctilious accuracy, omitted to avail himself in the construction of his text. ”

“ Good Madam, I doubt not, but that you remember that in the beginning of my communication with you, I shewed you, that I neither was, nor would be, curious of any knowledge of other men's matters, and least of all of any matter of princes, or of the realm, in case it so were, that God had, as to many good folks beforetime he hath, any time revealed unto you such things, I said unto your ladyship, that I was not only not desirous to hear of, but also would not hear of. Now, Madam, I consider well that many folk desire to speak with you, which are not all peradventure of my mind in this point ”

“ But whether ever I heard the same tale of Rich or of Risby, or of neither of them both, but of some other man since she was in hold, in good faith I cannot tell; but I wot well when or wheresoever I heard it, me thought it a tale too marvellous to be true, and very likely that she had told some man her dream, which told it out for a revelation. ”

“ His Confutation of Tindal's Answer to his Dialogues, is a proof of this: since there he tells a parcel of stories of Sir Thomas Hitton, Richard Bayfelde, George Constantine, Thomas Bylney, and——Tewksberry, most of them burnt, as serve to very little other purpose than representing those men as the weakest fools as well as the most vicious and hardned knaves.
All parties, it has been observed, have got a scurvy trick of lying for the truth. But it is not at all to be wonderd that they make no scruple of telling a lie, who think that even by killing their fellow creatures they do God service. ”

“ Of Margaret Roper, his admirable wife, the same writer says, that " she was nearest her father as well in wit, learning, and virtue, as also in merry and pleasant talk, and in feature of body. She was to her servants meek and gentle; to her brothers and sisters most loving and amiable; to her friends steadfast and comfortable; and would give very sound counsel, which is a rare thing in a woman. ”

“ And he again was of his part so sober to her, so sweet, so modest, and so loving a husband, that if he had not been her husband, it might have seemed to have been her own germane brother, as Erasmus was wont to say of a happy couple. But above all, she was to her father a most natural loving child. ”

“ Sir Thomas seems to have thought that a pope was not of the essence of the visible church, which might subsist without a pope under the government of provincial patriarchs, or archbishops.
I beg leave to add one particular more concerning Sir Thomas, as a proof of his great integrity. His friend Erasmus observes that he stood but on ill terms with the Cardinal the King's prime Minister of State. The Cardinal, says he, when he was alive, was far from being favourable to More, and rather feared than loved him. ”

“ It sufficeth me, good Madam, to put you in remembrance of such things, as I nothing doubt your wisdom, and the Spirit of God shall keep you from talking with any person, specially with high persons, of any such manner things as pertain to princes affairs, or the state of the realm, but only to commune and talk with any persons high and low, of such manner things as may to the soul be profitable for you to shew, and for them to know. ”

“ Roper seems to have been very well qualified for a writer of Sir Thomas's Life, but his affection for him has had some influence on his pen, so as instead of a history, he has wrote a panegyric. As great and as good a man as Sir Thomas was, it's certain he was not altogether without his foibles. ”

“ And so far he waded in these heresies that he wished he might be suffered publicly to preach; thinking, as we have said, that he should be better able to edify the people than the best Doctor that comes to Paul's Cross. And thus for his open talk, and companying with divers merchants of the Stilyard, and others suspected of heresy, he was convened before Cardinal Wolsey. The merchants abjured at Paul's Cross; yet Master Roper, for some respect the Cardinal bore to Sir Thomas, his father-in-law, was, after a friendly warning, discharged for that time. ”

“ For he daily did use immoderate fasting and many prayers; which if discretion and counsel had prescribed, it had been well; but using them of his own head, without order and good consideration, thinking God never to be pleased therewith, he did weary himself usque ad tedium, even unto loathsomeness thereof. Then did he understand of certaine books of Friar Luther's * * and he was so infected with the poison of them that he believed every thing that Luther said to be most true * * and was fully of opinion that only faith doth justify, and that good works do nothing profit ”

“ Cromwell, fully declared to you, as far as my self can call to remembrance, all that ever I have done or said in this matter, wherein I am sure that never one of them all shall tell you any further thing of effect; for if any of them, or any man else, report of me, as I trust no man verily will, and I wot well truly no man can, any word or deed by me spoken or done, touching any breach of my legal truth and duty toward my most redoubted Soveraign and natural liege Lord, I will come to mine answer, and make it good in such wise as becometh a poor true man to do ”

“ This gentleman was William Roper the son and heir of John Roper, Esq.; prothonotary of the King's Bench, and of an ancient and worshipful family at St. Dunstan's in the suburbs of the City of Canterbury. He married Margaret the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. This lady had all the advantages that could arise from great natural parts and very fine learning: she was a perfect mistress of the Greek and Latin tongues, and of all sorts of music, besides her skill in arithmetick and other sciences. ”

“ But to return to Sir Thomas More. As strongly prejudiced as he was against the King's primacy or supremacy, it appears by the following account of his life, that he was not so extravagant in his notions of the Papal power as some others were. I've before observed that he tells Tyndall that he never put the Pope for part of the definition of the church, [O 35] defining it to be the common known congregation of all christian nations under one head the Pope. ”

“ But besides the reflections made on their persons, its but too plain that Sir Thomas is not always so careful, as one would expect a person of his learning and of so tender and scrupulous a conscience would be, in reporting matters of fact wherein they whom he called hereticks were concerned. ”

“ And so firmly was rooted and fixed in it that he continued very resolute and constant unto his life's end, and left it as an inheritance unto his house and children; and was afterwards a singular helper and patron to all afflicted Catholics, and especially to such as were in prison, or otherwise troubled for the defence of the Catholic faith. His ordinary alms, as yet to be seen in his book of accounts, amounted yearly to one thousand [4] pounds: his extraordinaries were as much, and sometimes more; sometimes two, three, and four thousand pounds a year. ”

“ Some men of good calling and experience, in their perplexities and difficult cases would consult with her, and found, as they afterward reported, as grave and profitable counsel at her hands as they doubted to find the like elsewhere. * * To her children she was a double mother, as not only to bring them forth to the world, but also brought them to Heaven-ward, by instructing them in learning and virtue. It happened her husband, upon a displeasure taken against him by the King, was sent to the Tower ”

“ I can deuise no ferther thing by me to be done in the mater but onely beseche Almighty God to put into the Kinge's gracious minde, that as God knoweth the thing is in dede, so hys noble Grace maye take it. Nowe towching the second point, concerning his Grace's great matter of his mariage, to thentent that you maye see cause wyth the better conscience too make sute vnto his Highnes for me, I shall as playnely declare you my demeanure in that matter, as I haue already declared you in the other, for more plainly I cannot. ”

“ Finding, by perusal therof, the same replenished with incoparable Treasures, of no lesse Worthy, and most Christian Factes, then of Wise, and Religious Sentences Apophthegmes, and Sayings; I deemed it not only an errour to permit so great a light to ly buried, as it were, within the walls of one private Family: but also judged it worthy the Presse, even of a golden Character (if it were to be had) to the end, the whole World might receave comfort and profit by reading the same. ”

“ For surely, good Madam, sith it pleased God sometime to suffer, such as are far under and of little estimation, to give yet fruitful advertisement to such other as are in the light of the spirit so far above them, that there were between them no comparison ”

“ Wordsworth justly observes, "that by means of the successive lives of Sir Thomas More, we possess a curious specimen of the aversion which Popery has against reforming itself; or rather of its propensity to accumulate falsities and forgeries, even amidst surrounding reformation and refinement In Roper and Harpsfield there is scarcely any thing fanatical ”

“ The picture is as perfect as any picture of that age can be, though some of the faces of the female figures do appear a little faded. It appears that Hearne must have been in error when he asserted that part of it had been painted over again by some inferior artist, for a person well skilled in pictures asserts that there is no appearance of that having been the case. ”

“ For likewise as I am not he which either can, or whom it could become to take vpon me the determinacion or decision of such a weighty matter, wherof diuers pointes a gret way passe my lerning, so am I he, that among other his Grace's faithful subjects, his Highnes being in possession of his marriage, will most hartely pray for the prosperous estate of his Grace, longe to continue to the pleasure of God. As touching the thirde point, the primacy of the Pope, I nothing meddle in the mater. ”

“ Which condicion hath neuer growne in any thing that ever might touch his gracious pleasure, of any obstinate minde or misse affectionate appetite, but of a timerouse conscience, rising happely for lakke of better parceyuing, and yet not without tender respect vnto my most bounden duty towardes his noble Grace: whose only fauour I so muche esteme, that I nothing haue of mine owne in al this worlde except only my soule, but that I will with better wyll forgo it, than abyde of hys Highnes one heauye displeasant loke. ”

“ For afterwards, because I had often heard that many right worshipful folks, as well men as women, used to have much communication with her; and many folk are of nature inquisitive and curious, whereby they fall sometimes into such talking, and better were to forbear, of which thing I nothing thought while I talked with her of charity, therefore I wrote her a letter thereof; which sith it may be peradventure, that she brake or lost, I shall insert the very copy thereof in this present letter. ”