William Roper

“ Her letters and orations delighted the most learned of her contemporaries, as the great Cardinal Pole, John Voysey, Bishop of Exeter, and Erasmus, who called her “the ornament of Britain.” The tutor of the Duke of Richmond wrote to Sir Thomas More to express his regret that he had not been present when his daughter “disputed of philosophy before the King.” The love and tenderness of her father were equal to his wisdom, and the story of their lives is ideally beautiful. When she married Mr. William Roper, of Eltham, Kent, he kept up communion in correspondence. ”

“ I have neither Bess’s witt nor white teeth, nor Daisy’s dark eyes, nor Mercy’s dimple. A plain-favoured girl, with changefule spiritts—that’s all.”
And within but a brief space we find her much in error, as to its degree, and its effect on William Roper, which she records as thus in the libellus.
“Soe my fate is settled. Who knoweth at sunrise what will chance before sunsett? No; the Greeks and Romans mighte speake of chance and of fate, but we must not. ”

“ 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. ”

“ How can he help getting a warped notion of things? He sees his friends and his neighbors falling by the wayside. By God, it’s got to the point in this legislature that an honest man’s an object of obloquy.”
“That’s right,” agreed Roper. “Easy enough for us to be square. We got good ranches back of us and can spend the winter playing poker at the Mesa Club if we feel like it. But if we stood where Billy George and Garner and Roberts and Munz do, I ain’t so damn sure my virtue would stand the strain. Can you reach that salt, Sam?” ”

“ Sir Thomas More's Letter to Cromwell, concerning the Nun of Kent. Ex MS. Norfolcianis in Coll. Gresham.
Right Worshipful,
After my most hearty recommendation, with like thanks for your goodness, in accepting of my rude long letter. I perceive, that of your further goodness and favour towards me, it liked your mastership to break with my son Roper, of that, that I had had communication, not only with divers that were of acquaintance with the lewd nun of Canterbury, but also with her self; and had, over that, by my writing, declaring favour towards her, given her advice and counsel ”

“ 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. ”

“ In the mean season I was much bound and beholding to John Morton Archbishop and Cardinal of Canterbury, and at that time also Lord Chancellor of England; a man not more honourable for his authority than for his prudence and virtue. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ I must put your highness in remembrance of one thing, and that is this. The pope, as your grace knoweth, is a prince as you are, and in league with all other Christian princes: it may hereafter so fall out that your grace and he may vary upon some points of the league, whereupon may grow breach of amity and war between you both: I think it best therefore that that place be amended, and his authority more slenderly touched. "Nay, quoth his grace, that shall it not: we are so much bounden unto the see of Rome that we cannot do too much honour unto it." ”

“ 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 ”

“ His friend Erasmus said of him, that he hated the seditious tenets with which the world was then miserably disturbed: that this he no way dissembled, nor desired should be a secret. Yet this was a sufficient argument of a certain excellent clemency, that whilst he was Chancellor no one was put to death for his disapproved opinions. In a letter of his to Erasmus Sir Thomas very freely owns, that he so far hated that sort of men called hereticks, that unless they repented he would be as troublesome to them as he could: and that this he had declared in his epitaph out of ambition. ”

“ It may therefore like your most abundant grace, our most benign and godly king, to give to all your Commons here assembled your most gracious license and pardon, freely without doubt of your dreadful displeasure, every man to discharge his conscience, and boldly in every thing incident among us, to declare his advice ”

“ For I see no great cause why I should much joy in my gay house, or in any thing thereunto belonging, when if I should but seven years lie buried under the ground and then arise and come thither again, I should not fail to find some therein that would bid me get me out of doors, and tell me it were none of mine. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Rich, "that were there an act of parliament that all the realm should take me for pope, would not you then, Master More, take me for pope?" "For answer, Sir," quoth Sir Thomas More "to your first case, the parliament may well, Master Rich, meddle with the state of temporal princes, but to make answer to your other case, I will put you this case: suppose the parliament would make a law that God should not be God, would you then, Master Rich, say that God were not God?" "No, Sir," quoth he, "that would I not; sith no parliament may make any such law." ”

“ In whose wit and towardness the Cardinal much delighting, would often say of him unto the nobles that divers times dined with him, This child here waiting at the table, whosoever shall live to see it, will prove a marvellous man. ”

“ Now upon this resignment of his office, came Sir Thomas Cromwell, then in the king's high favour, to Chelsea to him with a message from the king. Wherein when they had thoroughly communed together, Master Cromwell, quoth he, you are now entered into the service of a most noble, wise, and liberal prince; if you will follow my poor advice, you shall, in your counsel-giving to his grace, ever tell him what he ought to do, but never what he is able to do. So shall you show yourself a true faithful servant, and a right wise and worthy counsellor. ”

“ Who between the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk being brought through Westminster Hall to his place in the Chancery, the Duke of Norfolk, in audience of all the people there assembled, showed, that he was from the king himself straightly charged by special commission, there openly in presence of them all, to make declaration how much all England was beholden unto Sir Thomas More for his good service, and how worthy he was to have the highest room in the realm, and how dearly his grace loved and trusted him, for which, -said the duke, he had great cause to rejoice. ”

“ As soon as his grace was gone, I rejoicing thereat, said to Sir Thomas More, how happy he was whom the king had so familiarly entertained, as I never had seen him do to any before, except Cardinal Wolsey, whom I saw his grace walk once with arm in arm. "I thank our lord, son, (quoth he) I find his grace my very good lord indeed, and I believe he doth as singularly favour me as any subject within this realm: howbeit, son Roper, I may tell thee, I have no cause to be proud thereof, for if my head would win him a castle in France (for then there was war between us) it should not fail to go." ”

“ Nevertheless, whatsoever I intended, I am ready obediently to conform myself to his grace's commandment; and I beseech you, good Master Pope, to be a mean to his highness, that my daughter Margaret may be at my burial." "The king is content already," quoth Master Pope, "that your wife, children, and other friends, shall have liberty to be present thereat. "Oh, how much beholden then," said Sir Thomas More, "am I unto his grace, that unto my poor burial vouchsafeth to have so gracious consideration!" Wherewithal Master Pope, taking his leave of him, could not refrain from weeping. ”

“ Sith, I perceive, most redoubted sovereign, that it standeth not with your pleasure to reform this election, and cause it to be changed, but have, by the mouth of the most reverend Father in God the Legate your Highness Chancellor, thereunto given your most royal assent, and have of your benignity determined, far above that I may bear, to enable me, and for this office to repute me meet ”

“ Whereunto, when they refused to condescend, then said he unto them, Forasmuch as yourselves, my lords, drive me to that necessity for awarding out injunctions to relieve the peoples' injury, you cannot hereafter any more justly blame me. After that he said secretly to me: I perceive, son, why they like not so to do. For they see that they may, by the verdict of the jury, cast off all quarrels from themselves upon them; which they account their chief defence: and therefore am I compelled to abide the adventure of all such reports. ”

“ 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. ”

“ To this Sir Thomas More mildly made answer, saying, "No man living is there, my lords, that would with better will do the thing that should be acceptable to the king's highness than I, which must needs confess his manifold benefits and bountiful goodness, most benignly bestowed upon me. ”

“ Whereupon he sent for Sir Thomas Eliott, our English ambassador, and said to him: "My Lord ambassador, we understand that the king your master hath put his faithful servant, and grave wise counsellor, Sir Thomas More, to death." Whereupon Sir Thomas Eliott answered, "that he understood nothing thereof." "Well," said the emperor, "it is too true: and this will we say, that had we been master of such a servant, of whose doings ourselves have had these many years no small experience, we would rather have lost the best city of our dominions, than have lost such a worthy counsellor." ”

“ 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. ”

“ This Lord Chancellor, albeit he was to God and the world well known to be of notable virtue, though not so of every man considered, yet, for the avoiding of singularity, would he appear no otherwise than other men in his apparel and other behaviour. ”

“ And when he told me the tale of Mary Magdalen, I said unto him, Father Rich, that she is a good vertuous woman, in good faith, T hear so many good folk so report, that I verily think it true; and think it well likely that God worketh some good and great things by her ”

“ 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 ”

“ These were the very words.
'Good Madam, and my right dearly-beloved sister in our Lord God, after most hearty commendation, I shall beseech you to take my good mind in good worth, and pardon me, that I am so homely as of my self unrequired, and also without necessity, to give counsel to you, of whom for the good inspirations and great revelations that it liketh Almighty God of his goodness to give and shew, as many wise, well-learned, and very vertuous folk testify, I my self have need, for the comfort of my soul, to require and ask advice. ”