The Life of Sir Thomas More/Appendix 13
No. XIII.
Oure Lorde blesse you and all yours.
Forasmuche (dearly beloued daughter) as it is likeli, that you eyther haue hard, or shortlye shall here, that the counsayle were here thys day, and that I was before them, I haue thoughte it necessarye to sende you woorde howe the matter standeth. And verely to bee short, I parceue little difference betwene this time and the last. For as farre as I can see, the whole purpose is, eyther to dryue me to say precisely the tone way, or elles precisely the tother. Here sate my Lord of Canterbury, my Lord Chancellour, my Lord of Suffolke, my Lord of Wilshyre, and Maister Secretarye. And after my coming, Maister Secretarye made rehearsll in what wyse he had reported vnto the Kynge's Hyghnes, what had been sayd by hys Grace's counsayle to me, and what had ben aunswered by me to them, at myne other being before them here last. Which thyng his maistership rehearsed in good fayth verye wel, as I knowledged and confessed and hertely thanked him therfore. Wherupon he added therunto, that the Kinge's Highnes was nothing content nor satisfyed with myne aunswer, but thought that by my demeanor, I had been occasion of much grudge and harme in the realme, and that I had an obstinate mind and an euill towarde him, and that my duety was being hys subject (and so he had sent them now in hys name vpon myne allegiaunce to commaunde me) to make a playne and a tertmninate aunswere, whether I thoughte the statute lawfull or not. And that I shold either knowledge and confesse it lawfull, that his Highnes shoulde be supreme heade of the churche of Englande, or elles vtter playnly my malignitie. Wherto I aunswered, that I had no malignitie, and therfore I could none vtter. And as to the matter I coulde none other aunswer make than I had before made, whiche aunswer his maistership had there rehearsed. Very heauy I was that the Kinge's Highnes shoulde haue any such opinion of me. Howbeit if ther wer one that had enformed his Highnes manye euill thinges of me that were vntrue, to whvche hys Highnes, for the time gave credence, I wold be very sory that he should haue that opinion of me the space of one day. Howbeit if I wer sure that other shold come on the morowe, by whome his Grace should know the trouth of myne innocensy, I should in the mean whyle comfort my self with consideracion of that. And in lykewise nowe, though it be great heavines to me, that his Highnes hathe suche opinion of me for the whyle, yet haue I no remedy to helpe it, but only to comfort my self with this consideracion, that I know very well that the tyme shall come when God shall declare my trueth toward his Grace before hym and all the worlde. And whereas it myghte happely seme to be but small cause of coumfort, because I might take harme here fyrste in the mean whyle, I thanked God that my case was such here in this matter, thorowe the clearenesse of myne owne conscience, that though I myght haue payne, I coulde not haue harme. For a man maye in such a case lese his head and haue none harme. For I was very sure that I had no corrupt affection, but that I had alway fro the begynning truely vsed my self, lookyng fyrst vpon God, and next vpon the King, accordinge to the lesson that 'hys Hyghnes taught me at my fyrst cumming to his noble seruice, the most verteous lesson that ever prince taught his servant,' whose Highnes to haue of me now such opinion is my great heauines. But I haue no meane as I said to helpe it, but only comfort my self in the meane time with the hope of that joyful day, in which my trouthe towarde hym shall well be knowen. And in this matter further I could not goe, nor other aunswer therto I coulde not make. To thys it was sayd by my Lord Chauncellor and Master Secretary both, that the Kyng myght by his lawes compell me to make a plain answer therto, either the tone way or the tother. Wherto I answered that I woulde not dispute the Kynge's authoritie, what his Highnes myght dooe in such: a case. But I sayd that verely, vnder correction, it semed to me sumwhat hard. For if it so wer that my conscience gaue me agaynste the statute (wherein how my conscience geueth me I make no declaracion) than I, nothing doing nor nothing saying agaynst the statute it wer a very hard thing, to compell me to say, either precisely with it agaynste my conscience to the losse of my soule, or precisely agaynst it to the destruction of my body. To this Maister Secretary said, that I had ere this when I was Chauncellour, examined heretikes and theues, and other malefactours, and gaue me a great praise aboue my deserving in that behalf. And he sayd that I than as he thought, and at the least wise bishops, did vse to examine heretikes, whether they beleued the Pope to be head of the church, and vsed to compell them to make a precise answer therto. And why shoulde not than the Kynge, sith it is a law made here that his Grace is head of the churche here, compell men to answer precisely to the law here, as they dyd than concerning the Pope? I aunswered and sayde, that I protested that I entended not to defend my part, or stand in contencion. But I said ther was a difference betwene those two cases, because that at that tyme, as well here as elles where thorow the corps of Christendome, the Pope's power was recognised for an vndouted thing: which semeth not lyke a thyng agreed in this realme, and the contrary taken for trueth in other realmes. Wherto Maister Secretarye aunswered, that they were as well burned for the denying of that, as they be beheaded for the denying of this: and therefore as good reason to compell them to make precise aunswere to the tone as to the tother. Wherto I aunswered, that sith in thys case a man is not by a lawe of one realme so bound in hys conscience, where there is a law of the whole corps of Christendome to the contrary in matter touching beliefe, as he is by a law of the whole corps, though there happe to be made in some place a law locall to the contrary, the reasonablenes or the vnreasonablenes in byndyng a man to precyse aunswere, standeth not in the respect or difference betwene headdyng and burnyng, but because of the difference in charge of conscience, the difference standeth betwene heading and hell. Much was there aunswered vnto this, both by Maister Secretary and my Lorde Chauncellour, ouer long to rehearse. And in conclusion they offered me an othe, by whiche I sholde be sworne, to make true aunswer to such things as should be asked me on the Kinge's behalfe, concernynge the Kynge's owne persone. Wherto I aunswerd, 'that verely I neuer purposed to swere any boke othe more while I liued.' Than they sayd that I was very obstinate if I would refuse that, for euerye man doth it in the starre chaumber and euery where. I sayd that was true: but I had not so little foresighte, but that I might well conjecture what shoulde be parte of myne interrogatories; and as good it was to refuse theim at the fyrst as afterward. Wherto my Lord Chauncellour aunswered, that he thoughte I geast trouth, for I should see them. And so they wer shewed me, 'and they were but twayn: the fyrst, whether I had sene the statute:' the tother, 'whether I belieued that it were a law full made statute or not.' Whervpon I refused the othe, and sayd ferther by mouth, that the fyrst I hadde before confessed: and to the second I would make none aunswer: which was the end of our communication, and I was therupon sent away. In the communicacion before, it was said that it was meruayled, that I stake so much in my conscience, whyle at the vttermost I was not sure therin. Wherto I sayd, that I was very sure, that myne own conscience so enformed as it is, by suche diligence as I haue so long taken therin, may stand with myne own saluacion. 'I medle not with the conscience of them that thinke otherwise.' Euery man suo damno stat aut cadit. I am no manne's judge. It was also said vnto me, that if I had as liefe bee out of the world as in it, as I had there sayde, why did I not than speake euen playn out agaynst the statute? It appeared well I was not content to dye, though I sayd Wherto I answered as the trouth is, that I haue not been a man of such holy liuing, as I myght be bolde to offer my self to death lest God for my presumpcion might suffer me to fall: and therfore I put not my self forward but draw backe. Howbeit, if God draw me to it himself, than truste I in hys greate mercy, that he shall not fayle to geue me grace and strength. In conclusion Maister Secretarye sayde, that he lyked me this day much woorse than he dydde the last tyme. For than he said he pitied me muche, and now he thought I meant not well. But God and I knowe both, that I meane well, and so I praye God doo by me. I praye you be you and myne other good frendes of good chere whatsoeuer falle of me, and take no thought for me, but pray for me, as I doo and shall for you and all them.
Your tender louing Father,
THOMAS MORE, Knight.