that they bare toward him, his own people letted not in anger and in despite to call them false traitors. Whereupon King Philip answered them: 'Good fellows, I pray you be not angry with my people, but have patience. I am sorry that their manner is no better. But I wis ye know them well enough; their nature is so plain and their utterance so rude, that they cannot call an horse but an horse.' EVIL MAY DAY The apologye, 1533, fo. 261: English Works p. 920. Such noises be sometime for the advantage and furtherance of them that intend unhappiness, to make folk ween they were very many, be they never so few. I remember many 10 times that, even here in London, after the great business that was there on a May Day in the morning, by a rising made against strangers-for which divers of the prentices and journeymen suffered execution of treason, by an old statute made long before against all such as would violate the King's safe-conduct—I was appointed among other to search out and inquire by diligent examination, in what wise and by what persons that privy confederacy began. And in good faith after great time taken and much diligence used therein, we perfectly tried out at last that all that business, of any 20 rising to be made for the matter, began only by the conspiracy of two young lads that were prentices in Cheap. Which after the thing devised first and compassed between them twain, perused privily the journeymen first and after the prentices of many of the mean crafts in the City; bearing the first that they spake with in hand, that they had secretly spoken with many other occupations already, and that they were all agreed thereunto; and that besides them there were two or three hundred of serving men of divers lords' houses, and some of the King's too, which would not be named nor 30 knowen, that would yet in the night be at hand, and when they were once up, would not fail to fall in with them and take their part. Now this ungracious invention and these words of those two lewd lads (which yet in the business fled away themself and never came again after) did put some other by their oversight and lightness in such a courage and boldness, that they weened themselves able to avenge their displeasure in the night, and after either never to be knowen or to be strong enough to bear it out and go farther. HERETICS The apologye, 1533, fo. 280 vo: English Works p. 925. As touching heretics, I hate that vice of theirs and not their persons, and very fain would I that the one were destroyed 10 and the other saved. And that I have toward no man any other mind than this (how loudly soever these blessed new brethren, the professors and preachers of verity, belie me), if all the favour and pity that I have used among them to their amendment were knowen, it would, I warrant you, well and plain appear; whereof, if it were requisite, I could bring forth witnesses more than men would ween. And sure this one thing will I be bold to say, that I neve. found any yet but had he been never so bad, nor done never so much harm before, yet after that I found him once changed 20 and in good mind to mend, I have been so glad thereof that I have used him from thenceforth not as an evil man or an abject nor as a stranger neither, but as a good man and my very friend. Howbeit, because it were neither right nor honesty that any man should look for more thank than he deserveth, I will that all the world wit it on the other side, that whoso be so deeply grounded in malice, to the harm of his own soul and other men's too, and so set upon the sowing of seditious heresies, that no good means that men may use unto him 30 can pull that malicious folly out of his poisoned proud obstinate heart; I would rather be content that he were gone in time, than over long to tarry to the destruction of other. Salem and Bizance made by Sir Thomas More, Anno Domini 1533, after he had given over the office of Lord Chancellor of England. A MERRY TALE The debellacyon, 1533, Part I, fo. lv vo: English Works p. 948. AND as for the railing fashion, if I durst be bold to tell so sad a man a merry tale, I would tell him of the friar, that as he was preaching in the country, spied a poor wife of the parish whispering with her pew-fellow. And he falling angry therewith, cried out unto her aloud,' Hold thy babble, I bid thee, thou wife in the red hood.' Which when the housewife heard, she waxed as angry again; and suddenly she starte up and cried out unto the friar again, that all the church rang thereon: Marry, sir, I beshrew his heart that babbleth most of us both. For I do but whisper a word with my neighbour 10 here, and thou hast babbled there all this hour.' A PROPER DEVICE The debellacyon, 1533, Part II, fo. xviii : English Works p. 973. Methinketh that this device is not much wiser than the device that a good fellow devised once for his neighbour, that had a great hillock in his close, which for planing of the ground he counselled him to have it away. 'Marry,' quoth his neighbour, 'I must carry it then so far that it were less loss to me to give away the close and all.' Marry, neighbour,' quoth the other, 'I shall soon find a way for that. For I shall devise a provision that it shall be had away and yet never carried hence. For even there as it lieth, lo, dig me 20 a great pit, and carry it never farther, but bury it even in that.' Where shall I then lay that heap', quoth his neighbour, ' that cometh out of the pit?' At that the other studied a little, but when he had well bethought him: Marry,' quoth he, 'even dig another great pit under that, and bury me that heap there.' ΙΟ The Answer to the first part of the Lord, by Sir Thomas More, SLOTH The answere, 1534, fo. xxv: English Works p. 1047. BUT surely whoso put not away his vice, but make a change, may soon hap to take as evil as he leaveth, and not a worse lightly than sloth. Which vice God saw so noxious unto mankind that even when he set him in Paradise, he bade him be occupied in the keeping of that pleasant garden. And afterward when he should be driven thence into the earth, he gave him a necessity to labour, making the earth to be such as without man's labour should not bring him forth his living. And therefore an evil and a perilous life live they, that will in this world not labour and work, but live either in idleness or in idle business, driving forth all their days in gaming for their pastime; as though that else their time could never pass, but the sun would ever stand even still over their heads, and never draw to night, but if they drave away the day with dancing or some such other goodly gaming. God sent men hither to wake and work; and as for sleep and gaming (if any gaming be good in this vale of misery, in this time of tears) it must serve but for a refreshing of the 20 weary and forwatched body, to renew it unto watch and labour again; not all men in bodily labour, but as the circumstances of the persons be, so to be busied in one good business or other. For rest and recreation should be but as a sauce. And sauce should, ye wot well, serve for a faint and weak stomach, to get it the more appetite to the meat; and not for increase of voluptuous pleasure, in every greedy glutton that hath in himself sauce malapert already enough. And therefore likewise as it were a fond feast that had all the table full of sauce, and so little meat therewith that the guests should go thence as empty as they came thither; so is it surely a very mad ordered life that hath but little time bestowed in any fruitful business, and all the substance idly spent in play. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER The answere, 1534, fin.: English Works p. 1138 bis. I wot well the best horse were he which were so sure of 10 foot that run he never so fast, would never in his life neither fall nor stumble. But sith we can find none so sure, that horse is not much to be misliked, which that with courage and pricking forth in haste, happing for all his four feet some time to catch a fall, getteth up again lightly by himself, without touch of spur or any check of the bridle. No, nor yet that horse to be cast away neither, that getteth up again apace with the check of them both. Now like as with the best kind can I not compare, so of the third sort at the least wise will I never fail to be; that is to wit, rise and reform myself when 20 any man show me my fault. And as near as I can, will I search them, and as soon as I spy them, before any man control them, arise, and as I now do, mine own self reform them. Which kind is, you wot well, next unto the best. But yet on the other side, of all mine adversaries could I never hitherto find any one, but when he catcheth once a fall (as each of them hath caught full many), there lieth he still tumbling and toltering in mire, and neither spur nor bridle can one inch prevail; but as though they were not fallen in a puddle of dirt, but rubbed and laid in litter under the manger at their ease, they whine and they bite, and they kick and they spurn, at him that would help them up. 30 |