Brief Lives, Vol. 2

Sir Thomas More (1480-1535).

[344]Sir Thomas More[AD], Lord Chancellour:—his countrey-howse was at Chelsey, in Middlesex, where Sir John Danvers built his house. The chimney-piece of marble in Sir John's chamber, was the chimney-piece of Sir Thomas More's chamber, as Sir John himselfe told me. Where the gate is now, adorned with two noble pyramids, there stood anciently a gate-house, which was flatt on the top, leaded, from whence is a most pleasant prospect of the Thames and the fields beyond. On this place the Lord Chancellour More was wont to recreate himselfe and contemplate. It happened one time that a Tom of Bedlam came-up to him, and had a mind to have throwne him from the battlements, saying 'Leap, Tom, leap.' The Chancellour was in his gowne, and besides ancient, and not able to struggle with such a strong fellowe. My lord had a little dog with <him>; sayd he 'Let us first throwe the dog downe, and see what sport that will be'; so the dog was throwne over. 'This is very fine sport,' sayd my lord, 'let us fetch him up, and try once more.' While the madman was goeing downe, my lord fastned the dore, and called for help, but ever after kept the dore shutt.

Memorandum that in his Utopia his lawe[345] is[XXXV.] that the young people are to see each other stark-naked before marriage. Sir <William> Roper, of ... in[346] Eltham in Kent, came one morning, pretty early, to my lord, with a proposall to marry one of <his> daughters. My lord's daughters were then both together a bed in a truckle-bed in their father's chamber asleep. He carries Sir <William> into the chamber and takes the sheet by the corner and suddenly whippes it off....[347] Here was all the trouble of the wooeing.—This account I had from my honoured friend old Mris. Tyndale, whose grandfather Sir William Stafford was an intimate acquaintance of this Sir ... Roper, who told him the story.

This Sir <William> Roper (from whom[348] is descended the lord Tenham) had in one piece, drawne by Hans Holbeine, the pictures of Sir Thomas More, his lady, and all his children, which hung at his house aforesaid in Kent: but about 1675 'twas presented as a raritie to King Charles II and hangs in Whitehall.

His discourse was extraordinary facetious. Riding one night, upon the suddaine, he crossed himself majori cruce, crying out[XXXVI.] 'Jesu Maria! doe not you see that prodigious dragon in the sky?' They all lookt-up, and one did not see it, nor the tother did not see it. At length one had spyed it, and at last all had spied. Wheras there was no such phantôme; only he imposed on their phantasies.

After he was beheaded, his trunke was interred in Chelsey church, neer the middle of the south wall, where was some slight monument[XXXVII.] erected, which being worne by time, about 1644 Sir ... Laurence, of Chelsey (no kinne to him), at his own proper cost and chardges, erected to his memorie a handsome faire inscription of marble.

His head was upon London bridge: there goes this story in the family, viz. that one day as one of his daughters was passing under the bridge, looking on her father's head[349], sayd she, 'That head haz layn[350] many a time in my lapp, would to God it would fall into my lap as I passe under.' She had her wish, and it did fall into her lappe, and is now preserved in a vault in the cathedrall church at Canterbury. The descendant of Sir Thomas, is Mr. More, of Chilston, in Herefordshire, where, among a great many things of value plundered[351] by the soldiers, was his chap, which they kept for a relique. Methinks 'tis strange that all this time he is not canonized, for he merited highly of the church.

Memorandum:—in the hall of Sir John Lenthall, at Bessils-Lye in Berks, is an original of Sir Thomas and his father, mother, wife, and children, donne by Hans Holbein. There is an inscription in golden letters of about 60 lines, which I spake to Mr. Thomas Pigot, of Wadham College, to transcribe, and he has donne it very carefully. Aske him for it. Vide Mr. Thomas Pigot, in part[352] iii.

Memorandum:—about the later end of Erasmus's Epistolae, Antverp edition, pag. 503, 504, 505, is an epitaph for Sir Thomas More, and another for his lady.

Memorandum:—Sir Thomas More's father had a countrey house at Gubbins in Hertfordshire, which is in the familie still, who are still Catholiques; whether he was borne there or no, non constat:—<from> Seth Ward, episcopus Sarum.

[353]Educatus in aula cardinalis Morton, prout in Utopia pag. 49, 50.

Sir John Lenthall at Besilslye haz a rare and large picture of Hans Holbein's painting in his hall there, where are the figures, as big as the life, of Sir Thomas <More> and his father (a judge) and mother, wife and children, and a long inscription, which gett Mr. Pigot to transcribe, for it begins to be defaced.

Sir Thomas More, knight: Quaestiones duae:—

Memorandum:—his folio, English.

Epigrammata, 16mo.

Utopia.—Vide in Utopia his titles of civis Londiniensis and vicecomes Londiniensis.

His behaviour on the scaffold.

[354]☞ See about the later end of Erasmus' Epistolae (in the Antverp edition, 8vo, 'tis in pagg. 503, 504, 505) an epitaph made for Sir Thomas More, and another for his wife (as I thinke, never set up). But be sure to obtaine a copie of the inscription under his picture and of his family at Basilleigh, which Mr. Thomas Pigot hath, and he only can help you to it. Therin are remarques of that family nowhere els to be had.