of the British Antiquities,' after he had performed his devotions upon holidays, to send for Sir Thomas More into his closet, and there confer with him about astronomy, geometry, divinity, and other parts of learning, as well as affairs of state. At other times, he would carry him in the night upon the leads at the top of the palace, to be instructed in the variety, the courses, and the motions of the heavenly bodies. But this was not the only use, which Henry made of his new servant. He soon discovered, that he was a man of a cheerful disposition, and had a great fund of wit and humour: and hence he frequently would order him to be sent for, to make him and the Queen 'merry' at supper. Sir Thomas, perceiving that he could not once in a month obtain leave to spend an evening with his wife and children whom he loved, nor be absent from court two days together, grew extremely uneasy at this restraint; and to obviate the cause, began gradually to disuse himself from his former mirth, and somewhat to dissemble his natural temper: thus sacrificing the reputation of wit, in order to recover the command of leisure.

To the year 1520 Wood ascribes the proof, which More gave of his zeal for literature by his Letter on the Study of Greek.* A serious opposition had been made at Oxford to Grocyn, upon his coming thither to teach that language: a faction of students assumed the name of Trojans, with their Priam and their Hector, &c.; and one of them had even the impudence to attack the new learning' from the academical pulpit. More, in a Latin letter addressed

*This Epistola Scholasticis quibusdam Trojanos se appellan tibus' was republished by Hearne in 8vo. in 1716.

to them upon the occasion, quoted the example of their sister-university; affirmed that their own Chancellor Warham, Cardinal Wolsey, and the King himself, wished to encourage it; and added, that these ridiculous Trojans would in the end have the old proverb applied to themselves, Serò sapiunt Phryges.

The Treasurer of the Exchequer dying in 1520, Henry without any solicitation conferred this office upon More; and within three years afterward, a parliament being summoned to supply money for a war with France, he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons. During the sessions, Wolsey was much offended with the Commons, because every thing they said or did was immediately circulated throughout the kingdom: on the other hand, the members alleged that they had an undoubted right to repeat to their friends without doors all that had passed within. It happened, however, that a consider able subsidy being demanded, which the Cardinal apprehended would meet with opposition in the Lower House, he was determined to attend when the motion should be made, in order to prevent it's rejection. The house, apprised of his resolution, debated for some time, whether it would be best to receive him with a few of his lords only, or with his whole train. The major part of the house inclining to the first, the Speaker observed, Gentlemen, forasmuch as my Lord Cardinal hath not long since laid

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* His speech to the King, on being presented to him for his approbation, was in a strain of servility only to be exceeded by the spirit of the time: and in the subsequent debate upon the subsidy, only half of which was at last voted, the dignity appears to have been displayed by the house, rather than by the Speaker.

to our charge the lightness of our tongues, it shall not in my judgement be amiss to receive him with all his people; that so, if he blame us hereafter for things spoken out of the house, we may lay it upon those that his Grace shall bring with him." The humour of this motion being approved, the Cardinal was received accordingly. When having shown, in a solemn speech, how necessary it was for the King's affairs that the subsidies required should be granted, and finding that not any member evinced the least inclination to comply with his demand, he indignantly observed; "Gentlemen, unless it be the manner of your house to express your minds in such cases by your Speaker, here is without doubt a surprising obstinate silence." Upon which, Sir Thomas reverently on his knees excused the commons, as being abashed at the presence of so exalted a personage; proved that it was not agreeable to their ancient liberty, to return an answer to his Majesty's messages by any other person, how great soever, than some of their own members; and in conclusion told his Eminence, that though as Speaker he was their voice, yet except every one of them could put their several judgements in his head, he alone in so weighty a matter was not able to make a sufficient answer. Irritated by this evasive reply, Wolsey instantly rose and departed.*

In consequence of this, More being a few days

* His displeasure was perhaps the greater, as he knew that More had seconded the motion when it was first made: but though that spirited patriot thought the subsidy absolutely necessary for carrying on the war, he made a distinction between the reasonable demands of the King and the insolence of his minister, and therefore played off this farce against him.

afterward in Wolsey's gallery at Whitehall, that prelate complained vehemently of his conduct; and reproaching him for his ingratitude, said, "Would to God you had been at Rome, when I made you Speaker!" To which Sir Thomas replied, "Your Grace not offended, so would I too; for then I should have seen an ancient and famous city, which I have long desired to visit:" and then, to divert him from his ill humour, he began to commend his gallery, and said that he liked it better than his other at Hampton-Court. But, though he thus checked the Cardinal's reproaches, he did not cool his resentment: for on the breaking up of the parliament, Wolsey persuaded the King to name him embassador to Spain, purely with a view of doing him a discourtesy, by sending him into a country which he knew would be disagreeable to him. When his Majesty however communicated to him his design, More took the liberty to remonstrate on account of the climate so strongly yet so modestly against it, that with unusual condescension Henry assured him his meaning was not to hurt him, but to do him good; and he, therefore, would employ him another way. Accordingly, upon the death of Sir Richard Wingfield in 1528, Sir Thomas was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, twice employed jointly with Wolsey in foreign embassies (once to the Emperor Charles in Flanders, and again in France) and admitted generally into such a high degree of favour, that his Majesty would frequently call upon him at Chelsea without any previous notice, in order to enjoy his conversation on common affairs.

Having one day made him an unexpected visit of this kind to dinner, and having walked with him in

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his garden for an hour with his arm about his neck, on his departure Mr. Roper, one of Sir Thomas' sons-in-law, could not help observing to him, " How happy he must be, to have his Prince distinguish him in so particular a manner." To which he replied, " I thank our Lord, son Roper, I find his Grace to be my very good master indeed, and I believe that he does as much favour me at present as any subject within this realm: but yet I may tell thee, son, I have no cause to be proud of it; for, if my head would win him a castle in France (with which kingdom Henry was then at war) it would not fail to be struck off my shoulders."

It was observed of More, that the ignorant and the proud, even in the highest station, were those whom he respected the least; while, on the other hand, he was the patron and the friend of every man of letters, and held almost a continual correspondence with all the literati in Europe. Among foreigners, Erasmus appears to have possessed the largest share of his love and confidence; and after a series of letters, expressive of their mutual esteem, that great man made a voyage to England, for the sole purpose of forming a personal acquaintance with him.

A story is told of their first interview, which would hardly deserve to be recorded, if it were not related of two such eminent scholars. The person who conducted Erasmus to London, it seems, had contrived that Sir Thomas and he should unconsciously meet at the Lord Mayor's table, in those days open at all times to men of learning; when, a dispute arising at dinner, Erasmus in order to display his erudition espoused the wrong side of the question; upon which he was so sharply and ably