The Lyfe of Sir Thomas Moore, Knighte

by William Roper, Elsie Vaughan Hitchcock

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Classics, Catholic, Historical

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1626

Reviews

[Paulina Rae]

This book has sat on my shelf for YEARS and only yesterday, looking to grab a book to take with me to church, I pulled it out and did a double take at the author’s name. A primary source????? Just sitting here for a decade or so??????

Anyway I did tear up reading the letters in the end. More is perhaps the historical figure and saint most essential to my own complicated relationship with politics and loyalties. There is very little in the facts of his life that overlaps with my own, but his quiet dedication to both the law of God and law of man awes me. I’m gonna have to read more of his actual writing now. I don’t know why I never sought it out before. Maybe I thought it would be too difficult. Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, here we goooooooooo.

How do you even rate a book like this? I hate Goodreads sometimes.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interseting, though sometimes chronologically incorrect, window into 16th century England. The biography focuses on both politics and religion concerning the court of Henry VIII, as well as More's personla life. Roper's writing is extremely flattering, as More was his father-in-law, though the man's character was undoubtably noble. Many of More's lines in the Showtime series "The Tudors" are direct quotes from this biography.

[Rosemary F. Eichler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thomas More a man of integrity

Very difficult to read. Thomas More bravely tried to give his king advice that would keep the king a just person. Thomas More became a martyr trying to his job and keep his king on the moral high ground. I just picked the wrong book.

[Sara Vizcaíno Sedano · Rating 4 out of 5]

La estructura del libro no es amigable con la lectura liviana, pero el valor propio de la historia, hace irrelevante la complejidad.
Excelente edición la de Alvaro de Silva

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Life of Sir Thomas More (1556) appears in volume 36 of The Harvard Classics, acting as an introduction to Thomas More’s famous political work Utopia (1516). The author William Roper was More’s son-in-law and his reverence for him is evident on every page, so much so that More comes across as being without personal flaws. This book is literally a hagiography (biography of a saint), as More was made the patron saint of politicians and statesmen by the Catholic Church in the year 2000. But like most hagiographies, the book is rather dull. Biographies, at least for me, are interesting chiefly for their revelations of the very human flaws they reveal in the people they are about. Roper’s squeaky-clean depiction of the man’s character makes More out to be a bore - his famous sense of humor is nowhere to be found in this telling. This is unfortunate as the author was “continually resident in his house by the space of sixteen years and more,” so must have known More intimately. Roper is also not much of a writer or storyteller. Even so, there is some interest to be found The Life of Sir Thomas More in its depiction of More’s world. Living from 1478-1535, he experienced great religious and political upheavals in England. He was opposed to the Protestant Reformation and King Henry VIII’s creation of the Church of England, and his steadfast principles led him to be imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed for treason. I walked away from The Life of Sir Thomas More respecting the man, but not feeling as if I learned much about his inner world or character.

Read The Life of Sir Thomas More online here: https://web.archive.org/web/201206081...

QUOTES:

“Let them a God’s name speak as lewdly as they list of me, and shoot never so many arrows at me, so long as they do not hit me, what am I the worse? … I have more cause, Mr. Water Bailiff (I assure thee) to pity them, than to be angry with them.”
*
“He used also sometimes to punish his body with whips, the cords knotted, which was known only to my wife his eldest daughter, whom for her secrecy above all other he specially trusted, caused her, as need required, to wash the same shirt of hair.”
*
“He would further say unto them, that upon his faith, if he might perceive his wife and children would encourage him to die in a good cause, it should so comfort him, that for very joy thereof, it would make him merrily to run to death.”
*
“Ay flattering fortune look you never so fair,
Nor never so pleasantly begin to smile,
As though thou wouldst my ruins all repair
During my life thou shalt not me beguile,
Trust I shall, God, to enter in a while
Thy haven of heaven sure and uniform,
Ever after thy calm look I for no storm.”
*
“Wherewithal Mr. Pope taking his leave of him could not refrain from weeping, which Sir Thomas More perceiving, comforted him in this wise, ‘Quiet yourself, good Mr. Pope, and be not discomforted. For I trust that we shall once in heaven see each other full merrily, where we shall be sure to live and love together in joyful bliss eternally.’”

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[Image: Cover of the Delphi Classics’ The Harvard Classics]

Citation:
Roper, W. (2018). The life of sir Thomas More. In Charles W. Eliot (Ed.), The Harvard classics [eBook]. Delphi Classics. https://www.delphiclassics.com/shop/t... (Original work published 1556)

Title: The Life of Sir Thomas More
Author(s): William Roper (circa 1496–1578)
Year: 1556
Series: The Harvard Classics (1909): Volume 36 - Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction
Genre: Nonfiction - Biography
Date(s) read: 7/16/24-7/17/24
Book # 144 in 2024
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[Cidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was written by wiliam roper who was the son-in-law of sir thomas more whom henry VIII had beheaded because he refused to accept ann boleyn as his wife because he was already married to katharine of aragon, by whom he already had a daughter mary. Ann boleyn refused to marry henry unless he was divorced and as henry preferred rumpy pumpy to ruling the country he declared the country to be split from catholicism and set up his own church, this way he could divorce katharine by his own laws and marry ann. He needed a son and heir to succeed him and katharine had only mary and several miscarriages. Ann was beheaded 3 yrs later after failing to provide a son, only a daughter elizabeth who later became queen, later he took hooked up with jane seymour a lady in waiting in her court. He really was a most unpleasant man, but women were just second rate playthings at that time, sir thomas more was somewhat of an exception, a very pious man and he cared deeply for his wife and three daughters, particularly for them after his execution. This book was written by william after thomas's death to put the story right. William must have been a brave soul indeed.

[Matthew Welker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary biography of Thomas More written by his son-in-law. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a great source for learning. The fortunate thing about it is that it is very very short & this edition I read could’ve used better editing as there was no page breaks etc… Just one long flowing paper more than a book.

Worth reading to get a more “contemporary” account, but for something more in depth one will want a modern biography on the man. So I’ll add such a thing to my list.

[Alessandro Giuliani · Rating 5 out of 5]

La prima biografia, scritta dal genero: fresca, immediata, parte essa stessa della straordinaria vicenda umana che testimonia.

[Missashleynoelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me cry. I did not see it coming, but this book made me cry.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesus Christ. No pun intended.

[Michael]

Excellent book. Gives great insight into what happened to him from his early life onwards.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

There have got to be better books on Sir Thomas More. This one is dry and difficult to wade through. At least it was short.

[Ibe Innocent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all. Especially for nostalgic Catholics. Sir Thomas who was the tutor of king Henry displayed what it means to Fear God rather than man. He wouldn't compromise the Divine Faith he held from the Church. I recommend this to all for a better understanding of the orthodox Faith.

[Kip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to know how accurate the Movie "A Man for All Seasons" is. At the conclusion of the book, having watched the movie, I decided it was pretty accurate.

Unfortunately, I didn't become a great fan of Sir Thomas More. His actions prior to

[Steve Gordon]

"I pray you, Master Lieutenant, see me safe up , and for my coming down, let me shift for myself." Now that's the way to go to the scaffold for your beheading. Sir Thomas was a very interesting fellow indeed.

[Maria Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, but hard to read. The language is just so different and the sentences so long at times, that you can get lost while reading.

It is very interesting to read a first hand account of what happened to Sir Thomas More though.

[FR ADRIAN G HEAD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

Although it is written in old English, St Thomas More gives us a wonderful example of total commitment and fidelity to the Faith despite the threat of death.