Royal MS 17 D XIV

TRANSCRIPTS of works and letters, &c., of Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor (exec. 1535), mostly written by him when a prisoner in the Tower (April, 1534-July, 1535). In English, with a few exceptions. Printed, with a few exceptions mentioned below, in The Workes of Sir T. More (ed. by William Rastell, his nephew) in 1557, for which edition these transcripts were probably made. They are in a clerk's hand, but revised by another (see ff. 390 b, 426 b, &c.). Contents :-

1. Letters of More:-(a) 'To all my loving frendes'; n.d. [circ. Apr 1534]. In Workes, p. 1432; cf. Gairdner, Letters and Papers, Hen. VIII, 1534, no. 747. f. 1;-

(b) To Dr. Nicholas Wilson, two letters; n. d. In Workes, p. 1443, L. and P., 1534, nos. 1115, 1116. ff. 1, 1 b;-

(c) To his wife; Woodstock, 3 Sept. [1529]. In Workes, p. 1419, cf. L. and P., 1529, 1530, no. 5941. f. 4;-(d) To Thomas Cromwell, the King's Secretary; n. d. [circ. Mar. 1533/4]. Omitted by Rastell, but printed by Burnet, Hist. of the Reformation, v, 1861, p. 431, and in Singer's ed. of Roper's Life of Sir T. More, 1817 and 1822, app. ii, cf. L. and P., 1534, no. 287. Another copy is in Arundel MS. 152, f. 296. f. 376;-(e) To Henry VIII; [Chelsea, 5 Mar. 1534]. In Workes, p. 1423. Variant drafts of the original are at the Record Office and in Cotton MS. Cleopatra E. VI, f. 176, see L. and P., 1534, no. 288. f. 383;-(f) To Thomas Cromwell, two letters; Chelsea, Saturday [Feb. or Mar.] and n. d. [5 Mar. 1533/4]. In Workes, pp. 1423,1424, cf L. and P., nos. 265, 289. The original of the latter is in Cleop. E. VI, f. 144. ff. 385 b, 386;-(g) To his daughter Margaret, wife of William Roper, eight letters; n. d. [April 1534-July 1535]. Other copies of some are in Arundel MS. 152. All are printed in Workes, pp. 1457 passim, cf. L. and P., nos. 576, 575, 1119, 745 (all of 1534), 988, 659, 815 (of 1535), and 1118 (of 1534). ff. 393 b, 398, 422 b, 425, 426 b, 427 b, 431, and 453 b (continued on f. 394 b); -(h) To [master Leder, a virtuous priest]; 16 Jan. [1534/5]. In Workes, p. 1450, cf L. and P., 1535, no. 54. f. 435;-(i) To Antonio Bonvisi; n.d. [1535]. Latin. Printed, with an Engl. translation, in Workes, p. 1455, cf. L. and P., 1535, no. 987. f. 438.

2. Treatise by Sir T. More, but purporting to be 'A dyalogue of comforte agaynst trybulacion made by an Hungaryen in latyne, and translated owt of latyne in to frenche, and owt of frenche in to englysche', the speakers being 'Anthony' and his nephew 'Vyncent' (Workes, p. 1139). f. 5.

3. 'A treatyse vppon the passyon' (ib. p. 1270); wanting the short introduction in the printed edition, and imperfect at the end. f. 193.

4. Treatise entitled 'To receyve the blyssed bodye of our Lorde, sacramentally and virtually bothe' (ib. p. 1264). f. 315.

5. 'De tristitia, tedio, pavore, oratione Christi ante captionem eius, Mathei 26, Marci 14, Luce 22, Iohannis 18.' Printed in T. Mori Opera, Frankfurt, 1689, p. 148 (an English translation by his granddaughter Mary Bassett in Workes, p. 1350). f. 325.

6. Short Latin treatise on 'Omne periurium est ... mortale peccatum' (cf. Arundel MS. 152, f. 293). In the colophon the author states that he has treated this subject in the 4th Book of his Dialogue (cf. Workes, p. 103). f. 436 b.

7. Letters and documents relating to Sir T. More (for copies of some see also Arundel MS. 152) :-(a) Letter from Alice Allington [wife of Sir Giles Allington and daughter of Sir T. More's second wife] to her step-sister, Margaret Roper; 'Monday after Sainte Laurence' [17 Aug. 1534]. In Workes, p. 1433, cf L. and P., 1534, no. 1113. f. 402;-(b) Margaret Roper to Lady Allington; n. d. [Aug. 1534]. In Workes, p. 1434, cf. L. and P., no. 1114. f. 404 ;-(c) Petition of More's wife and children for his release; n.d. [?Dec. 1534]. Not printed by Rastell, but in Archaeologia, XXVII, 1838, p. 369, cf. L. and P., 1534, no. 1591. f. 440;-(d) Acts of Parliament, 26 Hen. VIII, cap. 23, and 27 Hen. VIII, cap. 58, for More's attainder (see Statutes of the Realm, iii, pp. 528, 629). ff. 441 b, 450 b;-(e) Indictment and record of trial of More, i July, 1535. Printed in Archaeologia, xxvii, p.370, cf. L.and P., 1535, no. 974. f. 444;-(f) Two stanzas in rhyme royal, headed respectively 'Lewes the lost louer' and 'Dauy the diser', printed as 'two short ballettes which Sir Thomas More made ... while he was prisoner', Workes, p. 1432, cf. L. and P., 1434, no. 748. Beg. 'Ey flatteringe [Dr. Gairdner emends 'Fy, flatteringe'] fortune, looke thow neuer so faire and 'Longe was I, ladye lucke, your seruynge man'. f. 453;-(g) Latin quatrain and distich punning on More's name. f. 453.

Quatrain :-

'Moraris, si sit spes hic tibi longa morandi, Hoc te uel Morus, More, monere potest. Desine morari et coelo metitare (sic) morari, Hoc te uel Morus, etc.'

Distich:-

'Qui memor est Mori, longe tibi tempora vitae Sint et ad aetemam peruia porta mori.' -(h) Two letters of Margaret Roper to her father; n. d. [1534]. In Workes, pp. 1432, 1446, cf. L. and P., 1534, nos. 746, 1117. ff. 454, 454b.

Attached to the fly-leaf (f. 1) is a Latin letter of thanks for assistance in procuring a servant (?); of no obvious connexion with the rest of the volume.

Paper; ff. i + 455. Folio. 11 in. x 73/4 in. Circ. 1550-1557. From the Theyer library, sale-cat. no. 76; CMA. 6582,.