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.
[XXXV.] Vide Utopia, pp. 195, 196, de proco et puella, concerning marriage—MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 42.
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.
[XXXVI.] Vide Erasmi Colloquia—'Spectrum.'
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.
[XXXVII.] Sir Thomas More's inscription is in the south side of the chancell <in Chelsea church>—Sir John Laurence of Chelsey repaired Sir Thomas More's inscription (quaere lady Purbec when).—Sir John Laurence, baronet, obiit 1638.—MS. Aubr. 7, fol. 16.