Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/121

 the assertion of the seven sacraments and maintenance of the pope's authority, had caused him, to his dishonour throughout all Christendom, to put a sword in the pope's hand to fight against himself. When they had thus laid forth all the terrors they could imagine against him. "My lords, quoth he, these terrors be arguments for children and not for me. But to answer that wherewith you do chiefly burthen me; I believe the king's highness of his honour will never lay that to my charge, for none is there that can in that point say in my excuse more than his highness himself: who right well knoweth that I was never procurer nor counsellor of his majesty thereunto, but after it was finished, by his grace's appointment and consent of the makers of the same, I was only a sorter out and placer of the principal matters therein contained. Wherein when I found the pope's authority highly advanced, and with strong arguments mightily defended, I said unto his grace; I must put your highness in remembrance of one thing, and that is this. The pope, as your grace knoweth, is a prince as you are, and in league with all other Christian princes: it may hereafter so fall out