Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/165

 own devilish dissembled falsehood, under the manner and colour of the wonderful work of God; for verily, this woman so handled her self, with help of that evil spirit that inspired her, that after her own confession declared at St. Paul's Cross, when I sent word by my servant unto the Prior of the Charterhouse, that she was undoubtedly proved a false deceiving hypocrite; the good man had had so good opinion of her so long, that he could at the first scantly believe me therein. Howbeit it was not he alone that thought her so very good, but many another right good man besides, as little marvel was upon so good report, till she was proved naught.

[I remember me further, that in communication between Father Rich and me; I counselled him, that in such strange things as concerned such folk as had come unto her, to whom, as she said, she had told the causes of their coming, e're themselves spake thereof; and such good fruit as they said that many men had received by her prayer, he, and such other as so reported it, and thought that the knowledge thereof should much pertain to the glory of God, should first cause the things to be well and sure examined by the ordinaries, and such as had authority thereunto; so that it might be surely known whether the things were true or not, and that there were no letters intermingled among them, or else the letters might after hap to aweigh the credence of these things that were true. And when he told me the tale of Mary Magdalen, I said unto him, Father Rich, that she is a good vertuous woman, in good faith, T hear so many good folk so report, that I verily think it true; and think it well likely that God worketh some good and great things by her; but yet are, you wot well, these strange tales no part of our creed; and therefore before you see them surely proved, you shall have my poor counsel, not to wed your self so far forth to the credence of them, as to report them very surely for true, least that if it should hap that they were afterwards proved false, it might minish your estimation in your preaching, whereof might grow great loss. To this he thanked me for my counsel, but how he used it after that, I cannot tell.

Thus have I, good Mr. Cromwell, fully declared to you, as far as my self can call to remembrance, all that ever I