Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/17

 was, after a friendly warning, discharged for that time.

"Albeit Master Roper married Sir Thomas his eldest daughter, yet of all men in the world, at that time he least loved him, yea, in his heart abhorred him. And no marvel, for Luther's easy, short, and licentious doctrine had cast him to so sweet a sleep that he gave over his fasting, his prayers, and loathed both good books and good folks, and got himself forsooth a Lutheran Bible, wherein upon the holidays, instead of his prayers he spent his whole time, thinking it sufficient to get a little knowledge, and to be able amongst the ignorant persons to babble and talk, as though he had been a great Doctor. Thus he continued some years, and could not be recovered by any means. Upon a time Sir Thomas talking with his daughter Margaret, said unto her in this sort, 'Meg, I have borne a long time with thy husband; I have reasoned and argued a long time with him, and still given him my poor fatherly counsel; but I perceive none of all this can call him home again. And therefore, Meg, I will no longer dispute with him; nor yet will I give him over, but I will go another way to work, and get me to God, and pray for him.' And presently upon this through the great mercy of God, and the devout prayer of his father-in-law, he perceived his own ignorance, malice, and folly, and returned again to the Catholic faith. And so firmly was rooted and fixed in it that he