Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/195

 yea and some bishoppes, peraduenture of suche as I loue best, I sware because you sweare, and wente that way that you went, doe likewyse for me now, let me not go alone, if there be any good felowshippe with you, some of you come with me: by my trouth, Marget, I may say to thee in secret counsayle, here betwene vs twayn (but let it goe no ferther I beseche the heartily), I fynde the frendship of thys wretched worlde so fickle, that for any thing that I could trete or pray, that would for good felowshyp goe to the deuill with me, amonge them all I wene should not I fynde one. And than, by God, Marget, if you thinke so too, best it is, I suppose, that for any respecte of them all, were they twyse as many moe as they be, I haue my selfe a respecte to myne own soule. Surely, father, quod I, without any scruple at all, you may be bolde I dare saye for to sweare that. But father, they that thinke you shold not refuse to sweare the thyng, that you see so manye so good menne, and so well learned sweare before you, meane not that you shoulde sweare to beare thym felowshyp, nor to passe with thym for good companye: but that the credence that you may with reason geue to theyr persones for theyr aforesayde qualities, shoulde well moue you to thinke the oth such of it selfe, as euerye man may well sweare withoute perill of theyr soule, if theyr own priuate conscience to the contrarye be not the lette: and that ye well oughte and hauc good cause, to chaunge your own conscience, in confyrminge youre own conscience to the conscience of so many other, namely, being such as you knowe they be. And syth it is also by a lawe made by the parlement commaunded they thynke that you be vpon the peryll of your soule, bounden to change and refourme your conscience, and confyrme your owne as I sayd vnto other mennes. Mary, Marget, (quod my father agayne) for the part that you playe, you playe it not much a mysse. But Margaret, fyrst, as for the lawe of the lande, thoughe euerye man beynge borne and inhabityng therein is bounden to the keepinge in euerye case vpon some temporall payne, and in many cases vpon payne of Goddes displeasure too, yet is there no manne bounden to sweare that euery lawe is well made, nor bounden vpon the payne of Goddes displeasure, to perfourme anye suche poynte of the lawe, as were