Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/198

 not in that matter suppose, that those which say they think against hys mynde, affyrme the thing that they saye, for no other cause but for that they so thinke in dede, thys is of verye trouthe a verye good occasion to moue him, and yet not to compell him, to conforme his mynde and conscience vnto theyrs. But Margaret, for what causes I refuse the othe, that thyng (as I haue often tolde you) I will neuer shew you, neither you nor no bodye elles, excepte the kinges highnes should like to commaund me. Whyche if hys grace did, I haue ere this tolde you, therein howe obedientlye I have sayde. But surelye, daughter, I haue refused it, and doe, for mo causes than one. And for what causes soeuer I refuse it, thys am I sure, that it is well knownen, that of theym that haue sworne it, some of the best lerned before the othe geuen theym, sayde and playne affyrmed the contrarye, of some suche thinges as they haue nowe sworne in the othe, and that vpon theyr trouthe and theyr learninge than, and that not in haste nor sodaynely, but often and after greate diligence doone to seeke and fynde out the trouthe. That might be, father, (quod I) and yet since they myghte see more. I will not (quod he) dispute, daughter Margaret, against that, nor missejudge any other man's conscience, whiche lieth in theyr own harte farre out of my sighte. But thys will I saye, that neuer hearde my selfe the cause of their chaunge, by any new ferther thinge founden of aucthorite, than as farre as I perceiue they hadde looked on, and as I suppose, verye well wayed before. Nowe of the self same thinges that they sawe before, seme some other wyse vnto them nowe than they did before, I am for theyr sakes the gladder a greate deale. But anye thing that euer I sawe before, yet at thys daye to me they seme but as they did. And therfore, though they maye dooe otherwyse than they myghte, yet, daughter, I maye not. As for suche thynges as some men woulde happelye saye, that I myghte with reason the lesse regard their change, for anye saumple of theym to be taken to the change of my conscience, because that the kepyng of the princes pleasure, and the auoyding of hys indignacion, the feare of the losing of theyr worldlye substaunce with regarde vnto the dyscoumforte of theyr kin-