Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/211

 standeth. And verely to bee short, I parceue little difference betwene this time and the last. For as farre as I can see, the whole purpose is, eyther to dryue me to say precisely the tone way, or elles precisely the tother. Here sate my Lord of Canterbury, my Lord Chancellour, my Lord of Suffolke, my Lord of Wilshyre, and Maister Secretarye. And after my coming, Maister Secretarye made rehearsll in what wyse he had reported vnto the Kynge's Hyghnes, what had been sayd by hys Grace's counsayle to me, and what had ben aunswered by me to them, at myne other being before them here last. Which thyng his maistership rehearsed in good fayth verye wel, as I knowledged and confessed and hertely thanked him therfore. Wherupon he added therunto, that the Kinge's Highnes was nothing content nor satisfyed with myne aunswer, but thought that by my demeanor, I had been occasion of much grudge and harme in the realme, and that I had an obstinate mind and an euill towarde him, and that my duety was being hys subject (and so he had sent them now in hys name vpon myne allegiaunce to commaunde me) to make a playne and a tertmninate aunswere, whether I thoughte the statute lawfull or not. And that I shold either knowledge and confesse it lawfull, that his Highnes shoulde be supreme heade of the churche of Englande, or elles vtter playnly my malignitie. Wherto I aunswered, that I had no malignitie, and therfore I could none vtter. And as to the matter I coulde none other aunswer make than I had before made, whiche aunswer his maistership had there rehearsed. Very heauy I was that the Kinge's Highnes shoulde haue any such opinion of me. Howbeit if ther wer one that had enformed his Highnes manye euill thinges of me that were vntrue, to whvche hys Highnes, for the time gave credence, I wold be very sory that he should haue that opinion of me the space of one day. Howbeit if I wer sure that other shold come on the morowe, by whome his Grace should know the trouth of myne innocensy, I should in the mean whyle comfort my self with consideracion of that. And in lykewise nowe, though it be great heavines to me, that his Highnes hathe suche opinion of me for the whyle, yet haue I no remedy to helpe it, but only to comfort my self with this considera-