Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/95

 of all the people there assembled, showed, that he was from the king himself straightly charged by special commission, there openly in presence of them all, to make declaration how much all England was beholden unto Sir Thomas More for his good service, and how worthy he was to have the highest room in the realm, and how dearly his grace loved and trusted him, for which, -said the duke, he had great cause to rejoice. W hereunto Sir Thomas More, amongst many other his humble and wise sayings not now'in my memory, answered, that although he had good cause to take comfort of his highness' singular favour towards him, that he had, far above his deserts, so highly commended him, to whom therefore he acknowledged himself most deeply bounden: yet nevertheless he must for his own part needs confess that in all things by his grace alleged he had done no more than was his duty: and farther disabled himself to be unmeet for that room, wherein, considering how wise and honourable a prelate had lately before taken so great a fall, he said, he had no cause thereof to rejoice. And as they had charged him, on the king's behalf, uprightly to administer indifferent justice to the people, without corruption or affection, so did he likewise charge them again that if they saw him at any time in any thing digress from any part of his duty in that honourable Office, even as they would discharge their own duty and fidelity to