474 ANNUALREGISTER, 1758.
her heart being ready to break with grief, the only words that Ihe could utter were, * My father, oh
• my father'.' If any thing could have fhaken his fortitude, it muft be this. But he only took her up in his arms, and told her, * that
• whatfoever he fliould fufFcr,
• though he was innocent, yet it
• was not without the will of
• God, to whofe biefTed pleafure
• fhe fliould conform her own will ;
• that fhe knew well enough all
• the fecret Heps of his heart, « and that Ihe muft be patient for
• her lofs.' Upon this fhe parted from him ; but fcarce was flie turned afide, before her paffion of grief and love became irrefillible ; and fhe again fuddenly burll through the croud, ran eagerly upon him a fecond time, took him round the neck, and hung upon him with her embraces, ready to die with forrovv. This was rather too much for a man to bear : And though he did not fpeak a word, yet the tears flowed down his cheeks in great abundance; till fhe took her laft kifs and left him. In this tender moment his heart iri.iy be faid to fail him ; and it was a fcene which did him honour. Here was a fsvourii e daughter of ve- ry extraordinary accomplilhments, and by nature and education modeft ; who without care of her perfon, or any confideration of her fex, moved by the dcepeft forrow and the molt tender afFeftion for him, fnrmounted every obftacle of fear, cf danger, and of difficulty to fee him ; who when fhe had feen him, and ti.ken her leave of him in the molt pafTionateand heart- dill rading fitaation, Ihook off all the regards
of moderty and peril a fecond time, and pouring out her foul into his bofom could not be fep.i- raied from him without force, it was impoffible for humanity to be more unmoved at fuch a fcene than only to ihed filent tears : The fenfations of his heart muft have been exquilite, how much foever his fortitude enabled him to fup- prefs them, when he heard him- felf addreffed with that pathetic eloquence which defcribed all her agony at once, ' My father, oh
- my father!' If a few filent tears
in this diftrefsful fcene, owing to the tender nef;. of nature in a parent's breaft, were all the figns of dejec- tion or difpiritednefs which Sir Thomas More fhe^ved at a fate v/hich was fo deplorable, and yet fo unmerited and it is un- certain that thefe were all, from the time of his commitment to the
laft minute of his life then
he inftrufted the world as well by this circumftance of his leaving it, as by the whole courfe of his living in it. This great ex- ample will teach us a leffon of fortitude, under fuflerings for con- fcience fake ; of contempt of a life of flelh which is in itfelf fhort and tranlitory ; and of refignation to the will of heaven under the mcft trying afi^ittions of morta- lity."
It were ufelefs to fay any thing of the celebrated Utopia, which is annexed to his life. The tranila- tion was made by Biftiop Burnet, and correded by Do<51or Warner, and is executed, as it might be expe(f\ed, in a very mafterly man- ner.
ui Catalogue
