Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/81

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SIR THOMAS MORE.
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with many errors and heresies, it were well settled in perfect uniformity of religion. The third, that where the matter of the king's marriage is now come in question, it were to the glory of God and quietness of all parties brought to a good conclusion." Whereby as I could gather, he judged that otherwise it would be a disturbance to a great part of Christendom. Thus did it, by his doings throughout the whole course of his life, appear, that all his travail and pains, without respect of earthly commodities, either to himself or any of his, were only upon the service of God, the prince and the realm, wholly bestowed and employed; whom I heard in his latter time to say that he never asked of the king for himself the value of one penny.

As Sir Thomas More's custom was daily (if he were at home) besides his[1] private prayers with his children, to say the seven psalms, the Litany, and the Suffrages following, so was his guise nightly before he went to bed, with his wife, children and household, to go to his chapel, and there on his knees ordinarily to say certain psalms and collects with them. And because he was desirous for godly purposes, sometimes to be solitary and sequester himself from worldly company, a good distance from his mansion-house builded he a place called the new building,

  1. Habet suas horas quibus Deo litet precibus, non ex more, sed ex pectore depromptis.—Erasmi Epist.