Free The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd Page A

so effectuall and sufficient aunswere as the weight and importance of these matters doth craue.
    A chair may be brought to him.
    Thomas More
: I plead not gilty, and reserve unto myself advantage to be taken of the body of the matter, after verdicte, to avoid this Indictment. Moreouer if thos only odious tearmes, ‘Maliciously, traiterouslye, and diabolicallye’ were put out of the Indictment, I see therein nothinge iustlye to charge me.
    Touching the first article, wherein is purposed that I, to vtter and shewe my malice against the King and his late marriage, haue euer repined and resisted the same, I can say nothing but this: that of malice I neuer spake any thing against it, and that whatsoeuer I haue spoken in that matter, I haue none otherwise spoken but according to my very minde, opinion and conscience. And for this mine errour (if I may call it an errour, or if I haue been deceaued therein) I haue not gone scot free and vntouched, my goodes and chattels being confiscate, and my selfe to perpetuall prison adiudged, where I haue nowe beene shut vp about a fifteene monethes. Touching, I say, this challenge and accusation, I aunswere that, for this my taciturnitie and silence, neyther your lawe nor any lawe in the world is able iustly and rightly to punishe me, vnlesse you may besydes laye to my charge eyther some worde or some facte in deede.
    The King’s attorney
: Marie, this very silence is a sure token and demonstration of a corrupt and peruerse nature, maligning and repyning against the Statute; yea, there is no true and faithfull subiect that being required of his minde and opinion touching the saide Statute, that is not deepelye and vtterly bounde, without any dissimulation, to confess that Statute to be good, iust and lawfull.
    Thomas More
: Truely, if the rule and Maxime of the ciuill lawe be good, allowable and sufficient then
Qui tacet, consentire videtur
[‘he that holdeth his peace seemeth to consent’], this my silence implyeth and importeth rather a ratification and confirmation than any condemnation of your Statute. For I assure you that I haue not hitherto to this howre disclosed and opened my conscience and minde to any person liuing in all the worlde.
    As for the second count against me. Would God that these letters were nowe produced and openly read; but forasmuche as the saidBishopp, as ye saye, hath burned them, I will not sticke truly to vtter my selfe, as shortly as I may, the very tenours of the same. In one of them there was nothing in the world conteyned but certaine familier talke and recommendacions, such as was seemly and agreeable to our longe and olde acquaintance. In the other was conteyned my aunswere that I made to the saide Bishopp, demaunding of me what thing I aunswered at my first examination in the towre vpon the saide Statute. Wherevnto I aunswered nothing els but that I had informed and settled my conscience, and that he should informe and settle his. And other aunswere, vpon the charge of my soule, made I none. These are the tenours of my letters, vpon which ye can take no holde or handfast by your lawe to condemne me to death.
    The King’s attorney
: Yet the verye same aunswere concerning the double-edged sworde the Bisshopp of Rochester made, wherby [it] doth euidently appere that it was a purposed and sett matter betweene you, by mutuall conference and agrement.
    Thomas More
: I did not precisely, but conditionally, aunswere, that in case the Statute were like to be a double-edged sworde, I could not tell in the world howe a man should demeane and order himselfe but that he should fall into one of the daungers. Neyther doo I knowe what kinde of aunswere the Bishopp made; whose aunswere, if it were agreable and corresspondent to mine, that hath happed by reason of the correspondence and conformitie of our wittes, learning and studie, not that any such thing was purposely concluded vpon and accorded betwixt us. Neyther hath there at any time any worde or deede malitiously