Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-20

! IN Ills SeTVlCc, huu lOTCcu Oluc0S upon
him. He sent him upon an important
embassy, and after his return, appointed
him Master of the Requests, and privy
counselor. sought his company, and
could never have too much Of it.
- came most uawillingly to court, "
he once wrote, "as every one knoweth,
and rs the king himself sometimes, in
joke, tells me. And to this day seem
to sit aWkwardly there, as one who
never rode before sitteth in saddle. -
/ The king and queen often sent for
him in the evening to make merry with
them, and the king would visit his
house, AMI Halk about in the garden
with him an hour at u time, with his
hand over his shoulder. His son-in law
once congratulated him upon the king
showing him more affection than he had
ever done even to Cardinal Wolsey.
! Sir Thomas replied:
thank our Lord, son, / find His
grace my very good Lord indeed, and
l believe He doth as singulariy favor
me as any subject within his realm.
Howbeit, son, l may tell thee, have
no cause to be proud thereof ; for if my
head would win him castle in France,
it should not fail to 60"
Finally, upon the fall of Wolsey, the
king appointed Sir Thomas More, Lord
High Chancellor, of England, and he
was introduced to his court by the Duke
OF Norfolk, ancestor of him who was
lately married in England. His father,
Sir John More, now nearly ninety, was
still judge of the kings bench, and
whenever the new chancellor passed
through Westminster Hall, he would
go into his fathers courtroom, and,
kneeling down in the sight of all at his
fathers feet, ask his blessing. Never
theiess, he said one day, that, when he
was on the judges bench administering
justice, if his father stood on one side
and the devil on the other, his cause
being good, the devil should have his
right.
1t was from this height that the king
cast him down. Henry VIII. looked
to the chancellor to justif, his divorce
from Queen Catharine and his marriage
with Anne Boleyn. Rather than do
this double wrong, More resigned his
place, and amused the leisure of his re-
tirement by composing his ingenious
work called" Utopia" an account of an
imaginary island. the inhabitants of
which conducted their affairs with wis
dom that put to shame the Christian ma
tlons. In this work he makes several
suggestions since adopted, among which
is the secret ballot and he lays down
a rule which l respectfully recommend
to the consideration of the President of
the United States, namely, that no man
should have an Office who seeks Office.
The king came at length into direct
collision with this just man by requir-
ing him to publicly acknowledge him
as head of the church, and attest it by
an oath. Sir Thomas More, who was q
steadfast Catholic, deliberately and
firmly refused, we'll knowing that re-
fusal would cost him his head. On the
morning when the oath was to be finally
rendered to him, he attended mass, and
went from the chapel to the boat which
was to convey him to Lombeth Palace.
He would not trust himself to bid fare.
we'll to his family, whom he tenderly
loved, but closed the gate of his garden
after him, and went alone with his SON.
ln-law: He was deeply moved but
after sitting silent in the boat for awhile,
he turned to his son-in-law, and whis-
pered:
Son Roper, I thank the Lord, the
field is won."
He refused to take the oath, and was
soon after arrested and sent to the Tow
err, where he remained for more than a
year awaiting his trial. Even his wife
urged him to yield to the king.
II MARVEL" she said to him, that
you, who have hitherto been taken for
wise man, will now so play the fool
as to lie here in this close, filthy prison,
and be content thus to be shut up
among mice and rats, when you might
be abroad at your liberty, and with the
favor and goodwill both of the king
and his council, if you would but do as
all the bishops and best learned of this
realm have done. And seeing you have
at Chelsea a right fair house, your H.
brary, your gallery, garden, orchard,
and all other necessaries so handsome
about you, where you might, in the
company of me, your wife, your chill
dren and household, be merry, muse
what Gods name you mean here still
thus fondly to tarry."
He held fast, however, to his integ.
rity, and met his death, not merely with
equanimity, but with good humor, and
even something like merriment. At the
appointed hour the venerable man, only
fifty-ive years of age, it is true, but his
beard long, his face pale and thin from
confinement, came forth, carrying in
his hand red cross. At the foot of the
ladder he said to the lieutenant
4 pray you see me up safe =; and for
my coming down, let me shift for my
SELF"
On the scaffold he knelt and repeated
three psalms. Then he rose and said to
the executioner, who had asked his for.
giveness:
"Thou wilt do me this day greater
benefit than any mortal man could give
me. Pluck up thy spirit, man, and be
not afraid to do thy office. Ny neck
is very short take heed, therefore.
that thou strike not awry."
He laid his head upon the block, but
asked the executioner to wait moment
till he had taken his beard from under