St. Thomas More

Thomas More was executed this day, the Octave of Ss. Peter and Paul, in 1535. From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

.... On 1 July, More was indicted for high treason at Westminster Hall before a special commission of twenty. More denied the chief charges of the indictment, which was enormously long, and denounced Rich, the solicitor-general and chief witness against him as a perjuror. The jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to be hanged at Tyburn, but some days later this was changed by Henry to beheading on Tower Hill. The story of his last days on earth, as given by Roper and Cresacre More, is of the tenderest beauty and should be read in full; certainly no martyr ever surpassed him in fortitude. As Addison wrote in the Spectator (No. 349) "that innocent mirth which had been so conspicuous in his life, did not forsake him to the last... his death was of a piece with his life. There was nothing in it new, forced or affected. He did not look upon the severing of his head from his body as a circumstance that ought to produce any change in the disposition of his mind". The execution took place on Tower Hill "before nine of the clock" on 6 July, the body being buried in the Church of St. Peter ad vincula....

Here is a prayer from one of his writings while imprisoned in the Tower of London:

Good Lord, give me the grace so to spend my life that when the day of my death shall come, though I feel pain in my body, I may feel comfort in soul and, with faithful hope of Thy mercy, in due love toward Thee and charity toward the world, I may through Thy grace part hence into Thy glory. (The Tower Works: Devotional Writings, ed. Garry E. Haupt, p. 72)

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Sat. 07/06/02 08:13:19 AM
Categorized as Classic.