With his gifts of
intellectual genius and endearing wit plus his reputation for
virtue, More was much sought after as a lawyer and diplomat. He
was chosen, for example, by the London merchants to represent
them on three major embassies to foreign countries. At the age of
32, he began his work as a judge, a position that made him
well-known and loved among the general London citizenry.
Throughout these years,
More was also active in the areas of literature and philosophy. The
Utopia, a work considered by some to be one of the finest
Socratic dialogues of all time, has long been recognized as his
masterpiece. After fifteen years of prosperous civic life, More
was called to serve the King at court, a position he did not and
would not seek out. Early on, he was well aware of the dangers of
political life; he valued his freedom for family and writing, and
he knew that giving up his lucrative law practice to enter public
service would cost him a considerable portion of his income. Yet
as a loyal citizen, More considered it the "duty of every
good man" to contribute to the service of his country.
Once in the King's service,
More commanded Henry VIII's friendship and trust, serving
primarily as his personal secretary, but with some administrative
and diplomatic responsibilities. He rose steadily over the next
ten years, finally becoming Chancellor in 1529, at the age of
fifty-one. As Chancellor, More concentrated on two major tasks:
(1) streamlining and improving the judicial system; (2)
addressing and personally refuting errors which he considered
seditious and destructive of both state and church. In fulfilling
this latter task, he collected evidence which resulted in the
execution of three persons. Although these executions have
captured the imagination of many scholars today, More spent most
of his working hours trying to fulfill his function as chief
justice of the land. In the assessment of Tudor historian John
Guy, More made substantial contributions in this area, reforming
the legal system far more effectively than Cromwell would later,
in his far reaching legislative reforms of the 1530s.
More was Chancellor for
only thirty-one months. He resigned on May 16, 1532, the day
after Henry VIII and Cromwell manipulated the Parliament to take
away the traditional freedom of the Church, a freedom that had
been written into English law since the Magna Carta. At issue was
the survival of the Church as well as the nature of law and the
scope of the state's legitimate authority.
Imprisoned in the Tower of
London for fifteen months before his execution, More was heavily
pressured by his family and friends to sign the oath accepting
Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church in England. More
steadfastly refused but never expressed animosity towards those
who complied. During this time, he wrote a number of devotional
and exegetical works, including A Dialogue of Comfort Against
Tribulation, A Treatise on the Passion, and The Sadness of Christ.
That More was God's servant
first and foremost was readily seen in his life of prayer and
penance. From the time he was a young man, More started each day
with private prayer, spiritual reading, and Mass, regardless of
his many duties. He lived demanding mortifications in his
characteristically discreet and merry manner. He generously cared
for the poor and needy, and involved his own children in this
same work. He had special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to
frequent meditation on the Passion, and to the rosary. More was
executed on July 6, 1535, and canonized on May 19, 1935. He has
become a symbol of professional integrity, famous for the
balanced judgment, ever-present humor, and undaunted courage that
led him to be known, even in his own lifetime, as the "man
for all seasons.
Gerard Wegemer
December 12,1992
