Mary's Dowry Productions: MORE AND HIS DAUGHTER - Saint Thomas More and Margaret Roper

Friday, 16 December 2016

MORE AND HIS DAUGHTER - Saint Thomas More and Margaret Roper - English Martyr, December thoughts

MORE AND HIS DAUGHTER

SAINT THOMAS MORE AND MARGARET ROPER

DECEMBER THOUGHTS

'Saint Thomas More' film

THOMAS MORE'S son-in-law, William Roper, shares with us a meeting in the Tower of London between Saint Thomas More and Margaret, Thomas's beloved daughter. He wrote:

"Now, when he had remained in the Tower a little more than a month, my wife, longing to see her father, by her earnest suit at length got leave to go unto him. At whose coming, after the Seven Psalms and Litany said (which whensoever she came to him, ere he fell in talk of any worldly matters he used accustomably to say with her), among other communications he said to her, 'I believe, Meg, that they have put me here ween that they have done me a high displeasure; but I assure thee on my faith, my own good daughter, if it had not been for my wife and you that be my children, whom I account the chief part of my charge, I would not have failed long ere this to have closed myself in as strait a room, and straiter too.

'Saint Thomas More, his wife and daughter, praying in the Tower'

But since I am come hither without mine own desert, I trust that God of His goodness will discharge me of my care, and with his gracious help supply my lack among you. I find no cause, I thank God, Meg, to reckon myself in worse case here than in my own house, for methinks God maketh me a wanton, and setteth me on his lap and dandleth me.'

Saint Thomas More in the Tower

After his trial at Westminster, More's daughter awaited his return to the Tower on the entrance by the wharf. "As soon as she saw him, after his blessing upon her knees reverently received, she, hastening towards him without consideration or care of herself, pressing in among the throng and company of the guard, that with halberds and bills were round about him, hastily ran to him, and there openly in sight of them all, embraced him about the neck and kissed him.

Margaret runs to her father on the way to the Tower

Who, well liking her most natural and dear daughterly affection towards him, gave her his fatherly blessing and many good words of comfort besides. From whom after she was departed she, not satisfied with the former sight of him, and like one that had forgotten herself, being all ravished with the entire love of her dear father, having no respect neither to herself nor to the press of people, suddenly turned back, ran to him as before, and divers times kissed him most lovingly, till at last with a full heavy heart she was fain to depart from him: the beholding whereof was to many of them that were present so lamentable that it made them for very sorrow to mourn and weep."