GREAT ENGLISHMAN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 776, 4 June 1954, Page 14

GREAT ENGLISHMAN

SIR THOMAS MORE, by Leslie Paul; Faber _ and Faber, English price 12/6. ONSIDER the Holbein portrait of Henry VIII, the broad flaccid cheek, the little ruthless mouth, the cold eye, the high intelligent forehead. The skill of the artist has put it all before us, -a frank materialist disappointed in his objects but still pursuing them, In his own age he had only two real opponents, both of them extraordinary men-

Charles V too big for him, Thomas. More too good for him, the one in Europe his master, the other in England his servant, but God’s first. This brief account by Leslie Paul gives all the essentials of Thomas More’s life

and character. It is well known how -many-sided’ was his work for England. As a young member of the House of | Commons he helped establish the right of the Commons to vote or refuse the King’s demand for exorbitant taxes under Henry VII. The fact that subsequent Tudor despots were able to whittle away this right does not belittle his achievement. As Speaker of the House he tactfully upheld its right to free debate against Wolsey, Henry _VIUTs arrogant Minister. He was the greatest of England’s Lord Chancellors. In an age of intolerance he was toler--ant, in a greedy age he preferred to | refuse the large sums of money offered /to him, and indeed Well earned. He accepted honours reluctantly and readily relinquished them. : : . . : Everyone finds something in More. To the scholar he is the great English Renaissance classicist, to the lawyer his career at the Bar is a model, to the social reformer he is the humanist and | philosopher, so much so that the Marx‘ists ‘are now claiming Utopia as the | first socialist manifesto. In statesman- | ship and international affairs his wis- ) dom is only now receiving due recognition. His wit and charm of manner made /him loved throughout all Europe, but | he joined with them personal austerities | and steady piety. Henry was no fool and | knew that in the matter of the divorce and Headship of the Church he must win him or break him. The attempts to prosecute More for misconduct in his office failed so, ignominiously that today they read like testimonials to him. Finally he is the Christian martyr who laid down his life for God and the Church There is little new in what Leslie Paul tells us, but it is worth repeating.

F. J.

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