At the last debating whereof he made such arguments
and reasons there against, that the King's demands
were thereby overthrown. So that one of the King's
privy chamber, named Mr. Tyler, being present thereat,
brought word to the King out of the Parliament house,
that a beardless boy had disappointed all his purposes.
Whereupon the King conceiving great indignation towards him could not be satisfied until he had some way revenged it. And forasmuch as he nothing having, nothing could lose, his grace devised a causeless quarrel against his Father, keeping him in the Tower until he had paid him an hundred pounds fine. Shortly hereupon it fortuned that this Sir Thomas More coming in a suit to Dr. Fox, Bishop of Winchester, one of the King's privy council, they called him aside, and pretending great favour towards him, promised him that if he would be ruled by him, he would not fail but into the King's favour again to restore him, meaning, as it was after conjectured, to cause him thereby to confess his offence against the King, whereby his Highness might with better colour have occasion to revenge his displeasure against him. But when he came from the Bishop, he fell in communication with one Mr. Witford, his familiar friend, then chaplain to that Bishop and after a Father of Sion, and showed him what the Bishop had said unto him, desiring to have his advice therein, who for the
passion of God prayed him in no wise to follow his
counsel "for my Lord my Master (quoth he) to serve
the King's turn will not stick to agree to his own
father's death." So Sir Thomas More returned to the
when Sir Thomas More had remained in the Tower
a little more than a month, my wife, longing
to see her father, by her earnest suit at length
gat leave to go to 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,
...