represent Scottish nobles: James III was kidnapped and
held prisoner during the Lauder Rebellion (1482).
See also ALLEGORY, MORALL FABILLIS (OVERVIEW).
Mark DiCicco
MORE, SIR THOMAS (1478–1535) Sir
Thomas More was born in London on February 7,
1478, to John and Agnes More. The second of four sur-
viving children, it is believed that More studied at St.
Anthony’s School in London, which was well known
for producing scholars. He excelled in his studies,
learning Latin grammar, logic, and debating skills. In
1490, his father sent him to study under John Morton,
the archbishop of Canterbury and soon-to-be cardinal,
who likely infl uenced the young man’s decision to
study at Oxford, where he enrolled in 1492. More
spent only two years at Oxford, supposedly being
pulled out of his studies and away from the “liberal
university life” by his father, who wanted him to
become a lawyer. More studied at the Inns of Court,
and by 1501 he was a barrister.
In 1504, More married Jane Colt, the daughter of a
family friend, with whom he had four children (Marga-
ret, Elizabeth, Cecily, and John) before her death in
- He then married a widow, Alice Middleton, a
mere month later. Scholars attribute his haste in remar-
rying to his desire that his children have a mother.
Aside from having a private law practice, More
began writing patriotic EPIGRAMs and epigraphs as sup-
port for HENRY VIII’s wars. He served as undersheriff of
London between 1510 and 1518 and undertook a
number of royal diplomatic commissions as well. Dur-
ing this time, it is believed that More began work on
his unfi nished historiography, History of King Richard
III, which was WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’s main source of
inspiration for his play on the controversial king. It is
also believed that while visiting Bruges in 1515, More
fi nished what would become part two of Utopia, his
treatise on a perfect society and how such a place
would be governed. Enlisting the help of his friend
Desiridius Erasmus, More fi nished the book, and Uto-
pia was published in 1516. While the book was not
particularly successful during More’s lifetime, it is now
recognized as undeniably infl uential in its sardonic
(utopia in Greek literally means “no place”), markedly
humanist description of the ideal society and the poli-
tics, laws, religion, and daily lives of its citizens.
During the last years of his life, More served as lord
chancellor under Henry VIII; however, he resigned the
position in May 1532, in disagreement with Henry’s
divorce from Catherine of Aragon and separation from
the Roman Catholic Church. When More refused to
swear an oath upholding Henry’s marriage to Anne
Boleyn and, later, to support the Act of Supremacy,
Henry had him imprisoned in the TOWER OF LONDON.
On July 6, 1535, Sir Thomas More was beheaded for
high treason. His steadfast adherence to the tenets of
his religion, even when facing certain death, earned
him canonization in 1935.
Though not particularly well known as a poet, More
did try his hand at Latin verse, such as “Quis Optimus
Reipublicae Status,” and “DE PRINCIPE BONO ET MALO.”
The majority of his verse relied on the COUPLET and
revolved around political interests, as did most of his
adult life.
FURTHER READING
Marius, Richard. Thomas More. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
1984.
Tyler HancockMUM AND THE SOTHSEGGER ANONY-
MOUS (15th century) Mum and the Sothsegger is an
alliterative social SATIRE inspired by WILLIAM LANG-
LAND’s popular PIERS PLOWMAN. Only one manuscript of
the poem exists (London, British Library, MS Addi-
tional 41666), and the poem is missing its beginning
and conclusion, but its main body of 1,751 lines sur-
vives. Because the poem refers to events in 1409, dur-
ing Henry IV’s reign, scholars have dated it to the early
15th century.
The poem’s title is that offered by the manuscript’s
scribe, who named it after the two main speakers in
the poem: Mum (one who holds his/her tongue out of
self-interest) and Sothsegger (“truthteller”—one who
speaks the truth despite the consequences). The text of
the poem begins with a debate between these two per-
sonifi ed abstractions, wherein Sothsegger insists that it
is necessary to tell the truth in the commonwealth, so282 MORE, SIR THOMAS