Margaret More.--Excuse me, reader, for placing a lady among men and
learned statesmen. The reason is because of her unfeigned affection to
her father, from whom she would not willingly be parted (and from me
shall not be), either living or dead.
She was born in Bucklersburie in London at her father's house therein,
and attained to that skill in all learning and languages that she
became the miracle of her age. Foreigners took such notice thereof
that Erasmus hath dedicated some epistles unto her. No woman that
could speak so well did speak so little; whose secrecy was such, that
her father intrusted her with his most important affairs.
Such was her skill in the Fathers that she corrected a depraved place
in Cyprian; for where it was corruptly written "Nisi vos sinceritas"
she amended it "Nervos sinceritas." Yea, she translated Eusebius out
of Greek; but it was never printed, because J. Christopherson had done
it so exactly before.
She was married to William Roper of Eltham in Kent, Esquire, one of a
bountiful heart and plentiful estate. When her father's head was set
up on London Bridge, it being suspected it would be cast into the
Thames to make room for divers others (then suffering for denying the
King's supremacy), she bought the head and kept it for a relic (which
some called affection, others religion, others superstition in her),
for which she was questioned before the Council, and for some short
time imprisoned until she had buried it; and how long she herself
survived afterwards is to me unknown.