himself obliged to marry again. This time he
chose a widow with a daughter of her own--a lady 'neither young nor
handsome,' as he tells Erasmus--but an excellent housekeeper, and the
best of mothers to his children.

* * * * *

More soon became known not only as an honest man above all bribery, but
as a generous one who would often refuse to take payment for pleading
the cause of a poor man or a widow. His practice at the Bar increased,
and he was made a judge, or under-sheriff, his income reaching 400 l. a
year, which would now be reckoned about 5,000 l. He needed it all, for
besides his own four children and his stepdaughter he had adopted
another girl. This girl, Margaret Gigs, afterwards married a learned
man, Dr. Clements, who lived in More's house, and probably shared with
John Harris the duties of secretary and of tutor in Greek and Latin to
the children. We must not forget either the 'fool,' Henry Patenson, or
sir Thomas's special friend and confidant, William Roper, by-and-by to
be the husband of More's favourite daughter, Margaret, and the man to
whom his heart opened more freely than to anyone else.

* * * * *

It naturally took a good deal of money to support this large household
and to save something for the children, as well as to bestow a tenth
part of his income on the poor, as was More's rule through life. His
charity did not consist in giving to everyone that asked, thereby doing
more harm than good, but he went himself to the cottage to make sure
that the tale he heard was true, and then would gladly spend what was
needed to set the family in the way of earning their own living. If they
proved to be ill, dame Alice, whose heart was soft though her words were
harsh, would bid one of the girls take them nourishing food or possets,
and often the poor pensioners would be invited to the house, to share
the family dinner. At other times the guests would be men of learning,
such as Colet, afterwards dean of St. Paul's, and founder of St. Paul's
School, now moved to Hammersmith; Linacre or Grocyn, old friends of long
ago; and of course Erasmus, if he happened to be in London. Poor dame
Alice must have had a dull time of it, for while the room rang with
merry jests in Latin, flavoured sometimes with a little Greek, and even
the children could join in the laughter, she alone was ignorant of the
matter, and felt as a deaf man feels when he watches