to appear at Lambeth before archbishop Cranmer, the Lord Chancellor
Audley, Mr. Secretary Cromwel, and the abbot of Westminster, appointed
commissioners by the King to tender this oath. More absolutely
refused to take it, from a principle of conscience: and after various
expostulations he was ordered into the custody of the abbot of
Westminster; and soon after he was sent to the tower, and the
lieutenant had strict charge to prevent his writing, or holding
conversation with any persons but those sent by the secretary. The
Lord Chancellor, duke of Norfolk, and Mr. Cromwel paid him frequent
visits, and pressed: him to take the oath, which he still refused.
About a year after his commitment to the tower, by the importunity of
Queen Ann, he was arraign'd at the King's Bench Bar, for obstinately
refusing, the oath of supremacy, and wilfully and obstinately opposing
the King's second marriage. He went to the court leaning on his staff,
because he had been much weakened by his imprisonment; his judges
were, Audley, Lord Chancellor; Fitz James, Chief Justice; Sir John
Baldwin, Sir Richard Leister, Sir John Port, Sir John Spelman, Sir
Walter Luke, Sir Anthony Fitzherbert: The King's attorney opened
against him with a very opprobrious libel; the chief evidence were
Mr. secretary Cromwell, to whom he had uttered some disrespectful
expressions of the King's authority, the duke of Suffolk and earl
of Wiltshire: He replied to the accusation with great composure and
strength of argument; and when one Mr. Rich swore against him, he
boldly asserted that Rich was perjured, and wished he might never see
God's Countenance in mercy, if what he asserted was not true; besides
that, Rich added to perjury, the baseness of betraying private
conversation. But notwithstanding his defence, the jury, who were
composed of creatures of the court, brought in their verdict, guilty;
and he had sentence of death pronounced against him, which he
heard without emotion. He then made a long speech addressed to the
Chancellor, and observed to Mr. Rich, that he was more sorry for his
perjury, than for the sentence that had just been pronounced against
him: Rich had been sent by the secretary to take away all Sir Thomas's
books and papers, during which time some conversation passed, which
Rich misrepresented in order to advance himself in the King's favour.
He was ordered again to the Tower till the King's pleasure should be
known. When he landed at Tower Wharf,