VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

submitte our selues to be scolars of the same scole.

Tindale [1531]

M. they maye not abyde salue regina. T. for therin is moch blasphemie vnto our blessed lady / because christ is our hope and life only and not she. And ye in asscribynge vn to hir that she is not / dishonoure god and worshepe hir not.

they . . . salue regina. Cf. CWM 6/1.359/34–35, 8/1.314/ 12–13. Erasmus agrees with the executed heretic Louis de Berquin that the title, spes et vita nostra or "our hope and life," belongs properly to Christ not Mary. Cf. Ep. 2188, To Charles Utenhove, Freiburg, 1 July 1529 (Allen 8.212/103–5; not yet in CWE). After his resignation from the chancellorship, More teased his family that, as a last resort, they could support themselves on alms by stopping "at euery mans doore to singe salue Regina" (Roper 54/11). In Ch. 9 of his biography, Thomas Stapleton relates that More's household customarily recited Pss. 50/51, 24/25, 66/67, 129/130, and the Salve Regina as part of their evening prayers. Cf. The Life and Illustrious Martyrdom of Sir Thomas More, tr. Philip E. Hallett, ed. E.E. Reynolds (New York: Fordham UP, 1966) 88–89.

More [1531]

christ is our hope and life. For "hope," 1 Tim. 1.1; for "life," cf. John 14.6.

] John

] 1 Timothy

Salue regina [1531]

Tindale [1531]

M. they saye if a woman beinge aliue beleue in god and loue him as moch as our lady / she maye helpe with hir prayars as moch as our lady. T. tel whi not. Christ when it was told him that his mother and his brethern sought him / answered / that his mother / his sisters and his brethern were al they that did his fathers wyll. And vn to the woman that saide to christ / blessed be the wombe that bare the and pappes that gaue the sucke / christ answered / Naye blessed are they that heare the worde of god and kepe it. As paul saith .1. Corin. ix. I haue nought to reioyse though I preach / for necessite lieth vppon me / and wo is me / if I preach not. If I doo it vnwillyngly / an office is committed vn to me / but and if I do it with a good wil / then I haue a rewarde. So now carnall bearynge of christ and carnall geuynge him sucke make not our lady greate. But our blessed ladies greatnesse is hir faith and loue wherin she exceaded other. Wherefore if God gaue his mercy that a nother woman were in those .ij. poyntes equall with hir / whi were she not like greate and hir prayers as moch herde.

More [1531]

they saye . . . our lady. Cf. CWM 6/1.360/1–3.

Tindale [1531]

Mat. 12. [1531]

his mother . . . wyll. Cf. Matt. 12.50, Mark 3.35.

Matt. 12.50, Mark 3.35

Luce .11. [1531]

blessed . . . kepe it. Luke 11.27–28. Answer has "Naye" (185/22), while NT has "Ye[a]" (Wallis 154/29; TNT 110D).

] Luke

I haue . . . rewarde. 1 Cor. 9.16–17. The two clauses of v. 17 are given in reverse order.

] 1 Corinthians

185/25–29 The prayers of all good women are aswell accepted of God as the prayers of our Lady.[1573]