Edward Matthew Ward (1816–1879) Sir Thomas More's Farewell to his Daughter




托马斯•莫尔 （St. Thomas More又作Sir Thomas More ， 1478年 2月7日 — 1535年 7月6日 ）是英国的空想社会主义者 ，圣人也是《 乌托邦 》一书的作者。1478年， 莫尔生于伦敦的一个法学家庭，毕业于牛津大学 ，曾当过律师 、国会议员、财政副大臣、国会下院议长、大法官。1535年因反对亨利八世兼任教会首脑而被处死。1935年，在他逝世四百年后，被罗马天主教会的教皇Pius XI册封为圣人，在1980年与主教费舍尔一起被John Paul II尊为守护上帝的殉道者。7月6日，他殉难的日子将被所有天主教徒所铭记。在英国历史上最伟大100个名人中评选中名列第37位。

The daughter of Thomas More saving his head after his execution.

[感想] 自己很为Thomas More的正直大义感动; 也为他女儿Thomas Magaret 知书达理勇敢而感动，

Thomas More为英国国王亨利八世的大法官和好友，为了捍卫自己的信仰无惧被砍头，当时Thomas More 要被国王砍头， 多少亲友背他而去，连他的妻子都不理解， 只有他的女儿Magaret理解他的父亲， 最后也是Magaret去Tower of London收拾他父亲被砍的头，并把他父亲的头发保留至今。这也得益于THomas More平日对他儿女（一个儿子三个女儿）一视同仁给与很好的教育，拉丁，诗歌，音乐，数学，几何，天文．．．在那个年代他女儿可能是全英国学识最高的女性。  

有其父也必有其女，父亲与女儿之间有一种特别的爱和特别的传承

　每个民族都有／都需要那么些硬骨头，就像树林中，有些树就是特别树干粗壮笔直，他们是树林中的骄傲，也像自然界中有些花儿就是与有众不同的娇艳，　很难想象树林中都是些七歪八倒的树，那还是树林？苍白无力的花儿还是花？

这么美丽的故事成为画家文学家的灵感源泉，却为什么没有写成歌剧呢？

下面是Thomas More 在被砍头的前夜给他的爱女写的信



Sir Thomas More's Last Letter 

Sir Thomas More's last letter, on "such little pieces of paper as he could obtain by stealth, on which he wrote with a coal," was written from prison on the day before his execution for treason. It was to his daughter Margaret, and shows Thomas More's great love for his family. It is also apparent from this letter that More was completely at peace with his impending death, and longed to "go to God" on the following day.

Monday, July 5th, 1535.—

MY GOOD DAUGHTER:
Our Lord bless you, good daughter, and your good husband, and your little boy, and all yours, and all my children, and all my god-children and all our friends. Recommend me when ye may to my good daughter Cecily, whom I beseech Our Lord to comfort; and I send her my blessing and to all her children, and pray her to pray for me. I send her a handkercher, and God comfort my good son, her husband. My good daughter Daunce hath the picture in parchment that you delivered me from my Lady Coniers, her name on the back. Show her that I heartily pray her that you may send it in my name to her again, for a token from me to pray for me.

I like special well Dorothy Colly. I pray you be good unto her. I would wot whether this be she that you wrote me of. If not, yet I pray you be good to the other as you may in her affliction, and to my good daughter Jane Aleyn too. Give her, I pray you, some kind answer, for she sued hitherto me this day to pray you be good to her.

I cumber you, good Margaret, much, but I would be sorry if it should be any longer than to-morrow, for it is St. Thomas's even, and the utas of St. Peter; and therefore, to-morrow long I to go to God. It were a day very meet and convenient for me.

I never liked your manner towards me better than when you kissed me last; for I love when daughterly love and dear charity hath no leisure to look to worldly courtesy. Farewell, my dear child, and pray for me, and I shall for you and all your friends, that we may merrily meet in heaven. I thank you for your great cost. I send now my good daughter Clement her algorism stone, and I send her and my godson and all hers God's blessing and mine. I pray you at time convenient recommend me to my good son John More. I liked well his natural fashion. Our Lord bless him and his good wife, my loving daughter, to whom I pray him to be good, as he hath great cause; and that, if the land of mine come to his hands, he break not my will concerning his sister Daunce. And the Lord bless Thomas and Austin, and all that they shall have.

 William Frederick Yeames(1835 – 1918): The Meeting Of Sir Thomas More With His Daughter After His Sentence Of Death

Thomas More's family　－by Hans Holbein
National Portrait gallery