Page:Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation.djvu/12
the sagacity of the same editor has restored to the real author, George Cavendish. Those by Roper,[1] Cayley, and, more recently, by Mr. Walter,—apart from scarcer tractates within the cognizance of the erudite—comprise every particular of importance to their subject.
As the title-page bears, and as Cresacre More narrates, the Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation was composed during its author’s imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1534. “Which subject,” this his descendant well observes, “he handleth so wittily as none hath come near him either in weight of grave sentences, devout considerations, or fit similitudes; seasoning always the troublesomeness of the matter with some merry jests or pleasant tales, as it were sugar, whereby we drink up the more willingly these wholesome drugs, of themselves unsavory to flesh and blood; which kind of writing he hath used in all his works, so that none can ever be weary to read them, though they be never so long.”[2] And again, when speaking of his various works,— Surely of all the books that ever he made, I doubt whether I may prefer any of them before the said three Books of Comfort, yea or any other man’s, either heathen or Christian, that have written (as many have), either in Greek or Latin of the said matter. And as for heathen, I do this worthy man plain injury, and do much abase him, in matching and comparing him with them, especially in this point: seeing that, were they otherwise never so incomparable, they lacked yet, and knew not the very especial and principal ground of comfort and consolation, that is, the true faith of Christ, in whom and for whom, and whose glory we must seek and fetch all our true comfort and consolation: well, let that pass; and let us further say, that as the said Sir Thomas More notably passeth many learned Christians, that have of the same matter written before, so let us add, that it may well be doubted, all matters considered and weighed, if any of the rest may seem much to pass him. There is