Thomas More, Saint: see More, Sir Thomas.

More, Sir Thomas (Saint Thomas More), 1478-1535, English statesman and author of Utopia, celebrated as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church. He received a Latin education in the household of Cardinal Morton and at Oxford. Through his contact with the new learning and his friendships with Colet, Lyly, and Erasmus, More became an ardent humanist. As a successful London lawyer, he attracted the attention of Henry VIII, served him on diplomatic missions, entered the king's service in 1518, and was knighted in 1521. More held important government offices and, despite his disapproval of Henry's divorce from Katharine of Aragón, he was made lord chancellor at the fall of Wolsey (1529). He resigned in 1532 because of ill health and probably because of increasing disagreement with Henry's policies. Because of his refusal to subscribe to the Act of Supremacy, which impugned the pope's authority and made Henry the head of the English Church, he was imprisoned (1534) in the Tower and finally beheaded on a charge of treason.

A man of noble character and deep, resolute religious conviction, More had great personal charm, unfailing good humor, piercing wit, and a fearlessness that enabled him to jest even on the scaffold. His Utopia (published in Latin, 1516; tr. 1551) is a picture of an ideal state founded entirely on reason. Among his other works in Latin and English are a translation of The Life of John Picus, Earl of Mirandula (1510); a History of Richard III, upon which Shakespeare based his play; a number of polemical tracts against the Lutherans (1528-33); devotional works including A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation (1534) and a Treatise on the Passion (1534); poems; meditations; and prayers. More was beatified (1886) by a decree of Pope Leo XIII, canonized (1935) by Pius XI, and proclaimed (2000) the patron saint of politicians by John Paul II.

More, Sir Anthony: see Moro, Antonio.

More, Paul Elmer, 1864-1937, American critic, educator, and philosopher, b. St. Louis. More taught Sanskrit and classical literature and then was a newspaper editor until 1914, after which he wrote and lectured. Associated with Irving Babbitt in the movement called the New Humanism, More became an authority on Greek philosophy. His major works are the Shelburne Essays (11 vol., 1904-21), The Greek Tradition (5 vol., 1921-31), and the New Shelburne Essays (3 vol., 1928-36).

More, Henry, 1614-87, English philosopher, one of the foremost representatives of the school of Cambridge Platonists. His writings emphasized the mystical and theosophic phases of that philosophy, and as he grew older mysticism dominated his writings. Newton studied under him, and his concept of space and time as "the sense organs of God" greatly influenced Newton's theory of absolute space and time. His chief works are Philosophical Poems (1647) and Divine Dialogues (1668).

More, Hannah, 1745-1833, English author and social reformer. She was educated, and later taught, at her sisters' school for girls in Bristol. At the age of 22 she became engaged to William Turner, a wealthy squire 20 years older than she; he never married her, but settled an annuity on her that made her financially independent. She became a friend of many of the notable figures of her time and was one of the bluestockings. Her two ethical tragedies, Percy and Fatal Falsehood, were produced by Garrick in 1777 and 1779, respectively. Turning to religious and philanthropic works, she wrote Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society (1788) and was instrumental in founding (1799) the Religious Tract Society. In the area of Wrington she established Sunday schools in which the poor were taught reading, personal hygiene, and religion. In 1808 her pious but popular novel Coelebs in Search of a Wife appeared. Her writing is of little interest today, with the exception of her vivacious and highly informative letters, which were published in 1834.

Glen More: see Great Glen, valley, Scotland.

Benoǐt de Sainte-More or Benoǐt de Sainte-Maure, 1154-73, French trouvère. He was the author of the Roman de Troie, a romance in 30,000 verses. It became a primary source of medieval versions of the Trojan legend, notably the story of Troilus and Cressida. At the order of Henry II of England, Benoǐt also wrote a rhymed Chronique des ducs de Normandie.

(born Feb. 7, 1478, London, Eng.—died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22) English statesman and humanist. He studied at Oxford and was successful as a lawyer from 1501. He served as an undersheriff of London (1510–18) and endeared himself to Londoners as a fair judge and consultant. He wrote the notable History of King Richard III (1513–18) and the renowned Utopia (1516), which was an immediate success with humanists, including Desiderius Erasmus. In 1517 More was named to the king's council, and he became Henry VIII's secretary and confidant. In 1523 he was elected speaker of the House of Commons. He wrote A Dialogue Concerning Heresies (1529) to refute heretical writings. After the fall of Cardinal Wolsey (1529), More succeeded him as lord chancellor, but he resigned in 1532 when he could not affirm Henry's divorce from Catherine. He also refused to accept the Act of Supremacy. In 1534 More was charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he wrote his Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. In 1535 he was tried and sentenced to death by hanging, which the king commuted to beheading.

Learn more about More, Saint Thomas with a free trial on Britannica.com.