their fingers they wear rings of gold, and about their necks chains of gold, and in conclusion their heads be tied about with gold. Thus, by all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach and infamy. And these metals, which other nations do as grievously and sorrowfully forego, as in a manner their own lives; if they should altogether at once be taken from the Utopians, no man there would think that he had lost the worth of one farthing. stones are They gather also pearls by the seaside, and diamonds and Precious carbuncles upon certain rocks, and yet they seek not for them; playthings but by chance finding them, they cut and polish them. And for children therewith they deck their young infants. Which, like as in the first years of their childhood, they make much and be proud of such ornaments, so when they be a little more grown in years and discretion, perceiving that none but children do wear such toys and trifles, they lay them away even of their own shamefacedness, without any bidding of their parents : even as our children, when they wax big, do cast away nuts, brooches, and puppets. Therefore these laws and customs, which be so far different from all other nations, how divers fantasies also and minds they do cause, did I never so plainly perceive, as in the ambassadors of the Anemolians. These ambassadors came to Amaurote whiles I was there. And because they came to entreat of great and weighty matters, three citizens apiece out of every city were come thither before them. But all the ambassadors of the next countries, which had been there before, and knew the fashions and manners of the Utopians, among whom they perceived no honor given to sumptuous apparel, silks to be contemned, gold also to be infamed and reproachful, were wont to come thither in very homely and simple array. But the Anemolians, because they dwelt far thence and had very little acquaintance with them, hearing that they were all appareled alike, and that very rudely and homely; thinking them not to have the things. which they did not wear; being therefore more proud than wise; determined in the gorgeousness of their apparel to represent very gods, and with the bright shining and glistering of their gay clothing to dazzle the eyes of the silly poor Utopians. More's sar casm on the gorgeous dressing of ambassadors of his time So there came in three ambassadors with one hundred servants, all appareled in changeable colors; the most of them in silks; the ambassadors themselves (for at home in their own the European country they were noblemen) in cloth of gold, with great chains of gold, with gold hanging at their ears, with gold rings upon their fingers, with brooches and aglets of gold upon their caps, which glistered full of pearls and precious stones: to be short, trimmed and adorned with all those things, which among the Utopians were either the punishment of bondmen, or the reproach of infamed persons, or else trifles for young children to play withal. Therefore it would have done a man good at his heart to have seen how proudly they displayed their peacock's feathers, how much they made of their painted sheaths, and how loftily they set forth and advanced themselves, when they compared their gallant apparel with the poor raiment of the Utopians. For all the people were swarmed forth into the streets. And on the other side it was no less pleasure to consider how much they were deceived, and how far they missed of their purpose, being contrariwise taken than they thought they should have been. For to the eyes of all the Utopians, except very few, which had been in other countries for some reasonable cause, all that gorgeousness of apparel seemed shameful and reproachful. Insomuch that they most reverently saluted the vilest and most abject of them for lords; passing over the ambassadors themselves without any honor; judging them by their wearing of golden chains to be bondmen. Yea, you should have seen children, also, that had cast away their pearls and precious stones, when they saw the like sticking upon the ambassadors' caps, dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls and precious stones, as though he were a little child. But the mother, yea, and that also in good earnest; peace, son, saith she; I think he be some of the ambassadors' fools. Some found fault at their golden chains, as to no use or purpose, being so small and weak that a bondman might easily break them, and again so wide and large, that when it pleased him, he might cast them off, and run away at liberty whither he would. But when the ambassadors had been there a day or two and saw so great abundance of gold so lightly esteemed, yea, in no less reproach than it was with them in honor: and besides that, more gold in the chains and gyves of one fugitive bondman than all the costly ornaments of them three was worth, they began to abate their courage, and for very shame laid away all that gorgeous array, whereof they were so proud. And specially when they had talked familiarly with the Utopians, and had learned all their fashions and opinions. in war They detest war as a very brutal thing. . . . As soon as they Machiadeclare war, they take care to have a great many schedules, vellian policy that are sealed with their common seal, affixed in the most conspicuous places of their enemies' country. This is carried on secretly, and done in many places all at once. In these they promise great rewards to such as shall kill the ruler, and lesser in proportion to such as shall kill any other persons, who are those in whom, next to the ruler himself, they cast the chief balance of the war. They think it an act of mercy and love to mankind to prevent the great slaughter of those that must otherwise be killed in the progress of the war, both on their own side and on that of their enemies, by the death of a few that are most guilty. If any man aspires to an office he is sure never to gain it. ... They have but few laws, and such is their constitution that they need not many. They have no lawyers among them, for they consider them as a sort of people whose profession is to disguise matters and to wrest the laws. ... This is one of their most ancient laws, that no man ought to be punished for his religion. Utopia They do not wear themselves out with perpetual toil from A six-hour morning to night, as if they were beasts of burden, which, as it workday in is indeed a heavy slavery, so it is everywhere the common course of life amongst all mechanics, except the Utopians; but they, dividing the day and night into twenty-four hours, appoint six of these for work, three of which are before dinner and three after. 193. Extracts from a fic titious Dialogue between Lupset and Pole Thus have I described to you, as particularly as I could, the constitution of that commonwealth, which I do not only think the best in the world, but indeed the only commonwealth that truly deserves the name. Is not the government both unjust and ungrateful that is so prodigal of its favors to those that are called gentlemen, or goldsmiths, or such others who are idle, or live by flattery, or by contriving the arts of vain pleasures, and on the other hand takes no care of those of a meaner sort, such as plowmen, colliers, and smiths, without whom it could not subsist? But after the public has reaped all the advantage of their service, and they come to be oppressed with age, sickness, and want, all their labors and the good they have done is forgotten and all the recompense given them is that they are left to die in great misery. . . . Therefore, I must say that, as I hope for mercy, I can have no other notion of all the governments that I see or know than that they are a conspiracy of the rich. . . . The following passage is taken from a work somewhat similar to Utopia. It pretends to be a dialogue between Cardinal Pole, who was then considered to be a reformer, and Thomas Lupset, a professor at Oxford, and was written in English by Thomas Starkey about 1538. The portion here given refers to a subject much discussed at the time, whether the Bible and church service should be in the language of the people or not. Pole But now, thys set aparte, Master Lupset, let us go forth and serch out other yl custumys, yf we remember any, here in our cuntre. And herin me thynkyth hyt ys an yl custume in our church usyd, that dyvyne servyce ys sayed and song aftur such maner as hyt ys commynly; as fyrst, that hyt ys openly rehersyd in a straunge tonge, no thyng of the pepul understond; by the reson wherof, the pepul takyth not that truth that they myght and ought to receyve, yf hyt were rehersyd in our vulgare tong. Second, touchyng the syngyng therof, they use a fascyon more convenyent to mynstrellys then to devoute mynystyrys of the dyvyne servyce; for playnly, as hyt ys usyd, thys ys truthe, specyally consyderyng the wordys be so straunge and so dyversely descentyd, hyt ys more to the utward pleasure of the yere and vayn recreatyon, then to the inward comfort of the hart and mynd with gud devotyon. How say you, Master Lupset, ys hyt not thys as I dow say? Lupset: Sir, in thys mater somewhat I marvayle what you mean; for you seme to alow, by your communycatyon, the Lutheranys maner, whome I understond to have chaunged thys fascyon long usyd in the church. They have theyr servyce, such as hyt ys, al in theyr vulgare tong openly rehersyd. I wold not that we schold folow theyr steppys. They are yl masturys to be folowyd in gud pollycy. But, me thynk, by thys maner, you wold also have the Gospel and al the sprytual law put into our tong; and so by that mean you schold see as many errorys among us here in Englond as be now in Almayn among the Lutheranys, in schort space. Wherfor, Master Pole, I thynke hyt ys bettur to kepe our old fascyon both in our dyvyne servyce and in kepyng the law in a straunge tonge, then by such new maner to bryng in among us any dyversyte of sectys in relygyon. Pole: Master Lupset, I se wel in thys you wyl not be so sone persuadyd, as in other thyngys before you were. You are, me semyth, aferd lest we schold folow the steppys of thes Lutheranys, wych are fallen into many errorys and gret confusyon by thys mean, as you thynke, and new alteratyon. But here, Master Lupset, fyrst you schal be sure of thys. I wyl not folow the steppys of Luther, whose judgment I estyme veray lytyl; and yet he and hys dyscypullys be not so wykkyd and folysch that in al thyngs they erre. Heretykys be not in al thynygs heretykys. Wherfor I will not so abhorre theyr heresye that for the hate therof I wyl fly from the truth. I alow thys maner of saying of servyce, not bycause they say and affyrme hyt to be gud and laudabul, but bycause the truth ys so, as yt apperyth to me, and the fruit therof so manyfest; wych you schal also confesse, I thynk, yf you wyl consydur indifferently the mater a lytyl with me. And fyrst thys is certaun and sure —that the dyyyne servyce was ordeynyd to be sayed in the |