William Roper is the author of the first and most influential biography of Sir Thomas More, his father-in-law, finished in 1557. As stated in this source, shortly after More’s execution for high treason at the Tower of London (1535), the Emperor Charles V met Thomas Elyot then serving as ambassador at the imperial court. The content of this meeting was later on disclosed by Elyot himself to some members of More’s closest circle, among them Roper himself, whose testimony has remained the ultimate source of the episode. As soon as Charles had come to know about More’s execution, he communicated the news to Elyot and shared with him his admiration for the ex-Chancellor. Several scholars, however, have questioned the reliability of Roper’s memory in the light of historical evidence for Elyot’s whereabouts at the time of More’s death. This paper revises the main stances in the discussion of this episode, and brings into consideration other issues that might cast some light, not only on the details of this story, but also on the relationship between these two Thomases (More and Elyot) and Charles, the most powerful ruler in Europe at the time.

The recent reprinting of Álvaro de Silva’s 1998 edition of a selection of More’s letters prompts the author to examine the subject of Spanish translations of More, and of de Silva’s general commentary on More’s correspondence and on his relationship to other humanists. The author reflects on aspects of More’s personality as exposed in his letters and uses what he finds as a corrective to several biographical misconceptions. He points out the strengths and weaknesses of de Silva’s work and compares it with that of other translators, particularly Elizabeth Rogers, and notes the particularly Spanish quality of de Silva’s edition.

More’s retirement at Chelsea after his resignation lasted less than two years, a time which he devoted to write his books of controversy (especially during 1533), while trying to keep himself away from public life. The life of the ex-Chancellor contrasts with the Emperor’s frantic activity in Italy, Spain and Northern Africa. As the situation of Catherine of Aragón worsened, the possibility of war between England and Charles V became more and more real. And yet, a careful revision of available data proves that the Emperor never considered this course of action seriously: his real concerns were the Turks, the strengthening of his alliance with the Pope to face Lutheranism, and the ever hostile Francis I. As an epilogue to this research, I will bring into consideration the Emperor’s words of praise about the English Chancellor, as reported presumably by Sir Thomas Elyot.

The presence and relevance of St. Cyprian and his writings in Thomas More's works has only been partially discussed in the available literature. In the present paper I intend to contextualize More's interest for St. Cyprian within the general appreciation that other humanists showed for the Fathers of the Church, and this African Bishop in particular. Thus a close review of More's references to St. Cyprian in his writings is here presented, organized in three blocks: the so-called “humanist letters,” his controversial works—with the exception of The Confutation of Tyndale's Answer (1532–1533)—and the Tower works. In the conclusion I will provide a tentative categorization of the uses More made of this Father of the Church.

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