http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/morebio.htm
A particularly interesting note in this section I found that More was torn at whether to become a monk, or be involved in civil service. He first chose to be a monk, but later switched to being a member of Parliament.I wonder if his choice of occupation had any bearing on his writing of Utopia, perhaps he would have had a different outlook? Also I found that More didn't just get himself in trouble with Henry the Eigth, but also his predacessor, to the point where More's father was imprisoned.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm
While More's job may have been to work with the law, his hobbies and heart were in writing. He wrote a lot of poetry, in both Latin and English. A very striking piece of information to me was that More's second wife wasn't very intelligent. I assumed that his partner in life would have to be able to mentally keep up to par with him.

http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/stmore.html
More had a daughter with his first wife and her name was Margaret, she married William Roper, who was More's biographer. According to his friend Erasmus, more had little to no concern about the well being of his own body. With the exception of large amound of alcohol, he didn't really care what went into his body. However, More would have rather dined on simple foods than delicacys of the time period.


As I've read More's story, some of it seems to parallel with the life of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a british politician who devoted a large part of his life to the abolition of the slave trade in England. He also had to make the decision between following God's work and the work of men. It was suggested to him that he could do both by changing the law of men to fit the will of God. He then set out against the slave trade, and after a long battle with Parliament, and his own health the Slave Trade Act was passed.

I look at these two men somewhat similarly because of their focus for the good of their God within their country. Perhaps More just took on the King and Wilberforce the Parliament which had impact on each of their outcomes. However, I think that the action that Wilberforce took upon the slave trade, one particular obsticle, was much greater than the work of More, who wrote out his thoughts in book, not even claiming them as his own. While More's death was in standing of what he believed, it was defensive and not offensive.

There is a wonderfully powerful movie out about William Wilberforce called Amazing Grace (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454776/) about the slave trade struggle, Wilberforce and his personal life - along with the friends who helped him achieve his goal and those who stood in his way. I highly recommend it.