many friends, both amongst his companions and with the older men.
There was always something going on which pleased and interested him,
for he was very sociable, and liked, above everything, a 'good
argument.' At Christmas time all kinds of shows and pageants were to
take place, and the young pages could hardly sleep for excitement,
though their appetites never failed, and the huge pieces of pasty put on
their wooden or pewter plates disappeared surprisingly quick. Of course
they had no forks to help themselves with, but each boy possessed a
knife of his own, in which he took great pride, and a spoon made either
of horn or pewter. At Christmas they were given plenty of good things as
a treat, and the cardinal, like other great men, flung open his doors,
and feasted the poor as well as the rich. Then companies of strolling
players would come by, and beg permission to amuse the guests by their
acting. On this Christmas Day in 1490 the play was in full swing when
young Thomas suddenly appeared on the stage in the great hall, and began
to 'make a part of his own, never studying for the matter, which made
the lookers-on more sport than all the players beside.' It must have
been rather difficult for the poor actors to go on with their parts when
they did not know what the boy was going to say next; but Thomas seems
to have been as clever as he was impudent, and the play ended in
applause and laughter.

* * * * *

In those days boys grew into young men much earlier than they do now,
and set about earning their living, and even getting married, at an age
when to-day they would probably just be leaving a public school. So we
are not surprised at hearing that when Thomas was only fourteen he was
sent by cardinal Morton to Canterbury Hall, Oxford, a college which
afterwards became part of Christ Church, founded by Wolsey. The elder
More was a poor man, and Thomas was not his only child; five others had
been born to him, but, as far as we can gather, three of these died when
they were still babies. Thomas had been brought up from his earliest
years to do without many things which must have seemed necessaries to
the richer boys in Morton's house. But he cared little that his dress
was so much plainer than theirs, and that when he went home he had what
food was needful and no more. As long as he had books, and somebody to
talk to about them, he was quite happy, but even he found the fare of an
Oxford