“Every tribulation which any time falleth unto us is either sent to be medicinable, if men will so take it; or may become medicinable, if men will so make it; or is better than medicinable, unless we will forsake it.”
Written in 1534 while imprisoned in the Tower of London and awaiting his execution for refusing to compromise on his Catholic faith regarding King Henry VIII’s Succession to the Crown Act 1534, More examines the comfort of God during times of tribulation. Set in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1528, it follows the fictional discussions between a young man named Vincent and his dying uncle Anthony who provides consolation during the period of an imminent Ottoman invasion.
A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation is a reflection on earthly power, the ephemerality of pleasure, and the power of Jesus Christ in providing redemption. While there is a focus on spirituality, it also presents itself as a work of political philosophy through its reflections on worldly power by a prominent political figure of the age.
