> More has to stake out a position, and he has to do so “publicly” where the “public” in this case is a few thousand literate Englishmen who actually care about such things.

I guess he’s saying that only a few thousand people cared about More’s position.

But as an outsider what has always puzzled me is how strongly common people care about what seem to me to be hair-splitting religious arguments. Henry’s split with the catholic church touched off numerous rebellions. And ironically when some later Kings tried to become catholic again, there was even more violence.

To be it’s unfathomable that people who struggle to put food on the table will take up arms in the name of quite abstruse arguments.