Tracey Sowerby’s monograph provides a thoroughly researched and multifaceted evaluation of Sir Richard Morison’s life. While previous studies have focused primarily on Morison’s role as a propagandist during Henry VIII’s reign, Sowerby examines Morison’s multiple careers—as a scholar, propagandist, politician, reformer, diplomat, and exile. Her monograph adopts a thematic, rather than strictly biographical, approach and devotes eight separate chapters to Morison’s diverse vocations.

Sowerby begins with a study of Morison’s development as a scholar. She presents him as an intellectual whose eclecticism was clearly evident in the subjects he pursued at Oxford University, Padua University, and, more informally, in Venice. While this section is primarily descriptive in its assessment of Morison’s early education and his training for government service, it helpfully situates Morison’s early career in an international context and provides a compelling case for the diverse influences that shaped English humanism.

Morison’s importance as the most prolific and influential propagandist employed by Henry VIII has been demonstrated by other scholars, but Sowerby argues that the depiction of Morison as merely a tool of Henry VIII deserves reconsideration. She develops this argument in her next two chapters, the first focused on Morison’s early work and the second devoted to his writings after 1536. In chapter 2, Sowerby demonstrates how Morison both articulated and shaped royal policy at home and abroad. Texts such as the Lamentation and a Remedy for Sedition were not simply concerned with emphasizing the obedience expected of English subjects but also developed a covenantal theory of kingship. Other antipapal treatises, notably Apomaxis, addressed themselves primarily to foreign audiences and sought to defend Royal Supremacy while also justifying such policies as the repudiation of Catherine of Aragon and the executions of Fisher and More. In these early tracts, Morison’s support for reform is clearly evident, and his reliance on scripture also attempts to signal Henry VIII’s sympathies with Lutheran ideology and the king’s interest in his international reputation. In her third chapter, Sowerby extends her argument and assesses Morison’s contributions in the last decade of Henry VIII’s reign. In the Comfortable Consolation and other treatises, Morison advocated positions that harmonized well with royal policy, such as his emphasis on the centrality of scripture and the importance of scripture as the foundation for the Henrician church. However, his support for the laity’s reading of scripture, his opposition to idolatrous imagery, and his sympathy for communion in both kinds also suggest Morison’s careful advocacy of religious policies not fully embraced by the crown.

Sowerby’s remaining four chapters focus on Morison’s careers as a politician, theologian, diplomat, and exile. Chapter 4 examines the range of political duties performed by Morison in his service to the crown. Although Sowerby’s focus is divided here among a number of topics, she clearly shows how Morison’s commitment to humanism and reform shaped both his political writings and his court involvement. In tracts like Persuasion, for example, he envisioned a wide-ranging reorganization of the legal system, which he hoped would produce a more godly society. Sowerby argues Morison’s disillusionment with the king’s policies in the 1540s increasingly shaped his writings, even if it did not halt his political career. In her fifth chapter, Sowerby evaluates Morison’s theological career and offers a useful reappraisal of lay involvement in the Reformation. In Cromwell’s service, Morison composed theological treatises, such as his Treatise on the Seven Sacraments, that drew heavily on Lutheran ideology and also translated works by Luther and Johann Sturm. His disappointment with the pace of reform in the later years of Henry VIII’s reign influenced Morison’s writings and activities in this period, yet he continued to cultivate his contacts with evangelicals at court. By Edward VI’s reign, Morison emerged from his retreat to become an active reformer. His service as a chantry commissioner and royal visitor demonstrate the renewed vigor of his contributions to the promotion of reform. In chapter 6, Sowerby assesses the strengths and limitations of Morison’s diplomatic career. His linguistic proficiency, eloquence, and political experience made him a seemingly ideal choice as a diplomat and representative of the crown. Yet, as Sowerby demonstrates, his wit and style often hampered the clarity of his reports to the Privy Council and his loyal defense of the English church frequently antagonized Anglo-Imperial relations. Sowerby’s evaluation of Morison’s career as an exile is the focus of her seventh chapter. The continental associations Morison had earlier cultivated as a humanist and diplomat made him adept at assisting other Englishmen and women abroad. Given Morison’s commitment to reform, though, it would be intriguing to know more about the development of his religious views before and during his exile. Sowerby concludes her monograph with a brief study of the library built by Morison over the course of his life. This final chapter reiterates Sowerby’s view of the breadth of Morison’s intellectual interests and his central place within English intellectual circles.

Sowerby’s study of Richard Morison provides a balanced evaluation of Morison’s contributions as a humanist, propagandist, theologian, and diplomat. In doing so, her monograph also enriches our understanding of the vibrancy and variety of English humanism, the complex relationship between Henry VIII and his propagandists, and the development of English diplomacy in this period. In some sections, her study would benefit from further evaluation of the development of Morison’s religious views and his relationships within the evangelical community at home and abroad. Sowerby’s depiction of the different dimensions of Morison’s life as separate careers also at times detracts from her efforts to provide a cogent study of Morison’s life in which these various vocations are linked by his humanism and his commitment to reform. Nevertheless, this monograph offers a significant reappraisal of Morison’s career and is a valuable contribution to our study of early modern England.