"In the morning of June 22, 1535, John Fisher, chancellor of Cambridge University, bishop of Rochester, cardinal of the Catholic Church, was beheaded on Tower Hill in London. At the time, he was considered one of the most holy and learned prelates in all of Christendom and was a great source of inspiration and strength for fellow martyr St. Thomas More.". "This exposition of the Seven Psalms was the saint's first publication. It is also of great historical importance in that it appeared in the vernacular and inspired many other impassioned commentaries on the penitential psalms in the course of the Renaissance.". "Hitherto this book has been available only in the original English of 1508. But since Fisher's language is considerably harder to read than Shakespeare's, this has meant that the work was really not accessible to modern readers. This edition then, represents a first." "In addition to Fisher's commentaries, this book includes an introduction to Fisher's life and writings by the translator, Anne Barbeau Gardiner."--BOOK JACKET.