John Morton

:This article is about the 15th century English Bishop, for other uses see John Morton (disambiguation).

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The English cleric John Morton was born in Dorset c.1420 and died at Knowles, Kent, on September 15, 1500. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford.

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Bishop of Ely and then Archbishop of Canterbury (1486-1500) during the reign of Henry VII, Morton was an implacable foe of the preceding Yorkist regime, most notably King Richard III, and a mentor of Sir Thomas More. In 1493 he was appointed Cardinal of St. Anastasia by Pope Alexander VI. He built the "Old Palace" of Hatfield House where Queen Elizabeth I of England spent much of her girlhood.

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Morton may be best known for the Catch-22 situation known as "Morton's Fork." Appointed Lord Chancellor of England in 1487, Morton said, "If the subject is seen to live frugally, tell him because he is clearly a money saver of great ability he can afford to give generously to the King. If, however, the subject lives a life of great extravagance, tell him he, too, can afford to give largely, the proof of his opulence being evident in his expenditure."

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Dorset: Dorset (pronounced Dorsit, sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures 50 miles (80 km) from east to west and 40 mil...

Kent: :This article is about the English county of Kent. See also Kent (disambiguation)....

September 15: September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). There are 107 days remaining....

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