Sorry, but your argument seems tendentious.
St. Thomas More had his hands full keeping [eventually unsuccessfully] from being imprisoned and murdered, himself.
It isn't likely that folks in the British government would act on the behalf of someone so deeply out of favor with the monarch. As well, it seems that you're multiplying causes needlessly. Henry didn't much like Mr. Tyndale, especially after Henry sought to immorally put away his first wife.
By your own admission, Mr. Phillips “received his money and instructions in late 1534,” by which time, St. Thomas had already been in the Tower of London for over six months. So now you're saying that St. Thomas was guiding a manhunt using British agents six months after being imprisoned by British officials in the Tower of London?
Sorry, Mr Rogers, but this looks like an argument of special pleading to relieve Henry Tudor and others from the burden of Mr. Tyndale's death, and to place it on a favorite Protestant boogeyman, St. Thomas More.
It's a silly argument. I'm almost embarrassed to have read it and taken the time to respond to it.
sitetest
Sorry you don’t like it, but More remains a possibility. He continued to have money and influence, and hated Tyndale.
Does that prove it? Nope.
Other possibilities have been raised. And as MarkBsner has pointed out, Henry was capable of continuing the pursuit with one hand while having Cromwell write letters to placate his wife with the other...at least, that is how I took MarkBsner’s comment.
The folks on the continent were not likely to concern themselves with Tyndale. His writings and translation were in English for England, and not worth their time and effort.
However, once delivered into their hands, they had no qualms about finishing the process. That is why heresy was a stronger charge - he was guilty, and needed no extradition. The proof was easy, which is why his long trial is odd. His prosecutors were Catholic theologians, and the heresy against the Catholic Church’s teaching.
Henry VIII was too ambivalent about Tyndale to convince me he led the pursuit or spent much time thinking about it at all. Tyndale had opposed his remarriage, but he did so from the Continent and Queen Anne liked him anyways. H wrote a book supporting the rights of Kings against the Pope, which Henry VIII liked - until he found out who wrote it.
It was a rough age. The Catholic Church had no qualms about burning people, and many of the Reformers didn’t either. Baptists tended to get it from all sides, but rarely were numerous enough to set a bad example themselves.
People were willing to kill and be killed over issues like the real presence in the Eucharist. I admire their seriousness about their faith while being glad we can debate on FR without MarkBsnr driving to Vail AZ so he can shoot me, or me him.
“Sorry, Mr Rogers, but this looks like an argument of special pleading to relieve Henry Tudor and others from the burden of Mr. Tyndale’s death, and to place it on a favorite Protestant boogeyman, St. Thomas More.”
Sorry, but until a month ago, I didn’t realize Thomas More was an avid heretic hunter. He was a ‘boogeyman’ because he was a strong supporter of burning men alive. It is far easier to see More pursuing Tyndale than Henry, who was little impacted by Tyndale.