Erasmus and Thomas More

(The previous section discusses the cult of the martyred bishop St. Thomas Beckett)
So the name of Thomas was explicable, but the origins of his surname cannot be so easily discovered. If such names derive from some sense of place, then the great moors or marshes around London might find an echo here. It is also a name upon which a number of puns were constructed. 'More' could be the 'Moor' or black Ethiop and Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch humanist who became his close companion, sometimes called him 'Niger'.

(from the Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd 1998, p.5)

Oh, that Erasmus! This is the same man who said: "Pray for us St. Socrates."

I can see it know:

More: What up Desi?

Erasmus: Hey Thomas, you know you my N-word.