The King's Confidante: The Story of the Daughter of Sir Thomas More

by Jean Plaidy

  “Your Grace, I was asked by the representative of His Holiness the Pope to argue his case for him. The Chancellor here will tell you that I only did what any lawyer would do.”

  “And are you in the habit, Master More, of employing your talents to uphold injustice?”

  “Nay, Sire.”

  “And if you did not think a case was a just one, you would refuse it. I dare swear?”

  “I should, Your Grace.”

  The King rose. He put his hands on his hips and rocked on his heels. The little eyes opened very wide and he began to laugh.

  “Here, Wolsey!” he cried. “Here is our man!”

  Thomas looked in astonishment from King to Chancellor. Henry walked toward Thomas and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “It grieves us,” he said, “it grieves us mightily that when we find honest men in our kingdom … honest men and brave … they are not with us, but against us.” He lifted his hand suddenly and brought it down in an affectionate pat on Thomas's shoulder. “And when we grieve, Master More, we seek to right the grievance. That is so, is it not, Master Wolsey?”

  The Chancellor came forward. “ 'Tis even so, my gracious lord.”

  “Speak to him then, Wolsey. Tell this fellow what I have said of him.”

  Then Wolsey spoke: “Our most gracious King, in his clemency, in his great love of truth and justice, is not displeased, as you might well believe, at the way in which the case went this afternoon. When I told His Grace what had happened, how you, with your learned discourse, with your determination to uphold what you believed right in this matter, had so swayed the court that the verdict went against the holding of the Pope's ship, his most gracious Majesty was thoughtful.”

  “'Tis so!” interrupted the King. “ 'Tis so. And I said to Wolsey: ‘Thomas Wolsey,’ I said. ‘Thomas, I like it not when the best men in my kingdom … out of their honesty and bravery … are not with me, but against me.’ That is what I said to him. ‘By God,’ I said, ‘we should send for this fellow. He shall work for me in future, for he is a man that I like … and he is a man I will have beside me.…’”

  “I understand not, Your Grace,” said Thomas.

  “He understands not my grace!” said the King with a laugh. His eyes were sparkling with benevolence; the little mouth was slack with sentiment. “Aye, but you shall. You shall see, Thomas More, that I am a King who would surround himself with the best in the kingdom. I like you, Master More. You were against me… but I like you. That's the man I am. You dared to speak against your King, but such is your King that he likes you for it.”

  Now he stood back like a boy who has all the toys that others envy; and who, because he is wise and kindly, will share those toys with the less fortunate.

  “Come here, my friend.” He took Thomas's arm in a gesture of such friendliness that it startled Thomas. “Don't be afraid of us, Master More. Don't be overcome, my dear fellow. Yesterday you were a poor lawyer. Today the King is your friend. And you, my dear Wolsey, my other Thomas….” He put his arm through that of the Chancellor, and with them walked the length of the apartment. “We have work for a man like you here at court, Master More. We can lift you up. We can honor you with favors … and we will. You shall work with our Chancellor here, for he has taken a fancy to you. He likes you. Do you not, eh, Wolsey?”

  “I do, my gracious master.”

  “Indeed, you do.” The King stopped and looked with the utmost affection at the Cardinal. “There's not much missed by those shrewd eyes. Now there shall be two Thomases to serve their master … two good and honest men. What have you to say, Master More?”

  “Your Grace overwhelms me. I know not what to say.”

  The King began to laugh. “ 'Twas as good as a play, eh, Wolsey? As good as a masque! Master More, present yourself to the King! By God, Master More, when you entered this room you thought you'd march out of it to a dungeon, I doubt not. You did not know that you would find in it the King's warm regard… the King's favor.”

  “Your Grace,” said Thomas, “I know you to be a just King. I did not believe that you would condemn a subject because that subject acted in accordance with what he believed to be right.”

  “Well spoken,” said the King soberly. “Your advancement is certain. You will do well in the service of the Chancellor.”

  “Your Grace, I… I have my duties as a lawyer….”

  Both the King and Wolsey had raised their eyebrows, but Thomas went on boldly: “I have also my duties as Under-Sheriff of the City of London….”

  “Enough! Enough!” said the King. “We shall take care of that. Man, I offer you great rewards. Look at this man here. He was but my chaplain, and I have made him the greatest man in this land … under myself. My father raised him up … and what was he before that? I'll tell you…. No, no. I will not tell you! Suffice it that it was humble … most humble, eh, Master Wolsey? But I like this man. I like this Wolsey. He is my counselor and my friend. And so … from little I lifted him to greatness. So will I do for you. Now … you are overwhelmed. It was a little joke of mine to tease you first, to fill you with fear, then to fill you with joy. You shall be a rich man, Master More. Fortune is favoring you, for the King is giving you his hand in friendship. Go away now… and think of the greatness which lies before you. I will let all men see this day how I honor those who are brave and honest men … even though they do not always share my views.”

  “Your Grace …”

  “You are dismissed, Master More,” said the King with a smile. “You shall speak of your gratitude some other time. You need now to be alone… to think of this sudden change in your fortunes.”

  The King had turned away, calling for a page; and Thomas found himself walking backward out of the apartment.

  SLOWLY HE made his way down to the river, where his barge was waiting for him.

  Never had he been at such a loss for words; never in the whole of his life had he received such a surprise. He had gone to the Palace prepared to defend himself and, instead of having to justify his action in the court of law, had found a more difficult task presented to him. He had tried to refuse an appointment at Court which the King himself had offered, when to refuse it would certainly be looked upon as an affront to His Grace.

  Yet refuse it he must. He did not want to go to Court. He was no courtier. He did not want his quiet life to be disturbed. He had his work, his writing, his study, his family. They were enough for him; they gave him all that he desired in life. It was ironical; so many yearned for a place at Court; so many were ambitious; and he who did not seek it, who must refuse it, was having it thrust upon him.

  As he was about to step into his barge, one of the Cardinal's servants came running to the rivers edge.

  Wolsey's retinue were as magnificently attired as though they served the King; they wore a livery of crimson velvet trimmed with gold chains; and even his menials wore scarlet trimmed with black velvet.

  “His Excellency the Cardinal begs you to wait awhile,” said the man. “He would have speech with you. He says the matter is of importance. Will you wait for him in his apartments, sir?”

  “Assuredly I will,” said Thomas; and he was conducted back to the Palace.

  There he was shown into the apartments of the Cardinal, the furnishings of which were as rich as those of the King. Thomas was taken through many rooms to a small chamber, and when he had waited in this chamber for five minutes, the Cardinal came in.

  In his scarlet satin dress and tippet of sable, he dominated the room; and he wore his garments as though they delighted him. There were many stories current regarding the magnificence of the Cardinal. He kept several princely households, in which he stored many treasures. York House and Hampton Court were said to vie with the King s own palaces. He lived in great pomp, surrounded by a large retinue of servants; he had his cofferer, three marshals, an almoner, two yeomen ushers and two grooms; he had clerks of the kitchens, a clerk controller, even a clerk of the spicery; his pages, grooms of th
e scullery and scalding houses, grooms of the pantry, porters and yeomen were so numerous that even he did not know their number; and his cook was seen to strut in the grounds of his houses like a minor potentate in damask and with a chain of gold about his neck, carrying a nosegay or a pomander in imitation of his master, his own servants of the kitchen about him.

  The grandeur of Wolsey exceeded, some said, that of the King himself; and because the Cardinal had risen to great heights from a lowly beginning, he was resented by those of high birth, who felt he should not be among them, and envied by those of low birth who felt he should be on their level. Yet he cared not for these criticisms. He cared not that the mischievous Skelton had written verses concerning the state he kept, and that the people were singing them in the streets, asking each other:

  “Why come ye not to Court?

  To which Court?

  To the King's Court

  Or to Hampton Court?

  “The King's Court

  Should have the excellence.

  But Hampton Court

  Hath the pre-eminence!”

  Perhaps those who sung the verses believed they might rouse the King's resentment; but the King was not resentful toward his favorite, for Henry believed that all the magnificence with which the Cardinal surrounded himself came from his own kingly munificence. Henry had set the fountains playing; if he wished, he had but to give the order and their flow would cease. Hampton Court was in reality the King's Court, and the King's Court was Hampton Court. The Cardinal regarded the King as his puppet; but that was exactly how the King saw the Cardinal; each was unaware of the other's myopia, and while this was so they could feel safe and contented.

  The Cardinal, though essentially ambitious, was not an unkindly man. There was no room in his life for malice for its own sake. There was one ruling passion in the Cardinal's life, and that was ambition. To the humble, he was generous; and his servants were fond of him. He had used religion as a ladder to fame and fortune; he used people, and if he found it necessary to destroy them, it was not out of malice or sudden anger; it was merely because they impeded his ambition.

  He, like the King, had taken a fancy to Thomas More; he had seen that this man could be useful.

  He had also seen what the King had not seen: that Thomas More was not overcome with joy at the prospect of the King's favor. It was not that Thomas More had been at a loss for words to express his gratitude; he had hesitated because he was wondering how to refuse the honors the King was ready to bestow. It was concerning this matter that the Cardinal wished to see Thomas More.

  “I am glad that you returned to the Palace,” said the Cardinal.

  “I would converse with you. You may speak frankly with me, as I will with you. And you need have no fear that what you say will go beyond these four walls, for my servant, Cavendish, whom I would trust with my life, will see that none overhears us. So … speak your mind freely to me, Master More, as I will speak mine to you.”

  “What is it that Your Excellency has to say to me?”

  “Merely this: You are considering how to refuse the King's offer, I believe?”

  “You are right. I shall refuse it.”

  “Such procedure would be misguided.”

  “I will try to explain to you.”

  The Cardinal lifted his well-cared-for hand. “Save your breath. I understand. You are not an ambitious man. You are a scholar who wishes to be left alone with the work he has chosen. I understand that point of view, although it is a most unusual one. I have read your literary works—and may I compliment you on their excellence? You prefer the secluded life. But if you rebuff the King's friendly gesture, you will be a foolish man. Nay … nay … mistake me not. I know that if a man does not seek fame, then he sets no store by it. But I do not talk of fame… of the advancement which I know could come to a man of your talents. I speak, Master More, of your life.”

  “My life?”

  “It could easily be at stake.”

  “I do not understand you.”

  “That is because you do not understand the man whom we have just left. You see him as a mighty King. Pray do not be alarmed. As I said, I shall speak frankly to you, even of the King. You may think I am incautious. But, my friend, if you carried tales of what I say to you now, I should deny them. Moreover, I should find some means of silencing you. But I speak to you thus because I know you are a man who would respect a confidence. I trust you as you trust me. You have just witnessed a little playacting in the royal apartments. Was it not charming? A humble official believes he has displeased the King; and then he finds that he has pleased him. The King is a boy at heart, Master More. He loves to play, and you have helped him to play a very pretty scene. Now, the King is not always a merry-tempered boy. Sometimes the young cub roars and sometimes he springs; and although I am his very watchful keeper, I cannot always save his victims from those mighty claws; even if I have a will to do so. You marvel? But, listen. I have a fancy for you … just as the King has. There are few men in this kingdom with brains and honesty… oh, very few. Having found one, I do not intend to let him slip through my fingers. I want you, Master More, to work with me. I can offer you a great career … fame … advancement…”

  “Your Excellency …”

  “You do not want them, I know. But you want to live. You want to go home to your clever children and your wife, do you not? You want to go on conversing with your learned friends. Oh, life is sweet, Master More, when it brings as much to a man as it has brought to you. But think of this: A child plays his games and he loves his toys; but if a toy displeases him, what does he do? He smashes it. Master More, when you played the honorable lawyer this day, you took a great risk. But the boy liked his playlet; he liked his new role. Perhaps he has heard his praises sung too consistently of late. Who shall say? But you pleased him. You played your part so well that the principal actor was able to outshine us all. Now, the King will not be pleased if you do not continue to make him feel pleased with himself, if you do not allow him to show the world what a beneficent monarch he is.”

  “You are very bold, Cardinal.”

  “You were bold this afternoon, Master More. But you cannot afford to risk offending the King twice in one day. Great good luck has attended you; you could not expect that to be repeated. This King of ours is a mighty lion who does not yet know his strength. He is caged… but he does not see the bars. I am his keeper. If he felt his strength, if he knew his power, then we might begin to tremble. I believe he would risk his kingdom to satisfy his appetites. That is why he must be fed carefully. It is the duty of men like yourself… like myself… who wish to serve our country—some because of honor, some because of ambition; what matters it if we serve our country well?—it is the duty of such men to suppress their personal desires. And if we do not, we may find that the King's frown, instead of his smile, is turned upon us.”

  “Are you sure that if I refused to come to Court I should find myself persecuted?”

  “I believe this would certainly come to pass. Remember, my friend—and I mean ‘my friend’, for I will be yours if you will be mine—I know him. I served his father as I now serve him; and I have watched him grow up.”

  “But I have no wish to come to Court.”

  “Master More, you have no choice. I remember, when I served his father, that you were in disfavor. You are a man who cannot fail to attract attention. You would not be here in England at this moment had his father lived, unless you now lay under the earth. The young King is not the old King; but, Master More, he is none the less dangerous for that.”

  “I wish to live in peace and quietude with my family.”

  “If you wish to live at all, Master More, you will not reject the King's honors.” The Cardinal was smiling quizzically. “Go now, my friend. There is nothing more to say at this stage. I will tell the King I have talked with you, and that the honor he is about to heap on you has overwhelmed you, robbed you of your native wit. I will tell him that I believe our coun
try is fortunate in the learned honesty of Thomas More … and the clemency and astonishing wisdom of its King.”

  MARGARET FLUNG herself into his arms when he came home.

  “Father!”

  He kissed her warmly.

  “Why these sad looks? This is a time for rejoicing. The King honors me. He sent for me to congratulate me … to tell me of his regard.”

  Margaret, her arms about his neck, leaned backward to look searchingly into his face.

  “But you are disturbed.”

  “Disturbed! My dearest, you will see your father a courtier yet. I met the great Cardinal, and he also honors me with his friendship. Meg, I am weighed down with honors.”

  But she continued to look at him uneasily. The others were surrounding him now.

  “What is this nonsense?” demanded Alice.

  “The King sent for me to tell me he is pleased with me.”

  “Pleased with you for losing him his ship?”

  “The Pope's ship, madam!”

  “Pleased with you. Pleased! Is this another of your jokes?”

  “ 'Tis no joke,” said Thomas slowly. “The King liked what I did this day, and he honors me. I am to go to Court. I am to work with Cardinal Wolsey. When I left this house, Alice, I was a humble lawyer; now I am … I know not what.”

  Alice cried: “ 'Tis a marvelous thing and great good luck, though you have done little to deserve it. Come to the table. Tell us more of this. A place at Court! Tilly valley! I was never so excited in my life.”

  How strange, thought Margaret, that the same piece of news could be so differently received by members of the same family. Here was her stepmother already looking ahead to a rosy future, to rich marriages for the young members of the family; and here was her father looking ahead—smiling for their sakes, trying to be pleased with advancement, yet unable to hide from his beloved daughter the foreboding which showed in his eyes.

  THAT SUMMER was hot and dry, and the sweating sickness appeared in the City.

  Thomas was to begin his service to the King by going on an embassy to Flanders. His life had changed; he must be often at the Palace and he spent much time with the Cardinal. The first trouble which his elevation brought were his absences from home.