Quotes

Opening

You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.

In Cold Blood [1.1]

Queen Katherine: Though I love Your Majesty and I'm loyal to you, in every way, I cannot disguise my distress and unhappiness. King Henry VIII: Well, you're going to have to.

In Cold Blood [1.1]

King Henry: Tell me about King Francis, Sir Thomas. Thomas Boleyn: He's 23 years old. King Henry: Is he tall? Thomas Boleyn: Yes. But ill proportioned. King Henry: What about his legs? Are his calves strong like mine? Thomas Boleyn: Your Majesty no one has calves like yours. King Henry: Is he handsome? Thomas Boleyn: Some people might think so. He certainly thinks so himself. King Henry: He's vain?! Thomas Boleyn: Your Majesty... he's French!

In Cold Blood [1.1]

Thomas More: As a humanist I have an abhorrence of war. It's an activity fit only for beasts yet practiced by no kind of beasts so constantly as by man. King Henry: As a humanist I share your opinion. As a King, I'm forced to disagree. Thomas More: Spoken like a lawyer. King Henry: You should know, you taught me. Thomas More: Not well enough it seems.

In Cold Blood [1.1]

Thomas More: Do you really think we should go to war? Cardinal Wolsey: I think we should try to do as the King wants us to do. Thomas More: What if the King doesn't know what's in his best interests? Cardinal Wolsey: Then we should help him decide.

In Cold Blood [1.1]

[to Thomas More] Why is Henry V remembered? Because he endowed Universities? Built Alms houses for the destitute? No. He is remembered because he won the Battle of Agincourt. 3,000 English bowman against 60,000 French. The flower of French chivalry destroyed in 4 hours. That victory made him famous Thomas. It made him immortal!

Simply Henry [1.2]

There's something deep and dangerous in you, Anne, those eyes of yours are like dark hooks for the soul.

Simply Henry [1.2]

Cardinal Wolsey: Thomas, let me give you a little advice. If you want to keep the love of a prince, this is what you must do: You must be prepared to give him the thing you most care for, in all the world. Thomas More: The thing I care for most is my integrity.

Simply Henry [1.2]

Cardinal Wolsey: What did Lord Buckingham say about the King? Thomas Boleyn: He told me he has a greater claim to the throne and that, as His Majesty has no male heir and will have none but he, Buckingham will succeed to the throne, but he also told me once that he has considered bringing that eventuality forward more quickly. Cardinal Wolsey: In what way? Thomas Boleyn: By assassinating His Majesty.

Simply Henry [1.2]

King Francis: Do you see that young woman over there? Dressed in purple and gold? King Henry VIII: Yes. King Francis: Her name is Mary Boleyn, the daughter of your ambassador, with her sister Anne. I call Mary my English mare, because I ride her so often.

Simply Henry [1.2]

King Henry VIII: I will not sign! Tell Francis I will not sign the treaty! Thomas More: All right! If you want the world to know that the King of England is easily changeable, shallow, intemperate, incapable of keeping his word! Then of course I will go and tell them. After all, I am merely Your Majesty's humble servant!

Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey! [1.3]

Emperor Charles: Together we shall invade France and bring to an end the adventures of that libertine monarch, King Francis. King Henry VIII: That would make me very happy. Emperor Charles: It will also make you King of France.

Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey! [1.3]

Thomas Wyatt: Well, do you like it? Anne Boleyn: Should I like something that accuses me of being cruel? Thomas Wyatt: But you are cruel Mistress Anne. Anne Boleyn: Am I? You have no claim on me Master Wyatt. Thomas Wyatt: I have the same claim as every other lover to whom their heart has been freely given. Anne Boleyn: [to Master Wyatt] You are a poet as I am a woman. Poets and women are always free with their hearts, are they not? Thomas Wyatt: No

Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey! [1.3]

Thomas More: There's only one way to reach the King's ear, and that is through the good offices of Cardinal Wolsey. Spanish envoy: We heard some rumors, Mr More, that the cardinal advocates the French interests. Thomas More: Only when he considers them to be in ours.

Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey! [1.3]

William Cornish: [in a play] You give us no choice but to attack and breach your defenses! Lady Unkindness: No knight shall ever breach mine. William Cornish: Lady, Desire overcomes all.

Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey! [1.3]

King Henry VIII: [to Wolsey] What we lack in men, we can more than make up for in ships. We are in an island race, Cardinal. We have the best and bravest sailors in the world. I will have the greatest navy. Thomas Wolsey: Ships are expensive, your Majesty. Henry VIII: My father was a clever man, your Eminence. A shrewd man. A businessman. He left me a great deal of money, your Eminence. I intend to spend it!

His Majesty, The King [1.4]

Charles Brandon: Your highness must be looking forward with great anticipation to your wedding? I hear the king was a great horseman... in his time. And famous for his beautiful mistresses. Princess Margaret: Don't tease me. I don't like it. Charles Brandon: Will you like it when an old man tries to make love to you? Princess Margaret: Your grace goes too far. Already. Charles Brandon: Gospel says the truth will make you free. Princess Margaret: Now you are blasphemous!

His Majesty, The King [1.4]

[to Norfolk] There will come a point when the King's belief in his minister will hang in the balance and then, Your Grace, we shall drop our truth into the scales... and the scales will fall.

His Majesty, The King [1.4]

King Henry VIII: Mister Wyatt. Thomas Wyatt: Your Majesty. King Henry: I hear you're a poet. Thomas Wyatt: I write poems, I don't know how to be "a poet". King Henry: I've read some, I like them. Thomas Wyatt: My Lord, I don't know what to say. King Henry: [whispers in Wyatt's ear] Were you in love with Anne Boleyn? Thomas Wyatt: I... King Henry: Cardinal Wolsey tells me you were once engaged. Thomas Wyatt: No, that's not true. King Henry: Did you love her? Thomas Wyatt: Lady Anne is so beautiful, it is the duty of every man to love her. Of course I loved her, but from a distance. Personally, I have a wife.

His Majesty, The King [1.4]

Cardinal Wolsey: We have a new visitor at court, Princess Marguerite of Nevarre. I was saying to myself yesterday, I found her a very beautiful young woman with a very sweet and yielding disposition, She confessed to great admiration for Your Majesty. Should I, arrange ...? King Henry: Yes! Yes, do it.

His Majesty, The King [1.4]

Cardinal Wolsey: Well, at least our alliance with the emperor is popular, although sometimes I ask myself why that should be so. King Henry: Because he's not French! Cardinal Wolsey: Quite.

Arise, My Lord [1.5]

Cardinal Wolsey: [regarding Henry's desired divorce] It is my considered opinion that we should apply to His Holiness, Pope Clement, for a ruling on this matter. Since he loves Your Majesty, I'm certain he will rule in your favor. King Henry VIII: Oh, I hope so. I certainly do hope so, for your sake.

Arise, My Lord [1.5]

King Henry: I gave you no permission to marry Brandon. Nor would I ever! Princess Margaret: You gave me your promise! I was free to choose. King Henry: I made no promise! You are mistaken! How dare you look at me?! I am your Lord and Master, not your brother! You are both banished from court. You will relinquish your London houses. You will remove yourself from my sight. Do you understand? Princess Margaret: Yes, Your Majesty. King Henry: And Margaret... Princess Margaret: What? King Henry: I have yet to decide whether to make your bedmate a head shorter.

Arise, My Lord [1.5]

Katherine of Aragon is not only a great queen and the daughter of great kings, she is also immensely popular throughout the whole of the country. God forbid that the king should abandon her just to ease his own conscience. I don't think the English people would ever forgive him!

Arise, My Lord [1.5]

Anne, I want to say something to you. If it pleases you to be my true loyal mistress and friend, to give yourself up to me body and soul, I promise, I'll take you as my only mistress. I won't have a thought or an affection for anyone else.

True Love [1.6]

[about Brandon] Look, I don't mean he is banished forever. Just as long as he breathes.

True Love [1.6]

Thomas Tallis: I'm going away. William Compton: You're going away, why? Thomas Tallis: Cardinal Wolsey is going to France. He invited me to go with him. With other musicians. William Compton: Must you go? Thomas Tallis: You know very well that an invitation from a cardinal is like an invitation from a king. We little people must put our hands into the fire if invited to.

True Love [1.6]

Anne Boleyn: Forgive me, I spoke of things I should not. King Henry VIII: No, no, I give you leave that we may always speak freely with each other, honestly, openly and with a true heart. For me, that is the true definition of love.

True Love [1.6]

Cardinal Wolsey: Lady Anne, what are you doing here? Anne Boleyn: I have an audience with His Majesty? Cardinal Wolsey: What would a silly girl like you have to say to a king?

True Love [1.6]

Norfolk: Well, the King is plainly in love with you. Don't you see, niece... It makes a man, any man... extremely vulnerable. Thomas Boleyn: How do you like your charge, sweetheart? Anne Boleyn: I... At first, I confess, I did not like it so much. I did not care for the King, but now, I... Now I... Norfolk: Anne, it would be wise for you not to be fooled by your own masquerade. It is your duty to use his love to our advantage in supplanting Wolsey. Thomas Boleyn: The Cardinal stands between us... and everything. And it is now in your power to do him a great hurt, and we expect you to do so.

Message to the Emperor [1.7]

Cardinal Wolsey: Why should the pope favor the emperor, who has caused him nothing but misery, over the king of England, who has never caused him any harm at all? Edward Fox: The trouble is, your Eminence, the swords of the king of England are much further away than the swords of the emperor. Diplomacy is nearly always settled by such proximity. Cardinal Wolsey: Spoken like a true lawyer.

Message to the Emperor [1.7]

Queen Katherine: [about Anne Boleyn] And your fear of The Sweat is greater than your infatuation with your mistress? King Henry VIII: Katherine, she is not my mistress. I do not sleep with her. Not whilst you and I are still married.

Message to the Emperor [1.7]

King Henry: Ah! Your Excellence, allow me to introduce... French Ambassador: Is this not Mademoiselle Anne? Enchanté. His Eminence, Cardinal Wolsey, has told me all about you, but he did not tell me how beautiful you are. For a Frenchman, that is almost a crime. Anne Boleyn: (smiles, answering in French) But Frenchmen tell all ladies that they are beautiful- that is also a crime, is it not? I have a gift for you. French Ambassador: For me? Anne Boleyn: For you, Monsieur, absolutely. (George Boleyn leads over a large wolfhound) This dog is very fast (the Ambassador sticks his hand out to pet it and it growls)... and very formidable. French Ambassador: (in English) What's his name? Anne Boleyn: Wolsey. (Henry laughs) Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: Someone told me taking infusions was the worst thing. King Henry: Trust me. It will make you feel sick, but it's better than the sickness it prevents.

Truth and Justice [1.8]

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: Margaret, you and I must stay in the king's good graces or we are nothing. Let him marry who he wishes. Princess Margaret: That was always your philosophy, wasn't it Charles? So very cynical. Is that why you keep company with that devil Boleyn? Charles Brandon: You liked him enough once, when he helped us back to court... Or were you just being cynical? Princess Margaret: I didn't see all of his game. Now I do. I despise him. Charles Brandon: So do I. But I hate Wolsey more. It's a marriage of expedience. Princess Margaret: Rather like ours. Charles Brandon: No, I loved you. Princess Margaret: You don't know the meaning of the word, Charles. You can love, perhaps for a year, a month, a day, even for an hour. And in that hour I do believe you love as well and deeply... as any man. But after that hour, you love not! You love another, and then another. Your love is most generous where it is most hurtful.

Truth and Justice [1.8]

Cardinal Campeggio: I have received a petition from the dukes of Suffolk and Norfolk and Lord Boleyn, saying the divorce has an overwhelming support of the people of England. Thomas More: As Your Eminence would quickly discover if he stepped outside these doors and saw the people, that is a manifest lie. On the contrary, the people love their queen and they have every reason to do so.

Truth and Justice [1.8]

Cardinal Wolsey: Your Majesty, I beg that you yield to the King's will. Queen Katherine: And what is his will? Cardinal Wolsey: As His Eminence proposes, that you join a religious community of your choosing and take a vow of perpetual chastity. Queen Katherine: You speak to me of chastity. Have you not a mistress and two children, Your Eminence?

Truth and Justice [1.8]

King Henry VIII: For a while, I shall have to share Katherine's table, and sometimes her bed. Anne Boleyn: Her bed! King Henry: It's nothing. My lawyers have just advised me that to do otherwise might risk counter-suits. I could be seen to be acting against her conjugal rights. Anne Boleyn: You think it's nothing, to go back to bed with your wife? King Henry: What do you think is going to happen? Anne Boleyn: What usually happens.

Truth and Justice [1.8]

[to Cardinal Campeggio] Let me make certain things plain to you. If you do not grant the King his divorce, papal authority in England will be annihilated. You should remember, the greater part of Germany has already become estranged from Rome, the same thing could happen here. It would mean the total ruin of the kingdom.

Look to God First [1.9]

King Henry VIII: I hear you've been unwell? Is it true? Cardinal Wolsey: Majesty, when was I ever unwell enough not to serve you? King Henry: That's what I thought.

Look to God First [1.9]

Queen Katherine: Have you no kind things to say? King Henry: Kind? Queen Katherine: To your wife, the mother of your child. You treat me so unkindly and in public neglect me. King Henry: Katherine, you must accept the inevitable. The weight of academic opinion is against us. We were never legally man and wife. And the court will decide in my and if the court does not decide in my favor, I shall denounce the pope as a heretic and marry whom I please.

Look to God First [1.9]

Cardinal Wolsey: Try to discover by subtle means, through his agents, if the emperor is prepared to support his aunt by use of force. Thomas More: You think he might invade England in support of the queen? Cardinal Wolsey: I don't think anything, but I imagine everything. And what I imagine causes me great pain, Thomas- great pain.

Look to God First [1.9]

Thomas Cromwell: (smiles) Lady Anne. Anne Boleyn: Master Cromwell. Do you... do you have a message from the King? Thomas Cromwell: ...I think we understand each other. A mutual friend- a Mr. Fish, now living in exile in Holland- has sent me a gift for you. (hands her a book) Anne Boleyn: What is it, Master Cromwell? Thomas Cromwell: "The Obedience of the Christian Man"... by William Tyndale. It contains many good criticisms of the Papacy; you'll find it most illuminating. But, always and ever, be cautious as to whom you show this. You must know it would be accounted heresy even to possess it. And, Wolsey is still keen enough to prosecute heretics, as we are called... who embrace the true religion. Anne Boleyn: I will. And God bless you, Master Cromwell.

Look to God First [1.9]

Queen Katherine: I know also your malice against my nephew, the Emperor. You hate him like a scorpion. And why? Because he would not satisfy your ambition and make you pope by force. Cardinal Wolsey: Madam, you should never presume... Queen Katherine: My only satisfaction is that in frustrating you I hasten your fall from the King's good graces, an outcome I desire above all others.

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

Anne Boleyn: You know I sometimes wish that all Spaniards were at the bottom of the sea. Lady in Waiting: Mistress Boleyn, you should not abuse the Queen's honor with such language! Anne Boleyn: I care nothing for Katherine. I would rather see her hanged than acknowledge her as my mistress!

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

Charles Brandon: Your Majesty must forgive me... Henry VIII: [angrily] Yes I must forgive you, I must always forgive you, BUT I GROW TIRED OF FORGIVING YOU! I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF "PRINCE"!

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

Knivert: Aren't you supposed to be running the country? Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: I leave that to Norfolk. He's had more practice. And in any case, meetings with ambassadors - infinitely tedious. They're all liars, hypocrites and middle-aged men. Knivert: Would you prefer them to be women? Charles Brandon: My friend, if all ambassadors were beautiful women I'd be serving my country day and night.

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

King Henry VIII: Have I made you unhappy? Anne Boleyn: No, I would only be unhappy if you ever stopped loving me. King Henry: London would have to melt into the Thames first.

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

Queen Katherine: I had always fancied that the King, after pursuing his course for some time, would turn away, would hear to his conscience and change his purpose, as he has done so often before. I believed with all my heart that he would return to reason, but now, I ... Ambassador Chapuys: Madame, I pray you, don't give way. Queen Katherine: No excellency, I shall never give way.

The Death of Wolsey [1.10]

Thomas Cromwell: Sir Thomas, I notice you allow yourself none of the trappings of your great office. Thomas More: I'm not so vain as to display its power, Master Cromwell, but I'll tell you this, I fully intend to use it.

Everything Is Beautiful [2.1]

Cardinal Campeggio: [regarding a letter Henry VIII has sent demanding an annulment] He uses some intemperate language, Holiness, claiming that "Never was a prince so poorly treated by a Pope" Pope Paul III: He meant my predecessor, and to be fair, he has a point. Clement was a terrible procrastinator. Although it was terribly wrong for some to dig up his dead body, stab it, and drag it through the street, I can well understand their sentiments; he was never popular.

Tears of Blood [2.2]

Archbishop William Warham: (concerning the bill the King intends to put before Parliament) Mr. Cromwell, this does not strike me as an attack against the abuses of the clergy (coughs) but rather, an attack upon our very faith (coughs again) and upon the faith of our ancestors! Thomas Cromwell: (coldly) That is your judgement, Your Grace; it is not mine. Neither is it the King's.

Checkmate [2.3]

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: I'm going to have to attend on the king and that bitch of his at her coronation! What didWolsey used to call her? "The Black Crow". Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk: Can you not plead some indisposition? Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: I could, even though the king has made me high constable for the day, but if I did, His Majesty would remove my head. And then, I should be genuinely indisposed! Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk: [flirtingly] Very well. So keep your head. It's a pretty head in any case, and I don't want to lose it either. [serious] But store up your knowledge and your anger. Don't act impulsively; it's always a mistake. But one day, with others so disposed, use them both...and if you can, bring her down, and destroy her. King Henry VIII: I want jousts, carnivals and banquets organized in honor of the birth of my son. I have not yet decided whether to call him Henry or Edward! I've asked the French Ambassador to hold him at th

The Act of Succession [2.4]

Henry VIII: [speaking while holding his newborn daughter] Who knows, Mistress Byran? Perhaps, one day this little girl will preside over empires. Thomas Cromwell: Majesty, I have just heard that the Pope intends to make Reverend Fisher a cardinal. [Henry laughes coldly at this] Apparently, he has already dispatched a cardinal's hat. Henry VIII: Then Fisher will have to wear it upon his shoulders, for by the time it gets here, he won't have a head to put it on! Thomas Cromwell: It is rumored that, perhaps, you have a great sympathy for the Dowager Princess Catherine of Aragon. Charles Brandon: Don't you? Thomas Cromwell: (pause) Actually, I do. I'm not heartless, whatever some people think- quite the contrary. (pause) But...I serve the King. (pause) The King intends to emplace the succession in the children he will have with Queen Anne Boleyn. A bill is to be put before Parliament- he wants to know if it will have your support. (pause, as Charles considers his position) Willaim Brereton

His Majesty's Pleasure [2.5]

Pope Paul III: (reading a letter from William Brereton to Cardinal Campeggio) Our English friend writes that "the Lady is not to have a child, after all." He also says "The King has already been unfaithful to her, but all of this may mean nothing, considering the changeable nature of the King, and the craft of the Lady, who well knows how to manage him." (tosses the letter across his desk and sighs in disbelief) You and I, Campeggio, have done well to avoid the craft of women. Celibacy is an immense relief. Cardinal Campeggio: ...Holy Father? Pope Paul III: Do you know who that was? (the Cardinal shakes his head) Michelangelo Di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Cardinal Campeggio: Michelangelo?! That was him?! Pope Paul III: That was him. We forgive him, because he is a genius... whatever that means. Catherine of Aragon: Poor Fisher. He was a lion in my defense. Now he will die ashamed and alone in a prison cell.

The Definition of Love [2.6]

Thomas Cromwell: What a pleasure to have both you and your lovely wife to sup with, Your Grace. Katerina Cranmer: So, tell me- you are suppressing some religious houses? Thomas Cromwell: I am starting to, yes. Katerina Cranmer: Und what else? Thomas Cromwell: I am intending to abolish almost all the Holy Days of the Lord's service- and, during the harvest. (scoffs) These enforced holidays- they damage the country's economy, stop vital works! (the Cranmers nod in agreement) And, in fact, they also impoverish workers! Katerina Cranmer: Und the priests? Thomas Cranmer: As far as the clergy are concerned, we mean to issue a set of injunctions, requiring them to preach the Supremacy. There will also be an injunction requiring parents and employers to teach their children and servants the Lord's Prayer, Creed and the Ten Commandments in English, rather than Latin. Thomas Cromwell: And all clerics will be put on notice to attack the superstitious cults surrounding images and relics. They will

Lady in Waiting [2.8]

Sir Henry Norris: I was married before and, I must confess, I rather like the liberty of not being married again! Henry VIII: [laughs] I can understand that! Thomas Cromwell: I am also preparing for an emergency session of Parliament- Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire: Bah! Kings had no need of Parliament in the old days! Thomas Cromwell: (coldly, not looking up from his paperwork) These are not the old days, my Lord.

The Act of Treason [2.9]

Thomas Cromwell: And!? [he slams his fist on a table] AND!? Margaret Sheldon: [sobbing] I saw her hugging and kissing her brother! Thomas Cromwell: [surprised] Her brother!? Thomas Cromwell: Do you believe this to be true? Lady Rochford: I believe that is true, yes. [Cromwell walks over and looks her in the eye] Thomas Cromwell: [skeptical] You believe that your husband committed incest with the queen!? Henry VIII: What of the others!? Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: Smeaton, Brereton, Norris and George Boleyn have been found guilty, and are to be executed tomorrow. Henry VIII: You know what Cromwell told me? He told me she'd had to do with over a hundred men. A hundred fucking men, Charles! [angrily] You know what? My daughter, Mary, owes God a great deal for escaping the hands of that poisoning whore! Oh she planned to have her poisoned, Charles, it's true. Just like she poisoned Catherine. We have proof. And her baby. Her baby was deformed; did you know that, Charles!? [Brandon sh

Destiny and Fortune [2.10]

Thomas Boleyn: Am I...Am I to be tried? Charles Brandon: No, you are to be released. Charles Brandon: But...Your Majesty commands that since you no longer have his trust and affection; that you are to be stripped forthwith of all your official purses and titles. You will no longer serve under the Privy Council, you will relinquish the role of Lord Privy Seal and all its privileges. His Majesty also desires that you leave court and that you never show yourself in his presence again on pain of death. Thomas Boleyn: So I am to keep my Earldom? Charles Brandon: Did you watch your son die?! What about your daughter, will you watch her suffer? Will you watch her die?! Tell me, Boleyn, was it all worth it?! Anne Boleyn: Good Christian people, I have come here to die according to the law and thus yield myself to the will of the King, my Lord. And if ever in my life I did offend the King's grace, then surely with my death I do now atone. I pray and beseech you all to pray for the life of the Ki

Civil Unrest [3.1]

When I was five, my mother and I were taken across London, into the Tower. There was a rebellion against my father; the Cornish rebels were actually at the city walls! And inside, everything was panic, fear. We had no news of the royal army, or of my father. My mother tried to remain calm, but she was terrified. So was I. I was sure we were both going to be killed.

Civil Unrest [3.1]

Henry VIII: [talking to Thomas Cromwell, trying to disguise the fact he is in agony from his leg wound] I've dispatched Suffolk with the royal army. If need be, I will dispatch a second army to destroy the rebels. Thomas Cromwell: Yes, Majesty. Henry VIII: Unless they disperse, and send 100 of their ringleaders to the Duke of Suffolk with halters around their necks, then he has our permission to burn and destroy all their goods, and make a fearful example of them to all our subjects. Thomas Cromwell: Yes, Majesty. Henry VIII: If still they do not submit, Mr. Cromwell, then I promise the utter destruction of them, their wives and their children. Do you understand me? I will destroy them all...[he looks up and glares at Cromwell] And then I'll destroy you, Cromwell!

The Northern Uprising [3.2]

Lord Mayor of London: Your Grace. Charles Brandon: My lord, I was promised artillery when I arrived here, but I don't see any guns! Lord Mayor of London: Your Grace, we have guns, but we have not been able to find enough horses or drays to transport them. Charles Brandon: [angered] Perhaps you don't understand. I'm about the King's most urgent business. And if you cannot commandeer enough horses for his Majesty's use, then how can you call yourself Mayor of London!? Lord Mayor of London: Your Grace, I did not want to cause a panic by forcing people to part with their horses and drays! Charles Brandon: [furious] IDIOT! I charge you, personally, to find enough horses within two days, and bring the guns on after our army, or God help me, I will hold you to account! With any luck, Mr. Mayor, I will afterwards have the chance to see you DISEMBOWELLED AT TYBURN!

The Northern Uprising [3.2]

Francis Bryan: Your Majesty's life is far too precious to be put at risk against such a common rabble. Of course, if you choose to go, you'd be like a lion among wolves. King Henry: Sir Francis, I don't require you to flatter me.

Problems in the Reformation [3.5]

[at the tomb of Jane Seymour] One day I shall lie beside you again, I promise and we shall sleep together for eternity.

Problems in the Reformation [3.5]

Henry VIII: "I miss her Will. I miss her so much." Will The Fool: "I know....But this too shall pass. Why go on dwelling in darkness?"

Search for a New Queen [3.6]

Henry VIII: [talking angrily to Charles Brandon] That's what you want, isn't it Charles? An Imperial wedding like my father arranged for me, just like Wolsey always wanted a French one! Everyone has plans and what I want doesn't matter! Oh the Poles have plans; people are always talking about that little boy in the Tower and poor old Lady Salisbury, but let me tell you, they have Plantagenet blood in their veins! And my father, my father told me "If you leave so much as a sapling in the ground, one day it will grow into a tree!" And that little boy in the Tower will have forty thousand troops flocking to his banner, and YOU will be the sucker! Charles Brandon: Tell Sir Francis to double the guards around the Princess Mary and defend her with their life- for if the King dies, some will be for the boy, others for her.

Search for a New Queen [3.6]

[to the Spanish Ambassador on Thomas Cromwell] I am more convinced than ever that he is the agent of Satan. If I could, I would strip him from the King's side- and burn him.

Protestant Anne of Cleves [3.7]

Page: (startled and terrified, hastily puts the pear back) My Lord! (after a moment, Cromwell glances up at him) I- I'm sorry, Lord Cromwell, I didn't see you. I... Thomas Cromwell: (stands) I was talking to God. Page: (frowns)... But, surely, Sir, you have to go to church for that? Thomas Cromwell: (stares at him in disbelief)... Do you understand nothing of our reforms? God is not just in church, He is... everywhere. (steps toward him) We do not need priests to speak for us, we can... speak to Him ourselves- and, He will listen. There is no need for bells, and books, and candles. All you need... is your soul. (smiles momentarily) Now go away, and think. (the page starts to leave) Wait. (the page stops, Cromwell offers him the pear.)

Moment of Nostalgia [4.1]

Eustace Chapuys: (dryly) Yes, and the only mourners at that funeral were the ghosts of his children. Charles Brandon: And, now that you are back at Court, what are you intentions? Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey: To surpass the achievements of my father and grandfather. Charles Brandon: ... That is very ambitious. Surrey: (shrugs) I am a Howard, Your Grace- it is expected of me, and always has been. And I will not fail.

Sister [4.2]

Does the Duchess love you any better, Charles? [sighs] How can I help you, Charles?

Sister [4.2]

[talking to his advisors] My Lords, I assure you I am not content. I have relied upon you to inform and counsel me, and yet I am the most deceived. I have trusted and favoured all of you, and I have formed a sinister opinion that most of you are liars and flatterers who look only to your own profits. I know what you are planning, and if God gives me the strength, I will see to it that none of your projects ever succeed! [sadly] I mourn Cromwell's death. [His advisors looks shocked] Yes, I mourn him! I mourn him, now that I perceive that my counsellors, by light pretext and by false accusations, made me put to death the most...faithful servant I ever had.

Something For You [4.3]

(to his daughter, Elizabeth) Without knowledge, life is not worth having.

Natural Ally [4.4]

Yes, but not at rest.

You Have My Permission [4.6]

Princess Mary: Tell me what is happening in Court. Is the King thinking of marrying again? Ambassador Bishop Chapuys: There is a new law enacted. It requires that any lady the king may marry must, on pain of death, disclose any charge of sexual misconduct that might be brought against her. Frankly, my lady, this lowers the field. The ladies at court are how you say... not exactly known for their virtue.

You Have My Permission [4.6]

Catherine Parr: (about her first husband) It was not a happy marriage, Your Majesty. King Henry VIII: Do you think such a thing exists? Catherine Parr: Yes, I believe that with all my heart and soul.

Sixth and the Final Wife [4.7]

Your Grace, I will appoint you commander of the armies if you have the will and the stomach for the fight.

Sixth and the Final Wife [4.7]

The King does not just want France back but all his honor and his youth as well. In that, he is like me.

As It Should Be [4.8]

(angry at his physicians) These men are not sick from the phlox but from cowardice, and I will not send cowards home. They will either fight or I'll hang them by the wayside! You get them from their sickbeds back into that trench or you'll find yourself a head shorter!

As It Should Be [4.8]

Brigitte Rousselot: What are you thinking? Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk: That I was dead and am alive again.

Secrets of the Heart [4.9]

What we must first decide is how best to approach Windsor, and in what manner to overcome the guards who surround the Prince and so remove him... For be there no doubt, gentlemen, he who possesses the heir to the throne will very soon possess the throne itself.

Death of a Monarchy [4.10]

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: I think your faction is engaged in a fight to the death with Bishop Gardiner and his. Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford: [nods] I will not hide the truth from you, Your Grace. The King's infirmity, and the youth of my nephew, make the question of succession urgent. The stakes could not possibly be higher. Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: And you desire to know, I assume, on which side of the argument I belong? Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford: Your Grace, whether you will it or not, you carry a great weight of confidence and influence with the King and everyone knows that. But fewer people know that your wife the Duchess and my wife Anne, together with the Queen are as close on matters of religion as it is possible to be, and this close affinity has emboldened me now to approach Your Grace. Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: [angrily] Surely, your wife has told you that the Duchess and I are estranged, thus her affinities are not necessarily my own, and