A Man for All Seasons Page #7

KING:

Touching this other business, mark you, Thomas, I’ll have no opposition. MORE Your Grace?

KING:

No opposition I say! No opposition!

He leaps up. MORE rises.

Be seated! ... I’ll leave you out of it—but you are my Chancellor—I don’t take it kindly Thomas, and I’ll have no opposition! I see how it will be. The Bishops will oppose me! The full-fed, “Princes of the Church”! Hypocrites! They’re all hypocrites! Mind, they do not take you in Thomas!

MORE:

(agitated and indignant)

Your Grace is unjust. If I cannot serve Your Grace in this great matter of the Queen—KING

I—have—no—queen! Catherine is not my wife and no priest can make her so. And they that say she is my wife are not only liars .. but Traitors! CUT 57 INT. MORE’S HOUSE GREAT HALL

In the hall the raging voice reaches us as before. All the KING’s PARTY has drawn together. looking inimically at: ALICE and MARGARET, standing close together, the KING’s disfavour. on them like a sickness. NORFOLK uneasily standing a few feet away from them. ALICE looks at him. He silently jerks his bead. She goes. CUT

43

58 EXT. MORE’S ORCHARD & HOUSE

MORE is aghast and white, the KING shaking, breathing hard, leaning against the tree trunk. He holds out a hand and :says almost piteously: KING

If you could come with me, there is no man I would sooner raise, yes with my own hand. MORE’s hand moves; he would like to take the KING’s, but shakily: MORE

Oh, Your Grace overwhelms me.

He hall-turns away, covers his face. The KING looks sulkily ashamed and at a loss. A bell strikes sweetly. Grumpy: KING What’s that?

MORE Eight o’clock Your Grace.

He is still turned away.

KING:

Oh lift yourself up man. Have I not . promised? I’ll leave you out of it ... Shall we eat? MORE If Your Grace pleases.

He turns c manages a smile. But the KING’s gaze won’t meet his. KING Mm...

He moves away. Suddenly, with transparent falsehood:

Eight o’clock you said? Thomas, the tide will be turning. I was forgetting the tide. I must go. MORE (steadily)—

I’m sorry, Your Grace.

44 Still the-ICING avoids his eye, chattering on, walking swiftly. KING

I must take the tide or not get back to Richmond. No don’t come ... CUT

ALICE hurries anxiously round the corner of the house, almost collides with the KING. He is embarrassed. KING

Oh. Lady Alice. I must go. I want to catch the tide:

(recovering his poise)

Affairs call me to Court. So I give you my thanks—and say good-night. ALICE sinks into a curtsey. Looks up unhappily, seeing: The KING striding swiftly away through the garden. 59 EXT. MORE’S HOUSE GARDEN DOOR

The COURTIERS and OFFICIALS pour out of the house, furtively excited, chattering to one another softly and follow him, higgledy-piggledy. MUSICIANS come last, and then the STEWARD who looks after them. 60 EXT. MORE’S GARDEN & STEPS

The KING descends steps to the hardway. Looks with vague anger at: 61 EXT. RIVER MUD-FLAT

A litter of miscellaneous boats and gawping onlookers, who falls back as he strides towards his barge. Among them we discover RICH. CUT

62 EXT. ORCHARD AND HOUSE

ALICE strides angrily up to where MORE sits still beneath the tree. ALICE You crossed him:

MORE Somewhat.

45

ALICE Why?

MORE:

I couldn’t find the other way.

ALICE:

You’re too nice altogether, Thomas!

MORE Woman, mind your house!

ALICE:

I am minding my house!

Her eyes fill and her strong mouth trembles on this. She turns in her absurd finery andtrudges away through the grass, MORE following, looking at her. 63 RIVER MUD FLAT

The KING .crashes into his seat in the Barge, nods curtly at BARGE” MASTER, the Barge leaves. Latecoming COURTIERS are stranded, one with his feet in the water. Behind them the MUSICIANS, OFFICIALS, stream hastily over MORE’s garden wall and down the foreshore, in confusion, mixed in with SIGHTSEERS. Among them we find CROMWELL. He is standing calmly, looking off at: RICH. He stares back at CROMWELL.

CROMWELL beckons him.

RICH hesitates.

CROMWELL beckons again.

RICH comes along the muddy gravel of the foreshore towards him. CROMWELL advances a step or two and meets him. Politely: CROMWELL Are you coming my way, Rich?

RICH, rabbit to CROMWELL’s snake, stares, fascinated, but shakes his head, and manages: 46

RICH No.

CROMWELL I think you should, you know.

RICH:

I can’t tell you anything!

CROMWELL shrugs, turns, turns back and holds out his hand. RICH is tempted, shakes his head, turns sharply about as though to run up the foreshore towards More’s garden wall, slips and falls full length in the mud. ò He looks up, furious, frightened, confused, to find:

CROMWELL, eyebrows raised, the boatload of comfortably gowned OFFICIALS behind him, regarding RICH with mild interest. CUT 64 MORE’S HOUSE GREAT HALL

CLOSE TRACKING SHOT, in the hall, empty of servants now, ALICE patrols the table so that we see the parade of fantastic comestibles at which she glowers, MORE following. MORE

Well what would you want me to do?

ALICE:

Be ruled! If you won’t rule him, be ruled!

MORE:

There’s a small area where I must rule myself—it’s very small, less to the King than a tenniscourt. ALICE Look at that!

She jabs her finger at the silver platter which bears some kind of jelly in the form of a castle, which cost her a morning’s work. 47

MORE Yes ... Have some.

He picks up the platter with its absurd wobbling burden but she jerks away and continues on so that he follows with it. MORE

Look. It was eight o’clock. At eight o’clock Lady Anne likes to dance. ALICE

Oh... And you stand between them!

ò MORE

I? What stands between them is a Sacrament of the Church. I’m less important than you think, Alice. She has come to the chair where the King would have sat.

ALICE:

Stay friends with him, Thomas.

MORE:

Whatever may be done by smiling, you may rely on me to do. Come. They sit, by the King’s empty chair. But she is still full of sullen misgiving. Alice Alice ...Set your mind at rest. This—

He taps himself.

Is not the stuff of which martyrs are made.

He looks up. So does she. His expression changes, his back stiffens, very much the father. ROPER and MARGARET approach. They look like a bride and groom. He has her arm possessively beneath his own, holds her hand in his. What’s more, her face is happy and hopeful, his is set and serious. They fetch up by MORE whose glance stays on their linked hands 48

ROPER Good-day, sir ... Lady Alice ...

MORE’s cold glance travels up to ROPER’s face. No reply.

MARGARET:

Will wants to talk to you, father ...

MORE’s glance fastens on the hands again.

MARGARET:

I told him it wouldn’t be convenient—

ò MORE

Yowwere right .. You’re very free with my daughter’s hand, Roper! ROPER would slip..his hand from hers but MARGARET. keeps possession. ROPER

It’s of that I wish to speak. Sir, you’ve hada. disagreement with His Majesty. MORE Have I?

ROPER:

So Meg tells me. I offer my congratulations.

MORE:

If it’s true, is it a matter for congratulation ?

ROPER Yes.

He lets go MARGARET’s hand, clasps his own. She quickly sits and looks at her father with the proper compound of fear, appeal and gratitude; she realizes that he is straightforwardly jealous. ROPER’s youthful struggle for dignity makes him very appealing as: ROPER

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