The Tudors s02e09 Episode Script

The Act of Treason

The child had the appearance of a male about four months old.
However, the foetus there were signs of deformity.
Of abnormality.
Perhaps, after all the queen's miscarriage was a blessing in disguise.
Majesty.
Madame.
Monsieur Ambassador.
I beg you.
King Francis must be persuaded to accept the marriage of his son to our daughter Elizabeth so that I may not be ruined or lost.
For I see myself very near that, and in more trouble and grief than I was ever in before my marriage.
I cannot speak to you more fully now nor dare I express my fears in writing, but please after everything I've done for France as you love me, do the best you can for me for God's sake.
Mr.
Edward Seymour.
- Master Seymour.
- Mr.
Secretary.
We don't know each other well, but we shall.
I've every confidence.
It is His Majesty's pleasure to appoint you a gentleman of the privy chamber.
In that capacity, you will attend His Majesty daily and as he sees fit to use you.
It is, you will understand, a special and privileged position.
I do understand.
And I am deeply honoured, Mr.
Secretary.
There is one more thing.
His Majesty has indicated to me he would like to pay court to your sister from time to time, although to avoid any scandal attaching itself to your sister's name only in the presence of a member or members of your family.
In which case, I am more than happy to offer you and your family my private chambers in the palace.
They are adjacent to the king's private chamber with a connecting gallery for greater privacy.
You're most generous, Mr.
Secretary.
I'm sure my father would like to repay your kindness.
You've given the Seymours your rooms? Yes, Your Majesty.
Idiot.
We have given royal assent to the act stripping the bishopric of Norwich of the town of Lynn.
The new beneficiary is Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire.
I also intend giving him two of the dissolved abbeys.
You must inform him of his good fortune.
Yes, Your Majesty.
No one must know our plans, Mr.
Cromwell.
Come here, Jane.
Let me look at you.
How beautiful you are.
Ready? Yes.
Shall we? Jane.
Majesty.
I have something for you.
Now open it.
Thank you.
I will treasure this all my life.
And if they ever open my grave, they will find it again right next to my heart.
Majesty.
I wonder why, after all this time, he still will not marry Madge? I think Norris comes into your chambers more for Your Majesty than he does for Madge.
- For me? - Yes.
- Cromwell's rooms? - Yes.
What is that? It's a locket, Your Majesty.
Let me see it.
Let me see it.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Mr.
Secretary.
Majesty.
I have good news, Your Majesty.
The bill for the dissolution of the large monasteries has just passed.
Our reformation is moving apace.
I have been told privately, Mr.
Secretary that the king has already sold Sawley Abbey in Yorkshire to one of his courtiers though the bill has not yet reached the statute book and plainly on your advice.
Our reformation was never meant to be about personal gain.
Religious houses should not be sold off, but converted to better uses.
Madam the confiscated assets will be used to the pleasure of Almighty God and to the profit of this realm which is but a pygmy but shall one day be greater even than Spain.
So is it true you've given your private rooms here to the Seymours? I am the Queen of England.
You will answer me.
Is it true? Yes.
It is true.
You have overreached yourself, Mr.
Cromwell.
Believe me, you have placed yourself in very great danger.
Do you believe me? Or do you assume I no longer possess the power to crush you? It would be an easy mistake to make, Mr.
Cromwell.
I thought you might like this returned to you.
Oh, thank you.
Good evening, Your Excellency.
Please, may I take your coat and your hat? Thank you.
Please come this way.
His Excellency, the imperial ambassador.
Eustace.
It's so good of you to come all the way to Shoreditch.
Believe me, Mr.
Secretary I would travel a great deal further for the pleasure of talking to you.
May I be blunt? Is it true that you have fallen out with Queen Anne? Yes.
I believe she hates me and wants to have me executed.
Are you not afraid? No.
No, I trust my master so much I fancy she cannot do me any harm.
Nevertheless, I cannot but wish you a more gracious mistress.
One more grateful for the inestimable service you have done the king.
For the sake of argument, suppose the king were considering taking another wife? It would certainly be to his advantage.
For here is a king who has so far been disappointed of male issue and who knows that his present marriage will never be held as lawful.
The king requests your presence at court.
I am sure he wishes to confirm a new alliance with the emperor.
What else he means to tell you, I cannot guess.
Then I look forward eagerly to finding out, Mr.
Secretary.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Madam.
Lady Rochford.
Lady Rochford, what can I do for you? You could ask your brother to be kind to me.
He is cruel in every way.
Come now, I don't believe you.
There are others that he has preferred to me.
Hush.
You don't understand.
He does not treat me as his proper wife as the king treats you.
Let me tell you something, Lady Rochford.
The king cannot satisfy a woman.
He has neither the skill, nor the virility.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Make way for His Excellency.
Make way.
We must give up the idea of a French alliance.
The king seems implacably against it just as he seems more inclined to embrace a new alliance with the emperor.
- Are you listening to me? - Yes, Father.
It seems that most of the country is still in favour of an imperial alliance so it would serve us nothing to swim against the tide.
No.
The imperial ambassador is to be received at court.
Make a great fuss of him.
In the first place by inviting him to kiss your cheek.
Then you and the king will dine with him.
Say harsh things against the French in the presence of the ambassadors.
Say they betrayed your trust, they are hypocritical and false friends.
Whatever else you can think of.
Yes, Father.
Anne.
We have come so far.
No one is going to be allowed to destroy us.
No one.
Do you understand? I understand.
His Excellency, the imperial ambassador.
Jesus Christ, you scared me.
Their Gracious Majesties.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
After Mass, Mr.
Chapuys is sure to dine with us? Excuse me.
But he's gone.
It is not without good reason.
Something is happening, Mark.
L I just don't know what it is.
Eminency I know that in the past there have been misunderstandings between my family and you.
Some intemperate words.
Certain things that should not have been said and are now regretted.
But we both live in a real world.
We must take our friends as we find them.
I know the emperor is keen to protect his lucrative trade links with England.
And obviously my family is in a position to help and assist him which is what we are determined to do.
So I think we should drink a toast to new beginnings and to new friendships and to a mutually beneficial future.
And where are you from, Excellency? I am proud to be the ambassador from Milan, madame.
Milan.
Were you not occupied by the French? Alas, we are still occupied by French troops.
Then you will agree with me that the French are deceitful in everything? In fact, can anyone here tell me that the French are anything but liars and hypocrites? Do they ever tell the truth? How many treaties do they honour? How many promises do they keep? Mr.
Cromwell.
What's happening? His Majesty will be having an audience with the ambassador.
That's what we're waiting for.
Your Excellency.
Follow me.
Excuse me.
- Excellency.
- Thank you, Majesty.
I hear your master is anxious for an alliance? He is, Your Majesty.
On what terms? On such terms as Mr.
Cromwell has outlined to us.
The restoration of some relation between England and Rome the inclusion of the Lady Mary in the line of succession and support for the emperor in his war with France over Milan.
As far as the Lady Mary is concerned, it may be that God has not thought to send Your Majesty a male issue because he believes that England should have a female succession.
What are you alleging, Excellency? Am I not a man as other men? Am I not? Am I not? You do not know all my secrets! I want everything in writing.
The emperor's offer.
Everything in writing.
That is not possible, Your Majesty.
Do you think I am a child to be first whipped and then petted? If your master wants to deal with me, he must first apologise for all his ill treatment of me in the past.
He must accept Queen Anne.
I have nothing more to say to your master.
Princes are different from us and are not to be easily understood.
Gentlemen.
- Your Grace.
- Majesty.
As your oldest friend as well as your most loyal subject I feel it's my duty, however painful to report some truths to you.
"Truth?" said jesting Pilate.
"What is truth?" There are some rumours about the queen's behaviour.
It seems she entertains men in her room at night.
Flirts and behaves intimately with them.
My lords, this kingdom is imperilled and in danger.
But not by some foreign power or strangers with evil intent against us.
It's come to my notice that some acts of treason and other offences have been committed by those we loved and trusted.
By members of our own court.
Mr.
Rich as solicitor general, I am appointing you and Mr.
Cromwell to head a commission of oyer and terminer to investigate whether or not these offences be true.
Good day, gentlemen.
Lady Sheldon I warn you not to repeat to anyone what passes between us here today.
You live in close proximity with Her Majesty, the queen.
Have you ever seen her entertain men in her chambers in what you would consider to be an inappropriate way? No, sir.
Are you certain of that? Yes, sir.
I must warn you, my lady, that those concealing the truth from those commissioned by the king to discover it are themselves guilty of treason and are very likely to be hanged.
Your Majesty.
Jane, for very good reasons, I want you to leave Whitehall for a while.
- Go back home with your father.
- I will leave.
I'll do anything Your Majesty commands me to do.
I want to tell you in this slippery world, you represent for me all that is innocent everything that is good unsullied uncorrupted.
It will not be for long.
And after that After that, we can have our hearts' desires.
Go.
Are you certain? Come on! It It's true that some men came into the queen's chambers at undue hours.
And sometimes she flirted with them, but What are their names? Lord Rochford, of course.
And? And Sir Henry Norris.
And? The king's groom, Brereton.
And? And Mark Smeaton, the musician.
And? And? Well, I saw her hugging and kissing her brother.
Her brother? But thought nothing of it.
Do you believe this to be true? I believe that is true, yes.
You believe that your husband committed incest with the queen? Hello? Hello? Mr.
Cromwell to what do I owe this great pleasure? - Hello.
- Mr.
Smeaton.
Have I done something? Calm, Mr.
Smeaton.
Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? I want to know when you slept with the queen and how many times.
I never slept with the queen.
I never slept with the queen.
Mister I don't understand, Mr.
Cromwell.
You're going to have to tell the truth.
I want the truth or, God help me, it will go badly with you.
I swear to Almighty God I never slept with Her Majesty.
I never even dreamt of it.
You're only a musician, yet you spent a great deal of money on horses, liveries for your servants.
Where did you get the money? Was it for services rendered? I swear to God Almighty I never slept with Her Majesty.
I never even dreamt of it.
God.
Off we go and Nan.
Quicker, Nan.
One, two, three, four.
Jump left.
And we add the turn on the third.
Lady Sheldon.
I believe you know what you're doing.
Okay, left arm from south.
Forward and back and at this break Continue.
Your visit to France with the king is postponed for a week.
Why? And there's something else.
Mark Smeaton is arrested.
- What for? - We don't know yet.
I've got to go.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No! Sir Henry, you are here again.
Yet you never seem to have the courage to marry the lady.
Madam, marriage is not something one should hurry into.
No.
I know the truth.
You look for dead men's shoes.
Madam, I really must protest.
You suppose that if anything bad happened to the king then you would think to have me.
Madam, if I ever such a thought then I wish my head were cut off.
Oh, that could be arranged.
Nan.
Madam.
Get them to fetch Elizabeth to me tomorrow.
I want to see my daughter.
Yes, madam.
And, Nan if anything should happen to me will you promise to care for her? Yes, madam.
Sooner or later, Mr.
Smeaton, you will tell us the truth.
- So? - It's not It's not true.
- What? - It's not true.
- What? - It's not true.
It's not true.
It's not true.
Please The king has called an emergency meeting of the council.
- Why wasn't I told? - Because I wasn't told either.
For God's sake, make sure you keep the king always in your sight.
Your Majesty, Mr.
Cromwell approaches.
Smeaton has confessed.
Load up.
- Sir Henry.
- Sir.
Come with me.
Did you know the queen was pregnant again? No, Your Majesty.
How should I? Because you may be the child's father since you loved her so well, as many have testified.
Majesty is being ridiculous.
So then I'm a figure of ridicule to you? - Madness.
- Guards.
Arrest him.
Take him to the Tower.
- Majesty.
Majesty.
- Hold back.
Majesty! Master Brereton, by order of the king you are arrested for high treason.
- Amen.
- Where are you going, my lord? - I have to see the king.
It's too late, George.
Much too late.
My lord, Sir Thomas, you are both arrested for high treason and having carnal knowledge of Her Majesty, the queen.
What? Henry please.
Henry please.
For the love you bear our child.
- For Elizabeth, have mercy.
- You've always lied to me.
No.
You weren't a virgin when you married me.
You were not what you seemed.
Your father and brother arranged everything.
No.
I loved you.
I loved you and I love you still.
After everything we've been to each other.
After everything we were.
Please.
One more chance.
One more.
Henry.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, I beseech you! You know why you've been arrested.
It's not enough that you commit vile incest with your sister, the queen and her tongue in your mouth and your tongue in hers against the commands of God Almighty.
But you must plot regicide against the king so that Anne could marry one of her lovers and rule as regent over her bastard child.
- No.
No, sir.
You baffle me.
My enemies have poisoned the air with their horrid lies.
Whatever my sister has done, it is not with me or mine.
I am innocent, Mr.
Cromwell.
I swear to you.
I swear on the blood of Christ.
I am innocent.
Of course you are.
Tell me, Mr.
Brereton do you ever have carnal knowledge of the Queen's Majesty? Yes.
Yes, I did.
I condemn them utterly.
Utterly.
All those men, whatever their rank or station, who Where I Whatever their rank or station who deceived the king and slipped between the sheets with his lawful wife.
I con Utterly.
For such awful adultery there should be only one punishment.
My lords, why have you come? This is the warrant for your arrest.
You are charged with adultery with Mark Smeaton Sir Henry Norris and William Brereton.
Both Smeaton and Brereton have already confessed their guilt.
We are come at the king's command to conduct you to the Tower there to abide during His Majesty's pleasure.
If it be His Majesty's pleasure then I am ready to obey.
- Lady Sheldon - No time to change your clothes or pack any of your things.
Money will be provided for your needs at the Tower.
My lords, I beg you, before you go to beseech the king's grace to be good to me.
Madam, this way, I pray you.
I pray God will help me, for there is no truth in these allegations.
This way.
I am the king's true wedded wife.
I'm not guilty of these charges.
I am as free from the company of man as I am from sin.
Do I go in a dungeon, Mr.
Kingston? No, madam.
There are lodgings made ready for you.
It's too good for me.
Jesus, have mercy on me.
Thank you.
Thank you.
May I have the holy sacrament placed in my room so I may pray for mercy? Greedy little cur.
Your Grace.
Your Eminence.
Your Grace.
I have just heard of the queen's arrest.
My mind is clean amazed.
I cannot believe that she is guilty of such abominable crimes.
Yet I cannot think that the king would have proceeded so far unless she was culpable.
It has caused both the king and myself a great pain to discover her deceit the depth of her depravity.
The fact is, Mr.
Cromwell that I loved her not a little for the love which I judged her to bear towards God and the Gospel.
Next to His Grace, the king, and yourself I was most bound to her of all creatures living.
- You must learn to live without her.
- Without her, look Without her, is not our reformation in danger? Was she not our great supporter and advocate? Who would likely have become our greatest liability.
Sometimes, Your Grace, in order to defeat evil one must learn to consort with the devil.
His Majesty is waiting for Your Grace to discover a reason why his marriage to Anne Boleyn should be considered null and void.
He expects your verdict presently.
What of the others? Smeaton, Brereton, Norris and George Boleyn have been found guilty and are to be executed tomorrow.
You know what Cromwell told me? He told me that she'd had to do with over a hundred men.
A hundred fucking men, Charles.
You know what? 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? So how could it have been mine? Perhaps Elizabeth isn't even mine.
That fucking bitch.
The queen was tried yesterday at Westminster Hall.
She pleaded not guilty to all the charges but the evidence being overwhelming she was sentenced to death, by burning or decapitation according to the king's pleasure.
And her accomplices? What of us? Smeaton, Brereton, Norris and George Boleyn, all guilty as charged.
Thomas what about me? Am I to be tried too? No.
We found no evidence against you.
You're to be released.
Eventually.
But I am the only one who's guilty! Charms.
Lucky charms.
- There he is.
- Traitor! Adulterer! Vermin! Evil! I say to you I say to you, trust in God and not in the vanities of this world.
For if I had done so I think I would still be alive as you are now.
Oh, God.
Traitor.
Traitor! These bloody days Have brok en my heart My lust, my youth did then depart For your wit alone Many men would bemoan And since it is so Many still cry aloud It is a great loss That you are dead and gone The time you had Above your poor degree Before whereof your friends May well bemoan A rotten twig upon so high a tree Has slipped your hold And you are dead And gone These bloody days Have brok en my heart My lust, my youth did then depart And blind desire of ambitious souls Who haste to climb Seeks to revert And about the throne The thunder rolls
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