The Shadow of the Tower (1972) s01e02 Episode Script

- Surrey? - Northumberland.
This is a welcome visit.
After nine months my own company, excellent though it is, begins to pall.
I think I can offer you some wine.
Ho ho! More welcome than ever.
I heard that you were being released.
I heard that you'd been pardoned, my Lord of Surrey.
- Yes, but not released.
- No, I'm sorry.
Oh, well.
I fought for King Richard at Bosworth, you didn't.
Why didn't you, by the way? Why did you? I'll give you the same answer I gave Henry Tudor after the battle.
I told him I'd been brought up to fight for the King, and that's what I did.
If you stuck a post up in a field and told me that was the King, I'd fight for that.
You told him that? Well, he seemed to appreciate it.
He's a realist.
- But he hasn't released you.
- No.
He may be right.
He has the throne, but I'm far from certain he can keep it.
But if he can? You'll fight for him? And you? - Warwick's still in the Tower.
- Yes.
- Have you seen him? - Only at Mass.
You? The same.
As long as he's heir to the throne, the King won't let him out.
- Perhaps if the Queen has a son - Then Warwick will represent a rival claim.
That's true.
There's Lincoln.
He seems to be high in the council of the King.
Yes Give him my greetings when you see him.
Well, only my greetings.
I will.
- Will you stay in London? - For a short time.
Then I shall go north.
- I shall hope to see you, too.
- Thank you.
I hear that Lord Lovell and the Staffords have broken out of sanctuary.
So I believe.
They are said to be in arms.
Does the King really mean to go on a Royal Progress through the country? Yes, I've been told to expect him in Yorkshire during the summer.
Is he wise, do you think, to go to York? (# Fanfare) (Trumpets drown speech) (Crow caws) Lord Lovell.
- Is your brother there? - Yes sir.
Humphrey! (Humphrey) Yes? Stafford.
- Have you heard the news from York? - Did they succeed? Northumberland caught and hanged all three of them.
- (Humphrey) Northumberland? - Yes, he got wind of it somehow.
- You said his allegiance was doubtful.
- I'm sure Tudor thought so too.
He must have been relieved Northumberland arrested the assassins instead of joining them.
Ah, well.
That's that, then.
We meet him in the field instead.
It's a pity.
The other way would have been so much more decisive.
Have you got a map? - Humphrey.
- Yes, Thomas? - He was to be murdered? - We thought it was worth trying.
- Won't we be involved? - Involved? - Well, in the attempt? - Possibly, Thomas, possibly.
What difference does it make? You're sure the Stafford brothers were responsible? The men were paid by them.
They confessed, before I hanged them.
- You hanged them? - I thought it best to hang them at once, - as an example to others.
- Others? Yes, Your Majesty.
Was Lovell involved? The men had no dealings with him directly, but there's little doubt he knew of it.
Of course he did, they're all three in arms together.
And their armies lie between us and London.
What forces can we raise? In Yorkshire? I doubt if your safety can be ensured, Sir, anywhere but in London.
If we are ever to be safe anywhere in our country, we must be safe everywhere.
- Yes, well that's a very noble sentiment - No.
It's a hard truth.
(Sighs) It was madness to go on a Progress so soon.
With the country unsettled, and Lovell and the Staffords at large If only he would have let me go with him.
You weren't well enough to travel.
- Besides, it might have endangered the child.
- Oh yes, the child.
I'm much better now, and quite well enough to travel.
If he would just let me go north and join him.
Would he be safer if you were with him? In Yorkshire? I am Elizabeth of York.
- Yes, that's why - That's why he didn't take me with him? He was thinking of your health.
And of the child.
He won't accept anything from me.
Not even his safety.
My forces will be gathered here.
They can be moved either way.
Depending on the King's movements.
On whose? (Laughs) Fool! That's exactly what he relies on.
There are some people who would call a monkey king if he sat on the throne long enough.
Tudor sits on the throne, he wears the crown, he calls himself king.
He passes laws, which say that anyone who fights against him is committing treason.
- And now everyone believes him.
Even you.
- No, I just - You just called him king! - Well, what does it matter? - Whether he's king, or not? - It matters in a thousand ways.
It matters, because we shall never get men to join a cause that we don't believe in ourselves.
It matters, because when we've won the fight and killed him, we shall need the authority of the true king to support ourselves.
It matters, because if we were fighting against the true king, we should be rebels.
(Laughs) Well, is that such a bad thing to be? When the Earl of Devon died, he left his estates to his three daughters.
But you seized those estates.
I appropriated them to a more appropriate ownership.
King Richard only let you keep your cousins' property because you helped him put down the rising three years ago.
My Lord, I had no idea you took such an interest in my affairs.
Just tell me one thing.
Are you fighting against Tudor, or against the rule of law? Do you care? At this moment, not at all.
When Tudor's dead that'll be the time to argue about why we killed him.
I still say you shouldn't risk going to Gloucester and Bristol.
We must go there.
We are expected.
Yes, of course.
But we must deal with Lovell and the Staffords first.
And that means raising an army.
But is it wise, Your Majesty, to bring all your forces to the north, leaving London undefended? That's a chance we shall have to take.
We'd better get word to the Earl of Oxford, to gather his forces and join us.
Then with your troops, M'Lord, - and the few we can scrape together - No! - What? - No, no, no.
- Well then, what do you suggest? - Armies are so clumsy and slow-moving.
We have another weapon.
Let's see what you three can make of that.
(# Fanfare) "Be it known to all here assembled in the field" - What's going on? - A herald, from Tudor.
"that if they will instantly disperse and go to their homes, "they shall receive a full and free pardon.
" (Humphrey laughs) He offered that after Bosworth! "of the words of His Holiness the Pope" - The Pope! - You can't attack a herald.
"Be it known to all that our well-beloved Henry Tudor "is the undoubted King of the English.
"The heirs of his body, born in wedlock to him and our dear daughter Elizabeth of York "are the undoubted heirs to the throne, "and all who take arms against him are rebels, "and if they persist, shall be excommunicated.
" - So, he's beaten us.
- Yes.
I tried to talk to the men, but they wouldn't listen.
They've got no respect for Henry Tudor, but the Pope that's another matter.
They didn't say anything, they just went home.
We had everything on our side.
Just as we had at Bosworth.
How the devil does he do it? He's got no right to the crown.
As for power Jasper Tudor, who's been hacking around the battlefields of England for the past 40 years? Oxford, whose sole claim to fame is that he hadn't got the wit to change sides, when the last real Lancastrian heir was dead? Lincoln, who wants to be king himself? Is that power? It's a conglomeration of weakness.
(Humphrey laughs) He's beaten us with a scrap of paper.
No.
No, he's beaten us with the one thing we couldn't match.
He's beaten us with the power of the Church.
"Stabulo bulentes" (Loud knocking) (Knocking continues) - Who are you? What do you want? - We demand sanctuary.
Who are you? What is it, Brother Mark? Father Abbot, these men are demanding sanctuary.
Abbot Sante Lord Lovell sent us.
All who seek sanctuary within the precincts of this holy place are entitled to receive it, by the law of God, and of the Church.
And in Bristol? What kind of welcome did you receive there? - Rather chilly.
- Oh? They said that trade in the city was very bad.
The shipyards were in decay.
I told them they must start building ships again, and that I would pay for them.
When I rode out of the city they cheered me fervently.
I'm not surprised.
- So, the progress was a success.
- Yes.
Yes, it was.
Worth the risk? Yes, Mother.
Worth the risk.
How is my wife? - She seems better.
- Do the doctors think she can carry the child? There is no reason why she should not.
It is in the hands of God.
- Like the Staffords.
- Harry! Is that? Oh, yes.
Thank you, Fox.
- Is that the total cost? - Yes, my Lord.
It will mean borrowing from the City of London again.
They should have no objection.
We repaid their last loan, much to their surprise.
Is it true? Humphrey Stafford and his brother are in sanctuary at Abingdon? Yes.
Having broken out of sanctuary at Colchester, to take the field against me.
But they are still in sanctuary.
Is that not so, My Lord Bishop? Yes, Madam.
They are in sanctuary.
And can't be touched? - The laws of the Church forbid it.
- Laws? Or only custom? Have you ever played hopscotch? I used to play it in the courtyard at Pembroke, and in Brittany.
It had a different name there, but it was the same game.
You play it on stone slabs.
And you hop from one to the other.
If you get round the course - hopping, you see - you're allowed to designate any square you choose as your particular sanctuary.
Then when you come round again, you can put both feet down there, and have a rest before going on.
Only, it must be the square you chose beforehand.
You can't just pick any square you like, and call it sanctuary.
But - now tell me if I'm right.
If a place is already designated, then it is sanctuary.
Yes.
Unless there come to be too many of them, and it spoils the game.
Then you have to change the rules.
"Umnibus in sceleribus qualibus quumquae.
" That's enough for today.
Thomas, we shall make a scholar of you yet.
No, don't say that, Abbot! It's taken me three years to make a soldier of him.
He can hardly practice his soldiering inside the abbey.
No, but I don't want him to forget it, just when it might be of some use to him again.
I've heard from Lord Lovell.
Is he still in Lancashire? Yes, Abbot, he is.
But he hopes to make his way to Flanders.
He suggests that you and I, Thomas, are ready to meet him there.
- But you said the ports would be watched.
- There are ways, Thomas.
There are ways.
Lord Lovell has been in touch with Margaret of Burgundy.
She is willing to support an invasion to put the young Earl of Warwick on the throne.
Sir Humphrey, you came to this place to find a refuge, not to form a center of conspiracy.
You might say that Henry Tudor is conspiring to keep the rightful crown from the rightful king.
I will not chop logic with you.
You know the rights of sanctuary as well as I do And I know that when the Guild of the Holy Cross marched at Bosworth, they went with your blessing.
That may be so, but King Richard was killed in the battle and the Pope has named King Henry as our lawful king.
Even a king has no jurisdiction within these walls.
True, Sir Humphrey.
But I have.
And I say the rights of sanctuary do not include the right to conspire.
Certainly not in my presence.
(Laughs) Do you think we'll really get out of here? - When we want to, why not? - The King's men will be watching.
As they were at Colchester, but we escaped from there.
What do you want to do, Thomas? Sit around here and read Latin books for the rest of your life? - Now, what is this? - It's a history of the abbey.
"Sanctuarium in perpet" Now what is this, Thomas? The king of the Mercians decreed that the abbey should be a place of sanctuary in perpetuity.
I'm very glad to hear it.
But we shan't need it for quite as long as that.
Where shall we go? I told you, Flanders.
To wait for Lord Lovell.
- And plan an invasion? - Yes, Thomas.
- Humphrey.
- Yes, Thomas? Henry Tudor has had the crown now for a year.
The Earl of Lincoln is a member of his council.
The Earl of Warwick is in the Tower and he's only a boy, anyway.
If we get rid of Tudor, whom do we put in his place? Well, let's see.
The Earl of Warwick may be released.
The Earl of Lincoln may even change his mind.
Never fear, Thomas.
We'll find someone.
- But shouldn't we care who is king? - We do.
We know we don't want Henry Tudor.
See here, Thomas.
In every country there is a source of power.
And men look at that power and say to themselves, "Can I draw on that for my own good?" Now if they can, then they give it their support.
But if they can't, then they change it for another.
Henry Tudor is useless to us as a source of power.
It is too late for us to change sides now.
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting rid of him.
And make no mistake, Thomas, we are not the only ones.
Northumberland! - My Lord of Lincoln.
- You're back in London.
Just for a few months, to report to the King upon matters in the north.
We haven't met since before Well, it's some months since we met.
Tell me, did you see the Earl of Warwick when you were in the Tower? Yes, many times.
He came to Mass in the chapel every Sunday.
- Did you speak to him? - No, there was no opportunity.
But you're certain it was Warwick? Well, you know him - are you certain? One boy is very much like another.
It looked like Warwick, as I remember him.
Yes, I am certain it was Warwick.
Why do you ask? Well, the boy is my cousin.
Naturally I take an interest in his welfare.
Naturally.
Have you heard about the King's order? - Order? - I thought you would be the first to know.
But why should I? - You're very close to him.
- Am I? No one is close to the King.
Except perhaps his uncle, and even he I think as long as he lives, no one will be close to this king.
Tell me, what is this new order? - The banning of personal liveries.
- What? God's blood! Oxford, is this true? - About the liveries? - Yes, does he really mean to do it? My Lord of Bedford? - You may say he is determined upon it.
- But the nobles have always had the right to livery of men-at-arms, it is a right which goes back to William of Normandy.
My men have always worn livery, and I must say I dislike the idea of the new order as much as you do.
Then we must resist it.
What does my Lord of Bedford feel? Disinclined to quarrel over the color of a man's coat.
I suppose, as the King's uncle, he thinks the King's livery is his.
What of this French idea of the King to the King's yeomen? There's fifty men wearing his livery.
No, that's a bodyguard, to guard the King's person.
We're supposed to keep armed retainers, ready to fight for the King's need.
What are we to dress them in, leather jerkins, like pot boys? We have the right to put our followers in our own livery, and we must maintain it.
Ah.
Ready, Uncle? Well they're assembled, but I would hardly call them ready.
- To accept the liveries order, I mean.
- You think they won't agree? Well, I suppose you might buy their support.
We reward loyalty, we don't buy it.
(Laughs) Well, what about Lincoln? - Have you rewarded him? - No.
Richard of Gloucester made him his heir, that should be enough for him.
But he didn't inherit! Is that my fault? My Lords.
We have called you together today to discuss two matters, one important, and one of little moment.
My Lords, Sir Humphrey Stafford and his brother have gone into hiding near Abingdon.
As you know, the Guild of the Holy Cross of Abingdon followed the traitor Francis Lovell to fight for the usurper, Richard of Gloucester.
So in taking refuge there, the Staffords have become a danger to the security of the realm.
And it is our wish that they be arrested and brought to London.
Your Majesty, the Staffords have taken sanctuary in the abbey at Culham.
So I believe.
But they are rebels.
They have broken the law.
Is the Church above the law, my Lord Bishop? The Church is subject to the law of God.
Then it should render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
What does my council think? Should the Church be above the law of the land? No, My Lord, it should not.
No one should be above the law.
Not even the King? My Lord of Lincoln, I agree with you.
No one should, neither King nor Church.
Nor nobles.
Which was the reason for King Edward's law banning private liveries.
- The right to livery is an ancient right! - Private liveries mean private armies, and private armies mean private laws.
Exactly what are you proposing, My Lord? We are asking that all our nobles take an oath, that their followers will no longer wear livery, or be forced to swear allegiance to them.
- Not forced? - The allegiance of all his subjects belongs to the king alone.
The knights and squires of Parliament will be asked to swear an oath to obey the same law.
Not many knights and squires have liveried followers.
(Henry) Which is just as well.
What a state the country would be in if every petty squire had his own army, which wore his uniform and was forced to swear allegiance to him and not to the king.
Much the same, I'm sure you'll agree, my Lord of Lincoln, as if every abbey sheltered rebels who came in and out at will to commit crimes against the realm.
My Lords and my Lord Bishop, I hope we shall have your support on these two matters.
I shall ask the Earl of Oxford and the Earl of Lincoln to supervise the oath-taking.
Which was the matter of little importance? You must ask the Earl of Lincoln, or Fox.
I do not believe that Abbot Sante will let those men go.
(Henry) Do you not? Well, I'm sure the Earl of Lincoln or the Earl of Oxford will like to supply a private army, to break into the abbey and take them.
My Lord, that would set the power of the Nobles above the power of the Church.
Yes.
Well, what do you suggest? (Loud knocking) Open! Open, in the name of the King! - Shall I open the door, Father? - Certainly not.
But Father, they said "in the name of the King.
" Open, in the name of the King! The King's name has already entered.
I doubt if he is here in person.
- Bar the door, Brother Mark.
- Yes, Father.
The Bishop of Exeter is here to speak to the Abbot.
My Lord Abbot, you have here two rebellious subjects of his majesty the King.
The Abbot won't give up so easily.
He followed us to London.
Yes, but he's not in the Tower.
Exactly.
If we were criminals and he was harboring us, then the King would've had to put him in the Tower too.
But he did not.
The Abbot is lodging with the Bishop of Exeter.
And if you ask me, Fox didn't like our arrest any more than the Abbot Sante did.
That didn't stop it! Tudor broke sanctuary to take us.
That means he's setting himself up against the power of the Church.
He's not strong enough for that.
No one is.
Especially Henry Tudor.
Abbot Sante is here, Your Majesty.
Let him wait.
Your Majesty, - he says he means to appeal to Rome.
- Does he? And if the Pope orders you to release these men, and you refuse, then the Pope may withdraw his support from you.
- Might even excommunicate you.
- That is possible.
Richard.
You and I were friends long before we came to England.
But I have been a churchman longer.
Yes.
Your Majesty, you have held this kingdom with the aid of the Church.
As I won it, with the aid of my wife.
Now I must learn to live with both, without losing my independence.
You cannot be independent of those you need, and you need the Church.
As a man, I need the Church.
As a king you need it a thousand-fold, in the name of all your subjects.
Each man has his individual relationship with the Church, but when I act in the name of all my subjects, I must act as a king.
And think of their safety in the kingdom which I rule.
And will you risk your immortal soul for that? My immortal soul! You threaten me with that? I am your anointed king.
Bearing this realm in my hands is a sacred charge from God, to make a holy sanctuary of it for my people.
Should I let that be destroyed by the Church? Let the Abbot come in.
If you persist in defying the Pope, he may give his support to another claimant to the throne.
- How safe will your subjects be then? - Let the Abbot come in.
Abbot Sante, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, I have heard you spoken of as a religious man.
I've heard the same thing of you.
- Yet you have wronged the Church.
- Have I? Broken into holy sanctuary, as a thief breaks in and robs the poor box.
You have given aid to treason.
- Then put me in the Tower.
- No, no, no.
I think not.
Then release these men whom you have wrongfully arrested.
You have no other choice.
The Bishop of Exeter tells me that I hold this kingdom with the aid of the Church.
Then beware that the Church does not take it away from you.
Threats, Abbot? Threats are for little men, and I think you are not a little man, any more than the Bishop of Exeter is.
Sit down, Abbot.
My Lord Bishop.
My dear Abbot, what is the use of our arguing? You rule a great abbey.
Half the countryside round belongs to you, you even appoint the town bailiff of Abingdon.
You know perfectly well what measures are needed to keep your little kingdom safe.
They do not include sacrilege.
Is it not sacrilege to use a holy place as a center of conspiracy? This letter from Francis Lovell was found on Humphrey Stafford's person.
It concerns a conspiracy to invade this country with the aid of Margaret of Burgundy.
But I see, you knew that.
Did you also know that they arranged an attempt on my life? Or perhaps they did not mention that, in sanctuary.
Abbot Sante, as one practical man to another, if you were king, could you contemplate a situation in which every abbey in the land harbored rebels who were only waiting for an opportunity to break out, commit crimes of violence, and then before they could be recaptured, take sanctuary again elsewhere? That is a matter for the Church, and the Church must deal with it.
But my dear Abbot, that's all I'm asking.
For the Church to deal with it.
You said the choice was mine, but you're wrong.
The choice is yours.
Choice? Whether to hold these men, or to let them go.
The man who commits treason is an enemy of the realm, and those who shelter him must partake of his crime.
Can the Church afford to live at enmity with the realm? The realm, Your Majesty, or the King? They are the same.
Then can the King afford to live at enmity with the Church? No, he cannot.
That is why I say the choice is yours.
Then I have only one choice, to defend the right of sanctuary.
Your Majesty.
- With the aid of the Pope? - Certainly.
And if the Pope seeks to impose upon the Abbey an appointment of which you disapprove - it has been known to happen - would you then seek my help against the Pope? Are you threatening me, Your Majesty? I never threaten, I may occasionally warn.
There is only one way for you to live at enmity with your king, and that is to put yourself and your abbey in the power of the Pope.
The absolute power of the Pope.
Is that what you want? My dear Abbot, I will make a bargain with you.
Sanctuary for every crime, except treason.
And then you and I will stand together, if need be, against the power of Rome.
- Your Majesty, surely - But only if need be.
Well, Abbot? They sought sanctuary, and they were promised safety.
If they receive it, guilty as they are of treason, neither King, nor people, nor Church will ever be safe again.
The younger brother, Thomas Stafford.
If there was an attempt on your life he knew nothing of it.
They are in the hands of the law.
The law will decide.
- Perhaps they don't want to race.
- It's good for them.
Keeps them in condition.
Go on, scamper! Fresh air's as good for beetles as it is for men.
They don't want to scamper, just to enjoy it.
Ah, it's good to be outside again, even if it is only on the ledge of the Tower.
I suppose this is as far as we shall ever get, now.
- Oh, I don't know.
We're not dead yet.
- Aren't we? No, of course not.
We may be lodged in the Tower, but we still come under the protection of the Church.
Yes, if Henry had us killed while we were still technically in sanctuary, he'd then come up against the power of Rome.
And he has enough enemies in this country without having that.
But even if he didn't kill us, he would never release us now.
I'm not so sure, he pardoned the Earl of Surrey.
- And he's still in the Tower.
- But only for the moment.
Yes Yes, to get out of an awkward situation with the Church, Tudor could pardon us.
- We then submit.
- We do? Of course.
Listen.
Henry doesn't want to kill people.
He's executed very few.
And why? Because he's a tender-hearted lover of his fellow men? No, not a bit of it.
Because he's clever.
Ah yes, I'll grant him that.
He's a clever politician.
It's against his policy to kill men, because every man he kills must be an enemy.
And this man, this King, doesn't want to admit that he has any enemies.
That's what we have on our side - the fact that he doesn't want to kill us.
Add to that the fact that we are still under the protection of the Church.
- Yes, and he really might release us! - Yes, I think so.
Henry pardons us, we submit, and in due course he releases us.
- And after that? - Well, we'll see.
If he gives us back our lands, perhaps makes me Earl of Devonshire He would never do that! He knows we're his enemies.
So was Lincoln.
Now, he's on the King's council.
Don't you see, Thomas? That's his method.
It's, "Why bother about friends? You can rely on them.
"It's the enemies whom you must cultivate.
" Yes, by showing ourselves to be his enemies, we may have done better than we knew.
And supposing he doesn't let us keep the land? Well, we think again.
It's all a game, Thomas.
It's all a gamble.
We can go to Flanders and wait for Lord Lovell, or see how firm the Earl of Lincoln's allegiance is.
The Earl of Surrey comes to take the air.
- My Lord.
- Sir Humphrey Stafford, I believe.
My brother Thomas, my Lord.
It's on days like these that one would prefer to be lodged out of London.
Still, at least there's a nice fresh breeze from the river here.
Is that the Earl of Warwick's room, my Lord? Yes.
Poor boy, it must be very dull for him indoors, on a day like this.
- Does he never come out, my Lord? - Yes, he has exercise in the yard every day.
If he were bookish, it might not be so bad for him.
But I'm afraid he's no scholar, and time must work very heavily for him.
In Abingdon, we heard the Earl of Warwick was dead.
(Surrey) Dead? And that the boy in the Tower was not Warwick at all.
No, that's not true at all.
I know the Earl of Warwick very well, and I've seen him many times at mass.
You've seen him there, yourself.
No, I'm afraid not.
I've only seen him from a distance.
That is, before I came here.
The rumors were very strong, my Lord.
Rumors are like swallows - they gather, only to disperse.
We must upset our guard if we talk more of idle matters, and I must walk around a bit.
I wish you good fortune when you come before the council tomorrow.
The council? Oh, I'm sorry.
The Tower is like an echoing cave.
Each whisper flies to the ears of all, except to the ears of those most nearly concerned.
I believe the council have given orders for you to appear before them.
I hope all goes well.
Do you deny that you bore arms against the king? No, I don't deny it, my Lord.
And many others did the same.
Some of them, here present.
For since, as he claims, the reign began on August the 21st of last year, all those who fought for Richard at the battle of Bosworth were guilty of bearing arms against the King.
But you persisted in the offense, - and added conspiracy and attempted murder.
- I deny that! These are charges to which I do not have to answer.
My brother and I were wrongfully arrested.
And that being so, there is not a court in the land has the right to try us.
You were arrested on a warrant duly signed by the King.
We were arrested in sanctuary, my Lord.
Where the King's writ does not run.
There is no sanctuary for treason.
There is at Culham Abbey.
My brother's learning is better than mine.
Will you read it, Thomas? "Rex merciorum decrevit Abbatium Culhamensem "sanctuarium in perpetuum umnibus in sceleribus qualibus quumque" Perhaps I should translate for my Lords! The King of the Mercians decreed that the Abbey house at Culham should be in perpetuity a place of sanctuary for all crimes! You are not living under the law of the King of the Mercians, but under the law of His Majesty King Henry VII.
Humphrey Stafford, Thomas Stafford, you are summoned to appear before the Court of the King's Bench, there to answer the charges laid upon you.
Humphrey Stafford, you have been found guilty of treason.
And the judgment of this court is that you shall be taken from here to a place of safekeeping.
Thence you shall be drawn to the place of execution from your prison, as being not worthy any more to walk upon the face of the Earth.
There you shall be strangled, being hanged up by the neck between Heaven and Earth, as deemed unworthy of both, or either.
And your body shall be quartered, and the quarters set up in some high place for the view and detestation of men, and to become a prey to the fowls of the air.
Thomas Stafford, you have been found guilty of treason.
And the judgment of this court is that you shall be taken from here to a place of safekeeping There was an attempt on his life.
It was planned, it did not succeed.
You knew of it? Not from the King.
How did you hear of it? One of my gentlemen was at the trial of the Staffords.
He said that Humphrey Stafford admitted it in court.
Don't speak of it to the King.
At least, not publicly.
He believes that a king rules by the love of his people.
If he admits there are those who wish him dead, others might question his right to rule.
The people do love him.
They cheer him wherever he goes, but he must know that he has enemies.
He does know it - he does not admit it.
To live always in two worlds, one consisting of the truth and the other of what you allow to be true Isn't that most dangerous for a man? Dangerous for a man, perhaps.
But for a king, most necessary.
For a queen too, I suppose.
(Henry) Madam, we have kept you waiting and we ask your pardon.
You are ready for the journey? You're looking pale.
- Are you well enough to travel? - I'm feeling quite well, My Lord.
What do you say, Mother? Do the doctors think it wise? If you like, we could delay a day or two.
But no longer - the child must be born at Winchester.
Why Winchester, my Lord? (Oxford) Well, the seat of King Arthur! My ancestor Cadwaladr, Prince of Wales, was descended from King Arthur.
Oh, I see.
- Oxford, you will be traveling with the Queen.
- My Lord.
The Countess of Richmond has arranged a special litter.
Now, My Lord, you will travel slowly.
Only two or three hours a day, if necessary, and stop immediately if the Queen feels tired.
I shan't be tired, My Lord.
But if you are, you must tell Lord Oxford at once.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- And send a rider on ahead, - to make sure that the road is not too rough.
- Henry, everything will be all right.
Yes, yes.
I will take care of your child, my Lord.
Want to borrow my comb? It's all right, I'm only cold.
Why do they always arrange these things in the early morning? Thomas, I'm sorry.
- You needn't be.
I'm glad.
- Glad? Glad we did it.
And glad that it's all over.
Can I have your comb? You were right.
What did I want to do with my life? Sit in an abbey, reading useless books in Latin? - Perhaps you did? - No No, I didn't.
I wanted to be part of whatever was going on.
And this was the thing that mattered most - who was going to be king? To have a hand in that - that was exciting.
That was making your life count for something.
Except that in the end, we lost.
- That doesn't matter.
- Doesn't it? Not to me.
It was taking part in it which was the important thing.
Only the trouble was, I always thought too much.
I mean, I thought too much about the dangers, and what might happen.
And now it's happened, and it's wonderful.
There's nothing to be afraid of any more.
(Laughs) Oh, Thomas, Thomas.
I suppose you might say, this is the first time I've been in it with my whole heart.
(Footsteps approaching) Yes, well it's as good a time as any, Thomas.
(Keys turn in lock) (Crowd chatter) Desireatam tui omnipotenses et dimisis They say the anticipation is the worst.
- I wish I could go first.
- No! No.
I'll show you how it's done.
(Man) A pardon! A pardon from the King! (Herald) It had pleased the King to pardon Thomas Stafford.
(Crowd murmurs) Thank Heaven for that.
You'll have time to read more books, Thomas.
Goodbye, Thomas.
So, he took one and left the other.
Yes.
He felt that the younger brother was under the domination of the elder.
Oh, yes.
Undoubtedly.
But you still think the King was unwise? Unwise? Oh no, very prudent.
- Too prudent.
- What do you mean by that? There's something cold-blooded about it, isn't there? Killing just those you need to, not too many, not too few.
Not like a king, it's more like some kind of merchant, doling out lives like pennies.
You and I should be glad that the King is not more generous.
Still, one gets tired of being grateful.
Even for one's life.
I must thank Your Majesty for sparing the life of Thomas Stafford.
The future will show whether we were right or wrong.
Your Majesty has something in common with Humphrey Stafford.
- Oh? - He was a great gambler.
I often used to reprove him for it, but in vain.
And do you now reprove me for gambling? No, Your Majesty.
After so many years of instant mistrust, instant judgment and execution, to gamble upon the loyalty of men seems, to me, a very regal quality.
Abbot Sante, I will place one more bet - on you.
You are a widely traveled man, I think, and you speak several languages.
If we should want an ambassador in the future, to travel abroad, would you go for us? - Willingly, Your Majesty, if I can be of use.
- Good.
Oh, one more thing.
When the Guild of the Holy Cross of Abingdon marched to Bosworth field, they went with your blessing.
And when Sir Francis Lovell's rising failed, he sent his fellow conspirators to you for sanctuary, and when we asked for them, you refused to give them up.
Before you return to your abbey, we'll ask you to enter into a recognizance for your good behavior, of 2,000 marks.
2,000 marks? But Your Majesty, it will take me years to gather such a sum.
Oh, I think not.
Just any spare time you have from governing your abbey.
You see, we are not such a gambler as might appear.
Sir Thomas.
I was glad to hear the King had pardoned your life.
Were you, my Lord? I was not.
Come now, life lost and then regained is always welcome.
That's something I have learnt myself.
But what do you do with a life, when you have it? First, grow accustomed to having it, and that's not easy.
For it means growing accustomed to being alive when others are dead.
At least there is always unfinished work to be done.
Will you take a piece of advice? Don't blame the King for your brother's death.
Whom else should I blame? Who can say? This is a kind of game we're playing.
Those who play it know the rules, and pay the penalties.
The King spared your life because he considered that you didn't know the rules, and therefore shouldn't pay the penalty.
But he won't hold that opinion more than once, and Lord Lovell is still a power in the land.
One intercepted letter from Lord Lovell to you, one letter from you to Lord Lovell The axe is only poised, you know.
It could fall.
I am not afraid of it now.
All the more reason to take care.
Being afraid is what keeped one alive, believe me.
But just to stay alive? It's an ambition of sorts, my dear young friend.
- I am not so young! - No, of course not, my dear friend.
My Lord If the King releases you, and I think he will, I suggest you get a horse, mount it, and ride to Devon as fast as you can.
Because luck is running Henry Tudor's way at the moment.
And you should never gamble against a man who is winning.
Did you find the King? He's out hunting.
Messengers have been sent after him.
- How is the Queen? - Everything is going as it should.
But it is very early.
- Come and sit down.
You're tired.
- No, I'm not tired, I It's just that she's never been strong.
And if anything should go wrong It must be this child, uniting York and Lancaster, if the country is ever to be at peace.
If the Queen should die Or have a still-born child I must go back.
(Door opens) - How is she? - Everything is going well.
But she's not due yet, not for another month.
That is all to the good.
The child will be smaller, the birth easier.
There is no reason to have anything to worry about, that anything will go wrong.
What if it does? Until I have a son, I am powerless.
- I can hardly exist, I can't build - Patience, Harry, patience.
I've waited for 14 years for you to become King.
You can wait, if need be, three, four years to have a son.
- Three of four years? - Well, not so long, pray God.
(Baby crying) Which? Which is it? (Lady Margaret) You have a son You have a son! - He is small, and he is perfect! - (Man) How is the Queen? She is well.
- Have you sent for Fox? - Yes, my Lord.
All the councilors must be sent for, we must have him christened immediately.
- In London? - No, no.
He must be christened here, at King Arthur's seat.
The church bells will be ringing all over England that day.
Can I see him? - I'll bring him out.
- No, no.
I Oh - How absurd.
- Absurd? Everyone on the Earth is engaged in a struggle for power.
Everyone? Even if it's only the power to remain alive.
And now that little object there, gives me more power than ten armies.
He does? Another life, standing behind my own.
Another head to wear the crown, if mine should cease to exist.
This is the most powerful being in our kingdom.
And you gave him to me.
How can I ever repay you? There is one way.
You shall be crowned as soon as you're strong enough.
No, not that way.
I can't believe it! When Lovell and those like him look towards the throne now, they'd see two lives instead of one to block their way.
That should make 'em think again.
As long as it doesn't make them think, "It's now or never.
" (Both laugh) My Lords, I present to you Prince Arthur.
Our son, and heir to England.
(# Fanfare)