Wolf Hall

Pope Clement dies, and the emperor does not invade. King Henry offers Thomas Lord Chancellor Audley’s position. Thomas instead considers the vacant position of Master of the Rolls. The house of the Master is ancient; it was a refuge for Jews who converted to Christianity and forfeited their possessions to the crown.

Thinking of the old building makes him think of Austin Friars, where he holds a ninety-nine-year lease on the land. He has steadily been constructing gardens, buildings, and a treasure room. However, Austin Friars is steadily ceasing to feel like home as his nieces, nephews, and wards marry and plan to move to houses of their own. Thomas decides “my home will be where my clerks and files are; otherwise, my home will be with the king, where he is” (541).

Thomas thinks of his land holdings and finances. He has steadily been acquiring more and more property. His financial net is spread wide: not only does he fund many of the king’s enterprises, but many noblemen are indebted to him. He has developed a reputation as a loyal friend and benefactor to those who do right by him, though talk of his low birth still circulates.

The political situation in Ireland and Scotland is not good. A treaty has been worked out with Scotland, but Ireland is in revolt. The king thinks of sending Norfolk, but it seems futile. Richard suggests a campaign in Ireland, with which Thomas does not agree. Henry likes Richard for his jousting prowess. The king fears the pains of aging. He fears the people’s continued love for Katherine, worrying that she might escape and raise an army.

Thomas More’s health seems to be failing. Thomas allows him visits with his daughter, Meg Roper. More is “required to swear to the Act of Supremacy” but refuses, more adamant than ever (546). More’s possessions are forfeited to the crown.

Thomas visits More in the Tower of London. They discuss the failing Irish campaign and Tyndale’s status in Europe. More has so many spies in Europe that he jokes to Thomas that Tyndale would be safer in London, “Under yourself, the protector of error” (547). Thomas tries his best to convince More to swear the oath. He paints a vivid picture of More back home with his wife and daughter in his old way of living. More thinks he should write a play. Thomas recalls the time at Cardinal Morton’s house, years ago, when he saw More reading a dictionary. More had laughed at him. Now, the former Lord Chancellor does not remember this scene, but he comments that their roles have reversed.

Thomas finds the king’s circle in hysterics. Mary Carey has conceived a child, rumored to be Henry’s bastard. She claims it is William Stafford’s child, and has married him. Anne takes it as a personal affront because she has just lost a child. She is furious. She wants to disinherit Mary from the Boleyn family. 

Thomas and Jane Rochford go to Mary’s chambers. Jane Seymour and Mark Smeaton, the musician, help her pack her possessions. Jane Rochford delights on Mary’s downfall, and Mary turns on her. She tells Jane Rochford that Jane does not understand love, only envy. She pities her and Anne, saying Anne is “only able to keep her man with an old whore’s tricks” (554). Jane storms out.

Mary goes to fetch a book of poetry. Thomas and Jane Seymour are alone. Thomas thinks, “Liz, take your dead hand off me. Do you grudge me this one little girl, so small, so thin, so plain?” (555). Jane claims the king has set his sights on Lady Shelton. Jane is going back home to the country, to Wolf Hall.

Thomas commissions a painting of Solomon and Sheba from Hans Holbein as a New Year’s gift for Henry. He meets with the painter. Thomas and Hans discuss illustrating an English Bible with Henry’s portrait on the cover page. It is, perhaps, still too dangerous to do this. They also discuss the tapestry the king gave to Thomas. Hans knows that the woman is based on Anselma, the woman on the continent with whom Thomas had a relationship long ago.

Thomas meets with the two Jewish converts left at the house of the Master of Scrolls, Katherine Whetely and Mary Cook. He brings them food.

Mary Shelton, in exile, complains of a lack of money. Thomas arranges an annuity for her.

Alice More, Thomas More’s wife, comes to visit Thomas. Alice wants an audience with the king, but Thomas says it is impossible: thinking of More would upset the king when he has more important matters to deal with. Alice is in dire financial straits, and she feels alienated from Meg, who is More’s daughter from another marriage.

Gregory comes home from Rowland Lee’s household for Christmas. They discuss marriage and the fortunes of Henry Percy. Thomas thinks of dissolving Percy’s earldom: he is in deep debt and is either ill or mad.

The king gives Thomas a brand-new title: Viceregent in Spirituals. This will give him vast power in the structure of the new church, including “the power to visit, inspect and reform monasteries; to close them, if need be” (564).

Thomas and Chapuys maintain a terse public relationship, but a friendly private one. Chapuys tells Thomas that the emperor would be friends with England; he hears rumors that Henry’s love for Anne is waning. Thomas tells Chapuys that the king is preoccupied with war and has no time for love.

Thomas comes down with a fever. He hallucinates the figures of people living and dead, close and far. He is asked to confess; he thinks “my sins are my strength … the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing” (568). Thomas is attended to by Dr. Butts and visited by his friends.

The king himself visits. It is a great honor, especially for the women of Austin Friars, who Henry flatters. Thomas is pleased by Henry’s presence. After dinner, Henry talks to Thomas about his past. When he leaves, Johane tells Thomas in confidence that she believes Henry is frightened of him.

Norfolk and Suffolk visit him. Norfolk complains about the ailment of age and gives Thomas a holy amulet; in the hall, they hear him ranting that he was told Thomas was in worse condition than he is. Suffolk sells two estates to pay a debt to the king.

Thomas finally recovers. He finds that the king has cropped his hair to hide his increasing baldness. Thomas and the other councilors do the same out of solidarity, and it becomes a trend throughout the country.

Four monks are put to death for treason: they have refused the Oath of Supremacy and will be hanged, drawn, and quartered. Henry wants to attend, but fears being recognized. He sends Henry Fitzroy in his stead to accustom him to the sight of slaughter.

Thomas visits More once again. More sees himself as a sacrifice to appease God. He fears for England and its king; he has never ceased being a loyal subject. More does not pity himself, nor does he pity anyone else. His decision to die is his alone.

Two days later, Thomas, Audley, Wiltshire, and Charles Brandon return to the Tower of London for More’s final answer. More speaks of Tyndale, saying the translator has been betrayed and captured. More refuses to speak on the oath: if he says no, he will be guilty by law; if he says yes, he will be guilty in the eyes of his God. More’s books are taken away. Richard Riche visits him, and in the course of conversation, More lets slip that the power to make a king head of the church does not lie with Parliament—implying that that power belongs to the pope. This admission is treason.  

Thomas tells More to beg for the king’s mercy, as it will lessen the pain of his death. More does not care; his thoughts are fixed on heaven. Thomas says that he is glad he is not like More, who sees no hope of fixing this world. Thomas takes great offense at this; his whole life has been dedicated to fixing the ills of England. More is unfazed. Thomas tells More that if he were king, he would have left More alive, in prison, to repent of the violence of his life. More asks for his death to be clean. Thomas leaves him, “crying out, shuddering, beating the table” (591).

More stands trial in front of a jury of his peers. The hand-picked jury is well aware of More’s past infractions, which include spying and torture. The night before the trial, Dick Purser, a young member of Thomas’ household, asks to attend in Thomas’ train. More once whipped Dick in front of the whole household “for saying the host was a piece of bread” (592). Recalling the utter humiliation in front of the women of the house makes him break down in tears. He takes heart in knowing “soon he will have outlived his tormentor” (593).

More’s haggard appearance shocks the crowd. Thomas thinks, “I remembered you, Thomas More, but you didn’t remember me. You never even saw me coming” (594).

During the trial, More turns on Richard Riche, whom he knew as a young man. This is a bad move; the jury does not like it. The jury needs only fifteen minutes of deliberation to decide More’s fate: he is guilty. Upon hearing the verdict, More defends himself, but it is not a new argument. Audley says that the court will petition the king to grant More a merciful death.

After More is executed, Rafe brings More’s prayer book that he had kept until the end of his life to Thomas. Thomas wants it sent to Meg, More’s daughter. He has Richard go see the master of London bridge, instructing him to allow Meg to pay for the burial of More’s head.

Thomas recalls More’s execution. More was escorted to the execution block by Humphrey Monmouth, who More tried to ruin for his connection with Tyndale. More kneels and at the fall of the axe, his “corpse seems to have leapt back from the stroke and folded like a stack of old clothes” (603).

Thomas thinks that there is something he has forgotten, and jokes that he needs Giulio Camillo’s memory machine. He answers letters and checks the king’s itinerary: the court will be traveling west. Thomas hopes the queen will conceive again.

Thomas plots the king’s procession. Rafe’s father comes around and accepts Rafe and Helen’s marriage—with Thomas’ help. Thomas charts their route, giving them time to make an extra stop. He writes Rafe: “Early September. Five days. Wolf Hall” (604).