A Man for All Seasons Page #32

NORFOLK:
glowers, suspicious, not knowing where the conversation is going now. Sharply. jeering. Eh?

NORFOLK:
Yes!

MORE That’s their nature ?

NORFOLK:
Yes!

MORE:

And that s why you breed them?

NORFOLK:
Yes!

MORE:

It’s so with men I will not give in because I oppose it—not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but I do, I. He goes up to NORFOLK and begins prodding him offensively, and NORFOLK’s temper begins to go.. Is there nowhere in the midst of all this muscle, one single sinew which serves no appetite of Norfolk’s but is. just Norfolk? There is! Give that some exercise my lord! 89

NORFOLK:
(dangerous)

Thomas—

MORE:

For as you stand you’ll go before your Maker ill-conditioned: NORFOLK Now steady, Thomas—

MORE:

And he’ll think that somewhere back along your pedigree—

He pauses, glances apprehensively at his powerful friend, and says: a b*tch got over the wall: NORFOLK simply can’t take it in for a beat. Then galvanically lashes out. MORE ducks without dignity. They freeze thus, MORE down in the wet looking up fearfully at NORFOLK, enormous:.. and splendid. Then NORFOLK turns. We hear his receding footsteps, as MORE rises, shakily, looking sadly after him. Tarns, wrapping his cloak about him, sets off along the towpath. CUT 83 INT. HOUSE OF COMMONS NIGHT

CROMWELL walks swiftly along an obscure brick passage, still carrying the heavy paper, throwing off his rainsoaked cloak, thrusts open an unimportant looking door and is in: The House of Commons in session. An OLD MAN is on his feet, his thin voice, echoing under the vault. The Knights and Burgesses barely heed him, and in any case it is CROMWELL they are waiting for. His quiet entry draws attention, makes them sit up and whisper. OLD MAN falters to silence, thus: OLD MAN

(rhubarb speech as required,

partly audible)

... in consequence of which decay of Guilds, the rough wool coming out of my own County of Yorkshire is now notably amiss, to the great mislike of foreign merchants. The prosperity of England 90

He, last of all, sees CROMWELL, sitting nearby, all eyes on him, looking blankly at OLD MAN who: OLD MAN

... I will defer the rest of my matter till ...

And sits. CROMWELL looks to SPEAKER. SPEAKER nods. CROMWELL rises. CROMWELL

That the loyal Commons here assembled will speedily enact this Bill I doubt not, forasmuch as it concerns the King’s New Title and his marriage with Queen Anne. Both matters pleasing to a loyal subject. He looks up. Hasty murmur of approbation. He nods, infuses an undertone of stern indignation into his voice: But, my masters, we have among us a sort of hypocrite; a brood of paradoxical cheats; discreet traitors and—tOP** DISSOLVE back to MORE on towpath commences.

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