A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Leo McKern: Thomas Cromwell

Photos 

Quotes 

• Sir Thomas More : You threaten like a dockside bully.

  Cromwell : How should I threaten?

  Sir Thomas More : Like a minister of state. With justice.

  Cromwell : Oh, justice is what you're threatened with.

  Sir Thomas More : Then I am not threatened.

• Sir Thomas More : [More has been found guilty of treason, and now for the first time breaks his years-long adamant silence on Henry VIII's divorce of Queen Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn]  Since the Court has determined to condemn me, God knoweth how, I will now discharge my mind concerning the indictment and the King's title. The indictment is grounded in an act of Parliament which is directly repugnant to the law of God, and his Holy Church, the Supreme Government of which no temporal person may by any law presume to take upon him. This was granted by the mouth of our Savior, Christ himself, to Saint Peter and the Bishops of Rome whilst He lived and was personally present here on earth. It is, therefore, insufficient in law to charge any Christian to obey it. And more to this, the immunity of the Church is promised both in Magna Carta and in the king's own coronation oath!

  Cromwell : Now we plainly see you *are* malicious!

  Sir Thomas More : Not so. I am the king's true subject, and I pray for him and all the realm. I do none harm. I say none harm. I think none harm. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, then in good faith, I long not to live. Nevertheless, it is not for the Supremacy that you have sought my blood, but because I would not bend to the marriage!

• Cromwell : Now, Sir Thomas, you stand on your silence.

  Sir Thomas More : I do.

  Cromwell : But, gentlemen of the jury, there are many kinds of silence. Consider first the silence of a man who is dead. Let us suppose we go into the room where he is laid out, and we listen: what do we hear? Silence. What does it betoken, this silence? Nothing; this is silence pure and simple. But let us take another case. Suppose I were to take a dagger from my sleeve and make to kill the prisoner with it; and my lordships there, instead of crying out for me to stop, maintained their silence. That would betoken! It would betoken a willingness that I should do it, and under the law, they will be guilty with me. So silence can, according to the circumstances, speak! Let us consider now the circumstances of the prisoner's silence. The oath was put to loyal subjects up and down the country, and they all declared His Grace's title to be just and good. But when it came to the prisoner, he refused! He calls this silence. Yet is there a man in this court - is there a man in this country! - who does not know Sir Thomas More's opinion of this title?

  Crowd in court gallery : No!

  Cromwell : Yet how can this be? Because this silence betokened, nay, this silence was, not silence at all, but most eloquent denial!

  Sir Thomas More : Not so. Not so, Master Secretary. The maxim is "Qui tacet consentire": the maxim of the law is "Silence gives consent". If therefore you wish to construe what my silence betokened, you must construe that I consented, not that I denied.

  Cromwell : Is that in fact what the world construes from it? Do you pretend that is what you wish the world to construe from it?

  Sir Thomas More : The world must construe according to its wits; this court must construe according to the law.

• Cromwell : I have evidence that Sir Thomas, while he was a judge, accepted bribes.

  The Duke of Norfolk : What? Goddammit, he was the only judge since Cato who didn't accept bribes! When was there last a Chancellor whose possessions after three years in office totaled one hundred pounds and a gold chain?

• Cromwell : The King wants Sir Thomas to bless his marriage. If Sir Thomas appeared at the wedding, now, it might save us all a lot of trouble.

  The Duke of Norfolk : Aaahh, he won't attend the wedding.

  Cromwell : If I were you, I'd try and persuade him. I really would try... if I were you.

  The Duke of Norfolk : Cromwell, are you threatening me?

  Cromwell : My dear Norfolk... this isn't Spain. This is England.

• Sir Thomas More : You may suppose I have objections. All you know is that I will not swear to it, for which you cannot lawfully harm me further. But if you were right in supposing me to have objections, and right again in supposing my objections to be treasonable, the law would let you cut my head off.

  The Duke of Norfolk : [understanding, with difficulty]  Oh. Yes.

  Cromwell : [a dig at Norfolk]  Oh, well done, Sir Thomas. I've been trying to make that clear to His Grace for some time.

• Cromwell : Sir Thomas More, have you anything to say regarding the King's marriage with Queen Anne?

  Sir Thomas More : I understood I was not to be asked that again.

  Cromwell : Then evidently you understood wrongly. These charges...

  Sir Thomas More : [shouting]  They are terrors for children, Master Secretary, not for me!

  Cromwell : Then know that the King commands me to charge you, in his name, with great ingratitude! And to tell you that there never was, nor could be, so villainous a servant, nor so traitorous a subject, as yourself!

• Cromwell : I know a man who wants to change his woman.

• Cromwell : Are you coming my way, Rich?

• Sir Thomas More : It was from first to last the King's own project.

  Cromwell : The King says not.

  Sir Thomas More : The King knows the truth of it.

• Sir Thomas More : So, I am brought here at last.

  Cromwell : [harshly]  Brought? You've brought yourself to where you stand now.

• The Duke of Norfolk : I still say, let sleeping dogs lie.

  Cromwell : The King does not agree with you.

• Cromwell : Sir Thomas, believe me - no, that's asking too much. But let me tell you all the same: you have no more sincere admirer than myself.

• Richard Rich : What will you do now?

  Cromwell : Whatever's necessary.