Behind Boleyn

XVIII - Magical Dusting

King Henry gently stroked the cat's back as it purred beneath his touch. He chuckled at the animal's obvious contentment. "You like that, kitty?" he murmured. A smile touched his lips when a soft mew answered him. Settling into his chair even more as he watched the flames flicker in the fireplace, he rubbed his eyes, tired from the fire's warmth. He enjoyed a beer before dinner was served. A drop spilled over the edge as he put it on the table. Without a thought, he collected it on his fingertip and put it to his lips.

A knock at the door startled the king from his tranquillity, causing the cat to jump from his lap. "Who is it?"

"Your Majesty, it is Cardinal Wolsey."

"Come in then, Cardinal, my dear friend."

As Wolsey entered, the cat scampered out the door and down the hallway. Paying the creature no heed, Wolsey approached the king where he sat in his chair.

"My king, there are some matters we need to discuss."

"As is there always, Cardinal. But, come and sit. Pray tell, what troubles you this fine evening?"

The cardinal obeyed and sat beside the king's imposing figure. Even sitting, the king was impressive to behold. Wolsey cleared his throat before he began. "The Pope has some concerns with respect to the teachings of Martin Luther, and rightfully so, I'm afraid. I, myself, have seen his literature around various towns within England. It is of some concern. Once people start getting their own ideas about God...well...the control we currently enjoy could be in some jeopardy."

The king frowned at these words. "Control, Wolsey? Should we not be far more concerned with the immortal souls of our citizens? Why, the spread of such heresy is cause for alarm."

The Cardinal pursed his lips with some frustration. It never ceased to amaze him how deeply the Church's teaching affected even the most powerful individuals. "But of course, my king, of course. What I mean to say, though, is that some of the common folk are learning to read."

"Interesting..."

"Not interesting, my lord king, no. This is dangerous. This Luther fellow is encouraging people to learn to read so that they might read the bible themselves..."

"...and have a better relationship with God? What an interesting proposition" the king interrupted."... still... heresy," he added when he saw the expression of Wolsey's face.

Wolsey stopped, trying to contain his annoyance. He shook his head slightly as if to clear his face of emotion. "Your Majesty, if I may...once the people start reading the bible, what is to stop them from reading other materials? What is to stop them from writing their own materials? This is a very dangerous development, my lord. Very dangerous for you."

The king raised his eyebrows at this, surprise clear on his face. "Dangerous for me? How so? Has the clergy been hiding something from us all? What do you have to fear if they read the bible for themselves? Please enlighten me, Wolsey."

"I beg your pardon, but if I may speak freely..." Wolsey pleaded with his king and relaxed his shoulders noticeably when the king nodded his consent. "The control you hold over England stems from the common inability of people to think for themselves. Once they start reading, they can learn any number of things. They will start to question what they read...what they see... what they 'know'. An uncertain population can be a dangerous population. Right now, these things are controlled by the clergy. By the noble class, as it were. Once we lose this control, who can say where things will go?"

The king looked at Wolsey as he spoke, the real danger becoming more clear to him. "What you say makes sense. What do you and the pope suggest we do to contain this scourge of ...literacy?"