“Anarchy”
In this episode: Philip (2), Waleran (2), King Stephen (2)
There's Gloucester.
The king's bastard? He will never inherit.
There's the king's legitimate daughter, Maud.
A child. And female.
Then, I suppose, there's me. But I'm only the king's nephew.
And... grandson of William the Conqueror. This shipwreck puts you in direct line to the throne, my good Stephen, which we will support when the time comes. Since, unlike the king, you hold the Church in high esteem.
There are whispers. The shipwreck was quite convenient.
Rumours born of jealousy, Your Eminence. What happened was ordained by God. It's to the Church's benefit that no one survived.
The grandson of William the Conqueror takes precedence over a bastard.
The king's bastard, whom he loves as much as the son who drowned. How fortunate you weren't on that ship, Stephen.
[Unsheathes his sword] I have no pretensions to the throne.
[Unsheathes his sword] Ah, but the Church behind you does.
[They swordfight until Lord Gloucester has Lord Stephen at his mercy]
And with you and the Pope in power, think how the people will suffer!
Maud, supported by Gloucester and Earl Bartholomew, is secretly raising an army against Stephen to regain the throne. Stephen must know of their treachery. But if word came from me, Gloucester would have me hanged.
You're asking me to do this? I'd never get an audience.
Your bishop would. If Maud wins, the Church will be the loser. Politically, we must back Stephen.
But I don't believe in politics, Francis. I believe in the will of God.
It's the Church's will, Philip. Second to God, remember?
So becoming Prior of Kingsbridge would satisfy your ambition? Well, be direct, Philip. As the bishop's representative I can sway the election. If that's what you want from me, say so.
[Chuckles] Yes.
Good, good. But politics is a bargain between beggars. When the bishop dies here, the monks here elect the new one.
So if you make me prior, I, when the time comes, make you bishop?
These quotes come from Wikiquote's The Pillars of the Earth pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
