Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford in “Death of a Monarchy”

I think your faction is engaged in a fight to the death with Bishop Gardiner and his.

[nods] I will not hide the truth from you, Your Grace. The King's infirmity, and the youth of my nephew, make the question of succession urgent. The stakes could not possibly be higher.

And you desire to know, I assume, on which side of the argument I belong?

Your Grace, whether you will it or not, you carry a great weight of confidence and influence with the King and everyone knows that. But fewer people know that your wife the Duchess and my wife Anne, together with the Queen are as close on matters of religion as it is possible to be, and this close affinity has emboldened me now to approach Your Grace.

[angrily] Surely, your wife has told you that the Duchess and I are estranged, thus her affinities are not necessarily my own, and you do me a great disservice to assume that they are! [Hertford looks taken aback by his anger]

Your Grace, forgive me-

I do forgive you...I forgive you even for hounding poor, proud Surrey to his death, for it was his fault. [Hertford again looks taken aback] But as to religion, I have never read the Gospels and never shall. I am sure they enlighten you, but I prefer them to remain mysterious. And as to the promise of a better world, I can only say that England was merry before, and all things considered, I'd put all things were as they used to be, in times past.

[disappointed] Your Grace, if I do not have your support, may I ask if you will act against me?

I'm not sure if this is any answer, my Lord Hertford, but I've always been drawn to a phrase used by the French peasants: "Praise the God of all, drink the wine, and let the world be the world".