“Yes, so they say.”
“What about the votes?”
“They are controlled by the Emperor Charles V and King Francis I.”
“How can one bring such a discordant pair into harmony?”
“That is just what requires diplomatic skill, sire.”
“You cannot stand on good terms with both.”
“Who knows? The Emperor has taken Rome, and placed the Pope in the Castle of St. Angelo ... that was a droll stroke! Then the soldiers in jest, under the windows of the Castle, called out for Martin Luther as Pope.”
“Name not his cursed name,” growled the King, but more in anger at what he saw in the rose-garden than at the mention of Luther.
The Cardinal understood him. “I do not like a union between Northumberland and Norfolk,” he said.
“What do you say?” asked the King. He was angry that Wolsey had read his thoughts, but did not wish to betray himself.