On the table week 15
‘Get More back’
‘In it a needle, tip towards her’
Lean Times
There's not much food this week: Mary only gets bread because she won't submit to the new hierarchy. Cromwell helps her, but perhaps only because he wants to keep this path open.
Apples have gone completely out of fashion after being so popular in the last chapters, but you don't want another daughter so better hands off the apples.
It's been a long time since the boy Cromwell sat on the cart and guarded the best cheese, now he guards a kingdom.
Still-Life with Fruit, Nuts and Cheese by Floris van Dyck, 1613
Uncle Norfolk makes a big, wine-fuelled appearance this week. Between squak, squak and tweet, tweet, he doesn't mince his words and tells it like it is. But I'm not worried about Norfolk, he's too scared of Henry for open resistance. ‘…how it rattles the old duke to be in the same room with Henry Tudor.’1
The garzonis of Austin Friars
In 1531 Cromwell added a large number of kitchen boys to his staff, knowing their value and usefulness, having been one himself. He also now has enough young gentlemen in the household to serve as pages. ‘The boy who carried the asparagus, that was my boy. The boy, who sliced the apricots was mine too.’2 When you're at home, you have to expect Cromwell's eyes and ears to be in the same room: the young gentleman who serves you the halibut, the boy who stokes the fire in the bedroom in the morning. Detail Marriage at Cana by Paolo Veronese, between 1571 and 1572
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‘You get more meat on a wasp’
Thurston is unhappy with the quails delivered from Calais. Far too little meat on the ribs, but when I look at the picture of a quail hunt, no wonder: They are completely stressed (in the centre of the picture), dog in front, horses to the left and right and doom above them. Venationes ferarum, avium, piscium (Hunts of wild animals, birds and fish). Plate 69. Quail and rabbit hunt by Jan Collaert the Younger; engraver; 1596;
Gone are the days when fat quails (right side of the picture) simply fell from heaven with the manna. “That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.” (Exodus 16:13) Biblia Germanica, f.40r, detail, Anton Koberger (printer) , 1483
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‘Get More back’
Cromwell v More. Before the second round, Cromwell longs for Aquae vitae (a strong liqueur or brandy). The water of life for him. More, Fisher and anyone else who cannot take the oath are doomed to die and Cromwell knows it. How do you numb that when you become what you so rightly despised about the other side? A glass of spirits will only help you for a short time. “Your undivided church has liked nothing better than persecuting its own members …when they stood by their own conscience”. And what will you, Thomas, and the new Pope Henry be doing?
You realise how frustrated Cromwell is in the interrogation when he goes so far as to lie that he would rather see Gregory dead than More. This must seem ridiculous to everyone in the room knowing Cromwell. “But he is worth more than a debating point,’ More answers him.
Distillation apparatus in Liber de arte Distillandi by Hieronymus Brunschwig, 1512
‘In it a needle, tip towards her’
In the chapter "Anna Regina", Cromwell gives Katherine of Aragon back a needle that has fallen to the ground opening his palm and ‘in it a needle, tip to towards her’3. I was wondering at the time if there is any significance to the fact that the tip is not returned directed to himself as it is usually done. Yes, it did, because now we know that he's obviously after Katherine too: ‘To get Katherine pulled into it, he had tried every trick he knew: with no result.’
So Cremuel and I haven't had the best week together this week. We´ve had better times.
Chapter Entirely Beloved Cromwell p 210
Chapter Devil’s Spit p 523
Chapter Anna Regina p 455
I've just realised, you haven't mentioned Christophe dreaming he is a pastry. I want to know what type of pastry.