The Last King (2003–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
Subtitles by MemoryOnSmells
- Who is to fire the fatal shot?
- I do not know his name.
Only that he is a Jesuit sent
from France for the purpose.
Where is he now?
Fled, or hidden by his
fellow conspirators,
but the king's life is
yet in grave danger.
What danger?
He will be poisoned.
So now it is poison?
And who will do the deed, or
do you not know that either?
I know his name well. It
is Sir George Wakeman.
The queen's personal physician?!
He is the most honest
and upright of men!
He's a Papist, is he not? The queen's
household is riddled with treason.
If you're lying, I promise you,
your torture will be cruel!
Who wrote these?
They were brought to me
at the Royal Society
by an honest Christian
preacher named Israel Tonge...
Never mind the Royal Society!
Who wrote them?
One who knows the
conspirators intimately.
His name is Titus Oates.
The final rites of their
black mass spoken,
Jesuit priests, crazed with
bloodlust, swept into the village
to seize two young virgins - children
of no more than eight years. Angels!
- Torn from their mothers' arms!
- Stop, Titus! I cannot listen!
No, go on. What did these foul
monsters do to their victims?
The screams of burning innocents
are a horrible thing, Israel!
God save us! The Catholic religion is
guilty of horrors beyond imagining!
Kirkby must have acted by now.
If not, England is lost.
Where is Titus Oates?
At your service, sir!
Scholar, philosopher and loyal
guardian of the flame of truth!
My Lord Danby wishes
to speak to you.
As news of the king's
death became known,
6,000 Catholics were to rise as one
and slaughter us all in our beds.
Picture it, my lord!
London's streets running crimson
with honest Protestant blood!
How did you come by
this information?
I overheard it in the
queen's household.
Do you now claim intimacy
with the queen herself?
No, sir, but your lordship well
knows that the palace is open
He and the Pope are the
authors of the plot!
Not the queen and
the Duke of York?
Papists all, shoulder to
shoulder in villainy!
The French army are
massing at Calais.
An invasion might be
launched at any moment.
My spies would have informed me if
there was a French army at Calais.
Maybe the Pope invoked dark
magic to make them invisible.
Gossip and mischief! I will see
you in the stocks in the morning.
- It is the truth!
- If you condemn us,
the king will die and you
will be held accountable.
Your Majesty!
Your loyalty and concern for my
safety do you credit, Mr Oates.
Where is your proof?
Safely hidden from prying
eyes, Your Majesty.
A wise precaution.
Who are the English Catholics behind
this terrible conspiracy? Give me names.
Beyond the queen and
the Duke of York,
there are the Lords Stafford,
Arundell, Wardour, Powis,
Petre, Belasyse, Wakeman,
the queen's physician,
and Edward Coleman, secretary
to the Duchess of York.
This is nothing more than a list of
every eminent Catholic in the land!
I have letters
proving their guilt.
Follow me, Mr Oates.
Bring your friends with you.
You never said anything
about letters!
If I had, the Jesuits would have
cut your throat to find them.
Stand firm. We shall
beat the devil yet.
What was your business at Whitehall?
Who invited you here?
I came to warn your
ministers of the Catholic
peril. They never
had time to see me.
My sympathy. Sometimes they hardly
have time for the king himself.
But still, after so many hours here, you
must have come to know my palace well.
Intimately, sir.
Then lead us to the place where you
heard this treason being plotted.
This is where I heard them
planning your death, Your Majesty.
Most convenient for any
traitor with a weak stomach!
Your Majesty, I
remember it clearly.
It was a long room...
with tall double doors...
You do not know your way because you've
never been here in your life before!
Nothing this scoundrel
says can be believed!
I'm off to Newmarket in the morning.
Do not bother me with this again.
At your service, my lord.
(DANBY) Give your explanation again.
I know Lord Powis.
- This is not his hand.
- The writing is disguised.
The Jesuits teach such
skills to their disciples.
They teach well.
Not one of these seditious letters
resembles its author's customary hand.
You say you know these
conspirators intimately.
- Who wrote this?
- Lord Stafford.
Of all these villains,
he is the worst.
Stafford is a distinguished Fellow
of the Royal Society and nigh on 70.
He has a vicious spirit and is
closely allied to the Duke of York.
Examine the Duke's household, and you will
find all the evidence you need of treason.
Strike now, my lords!
Hesitate and all might be lost!
Stop!
There is no
conspiracy, is there?
Hm? The truth now, or I'll
beat the life from you.
Every word is gospel.
Bring me a Bible and
I will swear...
I know baseless
malice when I see it.
What is your purpose
in all this?
- Is it money and preferment you seek?
- You insult me, sir.
Christ himself, he
came to me in a dream!
He charged me with the protection
of the Protestant faith in England.
I was a minister... in
a Catholic school...
and the boys laid false and
filthy charges against me,
and I lost my position.
I'm determined to have my revenge on
their whole stinking blasphemous faith!
You have chosen the moment
for your game well.
In such a desperate time, even your
ridiculous lies might be believed.
What will you do with me, sir?
I have reasons of my own to let
your poison circulate unhindered.
If others cannot tell a fake when they
see one, that is their misfortune.
What of the king?
He doesn't believe me.
The king has more pressing
concerns, schoolmaster.
5,000 pounds on a single
turn of the cards?!
If you shout at me,
I shall faint.
Now you expect me to honour your debts.
Well, I cannot afford it!
You have stolen my honour!
Now you mean to
make me a beggar!
If you need money, why don't
you ask your patron Louis?
- The King of France gives me nothing.
- Of course he does!
- He values his little spy.
- I am not a spy!
You have clandestine audiences
with the French ambassador!
Do you talk about the
English weather?
I cannot live with
such wicked treatment!
You know how delicate I am.
If I fall ill and die,
it will be your fault!
You are not going to die
over a few cross words.
Of course I'll pay
your creditors.
But you must be more
careful in future.
5,000 is not very much.
Is it?
We won't talk about it any more.
There, now.
It's all better, isn't it?
The king still loves
his little Fubs.
These letters were for Louis.
You say you will work to
destroy the Protestant heresy
and restore the Catholic
faith to England,
that you pray for the day the Duke
of York takes the king's place!
As God is my witness, I
meant no harm to anyone.
These are dreams, not plots.
Opinions of no significance.
You shared your ambitions with the Duke
of York. He encouraged you in this!
The Duke of York is innocent of any crime.
I swear I am no traitor.
(CHARLES) I asked you to end this matter.
Now it is infinitely worse.
What London believes is more
important than the evidence.
The mob will soon grow bored of
Oates' ridiculous accusations.
- Put the perjuring villain in prison.
- He's under the protection of Parliament.
Oates will give Parliament all the
excuse it needs to strike at Catholics.
God help any poor creature
that gets caught in his net.
Oates said Coleman's letters would
contain treason, and they did.
A lucky chance, nothing more.
Picture your own
wives and mothers,
sons and daughters, tied to
stakes in the midst of flames,
screaming out to God with hands
and eyes uplifted to heaven!
On the outside the Catholic looks like
us, eats, drinks and sleeps like us,
but inside he is not as we are.
He hates our liberty and works
every moment to destroy it
He would make slaves of
us in our own country
Only Parliament can protect
England from the yoke of tyranny!
A warrant from Parliament for
the arrest of Lord Stafford.
- On what charge?
- Treason.
- Father!
- This is some error or false accusation...
You are mistaken!
Please!
Please help me! No!
No! No!
Please!
Please!
Please!
No! No!
God in heaven have mercy on me!
I am innocent...
The queen is a Catholic
and yet is well known for
her loyalty and devotion.
This plot cannot be
any of her doing.
She is mistress in
her own household.
Nothing takes place there
without her consent.
I heard from her own lips that she would
no longer tolerate the king's lechery
and violation of
the marriage bed.
She told the Jesuits that
she would have her revenge,
and promised them 5,000
pounds for the deed!
I accuse the queen of conspiring
to cause the king's death!
The man's a fraud.
I know you'd never do
anything to harm me.
You know it, but does England?
Oates has the whole
country terrified.
You understand there is
no truth in what he says?
- Do I look like a fool?
- Clever men hang on his every word.
Common sense counts for little
where religion is concerned.
Are you not frightened
of the Papists, then?
I'm more frightened of the mob.
- Mobs have their uses in the right cause.
- Parliament's cause.
For 20 years, we have fought
to see who rules in England.
Now the time has come to settle
the matter once and for all.
This useless body of mine is
like some rotting piece of meat.
It decays inch by inch,
moment by moment.
I have little time left,
but I am determined
that before I die,
this country will be freed for ever
from the unbridled power of kings.
Parliament will rule in England.
Attack the king himself, and I
can go no further with you.
Let the old goat frolic with his
whores in the time he has left to him,
but his heir will be
Parliament's choice.
The king loves you
above all others.
The bravest and most
brilliant of his court.
(MONMOUTH) Such virtues come naturally.
I must take no credit for them.
The king would show you greater favour if
he could. He would name you as his heir.
The Duke of York's claim
cannot be allowed to stand.
A Protestant king for
a Protestant country.
The king will never acknowledge
me as his true-born son.
The king must appear to
support his brother.
In private, he yearns
for your success.
When the tide in your favour
becomes irresistible,
he will bow to an act of Parliament
declaring you legitimate.
He told you this?
Be bold, and you shall
have your reward.
God save the king!
I have never run away from a
fight and I will not start now.
It's to avoid a fight that
you must leave for a time.
With the introduction
of the House of Commons
bill, your succession
hangs in the balance.
Your presence here is a constant
reminder of their grievance.
Will I be allowed to return,
or will you betray me in favour of
your preening bastard Monmouth?
You're my brother...
and my heir... and
what is mine is mine.
I will not allow Parliament
to dictate the succession.
Now for pity's sake,
will you help me?
Your Majesty, there is a further
matter of the gravest importance.
I have in my possession...
letters from the
king's chief minister
begging for aid from our oldest
and most implacable enemy!
Filthy French money...
for the king to rule alone
in defiance of Parliament?!
What shall we call this but
treason pure and simple?
Danby must be impeached before
this house for his dealings!
It's that French bitch Carwell!
Drag her out and put the Papist whore
in the stocks where she belongs!
Good people! You are mistaken!
I am the Protestant whore!
I am called a prostitute,
and summoned before
Middlesex jury!
My God!
To stand before the common herd, accused
of being no better than a street girl!
It is nothing more than a tactic
designed by Shaftesbury to provoke me!
I'll see that the Chief Justice
strikes down the warrant.
I am a lady of breeding...
I have family and connection...
- I am not a harlot!
- I know that.
They mean to destroy me, Fubs.
Shaftesbury has
copies of my letters
referring to subsidies granted
you by the French king.
They talk of the secret
treaties signed in
your name, but there is
no proof, thank God.
He can be discredited as a liar.
The king's position
grows weaker every day.
He has done everything in his power, but
he can no longer defend your conduct.
I wrote to the French king on
your authority, Your Majesty.
- You must stand by me.
- You of all people know he cannot do that.
Parliament is attacking
him through you.
His only hope is
to cut you adrift.
Acknowledge the letters
were written on your
own initiative. The king
knew nothing of them.
Parliament already has the scent of blood.
I will be torn apart!
If you resign, the king may yet come to
some understanding with his enemies.
I'm guilty of nothing more than
obeying Your Majesty's command.
These treaties were your
creation in every detail!
I know nothing of
any secret treaty.
I have put the king
before everything,
and you see my reward?
Be careful loyalty does not
bring you to the same end!
Danby must pay the full
price for his treason.
(CHARLES) He has resigned.
That is penalty enough.
I have granted him a pardon for any
offence he might have committed.
You cannot do that.
You have dragged a loyal
servant down into the mud.
I will not permit you to
murder him into the bargain!
There are thousands of
your loyal subjects in
the streets in protest
at this Popish plot.
We can only guess at what chaos will
follow if you save the traitor Danby
and allow a Catholic to
succeed you on the throne.
The people have been greatly excited
by false rumours and accusations.
You know that better
than anyone, George.
The peace of the country demands the Duke
of York's removal from the succession.
The peace of the country has always
been my most pressing concern.
Then name Monmouth as your heir.
You must sign the bill excluding
your brother from the throne.
- Parliament has yet to pass such a bill.
- It will. There can be no doubt of that.
Accept what must be, sir.
You have no choice but to
abandon the Duke of York.
He cannot defy the will
of Parliament for ever.
I will make him crawl to the
House begging for exclusion.
He is in a game he
knows he cannot win.
It is a question of WHEN
he gives in, not if.
Perhaps we must
remind him of that.
The mob yearns for blood.
Very well. The mob must have it.
Your Majesty...
I come not as your king, Lord
Stafford, but as your friend.
And as your friend...
I urge you to confess yourself guilty to
the verdict of treason found against you.
I'm innocent of any crime against Your
Majesty in thought, word or deed.
- I know that.
- Then how can I say otherwise?
Confess now and your
life can be spared.
A few false words...
and in a year or two,
a few months perhaps,
you can return home
to your daughter.
I would be disgraced, condemned
as a traitor from my own lips.
All honest men would
know the truth.
I've been a loyal servant to your martyred
father and to Your Majesty all my life...
and that is how I shall die.
You must sign.
It is the king's prerogative
to grant mercy.
Not in such a case.
What is a king, then...
if he has no power?
It is in order to preserve
your power that you must sign.
The whole of England is
baying for Stafford's blood.
If you do not give them what they want,
they will turn their anger on you.
Lord Stafford has been found
guilty by the courts.
Oates's lies condemned him.
If you overturn the law, you give
Parliament an excuse to do the same.
That path leads to
war and rebellion.
Is that what we have come to?
An innocent man must be sacrificed
to preserve the sanctity of the law?
Your father chose open
defiance of Parliament,
and the outcome was
his own destruction.
You must be more
subtle than him.
May God forgive me.
God will understand.
You have more confidence
in him than I.
My beloved daughter, your
father has this comfort.
I die totally innocent
of what I am accused,
and confident of God's mercy.
You must take solace
in that, as I do.
You summoned me, sir?
I've had many accounts of your
progress about the country.
I'm told that wherever you go,
you are greeted as a king.
Is it my fault if the people wish
to express affection for me?
You little fool!
Can you not see how you are
dancing to Shaftesbury's tune?
- Do not treat me like a child!
- You could not be more of a rebel
if you took up arms and marched on
Whitehall! You will never be king!
Understand that, and you'll be happy.
Dispute it,
and you will die a
miserable traitor's death.
You lack experience and wisdom.
But now you must do as I say.
You will go to your
cousin Mary in Holland...
and stay there till I call for you.
- I will do anything you tell me, Father.
I would sooner die
than insult you.
On no account return to the court until
I summon you, do you understand?
Of all my children, you are
the first and most beloved.
Obey me...
and we'll both be content.
I never thought to see my oldest
friend in the ranks of my enemy.
It is a matter of politics. My personal
feelings are of no importance.
Personal feelings are
everything to you.
Shaftesbury has only the people's good at
heart. He has no grievance against you.
He is sincere in
his convictions,
but when did overturning kings
become a pastime of yours?
Perhaps when the king betrayed England
for 30 pieces of French silver.
Your name was on
the French treaty.
I did what was required
of a good servant,
and what did I
receive in return?
Lies, deception, the elevation of
others above me in your government!
We two together could have ruled
Europe, let alone England!
But you never trusted
me as I deserved.
Trust and good government
cannot live side by side.
You neglected me in favour
of worthless placemen.
I've forgiven your
many betrayals...
your schemes and your plots...
because in my heart,
I knew you loved me.
But now I see you always
loved yourself more.
And I find I am a jealous king.
I must have unconditional
love or nothing.
You have a need for
sycophancy, not love.
And those who rely on
flatterers for their comfort
are condemned to
live and die alone.
Tell your master Shaftesbury
to summon Parliament.
I will address the House.
Then you accept the exclusion of
your brother from the throne?
What must be must be.
Goodbye, George.
I received your message.
Is it time?
Be brave, Charles.
What if the king means to
fight as his father did?
He has too much intelligence and
too few principles for that.
And unlike his father, he
knows when a battle is lost!
Talk of the exclusion of the Duke of York
from the rightful succession is treason.
Any who speak of it set themselves
against legitimate authority,
and are the heirs in
spirit to those rebels
who so recently plunged our country
into rebellion and civil war.
Can anyone here contemplate
such evil without horror?
Let there be no confusion.
The Duke of York is my
heir and will remain so.
His right is ordained by God,
and no man may alter it.
Anyone who denies this
truth makes themselves
an enemy of God,
king and country.
Think on that before you take
another step towards chaos.
All the world may see what
a point we have come to.
Nothing that begins in such
division is likely to end well.
I declare Parliament dissolved.
Gentlemen, go home.
I will not trouble
you any further.
What is happening?
What did the king say?
It is not what he said.
It is what he is.
England has chosen to trust
the superstition of kings
rather than the wisdom
of its own judgment.
He has dissolved Parliament and
will rule in his own right.
Exclusion and Parliament
are finished with.
Our time will come. Not today...
but soon enough, though I
will not live to see it.
Wait here to be arrested...
or make your peace with
the king if you can.
For my part, I am weary of Whitehall. I
have neglected my wife these last 20 years.
I think it is time I went home.
He is never too busy to see me.
The king gave you no authority to return
from exile. Such defiance is treason.
If you are still in England at dawn
tomorrow morning, you will be arrested.
How long?
How long before I can come back?
Never.
Father! Father!
I can explain everything!
Only let me talk to you!
If you have ever had any love for me, you
will find forgiveness in your heart.
Please, Father, I
beg you, let me in!
Have you unpacked it all yet?
I cannot think what
you mean, Nell.
All those beautiful things you
had ready for your escape
in case the Protestant
rabble stormed Whitehall.
Does the king know I was
preparing to abandon him?
Why not ask him?
I have seen little
of him lately.
I thought he might
be dining with you.
He mostly dines
alone these days.
I will send him a note
saying I am ill or dying.
He will soon come
back to my side.
You've tried that
trick too many times.
Face it. He doesn't
need you any more.
Retire to France and enjoy
your money, Mrs Carwell.
God knows you've earned it!
But...
I love him.
You look tired. Are you ill?
I have never felt better.
We must consider what you will
do when I am gone, James.
No king can rule without
Parliament for long.
He can if he has French money.
Louis pays me for
one reason only.
He wants a Catholic on the
throne after my death.
For the rest of my life I
will have absolute power,
and when I am gone,
he will have you.
But when Louis has what he wants,
he will not be so generous.
If you want to be free of his influence,
you must have money of your own.
For that, you must
recall Parliament.
Yes, well, when I am king, Parliament
will have no choice but to obey me.
Thank God my task is only
to give you the crown,
not to help you keep it!
No, no.
- I have news of Monmouth, Your Majesty.
- William.
He swears he's learned his lesson and
begs permission to return from exile.
My answer will not change. I
will never see him again.
Such harshness is
not in your nature.
It is for his sake
as much as mine.
If he comes back, he will embroil
himself in some treason or other.
I lost my father to
the executioner.
I would rather not live to
see my son die the same way.
He will make his
move when you die.
Many Protestants will support
him against the Duke of York.
Any rebellion will fail. The country
has no more stomach for revolution.
Perhaps a few years of my
brother's rule will change that.
And I do not think my son is
the only Protestant champion
with designs on the
throne of England!
I have never thought
of my own ambition.
I consider the Duke
of York my friend.
Your wife is his daughter. You have
a legitimate claim through her.
Never mind.
By the time such affairs come to
a head, I shall be long dead,
and, I hope, quite oblivious!
Prepare yourself, William.
My brother will not rule
more than four years.
His own stubborn nature
will bring him down.
It's all been for nothing, Nell.
The cause that gave my life
meaning will die with me.
I fought to restore everything that
was lost when my father was murdered,
but James will destroy
it all, I know that.
- Then why did you fight so hard for him?
- Not for him. For the principle.
For the rights of kings.
But Parliament will have
its victory in the end.
You know what I think
about politics.
It's all a lot of foolish men
scheming to ruin each other
for no reason anyone can
remember a few years later.
If it was up to me, I'd
give the throne to Monmouth
because, in my opinion, a king
should always be handsome!
Sweet Nell. How much better the world might
be if it was arranged to your liking!
Father! Watch us!
Mademoiselle de Keroualle,
you should know by now the king loves
his women bright, witty and diverting.
All this weeping and howling is not
the way to keep his affection.
It is making you quite ugly.
If you want him to love you again, be the
woman he yearns for and has never had.
What woman?
An affectionate mother.
Mother, come!
No, not now.
My dearest Fubs. How are you?
Sit down by me.
You look tired, dear.
Put your head in my lap.
You must rest more.
Leave the business of government to your
ministers, and let me look after you.
You know what, Fubs?
I think I would like
to go to sleep.
Then sleep, darling.
Only children and old men sleep
in the middle of the day...
but I suppose I am
an old man now.
You are not so old.
Now sleep.
You see, Father?
I kept my promise.
Did I make you proud?
Well, did I?
Charles?
He... doesn't answer me.
Why won't he answer me?
Ajuda!
James.
You must care for my children.
All save Monmouth.
There is nothing anyone
can do for him now.
Be kind to Louise...
and let not poor Nelly starve.
Charles Stuart converted to the
Catholic faith on his deathbed
Buckingham, Charles's
old friend and rival,
died of a chill not
long after him.
Catharine, Charles's
faithful queen,
returned to Portugal
where she died in 1705,
20 years after her
husband's death.
At the age of 64,
Barbara Villiers,
Duchess of Cleveland,
married a notorious
rake half her age.
He was a bigamist who stole
what remained of her fortune.
She died four years later.
Louise de Keroualle died in
France at the great age of 85.
In the words of her confessor, "very
old, very poor and very penitent".
Nell Gwyn survived the
king by only two years,
dying of a stroke
at the age of 37.
Charles was uncannily accurate
in his fears and predictions.
Monmouth led an abortive rebellion in
the early days of James II's reign,
and was beheaded for
treason on Tower Hill.
It required eight blows of
the axe to remove his head
Almost four years to the
day after his succession
and following the birth
of his Catholic heir,
James II was deposed
by Parliament...
in favour of the Dutch
Protestant William
and his wife Mary,
James's own daughter.
Catholics were barred from the throne
for ever, and remain so to this day
No monarch of England would ever again
attempt to rule without Parliament
Subtitles by MemoryOnSmells
- Who is to fire the fatal shot?
- I do not know his name.
Only that he is a Jesuit sent
from France for the purpose.
Where is he now?
Fled, or hidden by his
fellow conspirators,
but the king's life is
yet in grave danger.
What danger?
He will be poisoned.
So now it is poison?
And who will do the deed, or
do you not know that either?
I know his name well. It
is Sir George Wakeman.
The queen's personal physician?!
He is the most honest
and upright of men!
He's a Papist, is he not? The queen's
household is riddled with treason.
If you're lying, I promise you,
your torture will be cruel!
Who wrote these?
They were brought to me
at the Royal Society
by an honest Christian
preacher named Israel Tonge...
Never mind the Royal Society!
Who wrote them?
One who knows the
conspirators intimately.
His name is Titus Oates.
The final rites of their
black mass spoken,
Jesuit priests, crazed with
bloodlust, swept into the village
to seize two young virgins - children
of no more than eight years. Angels!
- Torn from their mothers' arms!
- Stop, Titus! I cannot listen!
No, go on. What did these foul
monsters do to their victims?
The screams of burning innocents
are a horrible thing, Israel!
God save us! The Catholic religion is
guilty of horrors beyond imagining!
Kirkby must have acted by now.
If not, England is lost.
Where is Titus Oates?
At your service, sir!
Scholar, philosopher and loyal
guardian of the flame of truth!
My Lord Danby wishes
to speak to you.
As news of the king's
death became known,
6,000 Catholics were to rise as one
and slaughter us all in our beds.
Picture it, my lord!
London's streets running crimson
with honest Protestant blood!
How did you come by
this information?
I overheard it in the
queen's household.
Do you now claim intimacy
with the queen herself?
No, sir, but your lordship well
knows that the palace is open
He and the Pope are the
authors of the plot!
Not the queen and
the Duke of York?
Papists all, shoulder to
shoulder in villainy!
The French army are
massing at Calais.
An invasion might be
launched at any moment.
My spies would have informed me if
there was a French army at Calais.
Maybe the Pope invoked dark
magic to make them invisible.
Gossip and mischief! I will see
you in the stocks in the morning.
- It is the truth!
- If you condemn us,
the king will die and you
will be held accountable.
Your Majesty!
Your loyalty and concern for my
safety do you credit, Mr Oates.
Where is your proof?
Safely hidden from prying
eyes, Your Majesty.
A wise precaution.
Who are the English Catholics behind
this terrible conspiracy? Give me names.
Beyond the queen and
the Duke of York,
there are the Lords Stafford,
Arundell, Wardour, Powis,
Petre, Belasyse, Wakeman,
the queen's physician,
and Edward Coleman, secretary
to the Duchess of York.
This is nothing more than a list of
every eminent Catholic in the land!
I have letters
proving their guilt.
Follow me, Mr Oates.
Bring your friends with you.
You never said anything
about letters!
If I had, the Jesuits would have
cut your throat to find them.
Stand firm. We shall
beat the devil yet.
What was your business at Whitehall?
Who invited you here?
I came to warn your
ministers of the Catholic
peril. They never
had time to see me.
My sympathy. Sometimes they hardly
have time for the king himself.
But still, after so many hours here, you
must have come to know my palace well.
Intimately, sir.
Then lead us to the place where you
heard this treason being plotted.
This is where I heard them
planning your death, Your Majesty.
Most convenient for any
traitor with a weak stomach!
Your Majesty, I
remember it clearly.
It was a long room...
with tall double doors...
You do not know your way because you've
never been here in your life before!
Nothing this scoundrel
says can be believed!
I'm off to Newmarket in the morning.
Do not bother me with this again.
At your service, my lord.
(DANBY) Give your explanation again.
I know Lord Powis.
- This is not his hand.
- The writing is disguised.
The Jesuits teach such
skills to their disciples.
They teach well.
Not one of these seditious letters
resembles its author's customary hand.
You say you know these
conspirators intimately.
- Who wrote this?
- Lord Stafford.
Of all these villains,
he is the worst.
Stafford is a distinguished Fellow
of the Royal Society and nigh on 70.
He has a vicious spirit and is
closely allied to the Duke of York.
Examine the Duke's household, and you will
find all the evidence you need of treason.
Strike now, my lords!
Hesitate and all might be lost!
Stop!
There is no
conspiracy, is there?
Hm? The truth now, or I'll
beat the life from you.
Every word is gospel.
Bring me a Bible and
I will swear...
I know baseless
malice when I see it.
What is your purpose
in all this?
- Is it money and preferment you seek?
- You insult me, sir.
Christ himself, he
came to me in a dream!
He charged me with the protection
of the Protestant faith in England.
I was a minister... in
a Catholic school...
and the boys laid false and
filthy charges against me,
and I lost my position.
I'm determined to have my revenge on
their whole stinking blasphemous faith!
You have chosen the moment
for your game well.
In such a desperate time, even your
ridiculous lies might be believed.
What will you do with me, sir?
I have reasons of my own to let
your poison circulate unhindered.
If others cannot tell a fake when they
see one, that is their misfortune.
What of the king?
He doesn't believe me.
The king has more pressing
concerns, schoolmaster.
5,000 pounds on a single
turn of the cards?!
If you shout at me,
I shall faint.
Now you expect me to honour your debts.
Well, I cannot afford it!
You have stolen my honour!
Now you mean to
make me a beggar!
If you need money, why don't
you ask your patron Louis?
- The King of France gives me nothing.
- Of course he does!
- He values his little spy.
- I am not a spy!
You have clandestine audiences
with the French ambassador!
Do you talk about the
English weather?
I cannot live with
such wicked treatment!
You know how delicate I am.
If I fall ill and die,
it will be your fault!
You are not going to die
over a few cross words.
Of course I'll pay
your creditors.
But you must be more
careful in future.
5,000 is not very much.
Is it?
We won't talk about it any more.
There, now.
It's all better, isn't it?
The king still loves
his little Fubs.
These letters were for Louis.
You say you will work to
destroy the Protestant heresy
and restore the Catholic
faith to England,
that you pray for the day the Duke
of York takes the king's place!
As God is my witness, I
meant no harm to anyone.
These are dreams, not plots.
Opinions of no significance.
You shared your ambitions with the Duke
of York. He encouraged you in this!
The Duke of York is innocent of any crime.
I swear I am no traitor.
(CHARLES) I asked you to end this matter.
Now it is infinitely worse.
What London believes is more
important than the evidence.
The mob will soon grow bored of
Oates' ridiculous accusations.
- Put the perjuring villain in prison.
- He's under the protection of Parliament.
Oates will give Parliament all the
excuse it needs to strike at Catholics.
God help any poor creature
that gets caught in his net.
Oates said Coleman's letters would
contain treason, and they did.
A lucky chance, nothing more.
Picture your own
wives and mothers,
sons and daughters, tied to
stakes in the midst of flames,
screaming out to God with hands
and eyes uplifted to heaven!
On the outside the Catholic looks like
us, eats, drinks and sleeps like us,
but inside he is not as we are.
He hates our liberty and works
every moment to destroy it
He would make slaves of
us in our own country
Only Parliament can protect
England from the yoke of tyranny!
A warrant from Parliament for
the arrest of Lord Stafford.
- On what charge?
- Treason.
- Father!
- This is some error or false accusation...
You are mistaken!
Please!
Please help me! No!
No! No!
Please!
Please!
Please!
No! No!
God in heaven have mercy on me!
I am innocent...
The queen is a Catholic
and yet is well known for
her loyalty and devotion.
This plot cannot be
any of her doing.
She is mistress in
her own household.
Nothing takes place there
without her consent.
I heard from her own lips that she would
no longer tolerate the king's lechery
and violation of
the marriage bed.
She told the Jesuits that
she would have her revenge,
and promised them 5,000
pounds for the deed!
I accuse the queen of conspiring
to cause the king's death!
The man's a fraud.
I know you'd never do
anything to harm me.
You know it, but does England?
Oates has the whole
country terrified.
You understand there is
no truth in what he says?
- Do I look like a fool?
- Clever men hang on his every word.
Common sense counts for little
where religion is concerned.
Are you not frightened
of the Papists, then?
I'm more frightened of the mob.
- Mobs have their uses in the right cause.
- Parliament's cause.
For 20 years, we have fought
to see who rules in England.
Now the time has come to settle
the matter once and for all.
This useless body of mine is
like some rotting piece of meat.
It decays inch by inch,
moment by moment.
I have little time left,
but I am determined
that before I die,
this country will be freed for ever
from the unbridled power of kings.
Parliament will rule in England.
Attack the king himself, and I
can go no further with you.
Let the old goat frolic with his
whores in the time he has left to him,
but his heir will be
Parliament's choice.
The king loves you
above all others.
The bravest and most
brilliant of his court.
(MONMOUTH) Such virtues come naturally.
I must take no credit for them.
The king would show you greater favour if
he could. He would name you as his heir.
The Duke of York's claim
cannot be allowed to stand.
A Protestant king for
a Protestant country.
The king will never acknowledge
me as his true-born son.
The king must appear to
support his brother.
In private, he yearns
for your success.
When the tide in your favour
becomes irresistible,
he will bow to an act of Parliament
declaring you legitimate.
He told you this?
Be bold, and you shall
have your reward.
God save the king!
I have never run away from a
fight and I will not start now.
It's to avoid a fight that
you must leave for a time.
With the introduction
of the House of Commons
bill, your succession
hangs in the balance.
Your presence here is a constant
reminder of their grievance.
Will I be allowed to return,
or will you betray me in favour of
your preening bastard Monmouth?
You're my brother...
and my heir... and
what is mine is mine.
I will not allow Parliament
to dictate the succession.
Now for pity's sake,
will you help me?
Your Majesty, there is a further
matter of the gravest importance.
I have in my possession...
letters from the
king's chief minister
begging for aid from our oldest
and most implacable enemy!
Filthy French money...
for the king to rule alone
in defiance of Parliament?!
What shall we call this but
treason pure and simple?
Danby must be impeached before
this house for his dealings!
It's that French bitch Carwell!
Drag her out and put the Papist whore
in the stocks where she belongs!
Good people! You are mistaken!
I am the Protestant whore!
I am called a prostitute,
and summoned before
Middlesex jury!
My God!
To stand before the common herd, accused
of being no better than a street girl!
It is nothing more than a tactic
designed by Shaftesbury to provoke me!
I'll see that the Chief Justice
strikes down the warrant.
I am a lady of breeding...
I have family and connection...
- I am not a harlot!
- I know that.
They mean to destroy me, Fubs.
Shaftesbury has
copies of my letters
referring to subsidies granted
you by the French king.
They talk of the secret
treaties signed in
your name, but there is
no proof, thank God.
He can be discredited as a liar.
The king's position
grows weaker every day.
He has done everything in his power, but
he can no longer defend your conduct.
I wrote to the French king on
your authority, Your Majesty.
- You must stand by me.
- You of all people know he cannot do that.
Parliament is attacking
him through you.
His only hope is
to cut you adrift.
Acknowledge the letters
were written on your
own initiative. The king
knew nothing of them.
Parliament already has the scent of blood.
I will be torn apart!
If you resign, the king may yet come to
some understanding with his enemies.
I'm guilty of nothing more than
obeying Your Majesty's command.
These treaties were your
creation in every detail!
I know nothing of
any secret treaty.
I have put the king
before everything,
and you see my reward?
Be careful loyalty does not
bring you to the same end!
Danby must pay the full
price for his treason.
(CHARLES) He has resigned.
That is penalty enough.
I have granted him a pardon for any
offence he might have committed.
You cannot do that.
You have dragged a loyal
servant down into the mud.
I will not permit you to
murder him into the bargain!
There are thousands of
your loyal subjects in
the streets in protest
at this Popish plot.
We can only guess at what chaos will
follow if you save the traitor Danby
and allow a Catholic to
succeed you on the throne.
The people have been greatly excited
by false rumours and accusations.
You know that better
than anyone, George.
The peace of the country demands the Duke
of York's removal from the succession.
The peace of the country has always
been my most pressing concern.
Then name Monmouth as your heir.
You must sign the bill excluding
your brother from the throne.
- Parliament has yet to pass such a bill.
- It will. There can be no doubt of that.
Accept what must be, sir.
You have no choice but to
abandon the Duke of York.
He cannot defy the will
of Parliament for ever.
I will make him crawl to the
House begging for exclusion.
He is in a game he
knows he cannot win.
It is a question of WHEN
he gives in, not if.
Perhaps we must
remind him of that.
The mob yearns for blood.
Very well. The mob must have it.
Your Majesty...
I come not as your king, Lord
Stafford, but as your friend.
And as your friend...
I urge you to confess yourself guilty to
the verdict of treason found against you.
I'm innocent of any crime against Your
Majesty in thought, word or deed.
- I know that.
- Then how can I say otherwise?
Confess now and your
life can be spared.
A few false words...
and in a year or two,
a few months perhaps,
you can return home
to your daughter.
I would be disgraced, condemned
as a traitor from my own lips.
All honest men would
know the truth.
I've been a loyal servant to your martyred
father and to Your Majesty all my life...
and that is how I shall die.
You must sign.
It is the king's prerogative
to grant mercy.
Not in such a case.
What is a king, then...
if he has no power?
It is in order to preserve
your power that you must sign.
The whole of England is
baying for Stafford's blood.
If you do not give them what they want,
they will turn their anger on you.
Lord Stafford has been found
guilty by the courts.
Oates's lies condemned him.
If you overturn the law, you give
Parliament an excuse to do the same.
That path leads to
war and rebellion.
Is that what we have come to?
An innocent man must be sacrificed
to preserve the sanctity of the law?
Your father chose open
defiance of Parliament,
and the outcome was
his own destruction.
You must be more
subtle than him.
May God forgive me.
God will understand.
You have more confidence
in him than I.
My beloved daughter, your
father has this comfort.
I die totally innocent
of what I am accused,
and confident of God's mercy.
You must take solace
in that, as I do.
You summoned me, sir?
I've had many accounts of your
progress about the country.
I'm told that wherever you go,
you are greeted as a king.
Is it my fault if the people wish
to express affection for me?
You little fool!
Can you not see how you are
dancing to Shaftesbury's tune?
- Do not treat me like a child!
- You could not be more of a rebel
if you took up arms and marched on
Whitehall! You will never be king!
Understand that, and you'll be happy.
Dispute it,
and you will die a
miserable traitor's death.
You lack experience and wisdom.
But now you must do as I say.
You will go to your
cousin Mary in Holland...
and stay there till I call for you.
- I will do anything you tell me, Father.
I would sooner die
than insult you.
On no account return to the court until
I summon you, do you understand?
Of all my children, you are
the first and most beloved.
Obey me...
and we'll both be content.
I never thought to see my oldest
friend in the ranks of my enemy.
It is a matter of politics. My personal
feelings are of no importance.
Personal feelings are
everything to you.
Shaftesbury has only the people's good at
heart. He has no grievance against you.
He is sincere in
his convictions,
but when did overturning kings
become a pastime of yours?
Perhaps when the king betrayed England
for 30 pieces of French silver.
Your name was on
the French treaty.
I did what was required
of a good servant,
and what did I
receive in return?
Lies, deception, the elevation of
others above me in your government!
We two together could have ruled
Europe, let alone England!
But you never trusted
me as I deserved.
Trust and good government
cannot live side by side.
You neglected me in favour
of worthless placemen.
I've forgiven your
many betrayals...
your schemes and your plots...
because in my heart,
I knew you loved me.
But now I see you always
loved yourself more.
And I find I am a jealous king.
I must have unconditional
love or nothing.
You have a need for
sycophancy, not love.
And those who rely on
flatterers for their comfort
are condemned to
live and die alone.
Tell your master Shaftesbury
to summon Parliament.
I will address the House.
Then you accept the exclusion of
your brother from the throne?
What must be must be.
Goodbye, George.
I received your message.
Is it time?
Be brave, Charles.
What if the king means to
fight as his father did?
He has too much intelligence and
too few principles for that.
And unlike his father, he
knows when a battle is lost!
Talk of the exclusion of the Duke of York
from the rightful succession is treason.
Any who speak of it set themselves
against legitimate authority,
and are the heirs in
spirit to those rebels
who so recently plunged our country
into rebellion and civil war.
Can anyone here contemplate
such evil without horror?
Let there be no confusion.
The Duke of York is my
heir and will remain so.
His right is ordained by God,
and no man may alter it.
Anyone who denies this
truth makes themselves
an enemy of God,
king and country.
Think on that before you take
another step towards chaos.
All the world may see what
a point we have come to.
Nothing that begins in such
division is likely to end well.
I declare Parliament dissolved.
Gentlemen, go home.
I will not trouble
you any further.
What is happening?
What did the king say?
It is not what he said.
It is what he is.
England has chosen to trust
the superstition of kings
rather than the wisdom
of its own judgment.
He has dissolved Parliament and
will rule in his own right.
Exclusion and Parliament
are finished with.
Our time will come. Not today...
but soon enough, though I
will not live to see it.
Wait here to be arrested...
or make your peace with
the king if you can.
For my part, I am weary of Whitehall. I
have neglected my wife these last 20 years.
I think it is time I went home.
He is never too busy to see me.
The king gave you no authority to return
from exile. Such defiance is treason.
If you are still in England at dawn
tomorrow morning, you will be arrested.
How long?
How long before I can come back?
Never.
Father! Father!
I can explain everything!
Only let me talk to you!
If you have ever had any love for me, you
will find forgiveness in your heart.
Please, Father, I
beg you, let me in!
Have you unpacked it all yet?
I cannot think what
you mean, Nell.
All those beautiful things you
had ready for your escape
in case the Protestant
rabble stormed Whitehall.
Does the king know I was
preparing to abandon him?
Why not ask him?
I have seen little
of him lately.
I thought he might
be dining with you.
He mostly dines
alone these days.
I will send him a note
saying I am ill or dying.
He will soon come
back to my side.
You've tried that
trick too many times.
Face it. He doesn't
need you any more.
Retire to France and enjoy
your money, Mrs Carwell.
God knows you've earned it!
But...
I love him.
You look tired. Are you ill?
I have never felt better.
We must consider what you will
do when I am gone, James.
No king can rule without
Parliament for long.
He can if he has French money.
Louis pays me for
one reason only.
He wants a Catholic on the
throne after my death.
For the rest of my life I
will have absolute power,
and when I am gone,
he will have you.
But when Louis has what he wants,
he will not be so generous.
If you want to be free of his influence,
you must have money of your own.
For that, you must
recall Parliament.
Yes, well, when I am king, Parliament
will have no choice but to obey me.
Thank God my task is only
to give you the crown,
not to help you keep it!
No, no.
- I have news of Monmouth, Your Majesty.
- William.
He swears he's learned his lesson and
begs permission to return from exile.
My answer will not change. I
will never see him again.
Such harshness is
not in your nature.
It is for his sake
as much as mine.
If he comes back, he will embroil
himself in some treason or other.
I lost my father to
the executioner.
I would rather not live to
see my son die the same way.
He will make his
move when you die.
Many Protestants will support
him against the Duke of York.
Any rebellion will fail. The country
has no more stomach for revolution.
Perhaps a few years of my
brother's rule will change that.
And I do not think my son is
the only Protestant champion
with designs on the
throne of England!
I have never thought
of my own ambition.
I consider the Duke
of York my friend.
Your wife is his daughter. You have
a legitimate claim through her.
Never mind.
By the time such affairs come to
a head, I shall be long dead,
and, I hope, quite oblivious!
Prepare yourself, William.
My brother will not rule
more than four years.
His own stubborn nature
will bring him down.
It's all been for nothing, Nell.
The cause that gave my life
meaning will die with me.
I fought to restore everything that
was lost when my father was murdered,
but James will destroy
it all, I know that.
- Then why did you fight so hard for him?
- Not for him. For the principle.
For the rights of kings.
But Parliament will have
its victory in the end.
You know what I think
about politics.
It's all a lot of foolish men
scheming to ruin each other
for no reason anyone can
remember a few years later.
If it was up to me, I'd
give the throne to Monmouth
because, in my opinion, a king
should always be handsome!
Sweet Nell. How much better the world might
be if it was arranged to your liking!
Father! Watch us!
Mademoiselle de Keroualle,
you should know by now the king loves
his women bright, witty and diverting.
All this weeping and howling is not
the way to keep his affection.
It is making you quite ugly.
If you want him to love you again, be the
woman he yearns for and has never had.
What woman?
An affectionate mother.
Mother, come!
No, not now.
My dearest Fubs. How are you?
Sit down by me.
You look tired, dear.
Put your head in my lap.
You must rest more.
Leave the business of government to your
ministers, and let me look after you.
You know what, Fubs?
I think I would like
to go to sleep.
Then sleep, darling.
Only children and old men sleep
in the middle of the day...
but I suppose I am
an old man now.
You are not so old.
Now sleep.
You see, Father?
I kept my promise.
Did I make you proud?
Well, did I?
Charles?
He... doesn't answer me.
Why won't he answer me?
Ajuda!
James.
You must care for my children.
All save Monmouth.
There is nothing anyone
can do for him now.
Be kind to Louise...
and let not poor Nelly starve.
Charles Stuart converted to the
Catholic faith on his deathbed
Buckingham, Charles's
old friend and rival,
died of a chill not
long after him.
Catharine, Charles's
faithful queen,
returned to Portugal
where she died in 1705,
20 years after her
husband's death.
At the age of 64,
Barbara Villiers,
Duchess of Cleveland,
married a notorious
rake half her age.
He was a bigamist who stole
what remained of her fortune.
She died four years later.
Louise de Keroualle died in
France at the great age of 85.
In the words of her confessor, "very
old, very poor and very penitent".
Nell Gwyn survived the
king by only two years,
dying of a stroke
at the age of 37.
Charles was uncannily accurate
in his fears and predictions.
Monmouth led an abortive rebellion in
the early days of James II's reign,
and was beheaded for
treason on Tower Hill.
It required eight blows of
the axe to remove his head
Almost four years to the
day after his succession
and following the birth
of his Catholic heir,
James II was deposed
by Parliament...
in favour of the Dutch
Protestant William
and his wife Mary,
James's own daughter.
Catholics were barred from the throne
for ever, and remain so to this day
No monarch of England would ever again
attempt to rule without Parliament
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