[ Chattering, Shouting ]
- [ Baby Crying ]
- [ Man Coughing ]
- Dr. Merivel.
- ln a moment.
- Doctor !
- ln a moment !
- Merivel, we must move on.
- l've sprinkled the lavell in to heal.
This will strengthen the hand. We must
not allow the tendons to atrophy.
- Merivel !
- l'll return this afternoon.
Old Mr. Parr is suffering from
an extreme shortness of breath.
What do you prescribe ?
Let's try some syrup
of sage flower.
- Doctor ! Doctor !
- Citron pills to relieve coughing.
- Doctor !
- l shall be with you
presently, Mr. Watchurst.
- Mr. Hodges.
- Hodges.
- l'm starving.
- You can't be.
- l am.
- You've already eaten.
l had a piece of bread
and scarcely any cheese.
There's no time to eat !
For the five years we've worked here,
there is never time to eat.
There is no time to drink. There is no
time, even, to look after our patients.
[ Man ]
Doctor ! Doctor Merivel !
Samuel needs you.
Sam-Samuel ! Samuel !
Look-- Look at me !
lt's Robert. lt's Robert. Quiet now.
Be quiet. Be quiet.
Merivel ! You must see to Parr.
He'll only accept comfort from you.
Give him a complice for his head
and some camomile.
Mr. Parr !
Mr. Parr, tell me
how you're feeling.
ls there hope
l will get well again ?
There is always hope.
You must rest and allow
my medicines to do their work.
Dr. Merivel !
Doctor !
l-l do what l can
to treat them.
But our science gives us no hope
of curing most of them,
and l am frustrated !
No, l'm... frightened.
Of what ?
Their faith
and my ignorance.
That is why you prefer
a life of debauchery.
Your mother died believing
you were a man of honor.
And l beg her pardon every night, and
l am at the hospital every day for her.
You mean your whoring is interrupted
daily by the care of the sick.
You've not come to me for money
to spend on your medicines.
lndeed l have, in a sense.
The five shillings
l require are for--
well, for a pawnbroker so l can
redeem my case of instruments.
Father, l am sorry
to confess it.
- You should be damned for it.
- l should.
Look. Look at these hands.
Look at them.
Worked to the bone for
your case of instruments,
for your teachers and for
the books on your table.
Or have they
been pawned too ?
[ Sighs ]
So that the son of a glove maker...
should not be denied
the use of those gifts...
which marked you as a physician
before you could spell ''physic.''
My gifts ?
Your gifts, Robert.
Oh, yes, my gifts.
My first patient was a frog.
l cured him of jumping.
Now l can cure people
of breathing.
My gifts, Father, bring me
to dark despair in dark rooms...
so l can hear joy
in the street.
The King is restored to us,
the theaters are open,
the tailors and wig makers
are happy as whores...
and rich men
go to heaven again.
l would like to shake
the King's hand.
Take the hand of your
friend Pearce, Robert.
He is the example
to follow.
He may dress like a crow,
but he once infected himself
with scarlet fever,
the better to study
the disease.
Well, in my own small way,
l'm doing the same for the clap.
[ Dog Barking ]
Look at this glove.
Touch it.
This glove
is for the King.
And that is the closest
you will ever get...
to touching the hand
of the King of England.
Here are your
five shillings.
Redeem your case
of instruments.
And if you've a heart,
redeem your gift, Robert.
Thank you, Father.
And don't spend
the money on women.
[ Laughing, Moaning ]
[ Man Knocking At Door ]
Merivel ! l must prevail on you...
to come to the examining
theater this instant.
l won't be
a moment, Pearce.
[ Man Shouting ]
Merivel !
He's probably fled
because of your antics.
[ Merivel ] Pearce, you must not take
my romping as an affront to you.
l simply answer
the call of nature.
Yes, well, your nature,
like mine, is very much fallen.
That awful truth ought to go somewhere
towards discouraging your unsightly...
[ Together ]
bouts of debauchery.
l suppose you're right.
But l do very much enjoy them.
[ Panting ]
This is the fellow.
Shall l unbuckle ?
Please, yes.
[ Gasps ]
Good God !
A fracture of the ribs occasioned
by a fall from his horse...
was brought to
a terrible suppuration.
The doctors feared
it would never heal.
You can see the sconce of
the old ulcer at the edge here.
Yes.
Merivel, we are witnessing
a living, beating heart.
Might a man touch it
with his hand ?
No one has ever dared.
Yes. Yes ?
Sir ?
l cannot.
- Pearce, it's just--
- Please ! l mean-- Just please--
Perhaps your friend.
Are you not afraid ?
l'm beyond fear, sir.
Are you ?
[ Gasps ]
You're touching
the organ, sir ?
Can you not feel my grip ?
l feel nothing at all.
No pain ?
Nothing.
Tell me, who is
the young doctor ?
Robert Merivel,
Your Majesty.
You will summon him to the palace
this very afternoon.
[ Chattering, Shouting ]
Watch where you're going,
you fool !
Your stockings.
lt's the young doctor,
Your Majesty.
Do you know why
l've summoned you here ?
l--
A great heaviness
hangs over me...
causing me a most
abject desperation.
Someone very close to me
is dying.
Someone without whom
l cannot live.
My doctors have
bled her repeatedly;
have tried, without success,
lesions, emetics and purges.
Shaved the hair off her body
in order to cup her.
But she does not rally.
[ Gargling ]
You are my final hope,
Merivel.
lf you can cure her, l will offer you
a place here as a court physician.
And if l fail ?
You must not fail.
Her name is Lou Lou.
''Lou Lou,'' Your Majesty ?
Your own name, by the way,
has a very pleasing cadence.
Thank you, Sire.
Merivel.
Very pretty to the ear.
Lou Lou ?
Oh, my darling is not well.
Come, Merivel.
Call for any medicines,
anything you deem suitable.
You will stay until the
little creature recovers.
Of course.
Do not disappoint me,
Merivel.
l shall not, Sire.
[ Howling ]
There was a time
she would've answered me.
[ Wheezing ]
What have they done to you ?
[ Merivel's Voice ]
My dear Pearce,
by the time you read this letter
my fate will be sealed.
This morning, my future
never glowed so bright,
and now it is sputtering out
in the life of a sick spaniel.
lf l save her, my life
will be changed utterly.
lf she dies,
l may as well go with her.
l think of our great teacher,
William Harvey.
Though l was often drunk at his
lectures, l remember his cry:
[ Speaking Latin ]
''Trust in the power of nature.''
ls that the best hope now,
for Lou Lou and me ?
To let her sleep and give nature
a chance to work quietly within her ?
But what if l'm wrong ?
How will l explain this
prescription to His Majesty ?
[ Bell Ringing ]
[ Dog Whimpering ]
[ Whimpers ]
This is well done.
l like you, Merivel.
Yours is a curious
and original mind.
And in this new age,
originality is of great value.
We shall open our palace
to you, Merivel--
its treasures
and temptations--
and we shall see
what you make of yourself.
Thank you, Sire.
You have been given an extraordinary
opportunity for one of your rank.
Haven't l ?
l have--
- You must at every moment
please the King.
- That would mean--
- lf you do not, suffice it to say,
l shall be watching.
- Good.
Now it is my task to lay out for you
your life in this place.
This shall be your lodging.
The royal tailors will be
continually at your disposal.
And these shall be
your playfellows.
[ Giggling ]
This paper sets forth
the following duties for one
Robert Merivel, physician:
the daily care and comfort
of the 18 royal dogs...
with, as required, the right
to perform operations upon them.
lt's ten years wasted. l'm warning you,
your life will be undone.
No, not wasted, Pearce, for those years
have brought me to this new life.
l'm to the palace,
and that's an end of it.
My dear, we must be
pleased for each other.
You must be pleased
for my appointment...
as l am pleased that you have,
uh, given up drinking sack.
And found my peace
in Quakerism.
Even so, Pearce.
Even so.
[ Merivel Narrating ]
My dear Pearce,
a year has passed
most profitably and pleasurably,
leaving me no moment
in which to write to you.
All day l am thick
in the affairs of state,
yet l manage to employ
my medical knowledge--
especially in anatomy--
in the services of the King,
who's particularly fond
of my trick of farting at will.
l am Aeolius,
King of the Winds !
- [ Flatulence ]
- [ All Laughing ]
That my dear departed father
could see me now,
for the King shows me
a flattering affection...
that stems, l suspect,
from my ability to amuse him.
[ Laughing ]
[ Giggling ]
Our physician
has become our fool.
What do you make
of the preparations, Merivel ?
Oh, sir. Most wondrous, Sire !
What is it for ?
- A wedding.
- Ohh !
- A most lavish affair !
- Yes.
- Who's to be married ?
- Celia Clemence.
Um... l understood
she was your mistress.
Then you understood
right, Merivel.
That is generosity indeed.
Merivel, let me explain.
Celia Clemence's
presence in my bed...
continues to be necessity.
So, too, does that of my grand amour,
Barbara Castlemaine.
But her tantrums on the
subject of Miss Clemence...
are making me edgy.
So... Miss Clemence
is to be married...
and seemingly dispatched
out of London with her husband,
while, in fact, l secret her
near the river in Kew,
the better to sport
with her unobserved.
[ Laughing ]
[ King ]
And for her husband, l need a man...
who is far too enamored
of women in general...
to make the mistake of
loving one in particular.
Ah ! Again, a most superior
aspect of the plan.
And whom has Your Majesty chosen
for this particular honor ?
Yes, in fact l've decided that you
should be the one to marry her, Merivel.
Marry, Your Majesty ?
''Marry Merivel.'' The phrase
is very pretty to my ear.
But, Sire,
l do not wish to marry--
l'm not asking you to wish it.
l'm asking you to do it.
Merivel, have l not done you
very many favors in the past ?
Yes, Sire,
many favors, but--
- Voila. You owe me
at least one in return.
- [ Whispering ]
l shall, of course,
reward you for it.
Make you a knight, give you
a most agreeable estate in Suffolk...
- and my second best bed.
- l would prefer to stay at court.
No, no.
You will go to Suffolk...
and you will make something
of the house.
And, perhaps,
if the time is right,
we shall favor you
with a visit.
- Aye. [ Panting ]
- Go now.
Only remember this, Merivel:
lf she's over there with you,
there will be no intimacy
of any kind between you.
Though she is your wife,
she is yours in name only.
You are to be
a paper bridegroom.
- [ Chuckling ]
- Voila, mademoiselle.
[ Speaking French ]
Un, deux,
troix.
- [ French ]
- [ Grunts ]
[ Reading ]
''Sir Robert Merivel, Bidnold.''
[ Man Speaking Latin ]
Nova vel noviter inventa.
Observationes proprias
et alienas recensere...
ad considerandum
propriam opinionem...
vel obsignatis tabulis...
in aliis animalibus agere
secundum Socratis regulam.
Unde observationes exoticas--
[ Continues ]
l've come to give you these.
[ Latin ]
- These are--
These are your medical books.
- l know.
- Your copy of Harvey.
- l know.
l have resolved
to abandon medicine.
The King has made
other plans for me.
l have been given a knighthood,
an estate and a wife.
This is my time of preferment, Pearce.
This is my time.
What ?
Nothing.
Merivel !
[ Sighs ]
When you stood in this room...
and put your hand
around that man's heart--
something l did not dare do
that day--
your vital flame
was burning.
Now, you see, the light
has gone out of your eyes.
No, my study of medicine
has given me nothing...
but a perpetual and visible
awareness of mortality;
that were l to continue, it would
very shortly bring me to despair.
- Very well.
- l must see to my dogs.
Very well !
[ Man Continues ln Latin ]
Merivel !
Merivel !
Merivel !
Harvey revealed his work to us
so that treading in the same path...
we might discover very many things
as yet unknown to others.
- You have a gift for healing, Merivel.
- l do not !
Yes. Oh, yes, you do.
For understanding sickness.
- Death is a terrible thing, Pearce.
- [ Exasperated Sigh ]
l need color and light,
not darkness and death.
l feel l've had quite enough
of dark things.
l want bright things
and decorative things.
l am, after all,
a creature of the new age.
l shall pray for you.
- [ Dogs Whimpering ]
- Come along, Mr. Bung.
- [ Puckering ]
- [ Barking ]
Your bride.
[ Gasps, Sighs ]
[ Applause ]
- [ Man ]
He filled your jar with spice !
- [ All Laughing ]
[ Man ]
To the wedding chamber !
[ Men Cheering, Laughing ]
[ Shouting, Chanting ]
- Bed her well, Merivel !
Bed her well, Merivel !
- [ All ] Whoa !
- [ Laughter ]
- Bed her well, Merivel !
Bed her well, Merivel !
Bed her well !
Bed her well, Merivel !
Bed her well, Merivel !
- Bed her well, Merivel !
- [ Cheering, Applause, Laughter ]
[ All Cheering, Shouting ]
[ Man ]
Fair thee well !
[ Merivel Grunts, Chuckles ]
- l believe our kiss
convinced them, Lady Celia.
- [ Celia Chuckling ]
[ Both Chuckling ]
[ Laughing ]
Well done, Merivel.
Well done !
We fooled 'em all.
[ All Laughing ]
You are a most useful fellow, Merivel.
Most useful !
And at the moment you
are most useful to me...
in Suffolk.
- [ Pants ]
- [ Chuckles ]
Oh. Yes.
[ King ]
Your disguise is behind the pillar.
[ Moaning, Grunting ]
[ King Laughing ]
- [ Ornaments Jingling ]
- [ Moaning ]
[ Moaning Continues ]
[ Moaning lntensifies ]
[ Merivel Narrating ]
Pearce, this will make no sense to you,
as it makes no sense to me,
but the moment l saw Lady Celia
l was captivated by her.
When l think of her,
l feel faint, my heart aches...
and l fear
there is no cure for me,
for l cannot stop thinking
of her, even in my sleep.
[ Bell Chiming ]
[ Man Shouting Commands ]
Sir Robert !
Welcome to Bidnold.
Ah, Will Gates
at your service.
You are alone, sir ?
Yes. Lady Merivel desired
that l act as a vanguard...
and see the lay of the land.
l trust that the wedding
went off as planned.
Yes, most well.
Um, l shall now retire.
[ Clears Throat ]
Oh, could you send up
some strong liquor ?
Yes, sir.
[ Bell Chiming ]
Good morning, Sir Robert.
Mr. Gates, l find
the house induces in me...
a most melancholy
frame of mind.
And exceeding dark.
The King confiscated it
from a Puritan.
Oh.
Mr. Gates.
l must be straight
with you.
We shall not expect
Lady Merivel's arrival for some time.
Well...
one cannot stay in bed
indefinitely.
What one needs
is a diversion.
The King told me to make
something of the house.
Oh ! And you
are monarch here.
[ Merivel ]
We shall have color and light !
With purples and golds
and crimsons and scarlets and carmines.
- What, all together in one place, sir ?
- Yes, Mr. Gates.
We will make this house
so beautiful that if Lady Celia
were to pay us a visit,
she would never want to leave.
Ah, the Dutchman.
Yes !
All of it !
Yes !
[ Chattering ]
[ Merivel's Voice ]
Mr. Gates, to divert myself further...
and to display
our lavish decoration,
l feel the urge for company.
Perhaps a visit
from the neighbors...
will restore my old
uncontainable nature.
A pox on wisdom !
Let us all be
mares and stallions.
[ Guests Laughing, Chattering ]
Sir Robert,
someone at the door.
What ? At the door ? Another man come
to whinny in our festivities !
Why do you not have
a turban ?
Guy, supply Mr. Gates
with a turban !
[ Laughing, Chattering Continue ]
Sir Robert Merivel.
- [ Merriment Continues ]
- [ Woman Laughing ]
Oh, Lady--
Would you show me
immediately to my rooms ?
Yes, of course,
and without delay.
- Without delay.
- [ Crash ]
[ Quiet Chattering ]
[ Snoring ]
[ Clears Throat ]
Where am l ?
l attempted to take you back
to your room last night, sir,
but you were most
insistent to sleep here.
What--
What's the bird ?
A gift from Lady Violet.
[ Groans ]
Oh, Mr. Gates, l've just had
a most extraordinary dream.
l dreamed that Lady Celia did arrive
at Bidnold in the most foul humor.
l'm afraid she did, sir, and she
has now repaired to the garden room.
[ Man ]
All right, now, gently. Gently.
Careful ! Careful !
l've got it.
Keep it to your left.
- [ Door Closes ]
- Lady Celia.
l have come to bid you
welcome to Bidnold.
No, l do not desire
to be made welcome.
- The King will very soon
ask me back to him.
- l'm sure he will.
l'm sure he has of late been
most distracted by the foreign wars.
But in the meantime,
if there's any comfort...
l might provide here at Bidnold
for Your Ladyship--
No, there is nothing.
Nothing.
Well... um, well, then
together we shall wait...
for the return
of the King's love.
Love ?
You use that word ?
The King and his love for me
made use of you.
He looked around for the stupidest man
he could find, and he found you.
l begged him not to marry me
to such a fool.
[ Laughs, Sighs ]
l have brought a--
Stay away from me.
[ Merivel's Voice ]
''Celia, my loneliness consumes me,
but l see your unhappiness
is as great as mine.''
?? [ Recorder ]
Well, come in, please.
l hope my playing
isn't disturbing you.
No, it is l
who am disturbing you.
l-- No.
What is the bird ?
l am told it is an lndian nightingale.
lt was a gift.
- From the King ?
- Yes, from the King.
- lt's most beautiful.
- Mmm.
- Only it does not sing.
- No.
Perhaps it wants
encouragement.
Now, if it were to hear you play,
for your playing, as l recall,
- has about it an exceeding sweetness.
- [ Chuckles ]
Would it be asking too much
if l were to keep the bird in my room ?
No, nothing would be
too much. Will !
No, no. l'll--
And let the garden room
be my private habitation,
where l shall perhaps
from time to time invite you.
Um--
l find much of the decoration
here rather disturbing.
Yes, certain of the servants
regularly complain of it.
Merivel, forgive me if l spoke before
of matters that do not regard me.
We live in an age where many
are made fools and many are deceived.
l, in my faith for the King's love,
am probably as foolish as you.
[ Clears Throat ]
Oh.
lt's from my old friend,
Mr. Pearce.
lt seems he's now working
in a hospital with his Quakers.
Will, will you
sit down ? Please.
ls there a Mrs. Gates ?
Oh, no, sir.
[ Sighs ] The messy constellations
l see through my telescope...
offer me no clue
to my destiny.
There is, l fear, a great deal
about the world and my role in it...
which, despite all my early learning,
l have utterly failed to understand.
l must restrain my thoughts and do
something altogether more constructive.
What is the matter, sir ?
l have done the one thing
forbidden by the King:
l have fallen in love
with my wife.
?? [ Recorder ]
[ Knocking ]
Merivel, there is
someone to see you.
This is Mr. Finn,
a painter.
A painter ?
A painter ! Welcome !
A painter ! Most excellent.
- Did l send for a painter ?
- No, sir.
Never mind.
l'm a keen painter myself.
l call it
''Le Matin de Merivel L'Automne.''
What do you make of it,
honestly ?
lt is an excrescence.
Ah ! Perhaps that is
the word for it.
But to me it's a rather
memorable rendering...
of all the colors
l have in my park.
You must not show
this painting to anyone.
- You must, l think, burn it.
- Oh.
Merivel, Mr. Finn has arrived
with a commission.
A commission !
From whom ?
- Robin Hood ?
- [ Snickers ]
Robin Hood ? Oh, yes.
My Lincoln green.
[ Polite Chuckle ]
How funny.
Now, if l may,
this letter commands...
the following commission
by one Elias Finn, myself,
a noble and beautiful
portrait of Lady Merivel.
''An excellent painting will earn
Mr. Finn a small place at court.''
So, you see,
not Robin Hood-- the King.
Shall we go ?
My imprisonment is over.
The King means me to return.
- Aw, cherubs.
- Uh-huh.
The King has often told me
he cannot abide the cherub.
l would not depend upon this
for your future, either of you.
- Why not, Merivel ?
- lt is a commission from the King.
My dear Flinn--
No, Finch--
- Uh, ''Finn.''
- Oh.
Many portraits are
commissioned by the King,
and most of the poor artists
are still waiting to be paid.
Yes, well, we shall have to make the
painting too beautiful to be resisted.
And, Celia, there seems to be
no mention of your returning to court.
- But why else would he
ask for a portrait ?
- Souvenir, perhaps.
[ Gates ]
A letter, Sir Robert.
Mmm.
From the King.
lf l may !
lf l may !
What mention does the King
make of the painting in his letter ?
Oh, it's-- None.
l would frame some message to him,
but l don't know what to say.
Celia, if l do not set sail now,
l shall not reach London by morning.
And we both know the King regards a
betrayal of time as a betrayal of faith.
[ Chattering ]
[ Chatter Continues ]
[ Man ]
...there is a void--
Ah, Merivel.
ls it you ?
lt is me.
lt-lt is in fact l, Sire.
Time has changed you,
Merivel.
As with many of my people, some
vital part of you appears to be asleep.
Something has arrived,
Merivel.
Something that may rouse
even you from sleep.
The plague.
La peste.
Deptford, four people
have died. lt will spread.
Some of us will be spared
and some will die.
But all of us will awake.
[ Chuckling ]
- [ Laughing ]
- [ Gasps, Chuckles ]
Come along, Merivel.
There is much to discuss.
You see, l have started work
upon this toad.
- Ah.
- Will you help me to dissect it ?
Yes, if you
wish me to, Sire.
Yes, l do wish you to,
Merivel.
l have summoned you
to talk about your wife.
Pin, Merivel.
When l married her to you,
it was to hide her...
from the intelligent gaze
of my mistress, Lady Castlemaine.
Now, observe the sheen of the gut.
lt's like a jewel.
You may imagine, then, my fury
when she commanded me...
to end my liaison
with Lady Castlemaine...
and likewise
to terminate my amours...
with certain actresses
of the playhouse.
So l banished her
to Suffolk.
Now the grosser part of me...
is uncommonly sensible
to her absence.
The royal tool is waving about
in search of her.
She is skillful and enthusiastic
in these matters.
Merivel, l desire you
to impress upon Celia...
to be content
with what she has.
Tell her to come to me in humility
and she may have it all again:
her house, servants, money and the King
in her bed from time to time.
l desire her
penitent return...
when the portrait
is finished.
Um... he's a slow painter,
Your Majesty, what with all the cherubs.
What is a painting
without cherubs ? Hmm ?
Precisely, Sire.
Make this clear, Merivel:
l expect her in my bed
when the portrait is complete.
The King would give no promise
whatsoever with regard to you.
But he must
have said something.
He desired that you
stay here at Bidnold...
until you became aware
of the changeful nature of all things.
But how long does he say
this will take ?
Months ? Years ?
Am l to grow old
and see my beauty vanish...
and all that once pleased him
turn to decay ?
l'm sure he does not
intend that,
but he has put the matter
into your hands and into mine.
lnto your hands ?
Yes.
For l am to judge
when you are ready.
And the King has promised to correspond
with me regularly over the matter.
And how shall l arrive
at this wisdom ?
He has suggested, perhaps,
that we together...
exercise our gifts
for music.
- Just arrived, sir.
- Will, l need you
to do something for me.
- Anything, sir.
- You must forge a letter
to me from the King.
[ Mutters ]
Sir.
And, uh, the King makes
no mention of a date...
for me to have, uh,
completed the painting ?
- My dear Finch.
- ''Finn.''
Ah !
He has no interest, it seems,
in the painting whatsoever...
but for his continued
suspicion of cherubs.
So it seems to me
that it is to music...
that His Majesty owes
his greatest affection.
- We are all mere pawns.
- Mmm ! Prawns, yes.
No, no, ''pawns.''
''Pawns'' !
Hmm.
Merivel, wake up.
There is something l must tell you.
Celia !
The bird is ill.
The bird. The bird.
Oh, the bird !
Please, we must do something.
Birds are not really
my specialty--
But, Merivel,
it is dying !
Merivel, why are you
no longer a physician ?
Um--
When l asked the King why
he was marrying me to such a fool,
he said that you had
a great gift for healing.
Perhaps l should stay.
We should watch over the bird together.
Yes, l would like that.
[ Birds Chirping ]
lt's dead.
[ Gates ] Are you not putting
yourself at terrible risk, sir ?
Forging the King's seal
is a hanging offense.
l love her, Will.
l must do all l can...
to discourage
completion of the portrait.
Sir Robert ?
l'm sure your wife
is greatly dismayed...
at the loss
of her favorite bird.
lnconsolable, l fear.
Which must, in turn,
cause you much distress.
Of course.
l did all that l could.
Sir Robert, now that the painting
is nearly complete,
l feel it is my duty to thank you for
your hospitality during my stay here.
Th-Th-The desire
to finish the work...
has perhaps made me
less than an ideal guest.
- For that l am sorry.
- No, matter, Finn. No matter.
- l understand better than
most the lure of court.
- [ Chuckles ]
- Sir Robert.
- Hmm ?
May l be forward with you ?
During my stay here,
l-l've noticed...
that a certain bond
has formed...
between yourself
and Lady Merivel.
A-And that you are perhaps--
although she has warmed
considerably--
unsure how to further
the matter.
Perhaps i-i-i-if l were
to broach the subject with her,
her natural shyness
might find some release ?
My God, it's a most
delicate situation.
But that might be
the very thing.
- l think. Well, l'll do what l can.
- [ Chuckles ]
l will, of course,
act most subtly.
?? [ Harpsichord ]
[ Whispers ]
Merivel !
l have spoken to Lady Celia,
and my impression is...
that your advances
would not be unwelcome.
?? [ Harpsichord Continues ]
[ Bell Chiming ]
[ Chiming Continues ]
Voila ! Venus !
Uncommonly bright !
A good portent. Venus being the
brightest of all the evening stars...
and the reigning planet
of earthly love.
Come and look.
Uh, uh--
Here. Here.
Ah.
- You're right, Merivel.
lt really is a beautiful star.
- Yes.
And it smiles on us
from on high.
We are blessed.
[ Chuckles ]
Merivel ?
Merivel !
[ Groans ]
No !
No ! No !
[ Grunting ]
Celia, you must think
no more of the King.
lf he is not weary of you now,
he soon will be.
[ Gasps ]
- You're wrong, Merivel.
The King wants me back.
- [ Laughs ]
Do you think he will curtail
his amours with the actresses
of the playhouse ? Never.
He is a loose fish !
He cannot be held or kept.
l am your husband, and all that l ask
is that you allow me to love you.
lt just arrived
from the palace, sir.
Mr. Finn
has betrayed us.
l-l shall leave for
court in the morning.
And, Will, pack
one of our pineapples.
l shall take it
as a gift to the King,
though l fear that--
What, sir ?
That no offering of this
kind will be enough.
[ King ]
Ah, Merivel !
This is my new plan
for our native city, Merivel.
Yes, come along, Merivel.
See how Fleet Street
is thus straightened.
And there is here one straight view
from Ludgate Circus...
past St. Paul's
and on to the Royal Exchange.
And here's another street from, uh--
from Smithfield down to the river...
where, perhaps, the halls
of the lesser companies...
might be built
along Thames Quay.
[ Chuckles ]
All for the beauty, ornament
and convenience of the city.
Sit down, Merivel.
Ohh !
l-lt is a brave
new plan, Sire.
Now, l have--
Do you remember we once
made a plan together, Merivel ?
And in that plan,
love was not asked of you.
lndeed, it was the only thing
specifically forbidden of you.
By ignoring what we agreed,
you have driven yourself
out of paradise.
Out of paradise ?
Well, yes.
For what is your role now ?
l had not intended to love Celia.
l do not know how it happened.
lt happened because
you allowed it to happen.
By trying to be the thing that you were
charged with pretending to be,
you have rendered yourself
useless to me.
l'm taking Bidnold from you.
What'll l do ?
Hmm. What did you do before ?
l was-- l worked
as a physician.
Ah, yes.
ln the hospital.
Well, you can use
that skill again.
- l cannot !
- Why not, Merivel ?
Because l'm afraid.
Precisely.
So, au revoir, Merivel.
l shall not say adieu,
for who knows,
perhaps in the future, history may have
another role for you.
Your Majesty, you took me
from the Royal College,
gave me your dogs to look after,
liked me for my foolishness.
No, Merivel.
l liked you for your skill,
for then the two were in you--
light and dark.
But now, your skill
is fallen away...
and you are one foolish,
quivering mass.
The plague is coming,
Merivel,
and the plague rouses men
from their sleep.
You know, Will,
in my time at Bidnold...
l have grown
uncommonly fond of you.
And l-- if l may say so, sir--
am uncommonly fond of you.
[ Gates ] So you're off to Mr. Pearce
and the Quakers, sir ?
[ Merivel ]
l've nowhere else to go.
[ Thunder Rumbling ]
Ah ! How may l
help you, friend ?
l-l've come to visit
my friend, Pearce.
You must be Robert.
Please, enter.
Daniel !
Ah, John told us one day
you would like to join us.
- Ah, did he ?
- Get some oats for the horse.
l do not intend
staying long.
l hate being housed up
anywhere for too long, sir.
Robert !
[ Laughs ]
Robert !
Pearce ! Pearce !
- John.
- John ?
Here in Whittlesea,
l'm John and you're Robert.
l'm bound, after all these years,
to find that difficult.
Come on. Let's get you out of the wet
and up to your room.
[ Sobs ] lt's the size
of one of my linen cupboards.
Here we give prominence
to other things, Robert.
When l saw your life before among the
terrible luxuries of the courts, l, uh--
well, l prayed you
would be taken out of it.
And yet l was uncommonly
fond of it, Pearce.
This is our new
friend Robert.
This is Ambrose,
Daniel...
and our dear sisters,
Hannah and Eleanor.
Robert is well qualified
to help us.
He claims to have forgotten
medicine, but l know he has not.
- l have. Sadly, l have.
- Not.
- Well, regrettably, but in fact--
- Stop it.
Lord, send a light
to show Robert the way.
[ Eleanor ]
Dear Jesus, be with Robert.
[ Hannah ] God in heaven,
take Robert's hand.
Be at his side.
[ Daniel ] And even when night comes,
still be at his side.
[ Together ]
Amen.
The inmates are looked after
in a series of barns.
This is the men's barn.
And in the women's barn, the
invalid friends weave sailcloth.
The keepers must never
enter the barns alone.
Yes, l certainly
understand.
- This is alarming.
- [ Women Moaning ]
This is our work now.
But how has madness
undone so many ?
By a hundred different ways.
Madness is a brother
and sister to misfortune.
Poverty and abandonment
are prime causes.
This is Robert !
He's come to help us in our work.
Say the name to yourselves...
and keep it precious
because he is your friend.
- Robert.
- Robert.
We have one here, a young
lrish woman-- Katharine.
She was abandoned one night
by her husband.
And now,
she will not sleep.
Are you another man
sent to do me injustice ?
Katharine, this is our new friend
Robert. He won't hurt you.
- [ Cloth Tearing ]
- [ Chickens Clucking ]
Red may now, having passed under
the hoop, endeavor to roquet black.
May we not play
a little croquet here, Robert ?
Um. No. No. The sight
of a croquet hoop...
would produce in John
a most extraordinary reaction.
What is she doing ?
[ Daniel ]
She calls it her leaving step.
[ Sheep Bleats ]
That's some kind of dance ?
- Hello, Robert.
- Hello.
[ Chickens Squawking ]
Every man on earth
has his leaving step.
lf my husband had been
a small man,
he would not have been
able to leave.
He was a large man.
Stepped over me as l slept,
in one giant stride.
The king, too, being plagued by fools
from whom he wishes to walk away,
has perfected his leaving step
to a walk of unsurpassed elegance.
Show me then that walk.
Um--
Well, sort of--
Uh-- l cannot.
My imitation is too poor.
The shoes are all wrong and, uh--
But you, too, are a man.
Have you not your own leaving step ?
No. lt is others
who leave me.
[ Weak Laugh ]
[ Ambrose ]
Lunacy is a devilish liquid thing.
lt can only be coaxed out
by blood, vomit or feces.
Do you not smell
the choler ?
See. She's quiet now.
Of course. She's lost
a lot of blood.
Do you honestly believe that
the bleeding is necessary ?
l hope to make her sleep.
Sleep is the best thing for her.
ls there not
some other way ?
Robert, you've not seen
the nature of her madness.
She marches up and down at night,
shouting and crying.
- What does she shout ?
- That she is not mad.
Perhaps she is not mad.
On two occasions she tried
to take her own life.
Mightn't that be despair ?
What you and l would feel
were we locked away with the mad.
Why do you tear
your clothes ?
l'm making windows
for my limbs to see through.
Clothes make me blind and l must
be watchful at all times,
lest someone come
to hurt me again.
This is for you.
The robe of sleep.
To comfort you,
as you comfort your doll.
Robert.
l shall be along shortly.
Why are you afraid
to sleep ?
Once l fell asleep,
but the evil in me was wakeful.
And l let slip my little girl.
Your daughter ?
My man was an English soldier.
One of Cromwell's.
He was good to my family.
And l was green as a goose.
[ Merivel ]
And fair looking.
lt was he who took
you to London ?
A little girl was born to us and lived
three years before she was taken.
She liked to see the boats.
We watched the river
and the river watched us...
until one day
l closed my eyes...
and the river took her
for drownin'.
You must be watchful
always, Robert.
Do not sleep.
We will be watchful
for each other.
You can sleep.
l will take the first watch.
l cannot.
Across the sea,
in the Land of Mar...
there is a valley where are kept
all the things lost on earth.
Lost kingdoms,
lost riches,
lost hours,
lost loves.
The people go there to discover
their lost days and lost deeds.
[ Yawns ]
And often they are surprised
to come across a few of their lost wits.
Simply because they'd never
in the least missed them.
Robert, if you're seen to be
overattentive to one,
you'll be seen to be less than attentive
to the others.
l helped her to sleep.
So perhaps l was near a cure for her.
[ Pearce ]
That is somewhat arrogant.
Cures are not performed by us.
Only Jesus cures.
We are merely His agents.
But may we not, as His agents,
look to ourselves ?
To our own experience
to aid in a cure ?
When l am ill,
l will seek out...
at the first sign or footstep
of that illness...
the services of a physician
to help me to a cure.
And the insane man,
on the contrary,
is not brought to any bedlam
or hospital until the disease
is far advanced.
For all our inmates
there was a time before.
When there was
no madness in them.
We should try to ask each
one of those in our care...
to try to remember how it was
to be in the time before.
And to return them there.
Perhaps as sleep returns
Katharine to her time before,
in times of joy,
and in this way
we might discover...
the imprint of the steps
to madness.
There, just
under the surface,
there could be cures
by dancing and laughter.
l see Daniel playing
a tarantella.
l see the women dancing
like happy children.
l see-- l see...
all the things lost on earth.
[ Pearce ]
Robert !
This is not
the Court Masque.
l know that !
But you cannot banish joy,
for that is the road to madness.
And, and all this...
has come to me
from the Lord...
[ Sniffles ]
l suspect.
Today, instead of walking round
the tree, we're gonna dance.
Or skip. Or gallop.
Anything.
And your keepers
will dance with you.
Um, this is
a twirling dance...
so why do you not twirl
and turn and dance ?
Hello, Robert.
[ Ambrose ]
One, two and three and four.
Yes ! Yes !
Ha ha !
- Dance with me !
- Oh, l cannot.
[ Daniel ]
Robert cannot, for he is the music.
Perhaps, uh, John will ask you
to dance with him.
[ Laughter ]
[ Ambrose ]
Come on !
Why was this music
not always with us ?
[ Laughter ]
Aha !
John ?
John ?
John.
Robert.
For a month now,
and l'm telling this
to you and nobody else,
l've felt certain symptoms
come upon me.
[ lnhales ]
First, you must rest.
Only then, Pearce,
can l prescribe my remedy.
- John.
- Ah, John, then,
but you'll be neither one nor the other
if you allow yourself to die.
l cannot stay in bed,
there's so much work to do--
Please do not make me
lose my temper !
Have l not a hundred times since
we've met allowed you to command me...
and done this or that
thing at your bidding ?
l have. So do not even consider
contradicting me !
What do you prescribe ?
Syrup of roses to warm your blood
and soothe your coughing.
A burdock poultice
for your head.
- And for the slime in the lung ?
- Sal ammoniac.
And a balsam.
Yes, we shall try several dissolved
in boiling water and inhaled.
lt's all come back
to you then, Robert ?
The right knowledge
at the right time.
Perhaps.
We shall see.
[ Pearce Coughing ]
[ Door Opening ]
Tell me more tales
of the Land of Mar.
ln the woods there lived
great families of badger.
And people liked to bring
their children there to see them.
The children are always told that if
they are very quiet, they will see them.
As far as l know,
they are never quiet enough.
This shall be
our meeting place.
Yes.
And l'll wait for ya.
And you'll come to me.
l will.
[ Pearce ]
Merivel ?
Why had you go out ?
Oh, when l cannot sleep,
sometimes l walk...
in the air at night.
Let's see.
Hmm.
You're burning up.
You called me Merivel.
Since this fever l've--
l've forgotten
your other name.
Robert.
Robert. That's it.
What l do remember is...
how l witnessed
the beating heart.
Yes, l remember.
You put your hand in
and touched it, but l could not.
l remember.
And yet the man
felt nothing.
[ Whispering ]
No, he felt nothing.
Pray for me that l might become
that man and feel no pain.
l shall.
[ Sighs ]
lt is not
the plague then ?
No. lt's his lung.
A potent consumption.
Let us pray for our friend John
in his time of trouble...
that his pain
may be the less.
[ Thunder, Rain ]
Stay with me.
The pain is less
when you stay with me.
[ Moaning ]
[ Wailing ]
[ Ambrose ]
Blessed be the name of the Lord...
from this time forth
and forever more.
From the rising
of the sun...
and the going down
of the same,
the Lord's name
is to be praised.
lt troubles me to take with me
to my grave so much that l do not know.
l'd rather you did not talk
about the grave, John.
Of course you would.
There are many matters,
ever since l met you,
upon which you would prefer me
to remain silent.
But it has
never been my way.
[ Thunder Continues ]
[ Sniffles ]
Here.
Your copy of Harvey.
You have a gift,
Merivel. Use it.
Robert !
Robert !
Robert !
Robert !
Robert is my lover !
Robert !
He is my lover !
Robert !
Robert !
He is my lover !
[ Merivel ]
Farewell, my friend.
When the time is right,
Robert shall leave us.
And he will take
Katharine with him.
[ Daniel ]
Why ?
Because, Daniel,
she is carrying his child.
- Good-bye, Hannah.
- Good-bye, Robert.
- Good-bye, Ambrose.
- Good-bye, Robert.
Walk on.
He will never teach
me croquet now.
[ Katharine ]
? Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross ?
? To see a fine lady
ride on her white horse ?
? With rings on her fingers
and bells on her toes ?
? And she shall have
music wherever-- ?
[ Merivel ]
Are you content now ?
Why should l not be ?
Will you be Quakerish
all the way to London ?
You know, in lreland,
a man with a horse, a cart,
and a book he knows how to read
is the catch of the county.
Well, perhaps when we have
made fire of the cart,
and eaten the horse,
wiped our asses with the book,
you'll have become acquainted
with what you have caught.
Oy ! Hop it !
Find the lady.
She's here, she's there,
you seek her everywhere.
She's floating in the air.
Where is she ?
Find the lady.
[ Laughs ]
That was my sixpence
if l had played.
- Here is our chance of money.
- Here's your chance
to be shorn like a sheep.
Ho, fellow !
Move on or you'll
lose your breeches.
Thank you, but l'm not one
of your bog-dwelling lrish bumpkins.
l have had some traffic
with the affairs of men.
We must have money.
There's money
inside my skirt.
- [ Laughs ]
- Sarah !
She is simple.
[ Katharine Bleats ]
We are doctor
and patient.
[ Bleating ]
l am the doctor.
Show me the cards.
Find the lady.
[ Horse Neighs, Oboe Squeaks ]
[ Oboe Squeaks ]
l have lost everything.
Not quite everything, sir.
l cannot. That was
a gift from the King.
Pity.
[ Sighs ]
Once more.
''Sir Robert Merivel.
Master of Bidnold.''
- Show me the cards.
- [ Laughs ]
Find the lady.
She's here, she's there,
she's floating in the air.
Find the lady.
Nooo !
[ Groans ]
Oh, l've made her mad again.
Ah, gold !
Heavy as a hen egg
against everything he's lost.
- And breakfast.
- She's simple.
lt's gold.
Even-Stevens, then.
And breakfast.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, shame. To rob
an idiot girl.
That's not kind, Robert.
Find the lady.
[ Merivel ]
No !
Ha !
[ Merivel ]
But, how ?
Simple.
[ Katharine ]
? Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross ?
? To see a fine lady
ride on her white horse ?
? With rings on her fingers
and bells on her toes ?
? She shall have music
wherever she goes ?
[ Bells Chiming ]
[ Footsteps ]
[ Merivel ]
Hello ?
Hello ?
[ Katharine ]
Hello !
l once lived here.
Put your hand
on my belly.
l'm frightened that something
might happen to take it away.
We'll build him a big strong castle
in the Land of Mar,
and put him in a high tower
where he will be safe.
Where he will feel
none of the unkindness of the world;
scheming, ugliness.
And should he pass
through the valley of lost things,
nothing of him
will ever be lost.
And we shall
call him John.
No one will ever be able
to take him from you.
[ Bells Ringing ]
Do not enter, sir.
l've come looking for work.
l, uh, l attended the college.
That ward is struck, and once a ward
or a house is struck,
then all the people
therein are quarantined for 40 days.
- Both sick and well ?
- Both together.
What happens ?
We leave them.
Mostly they die.
[ Merivel ]
What about the physicians ?
All fled. Physicians have become
the men most despised.
Perhaps you'd
like that, sir.
Physicians used to wear them
to purify the air against the plague.
Well, you can keep it.
The physician who wore it
comes here no more.
Nor does he go anywhere.
Nor has breath.
[ Laughs ]
[ Gasps ]
[ Merivel ]
John.
[ Pearce's Voice ]
You have a gift, Merivel. Use it.
For the child.
Why do you stay
with me ?
Because the child has weaved
our lives together.
l know you don't love me
as you've loved others.
Um, perhaps l do not recognize
love, Katharine. l'm not a wise man.
ln the Land of Mar,
which lies
just above Africa--
To help you sleep.
You must sleep, Robert,
if you are to heal others
as you've healed me.
[ Screaming ]
lt's all right.
lt's all right.
[ Groaning ]
We can only
wait and pray.
And then, if she should
start to slip away ?
Then there is only
one thing can be done.
[ Merivel ]
Katharine. Katharine.
The baby is large.
You cannot
push it out of you.
ls there nothing
can be done to save it ?
l must cut into the womb.
But if l do,
l shall lose you.
And l don't want
to lose you, Katharine.
You must save the child.
Are you not afraid ?
You're leaving me, l fear.
Nothing else.
Be with me now, Pearce.
[ Groans, Yells ]
Now, help me.
Hold back the flesh...
while l gently lever
the child out.
[ Groans ]
[ Baby Cries ]
Ah ! Oh ! Huh !
Katharine.
Katharine !
Katharine !
There's nothing
more l can do.
Sir !
Robert.
lt is no John,
it is our little girl.
We shall call her Margaret.
Margaret.
l love you, Robert.
l love you.
Keep her safe.
l will.
[ Baby Cries ]
[ Sobs ]
[ Priest ] Earth to earth,
ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
in sure and certain hope
of resurrection to eternal life...
the Lord, Jesus Christ
who shall--
[ Merivel's Voice ]
l write this for you, dear Margaret,
to tell you something
of my life.
Whatever is good in it
l owe to two people...
whom l could not save.
Your mother loved you
and gave her life for yours.
She was the bravest spirit
l ever knew.
The most compassionate
was my friend John Pearce.
Now l know l must return
to our work in the hospital,
and take on the role
that was always meant for me.
l have arranged
for your safekeeping.
For if l become ill,
l will not return.
[ Bells Ringing ]
[ Crying, Coughing ]
But they are
tied to the bed.
Those already affected
with the plague are tied...
to prevent them going into the streets
like madmen and infecting other people.
But the sick and the well
must be separated.
Open it !
l can't, sir.
The proclamation. The plague !
Then l shall open it.
[ Wood Breaking ]
[ Merivel Narrating ] The sick and
the well they keep quarantined together.
lf l were merely to separate them,
a great many lives would be saved.
Who do l have to thank
for this kindness ?
One John Pearce.
[ Narrating ]
The sick l can offer no cure.
But my presence among them
may bring with it some hope.
Fear is our greatest enemy.
And hope our best weapon
against the disease.
They have mistaken me
for John Pearce.
A mistake to which
l have contributed.
l allow them to continue
to honor my friend.
Dr. Pearce.
Excellent.
[ Baby Crying ]
There you are.
Mary will show you out.
[ Comforts Crying Child ]
Margaret.
- Dr. Pearce.
- Who calls ?
[ Whooshing Sound ]
[ lncense-Burning Pendulum Whooshing ]
Pearce.
l give her
into your hands.
Call for any medicines.
Anything you deem suitable.
Why have they sent
another doctor to me ?
You must want to live,
Lady Celia.
No.
Not in so wretched a state.
Tell me, Doctor,
why is it that
those that we love...
do not love us
in return ?
l once loved a woman
who did not love me.
Yet l believed
that she did.
ls it not
equally possible...
to mistakenly
feel unloved ?
l am one of many. l know
no special place in the King's heart.
The King does love
you, Lady Celia.
Why would he reveal such intimacies
to you and not to me ?
He told me nothing,
but l recognized in him...
the very feelings
l myself have known.
How may l arrive
at such an understanding ?
l used to look to the constellations
for some explanation...
in mysterious times
of my own life.
But the stars hold only
part of the answer, Lady Celia.
Now l look toward myself
and those who believed in me
and loved me for the man l was.
and loved me
for the man l was.
Now l know we have
the power to shape our own destiny.
Your voice
sounds familiar.
Perhaps from some other time
in my life, when l was a child.
Yes.
Perhaps when
we were children.
Sire, l am familiar with
the many symptoms of the plague.
Lady Celia suffers
from a different illness, a fever,
which l have treated
and from which she will recover.
And something else--
She is with child.
Good Doctor,
you have made my heart
exceeding glad.
But she is still haunted
by a profound melancholy.
lt can be relieved only
by some assurance of love.
l do believe
l understand you.
[ King ]
l believe l do.
And now you must
remove your headdress...
and make yourself
known to us.
That, if Your Majesty will
forgive me, l cannot do.
l only hope
l've proved useful.
A large part of the city
is on fire.
Boatsman !
[ Shouting ]
Go in !
All right.
l must find
my daughter.
Now, go in closer !
[ Shouting ]
[ Screaming ]
- Am l not near Cheapside ?
- Save yourself, sir.
Cheapside is gone.
[ Neighs ]
- Where am l ?
- Get away from me !
- What street is this ?
- l don't know !
Margaret !
Margaret !
[ Gasping ]
[ Shouting ]
Someone in there.
[ Birds Chirping ]
Where am l ?
Where am l ?
You have come back
to Bidnold.
Will.
l remember the journey.
l think not, sir.
You were asleep
for the most part of it.
They found you
15 miles from here.
Stuck fast under a tree.
[ Laughs ]
Margaret ?
No word of Margaret ?
Sir ?
l wish you might
have known her, Will.
l had a little daughter.
A most beautiful little girl.
l feel as though old age has
come upon me in the space of a moment.
[ Barks ]
[ lndistinct Whimpering ]
l fear l'm dreaming.
No, Merivel.
You are awake.
- Lady Celia has recovered.
- She was ill, Sire ?
Yes, and l was led to believe
that a colleague of yours,
a certain John Pearce,
was responsible for her recovery.
However, Celia
thinks differently.
And her suspicions
were confirmed...
when a midwife carrying
a very young child...
came to our palace
in search of one...
Robert Merivel.
Your child, l believe.
[ Gasps ]
Merivel.
l am not mistaken,
am l, Merivel,
about your love
for this place ?
No, Sire. There are here in Bidnold
certain combinations of color...
l do not think exist
anywhere else in the world.
Yes, quite.
Yes, your man Gates sent to us
and told us that...
you had returned
to your house.
My house, Sire ?
Yes.
l am giving you Bidnold...
until my reign is over
and another age comes.
What was taken from you
is restored to you...
in return for the lives
you've saved...
and the man that
you have become.
lt is your house, Merivel.
And l shall never
take it from you.
And l have commissioned
a portrait of you.
And it shall be called
''A Physician.''
[ Merivel Narrating ] The fire in its
fury has consumed the great plague.
Misfortune may leave behind
unlooked-for blessings,
none dearer than you,
my little Margaret.
l will return to the city
to my work as a doctor,
and the rebuilding
of the King's hospital.
The stars that
once confused me...
seem now to light a path
that is clear,
that l have in truth been traveling
for all these days.
Where l met what came
and left behind my sorrows.
And l'm traveling still.