But where shall I begin looking for a son to rule his country after him?
-- Cardinal Wolsey (Part I, Chapter 2 paragraph 53)

Importance: Here, Cardinal Wolsey explains to Thomas Cromwell what King Henry VIII is searching for – a son to follow him in succession to the throne of England. Henry wants a son, but Wolsey has absolutely no idea how to make that happen. This is the beginning of Wolsey’s downfall, and is the source of much of the action to come in the novel as Henry seeks to marry Anne Boleyn.

I am going to lose everything, everything I have worked for all my life, because I will go down with the cardinal.
-- Thomas Cromwell (Part II, Chapter 3 paragraph 13)

Importance: Thomas Cromwell laments the knowledge that he will probably lose everything when Wolsey falls, but he does not make any moves to betray the cardinal. Indeed, Cromwell remains loyal to Wolsey to the bitter end, at which time Cromwell’s loyalty is noted...