noon
Cardinal Wolsey 's oared galley pushed off from the Tower Bridge , below the iron gateway . It gleamed with red and gold ; flags and sails flapped lazily in a gentle breeze . The Cardinal sat on the stern-deck surrounded by his little court ; most of his attendants he had left at home in York Palace , later known as Whitehall . His face was red both from the reflection of his red dress as from the wine which he had been drinking at noon with King Henry VIII in the Tower , and also from the new French sickness , which was very fashionable , as everything French was . He was in a cheerful mood , for he had just received fresh proofs of the King 's favour . At his side stood the King 's secretary , Thomas Cromwell . Both were parvenus .