George Cavendish’s Life of Cardinal Wolsey contains not only evidence concerning the author’s own duties as gentleman usher but also illustrates his specific ethic of loyal service. It is this ethic that explains why he felt obliged to write the book. The article shows how this ethic serves as a unifying theme in the text, insofar as Cavendish extends it to describe Wolsey’s relationship to the king. Its centrality also helps to explain Cavendish’s ambiguous relationship with Thomas Cromwell, whom he portrays as serving two masters for much of the year 1529-1530.
