Surrey's legacy as lord lieutenant in a sense splintered into separate facets. His learning curve in Irish matters and cognisance of the practical necessity of aristocratic delegation led to a rapprochement with Kildare (discussed in chapter six). But his time in Ireland stirred optimism among proponents of conquest. Kildare was reappointed in 1524 amid acrimonious relations with Ormond and growing contention in many quarters regarding the crown's Irish policy. Certain perspectives shifted over the course of the decade, most notably Surrey, and as it is here argued, those of his servant Thomas Bathe. Surrey (who succeeded his father as the third duke of Norfolk in May 1524) also maintained relations with both Piers Butler and a circle of moderate reformers. It is here proposed that Archbishop Inge, Patrick Bermingham and in particular Bathe came to take a less anti-Kildare view while Finglas, Rawson and Butler proponents hardened their stance. By the end of the decade, the ‘Breviate’ re-emerged c. 1529 as a notable addition to conquest-orientated literature of decay. In the preceding years, Robert Cowley was the most vocal and influential Butler advocate. Having initially served Kildare up to 1513 when he was dismissed by Gearóid Óg, Cowley became a secretary to Piers Butler and an implacable enemy of Kildare. Cowley, like Bathe, was a merchant with legal training. Both have been accredited authorship of the ‘Discourse’ (c. 1526), a long-overlooked document which can be compared with the ‘State’ (c. 1515) and the ‘Breviate’. Recent arguments have been made for Cowley's authorship, including a detailed case by Heffernan who has brought the entire document into print for the first time. Heffernan points out that as Piers Butler was referred to as Ormond, it must predate 1528 and also traces similarities between the ‘Discourse’ and Cowley's later policy proposals. It appears that the ‘Discourse’ (c. 1526) was not the specific document of ‘one Bath’ refuted by Cowley in 1528. Chad Marshall questions Cowley's authorship, and given elements of doubt, he tentatively accredits Bathe as the author. In what follows, it is proposed that the ‘Discourse’ was written by Bathe shortly after Kildare's restoration and when Surrey inherited his dukedom, before a revised ‘boke’ was offered in 1528 with a softened position regarding Kildare.