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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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and calling; and the wife and kids are gone; mayhap they are in heaven, mayhap in-in the other place-but the kindly God be thanked, they bide no more in England! My good old blameless mother strove to earn bread by nursing the sick; one of these died, the doctors knew not how, so my mother was burned for a witch, whilst my babes looked on and wailed. English law!- up, all with your cups!- now all together and with a cheer!- drink to the merciful English law that delivered her from the English hell! Thank you, mates, one and all. I begged, from house to house-I and the wife-bearing with us the hungry kids-but it was a crime to be hungry in England-so they stripped us and lashed us through three towns. Drink ye all again to the merciful English law!- for its lash drank deep of my Mary’s blood and its blessed deliverance came quick. She lies there, in the potter’s field, safe from all harms. And the kids-well, whilst the law lashed me from town to town, they starved. Drink lads-only a drop-a drop to the poor kids, that never did any creature harm. I begged again-begged for a crust, and got the stocks and lost an ear-see, here bides the stump; I begged again, and here is the stump of the other to keep me minded of it. And still I begged again, and was sold for a slave-here on my cheek under this stain, if I washed it off, ye might see the red S the branding iron left there! A SLAVE! Do ye understand that word! An English SLAVE!- that is he that stands before ye. I have run from my master, and when I am found-the heavy curse of heaven fall on the law of the land that hath commanded it!- I shall hang!’*(17) A ringing voice came through the murky air: ‘Thou shalt not!- and this day the end of that law is come!’ All turned, and saw the fantastic figure of the little king approaching hurriedly; as it emerged into the light and was clearly revealed, a general explosion of inquiries broke out: ‘Who is it ? What is it? Who art thou, manikin?’ The boy stood unconfused in the midst of all those surprised and questioning eyes, and answered with princely dignity: ‘I am Edward, king of England.’ A wild burst of laughter followed, partly of derision and partly of delight in the excellence of the joke. The king was stung. He said sharply: ‘Ye mannerless vagrants, is this your recognition of the royal boon I have promised?’ He said more, with angry voice and excited gesture, but it was lost in a whirlwind of laughter and mocking exclamations. ‘John Hobbs’ made several attempts to make himself heard above the din, and at last succeeded-saying: ‘Mates, he is my son, a dreamer, a fool, and stark mad-mind him not-he thinketh he is the king.’ ‘I am the king,’ said Edward, turning toward him, ‘as thou shalt know to thy cost, in good time. Thou hast confessed a murder-thou shalt swing for it.’ ‘Thou’lt betray me!- thou? An I get my hands upon thee-’ ‘Tut-tut!’ said the burly Ruffler, interposing in time to save the king, and emphasizing this service by knocking Hobbs down with his fist, ‘hast respect for neither kings nor Rufflers? An thou insult my presence so again, I’ll hang thee up myself.’ Then he said to his majesty, ‘Thou must make no threats against thy mates, lad; and thou must guard thy tongue from saying evil of them elsewhere. |
