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THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER

by Mark Twain

The Great Seal

I will set down a tale as it was told to me by one who had it of his father, which latter had it of HIS father, this last having in like manner had it of HIS father—and so on, back and still back, three hundred years and more, the fathers transmitting it to the sons and so preserving it.  It may be history, it may be only a legend, a tradition. It may have happened, it may not have happened:  but it COULD have happened.  It may be that the wise and the learned believed it in the old days; it may be that only the unlearned and the simple loved it and credited it.

CONTENTS

I. The birth of the Prince and the Pauper.
II. Tom’s early life.
III.   Tom’s meeting with the Prince.
IV. The Prince’s troubles begin.
V. Tom as a patrician.
VI. Tom receives instructions.
VII.   Tom’s first royal dinner.
VIII.   The question of the Seal.
IX. The river pageant.
X. The Prince in the toils.
XI. At Guildhall.
XII. The Prince and his deliverer.
XIII.   The disappearance of the Prince.
XIV. ‘Le Roi est mort’—vive le Roi.‘
XV. Tom as King.
XVI. The state dinner.
XVII.   Foo-foo the First.
XVIII.   The Prince with the tramps.
XIX. The Prince with the peasants.
XX. The Prince and the hermit.
XXI. Hendon to the rescue.
XXII. A victim of treachery.
XXIII.   The Prince a prisoner.
XXIV. The escape.
XXV. Hendon Hall.
XXVI. Disowned.
XXVII. In prison.
XXVIII.   The sacrifice.
XXIX. To London.
XXX. Tom’s progress.
XXXI. The Recognition procession.
XXXII. Coronation Day.
XXXIII. Edward as King.
CONCLUSION.   Justice and Retribution.
  Notes.

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE GREAT SEAL (frontispiece)

THE BIRTH OF THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER

"SPLENDID PAGEANTS AND GREAT BONFIRES"

TOM’S EARLY LIFE

OFFAL COURT

"WITH ANY MISERABLE CRUST"

"HE OFTEN READ THE PRIEST’S BOOKS"

"SAW POOR ANNE ASKEW BURNED"

"BROUGHT THEIR PERPLEXITIES TO TOM"

"LONGING FOR THE PORK-PIES”

TOM’S MEETING WITH THE PRINCE

"AT TEMPLE BAR"

"LET HIM IN"

"HOW OLD BE THESE

"DOFF THY RAGS, AND DON THESE SPLENDORS"  

"I SALUTE YOUR GRACIOUS HIGHNESS!”

THE PRINCE’S TROUBLES BEGIN

"SET UPON BY DOGS"

"A DRUNKEN RUFFIAN COLLARED HIM"

TOM AS A PATRICIAN

"NEXT HE DREW THE SWORD"

"RESOLVED TO FLY"

"THE BOY WAS ON HIS KNEES"

"NOBLES WALKED UPON EACH SIDE OF HIM"

"HE DROPPED UPON HIS KNEES"

"HE TURNED WITH JOYFUL FACE"

"THE PHYSICIAN BOWED LOW"

"THE KING FELL BACK UPON HIS COUCH"

"IS THIS MAN TO LIVE FOREVER?"

TOM RECEIVES INSTRUCTIONS

"PRITHEE, INSIST NOT"

"THE LORD ST. JOHN MADE REVERENCE"

HERTFORD AND THE PRINCESSES

"SHE MADE REVERENCE"

"OFFERED IT TO HIM ON A GOLDEN SALVER"

"THEY MUSED A WHILE"

"PEACE MY LORD, THOU UTTEREST TREASON!”

"HE BEGAN TO PACE THE FLOOR"

TOM’S FIRST ROYAL DINNER

"FASTENED A NAPKIN ABOUT HIS NECK"

"TOM ATE WITH HIS FINGERS"

"HE GRAVELY TOOK A DRAUGHT"

"TOM PUT ON THE GREAVES"

THE QUESTION OF THE SEAL

"EASED HIM BACK UPON HIS PILLOWS"

THE RIVER PAGEANT

"HALBERDIERS APPEARED IN THE GATEWAY"

"TOM CANTY STEPPED INTO VIEW"

THE PRINCE IN THE TOILS

"A DIM FORM SANK TO THE GROUND"

"WHO ART THOU?"

"INTO GOOD WIFE CANTY’S ARMS"

"BENT HEEDFULLY AND WARILY OVER HIM"

"THE PRINCE SPRANG UP"

"HURRIED HIM ALONG THE DARK WAY"

"HE WASTE NO TIME"

AT GUILDHALL

"A RICH CANOPY OF STATE"

"BEGAN TO LAY ABOUT HIM"

"LONG LIVE THE KING!”

THE PRINCE AND HIS DELIVERER

"OUR FRIENDS THREADED THEIR WAY"

"OBJECT LESSONS” IN ENGLISH HISTORY

"JOHN CANTY MOVED OFF"

"SMOOTHING BACK THE TANGLED CURLS"

"PRITHEE, POUR THE WATER"

"GO ON—TELL ME THY STORY

"THOU HAST BEEN SHAMEFULLY ABUSED"

"HE DROPPED ON ONE KNEE"

"RISE, SIR MILES HENDON, BARONET"

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PRINCE

"HE DROPPED ASLEEP"

"THESE BE VERY GOOD AND SOUND"

"EXPLAIN, THOU LIMB OF SATAN"

"HENDON FOLLOWED AFTER HIM"

"LE ROI EST MORT-VIVE LE ROI"

"WILT DEIGN TO DELIVER THY COMMANDS?"

"LORD OF THE BEDCHAMBER"

"A SECRETARY OF STATE"

"STOOD AT GRACEFUL EASE"

”’TIS I THAT TAKE THEM"

"BUT TAX YOUR MEMORY"

TOM AS KING

"TOM HAD WANDERED TO A WINDOW"

"TOM SCANNED THE PRISONERS"

"LET THE PRISONER GO FREE!”

"WHAT IS IT THAT THESE HAVE DONE?"

"NODDED THEIR RECOGNITION"

THE STATE DINNER

"A GENTLEMAN BEARING A ROD"

"THE CHANCELLOR BETWEEN TWO"

"I THANK YOU MY GOOD PEOPLE"

"IN THE MIDST OF HIS PAGEANT"

FOO-FOO THE FIRST

"RUFFIAN FOLLOWED THEIR STEPS"

"HE SEIZED A BILLET OF WOOD"

"HE WAS SOON ABSORBED IN THINKING"

"A GRIM AND UNSIGHTLY PICTURE"

"THEY ROARED OUT A ROLLICKING DITTY"

"WHILST THE FLAMES LICKED UPWARDS"

"THEY WERE WHIPPED AT THE CART’S TAIL"

"THOU SHALT NOT"

"KNOCKING HOBBS DOWN"

"THRONE HIM"

THE PRINCE WITH THE TRAMPS

"TROOP OF VAGABONDS SET FORWARD"

"THEY THREW BONES AND VEGETABLES

"WRITHE AND WALLOW IN THE DIRT"

"KING FLED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION"

"HE STUMBLED ALONG"

"WHAT SEEMED TO BE A WARM ROPE"

"CUDDLED UP TO THE CALF"

THE PRINCE WITH THE PEASANTS

"TOOK A GOOD SATISFYING STARE"

"MOTHER RECEIVED THE KING KINDLY"

"BROUGHT THE KING OUT OF HIS DREAMS"

"GAVE HIM A BUTCHER KNIFE TO GRIND"

THE PRINCE AND THE HERMIT

"HE TURNED AND DESCRIED TWO FIGURES"

"THE KING ENTERED AND PAUSED"

"I WILL TELL YOU A SECRET"

"CHATTING PLEASANTLY ALL THE TIME"

"DREW HIS THUMB ALONG THE EDGE"

"THE NEXT MOMENT THEY WERE BOUND"

HENDON TO THE RESCUE

"SUNK UPON HIS KNEES"

"GOD MADE EVERY CREATURE BUT YOU!”

"THE FETTERED LITTLE KING"

A VICTIM OF TREACHERY

"HUGO STOOD NO CHANCE"

"BOUND THE POULTICE TIGHT AND FAST"

"TARRY HERE TILL I COME AGAIN

"KING SPRANG TO HIS DELIVERER’S SIDE"

THE PRINCE A PRISONER

"GENTLY, GOOD FRIEND"

"SHE SPRANG TO HER FEET"

THE ESCAPE

"THE PIG MAY COST THY NECK, MAN"

"BEAR ME UP, BEAR ME UP, SWEET SIR!”

HENDON HALL

"JOGGING EASTWARD ON SORRY STEEDS"

"THERE IS THE VILLAGE, MY PRINCE!”

”’EMBRACE ME, HUGH,’ HE CRIED"

"HUGH PUT UP HIS HAND IN DISSENT"

"A BEAUTIFUL LADY, RICHLY CLOTHED"

"HUGH WAS PINNED TO THE WALL"

DISOWNED

"OBEY, AND HAVE NO FEAR"

"AM I MILES HENDON?"

IN PRISON

"CHAINED IN A LARGE ROOM"

"THE OLD MAN LOOKED HENDON OVER"

"INFORMATION DELIVERED IN A LOW VOICE"

"THE KING!” HE CRIED. “WHAT KING?"

"TWO WOMEN CHAINED TO POSTS"

"TORN AWAY BY THE OFFICERS"

"THE KING WAS FURIOUS"

THE SACRIFICE

"HE CONFRONTED THE OFFICER IN CHARGE"

"WHILE THE LASH WAS APPLIED"

"SIR HUGH SPURRED AWAY"

TO LONDON

"MOUNTED AND RODE OFF WITH THE KING"

"MIDST OF A JAM OF HOWLING PEOPLE"

TOM’S PROGRESS

"TO KISS HIS HAND AT PARTING"

"COMMANDED HER TO GO TO HER CLOSET"

THE RECOGNITION PROCESSION

THE START FOR THE TOWER

"WELCOME, O KING!”

"A LARGESS! A LARGESS!”

"SHE WAS AT HIS SIDE"

"IT IS AN ILL TIME FOR DREAMING"

"SHE WAS MY MOTHER"

CORONATION DAY

"GATHERS UP THE LADY’S LONG TRAIN"

"TOM CANTY APPEARED"

"AND FELL ON HIS KNEES BEFORE HIM"

"THE GREAT SEAL—FETCH IT HITHER"

"SIRE, THE SEAL IS NOT THERE"

"BETHINK THEE, MY KING"

"LONG LIVE THE TRUE KING!”

"TO CRACK NUTS WITH"

EDWARD AS KING

"HE STRETCHED HIMSELF ON THE GROUND"

"ARRESTED AS A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER"

"IT IS HIS RIGHT"

"STRIP THIS ROBBER"

"TOM ROSE AND KISSED THE KING’S HAND"

JUSTICE AND RETRIBUTION

NOTES