the day!”
That same day several prisoners were brought in to remain over
night, who were being conveyed, under guard, to various places in
the kingdom, to undergo punishment for crimes committed. The King
conversed with these–he had made it a point, from the beginning,
to instruct himself for the kingly office by questioning prisoners
whenever the opportunity offered–and the tale of their woes wrung
his heart. One of them was a poor half-witted woman who had
stolen a yard or two of cloth from a weaver–she was to be hanged
for it. Another was a man who had been accused of stealing a
horse; he said the proof had failed, and he had imagined that he
was safe from the halter; but no–he was hardly free before he was
arraigned for killing a deer in the King’s park; this was proved
against him, and now he was on his way to the gallows. There was
a tradesman’s apprentice whose case particularly distressed the
King; this youth said he found a hawk, one evening, that had
escaped from its owner, and he took it home with him, imagining
himself entitled to it; but the court convicted him of stealing
it, and sentenced him to death.
The King was furious over these inhumanities, and wanted Hendon to
break jail and fly with him to Westminster, so that he could mount
his throne and hold out his sceptre in mercy over these
unfortunate people and save their lives. “Poor child,” sighed
Hendon, “these woeful tales have brought his malady upon him
again; alack, but for this evil hap, he would have been well in a
little time.”
Among these prisoners was an old lawyer–a man with a strong face
and a dauntless mien. Three years past, he had written a pamphlet
against the Lord Chancellor, accusing him of injustice, and had
been punished for it by the loss of his ears in the pillory, and
degradation from the bar, and in addition had been fined 3,000
pounds and sentenced to imprisonment for life. Lately he had
repeated his offence; and in consequence was now under sentence to
lose WHAT REMAINED OF HIS EARS, pay a fine of 5,000 pounds, be
branded on both cheeks, and remain in prison for life.
“These be honourable scars,” he said, and turned back his grey
hair and showed the mutilated stubs of what had once been his
ears.
The King’s eye burned with passion. He said–
“None believe in me–neither wilt thou. But no matter–within the
compass of a month thou shalt be free; and more, the laws that
have dishonoured thee, and shamed the English name, shall be swept
from the statute books. The world is made wrong; kings should go
to school to their own laws, at times, and so learn mercy.” {1}
Chapter XXVIII. The sacrifice.
Meantime Miles was growing sufficiently tired of confinement and
inaction. But now his trial came on, to his great gratification,
and he thought he could welcome any sentence provided a further
imprisonment should not be a part of it. But he was mistaken
about that. He was in a fine fury when he found himself described
as a ‘sturdy vagabond’ and sentenced to sit two hours in the
stocks for bearing that character and for assaulting the master of
Hendon Hall. His pretensions as to brothership with his
prosecutor, and rightful heirship to the Hendon honours and
estates, were left contemptuously unnoticed, as being not even
worth examination.
He raged and threatened on his way to punishment, but it did no
good; he was snatched roughly along by the officers, and got an
occasional cuff, besides, for his irreverent conduct.
The King could not pierce through the rabble that swarmed behind;
so he was obliged to follow in the rear, remote from his good
friend and servant. The King had been nearly condemned to the
stocks himself for being in such bad company, but had been let off
with a lecture and a warning, in consideration of his youth. When
the crowd at last halted, he flitted feverishly from point to
point around its outer rim, hunting a place to get through; and at
last, after a deal of difficulty and delay, succeeded. There sat