Chapter 34
803 Words
Hugh was not prosecuted for his threats or for stealing his
brother's estates and title, because the wife and brother would
not testify against him--and the former would not have been
allowed to do it, even if she had wanted to. Hugh deserted his
wife and went over to the continent, where he presently died; and
by-and-by the Earl of Kent married his relict. There were grand
times and rejoicings at Hendon village when the couple paid their
first visit to the Hall.
Tom Canty's father was never heard of again.
The King sought out the farmer who had been branded and sold as a
slave, and reclaimed him from his evil life with the Ruffler's
gang, and put him in the way of a comfortable livelihood.
He also took that old lawyer out of prison and remitted his fine.
He provided good homes for the daughters of the two Baptist women
whom he saw burned at the stake, and roundly punished the official
who laid the undeserved stripes upon Miles Hendon's back.
He saved from the gallows the boy who had captured the stray
falcon, and also the woman who had stolen a remnant of cloth from
a weaver; but he was too late to save the man who had been
convicted of killing a deer in the royal forest.
He showed favour to the justice who had pitied him when he was
supposed to have stolen a pig, and he had the gratification of
seeing him grow in the public esteem and become a great and
honoured man.
As long as the King lived he was fond of telling the story of his
adventures, all through, from the hour that the sentinel cuffed
him away from the palace gate till the final midnight when he
deftly mixed himself into a gang of hurrying workmen and so
slipped into the Abbey and climbed up and hid himself in the
Confessor's tomb, and then slept so long, next day, that he came
within one of missing the Coronation altogether. He said that the
frequent rehearsing of the precious lesson kept him strong in his
purpose to make its teachings yield benefits to his people; and
so, whilst his life was spared he should continue to tell the
story, and thus keep its sorrowful spectacles fresh in his memory
and the springs of pity replenished in his heart.
Miles Hendon and Tom Canty were favourites of the King, all
through his brief reign, and his sincere mourners when he died.
The good Earl of Kent had too much sense to abuse his peculiar
privilege; but he exercised it twice after the instance we have
seen of it before he was called from this world--once at the
accession of Queen Mary, and once at the accession of Queen
Elizabeth. A descendant of his exercised it at the accession of
James I. Before this one's son chose to use the privilege, near a
quarter of a century had elapsed, and the 'privilege of the Kents'
had faded out of most people's memories; so, when the Kent of that
day appeared before Charles I. and his court and sat down in the
sovereign's presence to assert and perpetuate the right of his
house, there was a fine stir indeed! But the matter was soon
explained, and the right confirmed. The last Earl of the line
fell in the wars of the Commonwealth fighting for the King, and
the odd privilege ended with him.
Tom Canty lived to be a very old man, a handsome, white-haired old
fellow, of grave and benignant aspect. As long as he lasted he
was honoured; and he was also reverenced, for his striking and
peculiar costume kept the people reminded that 'in his time he had
been royal;' so, wherever he appeared the crowd fell apart, making
way for him, and whispering, one to another, "Doff thy hat, it is
the King's Ward!"--and so they saluted, and got his kindly smile
in return--and they valued it, too, for his was an honourable
history.
Yes, King Edward VI. lived only a few years, poor boy, but he
lived them worthily. More than once, when some great dignitary,
some gilded vassal of the crown, made argument against his
leniency, and urged that some law which he was bent upon amending
was gentle enough for its purpose, and wrought no suffering or
oppression which any one need mightily mind, the young King turned
the mournful eloquence of his great compassionate eyes upon him
and answered--
"What dost THOU know of suffering and oppression? I and my people
know, but not thou."
The reign of Edward VI. was a singularly merciful one for those
harsh times. Now that we are taking leave of him, let us try to
keep this in our minds, to his credit.
- Writer
