By Sophie Black

Tom is present at a council meeting of all the nobility and has no
idea how to proceed. The Lord St. John asks that everyone else
be dismissed except for Hertford, St. John, and the “prince.”
When the others leave, St. John discusses the king’s plan to help
keep Tom out of the public eye, on account of his “illness.”
Hertford passes word of this on to Edward’s sisters, and St. John
covers for him on many issues of propriety. Lady Jane speaks to
Tom in Greek, but he cannot understand, and Elizabeth covers for
him by replying.
At the king’s banquet, Hertford and St. John cover for Tom most
of the evening and prompt him to leave when things get too
rough. The guardians then discuss “Edward’s” madness, and the
effect madness has had on the crown in history. St. John has
misgivings about Tom actually being the prince. Hertford doubts
Tom as well, but because he feels that most impostors would be
demanding that they were the prince, he attributes Tom’s
behavior to madness.
 1.
What comment is Twain making about
royal life in this chapter? Who makes the
decisions?
 Being
a prince is not what it is cut out to be.
You have a say in almost nothing, you have to
follow royal protocol, and can do next to
nothing for yourself.
 2.
Why is English royalty so dependent upon
ceremony? Find examples of rituals/protocol
in this chapter and explain the importance of
each. To what extent are they necessary?
Why do they exist?
 Royalty
is supposed to be more important
than anyone else, and therefore every luxury
must be made in order to insure their
complete comfort and health.
 3.
Why does Tom insist he is not the prince?
What does this show about his character?
Why do others not believe him?
 His
Father, Henry the Eight suffered from
madness as well, so I was not surprising that
“Edward” was mad too. The royal Subjects
were very worried and sympathetic because
they believed madness to be heredity.
Wide-awake, sleepless.Ever awake and alert;
sleeplessly watchful.
“…or a word from one or the other of the
vigilant lords…”(Page 40)
Lightheaded, vertiginous. Frivolous and
lighthearted; impulsive; flighty.
“Once the giddy little Lady Jane fired a simple
Greek phrase at Tom.” (Page 41)
The act of exalting.
“…Denied his dignity and pleaded against his
exaltation?...” (Page 44)

Tom goes through the ordeal of getting prepared
for dinner. He makes mistakes natural to
someone who has not learned courtly manners,
which confirms the rumors of “Edward’s” illness.
Tom’s nose itch is treated like a minor crisis; he
believes he is not to scratch it himself. Tom
drinks the finger bowl of rose water and leaves
before the blessing. In his chambers he tries on a
suit of armor and cracks nuts that he stole from
the dinner table. He finds a collection of books,
one on the etiquette of the English court, and
begins to read.

1. Why does Twain spend such a long time
detailing the process of getting prepared for
dinner? Why are so many servants present?

Twain’s description of the preparation of dinner
in the palace is so extravagate because he
wanted to illustrate the kind of ordeal a royal
would go through in order to do a minor task as
such. The reason it took so long was because the
princes servants dressed him, taking twice as
long than if he did it with his own hands.

2. What are the “Grand Hereditaries”? What
purpose do they serve? For what purpose does
Twain include them?

Being a Grand Hereditary must sound awfully
pivledged, but in truth your are most likely doing
a horrible job that you father, your fathers
father, ect… has done in royal service. Basically,
you could be a lord but royals are more
important than anybody else so you will serve
them, and be glad of the job you have.
 3.
Why hasn’t Twain written about Edward in
these last few chapters? How do these
chapters illuminate Edward’s back ground
and character, even though he’s not there?
Caprice, whim, quirk, crotchet. An
unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence,
or a course.
“…The prince was temporarily out of his head,
and to be careful to show no surprise at his
vagaries.” (Page 46)
Magnificent, luxurious, munificent.
Luxuriously fine or large; lavish; splendid.
“He lay down upon a sumptuous divan…” (Page
48)
Intensity, passion. Fervor for a person, cause,
or object; eager desire or endeavor;
enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
“and proceeded to instruct himself with honest
zeal.” (Page 48)
Henry VIII realizes he is dying but wants to make
sure the Duke of Norfolk goes first. He resolves
to go before Parliament to seal the warrant but
suffers a spell and is unable to go. In order for
the Lord Chancellor to carry out the king’s
request, to see Norfolk’s severed head before
he dies, the Lord Chancellor must have the
Seal, which Henry gave to the prince.
 Hertford goes to Tom to get the Seal, but Tom
has no idea where or what it is. The king falls
asleep, and Hertford awaits the king’s orders.
When the king wakes, he berates Hertford for
not having carried out his request and
demands that the small, portable Seal be used
to carry out his command.

What is the great seal? What is its purpose? Why
is the Great Seal so Important to the king?

To Become King, you must be in possesion of the
great seal. It passes down through the royal
family, and can sometimes be a ring. The
purpose of the great seal is to stamp hot wax
with it to seal a scroll or a letter. This is very
important to seal important documents from
prying eyes, but incase of emergencys there is
another, smaller seal that can also be used for
the same purpose.
Pasty, colorless.Extremely pale; drained of color;
pallid.
“His voice failed; an ashen pallor swept the flush
from his cheeks; and the attendants eased him back
upon his pillows, and hurriedly assisted him with
restoratives. Presently he said sorrowfully” (Page
49)
Wan, Pale. Faint or deficient in colour.
“His voice failed; an ashen pallor swept the flush
from his cheeks; and the attendants eased him back
upon his pillows, and hurriedly assisted him with
restoratives. Presently he said sorrowfully” (Page
49)
A restorative agent, means, or the like,
perhaps medicine.
“His voice failed; an ashen pallor swept the
flush from his cheeks; and the attendants
eased him back upon his pillows, and
hurriedly assisted him with restoratives.
Presently he said sorrowfully” (Page 49)
Rage, resentment, fury, choler. Strong, stern,
or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation;
ire.
“Instantly his face flushed with wrath…” (Page
50)
The official headdress of a bishop in the
Western Church, in its modern form a tall
cap with a top deeply cleft crosswise, the
outline of the front and back resembling that
of a pointed arch.
“…thy miter shall have holiday the morrow for
lack of a head to grace withal!” (Page 51)