Chapter 11, 12 & 13 Summary
Alexandra Grondelski
Chapter 11 Summary
While Tom presides at a sumptuous banquet, Edward
pounds on the gates of Guildhall, denouncing Tom as
a fraud and proclaiming that he, Edward, is the rightful
prince. Miles Hendon defends Edward from the
crowd, but, as it seems he will lose, a messenger from
the palace declares King Henry VIII is dead, and Tom
is proclaimed king. His first act as king is to free the
Duke of Norfolk.
Question I

How are Tom’s and the
nobles’ view of London
different from the one
Edward experiences as a
pauper?

Tom’s views of London are
different from Edward’s
because before being a prince,
he was a poor pauper with
nothing, but now he lives in
this grand palace with
servants at every door and
order. People care about him
and everything is overdone. In
Edward’s case, it’s the total
opposite. First he is this
Prince of Wales everybody
loves and adores, but now he
is mistreated and pushed
around. He is noticing now
how really commoners live.
He is taunted, pushed around
and made fun around.
Question II

How does Tom’s
partaking of the loving
cup in the court differ
from the one in the
previous chapter?

Tom’s partaking of the
loving cup in the court
differs from the one in
the previous chapter
because in the previous
chapter, John Canty is
forced to drink from the
loving cup by the
waterman letting Edward
escape his clutches.
Tom’s drinking from in
Chapter 11 because the
loving cup is passed
ceremoniously around.
Question III

How does Tom’s first
act as king reflect his
character?

His first act as king is
to make law not a
law of blood but of
mercy. This is when
Shakespeare's word
come in. This tells us
that Tom is a merciful
and kind person who
will do anything to
help.
Vocabulary

bawdkin- embroidered fabric made of woven silk
and gold thread

bawdricks- ornamental belts worn diagonally
across the chest

voyded- cut to show the garment underneath

cannell-bone- collarbone

mommarye- mummery, or mimed acting
Chapter 12 Summary
Miles Hendon and Edward make use of the
announcement to escape from the mob. Edward
realizes he’s the king. As Hendon and Edward reach
Hendon’s lodgings, Canty shows up to reclaim the
boy. Hendon defends the boy against Canty and takes
him into his home and vows to take care of him.
After hearing Miles’ story, Edward vows to clear
Miles’ name and proceeds to tell his own tale of
misfortune. Miles still thinks Edward is crazy and
vows to help him regain his health. Edward offers
Miles his choice of rewards for saving him from the
crowd.
Historical Note
The practice of displaying the decapitated heads of
treasoners on London Bridge began in the late 14th
century and was not discontinued until the late 17th
century.
Question I

Why does Miles
Hendon take such
good care of Edward
even though he
doesn’t think Edward
is the king?

Miles Hendon is
taking such good
care of Edward
because he feels
sorry for this waif
who thinks he is king.
Question II

Why does Edward expect to
be waited on? How does
Miles react to Edward’s
expectations?

Edward know that he is king
now, even though Tom is
supposedly on throne but he
knows the truth. Because
Edward is king now, he
expects to be waited on
because he is the top-dog.
Miles says he will treat him
like a brother and be a friend
to him. He also feels sorry for
this child and agrees to his
expectations and plays along,
such as listening to his every
order and calling him “my
liege”, “your majesty” and
other such important names.
Question III

Why does Miles ask
to sit in the presence
of the king? Why is
that a huge privilege?

Everyone thought
that to sit in the
king’s presence was a
huge honor and
Miles was denied to
sit with Edward, so
while Edward ate,
Miles was standing
behind his chair.
Question IV

Miles Hendon may well
be Mark Twain’s homage
to Cervantes’ Don
Quixote de la Mancha.
Discuss how each of
these authors uses the
courtly tradition for
ironic and humanistic
ends.

Don Quixote was a
character in the book.
He was a very old man
who still though he was
the knight in shining
armor and so he goes
around saving damsels in
distress. Miles, even
though is not a knight
anymore, still has the
grace and feel of it and
so even though everyone
thinks he is this old
knight, he still wants to
help and save people.
Activity

http://midtown.net/dragonwing/col9802.htm

http://www.zyra.org.uk/londonbr.htm

http://gallery.e2bn.org/image57989-myths.html

http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/londonbridge/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge

http://www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com/

AND MANY MORE!
Vocabulary

athwart- in front of or
across

betwixt- between

plebeian- a commoner

trussed- to put on, to
secure tightly

cozened- to deceive
Chapter 13
Edward demands that Miles help him undress and
takes his bed for the third night in a row. Miles takes
pity on Edward’s insanity and goes out to buy the boy
some new clothes, even though Miles doesn’t have
much money. He buys clothes with holes in them,
planning to stitch them up. Miles returns to find
Edward gone and discovers through a bumbling
servant that a young man accompanied by a “ruffian”
came to get the boy, claiming that Miles had sent
them to get Edward. Miles realizes it is Canty, who
claims Edward is his son Tom.
Question I

Why does Miles
think bigger stitches
are better? Where in
our culture do we
think “bigger is
better”?

Miles thinks bigger
stitches are better
because he thinks
they make the
garment look richer
and he thinks better
is nobler. Today we
think the more
money or thing we
have is better.
Question II

Why is Canty so
determined to get
“Tom” back?

John Canty is so
determined to get
“Tom” back because
“Tom” will beg for
him and do his work
for him. Canty won’t
do it himself because
he is afraid of getting
caught.