The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, it tells the story of two young boys who were born on the same day and are identical in appearance
- Mark Twain
TOM CANTY
Tom Canty was very poor. He and his family were paupers. There were a great many paupers in London in the year 1547. Sometimes the father of the family couldn’t work, and they were paupers for that reason. But Tom Canty’s father didn’t want to work. He and his wife and his mother and his three children all lived in one room in an old house in the poorest part of London. The children had no beds; they slept on the floor.
There were two girls, Bet and Nan, and one boy, Tom. Canty never did any work: every day he sent out his three children to beg for money in the streets. They had to stand at the side of the road and say, “Please give a penny to a poor child!” If they didn’t bring money to John Canty in the evening he beat them and gave them no food.
It was a very unhappy life for the children.
Father Andrew lived in the same house. He had a little room at the back of the house. He was a very learned man. Tom went to sit with Father Andrew every day, and Father Andrew told him stories about kings and princes.
Tom said, “I want to be like a prince. I want to speak nicely, as princes do; and I want to learn Latin, because princes learn Latin.” So Father Andrew taught Tom how to speak nicely and how to be like a prince, and he taught him Latin.
When Tom was with other boys he played at being a prince. Sometimes the boys laughed at him and called him Prince Tom, but they liked him. They played by the river and went swimming in the water. Tom could swim very well.
The King of England at that time was King Henry the Eighth. He had one son, Edward. Prince Edward would be king when his father died.
King Henry the Eighth lived in Westminster Palace in London.
Father Andrew said to Tom: “You should go to Westminster Palace and see a real prince. Prince Edward is the king’s son. He lives there, and perhaps one day you would see him.”
HOW TOM AND THE PRINCE CHANGED PLACES
So Tom went to the gate of the palace and looked through it. There were two solders standing there, one on each side of the gate. They wouldn’t let Tom come close. He saw a great many tine gentlemen and ladies coming and going inside, but he did not see the prince. He went to the gate day after day. Then one day he saw a boy coming out of the door of the palace. The boy came quite near to the gate. Tom ran to the gate so as to see him better. “I want to see the prince!” he cried.
One of the soldiers said: “Keep back!” and he hit Tom. He hit him so hard that Tom fell down on the ground.
The prince saw this, and he was angry.
“Why did you hit the poor boy?” he said. “Open the gate, and bring him in.”
“He’s only a poor beggar boy,” said the soldier.
“The king, my father, is king of all the people, rich and poor,” said Prince Edward. “Bring the boy in.”
So the soldier opened the gate and brought Tom in.
“Come with me,” said the prince. “Tell me who you are and why yon want to see me so much. You have come to the gate day after day. I’ve seen you from my window.”
Then the prince led Tom to a room inside the palace. He called a servant. “Bring food,” he said.
So the servant brought food and put it on the table. Tom had never eaten such nice food before.
“Now”, said the prince, “tell me about yourself. What’s your name? Where do you live?”
“I live with my father and mother and grandmother and my two sisters in a room in Pudding Lane.”
“In one room?” said the prince. “Do you all live in one room?”
“Oh, yes.” said Tom.
“There are hundreds of rooms in this palace. Why do you all live in one room?”
“We’re very poor.” said Tom. “My father sends me out to beg for money. If I don’t bring back enough money, he beats me.”
“Your father beats you!” cried the prince. “I shall send my soldiers to beat him!”
“No, no!” said Tom, “That would make my mother and my sisters unhappy.”
“I have three sisters.” said the prince. “Lady Elizabeth and Lady Jane and Lady Mary. Lady Elizabeth is very wise; Lady Jane reads books and is very kind. But I don’t like Lady Mary: she never laughs or plays with me. Do you play with other boys?”
“Yes, of course I do!”
“I don’t. What do you play?”
“I play with a ball, and I play by the river and I swim. And sometimes I play at being a prince.”
“I would like to play at being a poor boy like you, and play by the river, and swim. Let’s change clothes. Just for a little time you shall be the prince and I’ll be the poor beggar boy. Come!”
The prince began to take off his fine clothes, and Tom took off his old clothes and put on the clothes of the prince.
Tom looked at the prince as he stood there dressed in Tom’s clothes. He had seen someone very like him before. Where had he seen him? The prince was very like …
“Come and look here!” cried the prince. “Come and look at us in the glass!”
They were just like each other. The prince looked just like Tom, now that he was dressed in the beggar boy’s clothes, and Tom looked just like the prince.
“Stay here till I come back,” said the prince. He quickly took up a small round heavy thing from the table and put it in a safe place as he ran out of the door.
Tom stood there alone.
HOW THE PRINCE CAME TO TOM CANTY'S HOME
The prince came to the gate of the palace.
“Ho!” he ordered, “open the gate, you men! Quickly!”
The soldiers opened the gates. Then, as Edward passed through, one of them hit him on the head. “That’s not the way to speak to one of the king’s soldiers!”
The people standing outside the gate laughed as Edward fell on the ground. He got up, and looked at the soldier.
“I am the prince! You shall be killed for that! And you, you fools, you laughed!”
The people laughed again, more than before. Then one of them said: “Bow to the prince! Hats off to our prince! Make way for the prince!” And they laughed as he passed through them.
“He’s mad,” said one of the soldiers.
“Quite mad,” said the other.
Edward went along the street. The people didn’t follow him: they were afraid of mad people. Perhaps the boy might be dangerous, they thought.
He walked on and on. He did not know where he was: Prince Edward did not often go out into the streets of London. He was not wearing shoes: Tom Canty didn’t have shoes, but his feet were hard. Prince Edward’s feet were soon cut by the stones and covered with blood, He was very tired and he needed food.
“Oh. where can I find rest and food?” he cried. “Where can I find someone who will lead me back to the palace?”
A fine gentleman passed by on a horse and Edward called out to him: “Sir! I am the prince. I ask you to take me back to the palace.” But the gentleman did not hear what he said; he thought that he was only a beggar boy asking for money, and he rode on.
At last Edward came to a big building that he knew.
“Ah!” he cried. “That’s Christ’s Hospital. My father the king gave that building as a school for poor boys. I can get help there.” A lot of boys were play-tog in front of the building.
Edward called one of them: “Ho! Boy!” he said. “Go to your teacher and tell him to come here. Tell him that Prince Edward orders him to come.”
The boy laughed.
“Do as you are told!” Edward said, and lie hit the boy.
The boy called out to the others: “Here’s a mad boy. His head’s hot! Let’s throw him into the water!”
Three or four of them took Edward and threw him into some dirty water and laughed as he climbed out on the other side.
Night was coming on. “It’s late,” thought Edward. “I must find some place where I can sleep tonight. Then I’ll go back to the palace tomorrow. I must go to Tom’s house and sleep there … Pudding Lane. That’s where he lives.”
He went on and on. The sky was red with evening and lights began to shine in the windows of the houses. Then a heavy hand came out of the darkness and took Edward by the arm.
“What are you doing out so late at night? … Hey? … Tom Canty, can’t you answer your father? What money have you got for me?”
“Oh!” cried Edward. “Are you his father?”
“His father? — I’m your father!”
“No! No!” cried Edward. “I’m the prince. Your son is in Westminster Palace. Take me there and bring him home.”
John Canty looked at the boy. “Mad!” he said. “Quite mad!”
He took the prince’s arm and pulled him along. He was a very strong man. “Whether you’re mad or not,” he said, “you must come home with me, and you shall go out all day tomorrow and bring the money you should have got today.”
WHAT HAPPENED TO TOM IN THE PALACE
Tom was alone in the prince’s room in Westminster Palace.
He stood in front of the big glass on the wall and looked at his beautiful clothes. Then he walked up and down, still thinking how beautiful he looked. He put his hand on the sword at his side and drew it out. He played at fighting some unseen person with it. Then he sat down and thought: “What a story I’ll have to tell my sisters when I get home!”
A bell sounded. One whole hour had passed: the prince was a long time away. “When will he come back?” Tom wondered.
He walked round the room looking at all the beautiful things in it — the finely-made chairs and tables, and the pictures on the walls. There were pictures of kings and princes, of queens and princesses, all in beautiful clothes with jewels, looking down on him with solemn eyes.
There was a suit of armour near the door. Tom stood and looked at it. Then he took one of the arm-pieces and put it on. It was a small suit of armour and it was not too big for him. He took the other arm-piece.
A heavy round thing fell out of it. He put on the other pieces and looked at himself in the glass. Then he put everything back as he had found it. He did not know what the round thing was, but he put it back inside the arm-piece.
Another hour! Torn began to feel afraid. “Someone will come and find me here and say: “Who are you? What are you doing here?” And the prince won’t be here to tell them the truth and they won’t believe what I say. What shall I do? I must get out of here!”
Then he thought: “Perhaps there is no one in the next room. If I walk quickly and people don’t see my face I may reach the gate, and the soldiers will let me out.”
So he opened the door. There were four gentlemen standing outside, two on each side of the door. They bowed low.
“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Tom and he ran back into the room and shut the door.
The gentlemen looked at each other.
“I think Prince Edward is ill,” said one.
“Yes, perhaps he is,” said another.
“We should ask one of his sisters to go to him,” said the third.
“Lady Jane!” said the fourth. “I’ll go to Lady Jane.”
The door of the prince’s room opened. Tom ran back to the far end of the room. He saw a beautiful girl standing at the door. Her face was kind. He fell on his knees. “What’s the matter, my dear brother?” said Lady Jane. “Why are you on your knees?”
“Save me! Save me!” cried Tom. “I’m not your brother. I’m not the prince. I’m only a poor boy, Tom Canty of Pudding Lane.”
She took his hand. “Come,” she said.
“Send for the prince and ask him to give me back my clothes!” cried Tom.
“Come,” said Lady Jane. “Your father wants to see you.”
“My father? Is John Canty here?”
But Lady Jane led him through one great room after another.
One of the gentlemen had told the king that Prince Edward was ill.
Tom was led into a very big room. There was a bed in it, and on the bed he saw a fat man with a white face. King Henry the Eighth was very ill: he had not long to live.
“Come, Edward, tell your father the king: what is the matter?”
“Are you the king?” said Tom.
“Yes, of course I’m the king, and I’m your father. What are you afraid of?”
“Sir, I am not your son! I’m not the prince. I’m poor Tom.”
The king looked at him angrily. “Stop this foolishness? You are the prince, and if you say that you are not the prince, I shall be very angry. And do you know what I do to people when I am angry? Do you?”
“Yes, sir,” said Tom.
“Now go! Let me hear no more of this foolish talk. You’ve been reading too many books and they have turned your head. … Lord Hertford go with the prince. He must rest before going to the city banquet tonight. Many great men will be there to meet the prince who will be king when I am dead. Then come back.”
Tom was led away to the prince’s room. After a short time Lord Hertford came back to King Henry.
“My lord said the king. “I know that I have not long to live: but the work must be carried on. Orders must be given and law’s must be made even when I am too ill to write my name or put my seal on them to make them a law. You must hold the Great Seal and use it for me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It shall be as you say.” said Lord Hertford. “Will you order that the Great Seal should be put in my hands? You gave it to Prince Edward two days ago.”
“Yes! I did. Go and ask the prince to give it to you.”
Lord Hertford went away and soon came back.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “the prince doesn’t know where it is.”
“He doesn’t know where it is? Did he say that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“He can’t remember what he did with it!”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“He’s ill. That’s the reason. That’s why he can’t think.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let it wait,” said the king. “He’ll remember later, when he is well.”
THE ROYAL BARGE
There were long steps going down from the Palace of Westminster to the river. The royal barge was a big boat in which the king travelled on the river. On each side of the steps soldiers stood waiting for their prince to come out.
The great doors at the top of the steps opened. An order was given and the soldiers stood up very straight. Lord Hertford and other great gentlemen came out and stood on each side. Then they all bowed low as Tom was seen in the doorway. He was dressed in white. He stood there looking down at the river where in happier days he had played and gone swimming: but now he must be a prince. The king had ordered it. He walked slowly down the steps and got into the royal barge.
The royal barge moved out from the side. It moved down the river to the Guildhall — a hall in the city where the banquet was to be.
In the Guildhall all the great and rich men of London sat waiting for their prince to come.
EDWARD ESCAPES
John Canty was pulling Edward along to his home in Pudding Lane. People followed laughing at the boy and his father.
“That’s right!” cried an old woman. “Teach the boy to do as he is told!”
As they came near the house an old man stepped out. “Let him go!” he cried. “Let the boy go free.”
John Canty hit the old man on the head. He fell and lay there. The people passed over him as they followed John.
The old man still lay there: he was dead.
John Canty threw open the door of his room.
“There!” he said to his wife. “There’s your son. He hasn’t brought home one penny! And he’s mad!”
Tom’s mother ran to Edward. “Oh, my boy! My poor boy!”
The grandmother laughed. “Your poor boy! Poor useless boy! It’s we who are poor.”
“If you bring home no money, you get no food,” said John Canty, throwing Edward down on the floor.
There was a voice outside the door. “John Canty! Quick! Open the door.”
“What’s the matter?” said Canty.
“I’m your friend Ned. You hit an old man in the street, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Canty. “He tried to take my son away.”
“It was Father Andrew – and he’s dead. You killed him. You had better get out of here quickly.”
“Dead!” said John. Then he turned to his wife and mother. “This is bad! A lot of people saw me hit the old man. They’ll tell the judge and I’ll be put to death. We must go! Take the girls and meet me at London Bridge. I’ll go by another road with the boy.”
Canty took Edward by the arm and led him through little streets and dark ways until they came near the river. Then he saw a crowd of people standing and looking out over the river. Some were sitting at tables and drinking. On the banks of the river he saw fires and coloured lights.
“What’s all this?” Canty asked a man. “What are you all waiting for?”
“We’re waiting to see Prince Edward in the royal barge. He’s going to a banquet at the Guildhall. Here, take this, drink it and shout: ‘God save Prince Edward!”‘
Canty put out his hands to take the large pot of drink. So he let go of Edward’s aim Edward quickly ran away between the men’s legs.
Canty looked down. “Where’s the boy? Catch him!”
But Edward was lost in the darkness, “To the Guildhall!” he told himself as he ran along the riverside. “There I can find Tom and be myself again.”