in strong orderly cities, where the windows would
be adorned with scarlet hangings, and women (with golden hair and red
lax lips) would presently admire as King Edward rode slowly by at the
head of a resplendent retinue. And always the King would bow,
graciously and without haste, to his shouting people.... He laughed to
find himself already at rehearsal of the gesture.

It was strange, though, that in this glorious fief of his so many
persons should, as yet, live day by day as cattle live, suspicious of
all other moving things (with reason), and roused from their incurious
and filthy apathy only when some glittering baron, like a resistless
eagle, swept uncomfortably near on some by-errand of the more bright
and windy upper-world. East and north they had gone yearly, for so
many centuries, these dumb peasants, like herded sheep, so that in the
outcome their carcasses might manure the soil of France yonder or of
more barren Scotland. Give these serfs a king, now, who (being
absolute), might dare to deal in perfect equity with rich and poor, who
with his advent would bring Peace into England as his bride, as
Trygaeus did very anciently in Athens--"And then," the priest
paraphrased, "may England recover all the blessings she has lost, and
everywhere the glitter of active steel will cease." For everywhere men
would crack a rustic jest or two, unhurriedly. The vivid fields would
blacken under their sluggish ploughs, and they would find that with
practice it was almost as easy to chuckle as it was to cringe.

Meanwhile on every side the nobles tyrannized in their degree, well
clothed and nourished, but at bottom equally comfortless in condition.
As illuminate by lightning Maudelain saw the many factions of his
barons squabbling for gross pleasures, like wolves over a corpse, and
blindly dealing death to one another to secure at least one more
delicious gulp before that inevitable mangling by the teeth of some
burlier colleague. The complete misery of England showed before him
like a winter landscape. The thing was questionless. He must tread
henceforward without fear among frenzied beasts, and to their ultimate
welfare. On a sudden Maudelain knew himself to be strong and admirable
throughout, and hesitancy ebbed.

True, Richard, poor fool, must die. Squarely the priest faced that
stark and hideous circumstance; to spare Richard was beyond his power,
and the boy was his brother; yes, this oncoming king would be