第21章

CLXVIII

INTRODUCINGNYEANDRILEYANDOTHERS

Itwasthewinter(1888—89)thattheBillNyeandJamesWhitcombRileyentertainmentcombinationsetoutonitstravels。MarkTwainintroducedthemtotheirfirstBostonaudience。MajorJ。B。PondwasexploitingNyeandRiley，andClemenswentontoBostonespeciallytohearthem。PondhappeneduponhiminthelobbyoftheParkerHouseandinsistedthatnothingwoulddobuthemustintroducethem。InhisbookofmemorieswhichhepublishedlaterPondwrote：

HerepliedthathebelievedIwashismortalenemy，anddeterminedthatheshouldneverhaveanevening’senjoymentinmypresence。Heconsented，however，andconductedhisbrother—humoristandtheHoosierpoettotheplatform。Mark’spresencewasasurprisetotheaudience，andwhentheyrecognizedhimthedemonstrationwastremendous。Theaudienceroseinabody，andmenandwomenshoutedattheverytopoftheirvoices。Handkerchiefswaved，theorganistevenopenedeveryfortekeyandpedalinthegreatorgan，andthenoisewentonunabatedforminutes。Ittooksometimeforthecrowdtogetdowntolistening，butwhentheydidsubside，asMarksteppedtothefront，thesilencewasasimpressiveasthenoisehadbeen。

HepresentedtheNye—RileypairastheSiameseTwins。"Isawthemfirst，"hesand，"agreatmanyyearsago，whenMr。Barnumhadthem，andtheywerejustfreshfromSiam。Theligaturewastheirbestholdthen，butliteraturebecametheirbestholdlater，whenoneofthemcommittedanindiscretion，andtheyhadtocuttheoldbondtoaccommodatethesheriff。"

Hecontinuedthiscomicfancy，andtheaudiencewasinaproperframeofmind，whenhehadfinished，towelcomethe"TwinsofGenius"whoweretoentertainthem：

Pondsays：

Itwasacarnivaloffunineverysenseoftheword。Bostonianswillnothaveanothersuchtreatinthisgeneration。

PondproposedtoClemensaregulartourwithNyeandRiley。Hewrote：

Iwillgopartnerswithyou，andIwillbuyNyeandRiley’stimeandgiveanentertainmentsomethingliketheonewegaveinBoston。Letitbeannouncedthatyouwillintroducethe"TwinsofGenius。’

Ostensiblyapleasuretripforyou。Iwilltakeone—thirdoftheprofitsandyoutwo—thirds。IcantellyouitwillbethebiggestthingthatcanbebroughtbeforetheAmericanpublic。

ButClemens，badlyashewasbeginningtoneedthemoney，putthistemptationbehindhim。Hischiefdiversionthesedayswasingratuitousappearances。Hehadmadeuphismindnottoreadorlectureagainforpay，butheseemedtotakeapeculiarenjoymentindoingthesethingsasabenefaction。Thathewasbeginningtoneedthemoneymayhaveaddedazesttothejoyofhisgiving。Hedidnotrespondtoallinvitations；hecouldhavebeentravelingconstantlyhadhedoneso。HeconsultedwithMrs。Clemensandgavehimselftothecausethatseemedmostworthy。InJanuaryCol。RichardMalcolmJohnstonwasbilledtogiveareadingwithThomasNelsonPageinBaltimore。Page’swifefellillanddied，andColonelJohnston，inextremity，wiredCharlesDudleyWarnertocomeinPage’splace。Warner，unabletogo，handedtheinvitationtoClemens，whopromptlywiredthathewouldcome。Theyreadtoapackedhouse，andwhentheaudiencewasgoneandthereturnshadbeencountedanequaldivisionoftheprofitswashandedtoeachoftheauthors。ClemenspushedhisshareovertoJohnston，saying：

"That’syours，Colonel。I’mnotreadingformoneythesedays。"

ColonelJohnston，towhomthesumwasimportant，triedtothankhim，butheonlysaid：

"Nevermind，Colonel，itonlygavemepleasuretodoyouthatlittlefavor。Youcanpassitonsomeday。"

Asamatteroffact，hardputtoitashewasforfunds，Clemensatthistimeregardedhimselfasapotentialmulti—millionaire。Thetype—settingmachinewhichforyearshadbeensappinghisfinancialstrengthwasbelievedtobeperfected，andship—loadsofmoneywerewaitingintheoffing。However，weshallcometothislater。

ClemensreadforthecadetsatWestPointandforavarietyofinstitutionsandonmanyspecialoccasions。HeusuallygavechaptersfromhisYankee，nowsoontobefinished，chaptersgenerallybeginningwiththeYankee’simpressionofthecuriouscountryanditspeople，endingwiththebattleoftheSun—belt，whentheYankeeandhisfifty—

fouradherentsweremastersofEngland，withtwenty—fivethousanddeadmenlyingaboutthem。HegavethisatWestPoint，includingthechapterwheretheYankeehasorganizedaWestPointofhisowninKingArthur’sreign。

InApril，’89，hemadeanaddressatadinnergiventoavictoriousbaseballteamreturningfromatouroftheworldbywayoftheSandwichIslands。Hewasonfamiliargroundthere。Hisheartwasinhiswords。

Hebegan：

IhavebeenintheSandwichIslands—twenty—threeyearsago——thatpeacefulland，thatbeautifulland，thatfar—offhomeofsolitude，andsoftidleness，andrepose，anddreams，wherelifeisonelongslumberousSabbath，theclimateonelongsummerday，andthegoodthatdieexperiencenochange，fortheybutfallasleepinoneheavenandwakeupinanother。Andtheseboyshaveplayedbaseballthere！——baseball，whichistheverysymbol，theoutwardandvisibleexpression，ofthedriveandpushandrushandstruggleoftheliving，tearing，boomingnineteenth，themightiestofallthecenturies！

Hetoldofthecuriousislandhabitsforhishearers’amusement，butattheclosethepoetryofhismemoriesoncemorepossessedhim：

Ah，well，itisrefreshmenttothejaded，itiswatertothethirsty，tolookuponmenwhohavesolatelybreathedthesoftairofthoseIslesoftheBlestandhadbeforetheireyestheinextinguishablevisionoftheirbeauty。Noalienlandinalltheearthhasanydeep，strongcharmformebutthatone；nootherlandcouldsolonginglyandsobeseechinglyhauntme，sleepingandwaking，throughhalfalifetime，asthatonehasdone。Otherthingsleaveme，butitabides；otherthingschange，butitremainsthesame。Formeitsbalmyairsarealwaysblowing，itssummerseasflashinginthesun；thepulsingofitssurfisinmyear；Icanseeitsgarlandedcrags，itsleapingcascades，itsplumypalmsdrowsingbytheshore，itsremotesummitsfloatinglikeislandsabovethecloud—rack；Icanfeelthespiritofitswoodysolitudes，Iheartheplashingofthebrooks；inmynostrilsstilllivesthebreathofflowersthatperishedtwentyyearsago。

CLXIX

THECOMINGOFKIPLING

Itwasthesummerof1889thatMarkTwainfirstmetRudyardKipling。

Kiplingwasmakinghistouraroundtheworld，ayoungmanwhollyunheardofoutsideofIndia。HewaswritinglettershometoanIndianjournal，ThePioneer，andhecametoElmiraespeciallytoseeMarkTwain。Itwasnightwhenhearrived，andnextmorningsomeoneatthehoteldirectedhimtoQuarryFarm。Inahiredhackhemadehiswayoutthroughthesuburbs，amongthebuzzingplaning—millsandsashfactories，andtoiledupthelong，dusty，roastingeasthill，onlytofindthatMarkTwainwasatGeneralLangdon’s，inthecityhehadjustleftbehind。Mrs。CraneandSusyClemensweretheonlyonesleftatthefarm，andtheygavehimaseatontheverandaandbroughthimglassesofwaterorcoolmilkwhileherefreshedthemwithhistalk—talkwhichMarkTwainoncesaidmightbelikenedtofootprints，sostronganddefinitewastheimpressionwhichitleftbehind。Hegavethemhiscard，onwhichtheaddresswasAllahabad，andSusypreserveditonthataccount，becausetoherIndiawasafairyland，madeupofmagic，airyarchitecture，anddarkmysteries。

ClemensoncedictatedamemoryofKipling’svisit。

Kiplinghadwrittenuponthecardacomplimenttome。ThisgaveitanadditionalvalueinSusy’seyes，since，asadistinction，itwasthenextthingtobeingrecognizedbyadenizenofthemoon。

Kiplingcamedownthatafternoonandspentacoupleofhourswithme，andattheendofthattimeIhadsurprisedhimasmuchashehadsurprisedme——andthehonorswereeasy。IbelievedthatheknewmorethananypersonIhadmetbefore，andIknewthatheknewthatIknewlessthananypersonhehadmetbefore——thoughhedidnotsayit，andIwasnotexpectingthathewould。WhenhewasgoneMrs。

Langdonwantedtoknowaboutmyvisitor。Isaid：

"Heisastrangertome，butheisamostremarkableman——andIamtheotherone。Betweenuswecoverallknowledge；heknowsallthatcanbeknown，andIknowtherest。"

Hewasastrangertomeandtoalltheworld，andremainedsofortwelvemonths，thenhebecamesuddenlyknown，anduniversallyknown。

Fromthatdaytothishehasheldthisuniquedistinction——thatofbeingtheonlylivingperson，notheadofanation，whosevoiceisheardaroundtheworldthemomentitdropsaremark；theonlysuchvoiceinexistencethatdoesnotgobyslowshipandrail，butalwaystravelsfirst—class——bycable。

AboutayearafterKipling’svisitinElmiraGeorgeWarnercameintoourlibraryonemorninginHartfordwithasmallbookinhishandandaskedmeifIhadeverheardofRudyardKipling。Isaid，"No。"

HesaidIwouldhearofhimverysoon，andthatthenoisehewasgoingtomakewouldbeloudandcontinuous。ThelittlebookwasthePlainTales，andheleftitformetoread，sayingitwaschargedwithanewandinspiritingfragrance，andwouldblowarefreshingbreatharoundtheworldthatwouldrevivethenations。AdayortwolaterhebroughtacopyoftheLondonWorldwhichhadasketchofKiplinginit，andamentionofthefactthathehadtraveledintheUnitedStates。AccordingtothissketchhehadpassedthroughElmira。Thisremark，withtheadditionalfactthathehailedfromIndia，attractedmyattention——alsoSusy’s。Shewenttoherroomandbroughthiscardfromitsplaceintheframeofhermirror，andtheQuarryFarmvisitorstoodidentified。

Kiplingalsohasleftanaccountofthatvisit。Inhisletterrecordingithesays：

Youareacontemptiblelotoveryonder。SomeofyouareCommissionersandsomeareLieutenant—Governors，andsomehavetheV。C。，andafewareprivilegedtowalkabouttheMallarminarmwiththeViceroy；butIhaveseenMarkTwainthisgoldenmorning，haveshakenhishandandsmokedacigar——no，twocigars——withhim，andtalkedwithhimformorethantwohours！UnderstandclearlythatIdonotdespiseyou；indeed，Idon’t。Iamonlyverysorryforyou，fromtheViceroydownward。

Abig，darkeneddrawing—room；ahugechair；amanwitheyes，amaneofgrizzledhair，abrownmustachecoveringamouthasdelicateasawoman’s，astrong，squarehandshakingmine，andtheslowest，calmest，levelestvoiceinalltheworldsaying：

"Well，youthinkyouowemesomething，andyou’vecometotellmeso。That’swhatIcallsquaringadebthandsomely。"

"Piff！"fromacob—pipe(IalwayssaidthataMissourimeerschaumwasthebestsmokingintheworld)，andbehold！MarkTwainhadcurledhimselfupinthebigarm—chair，andIwassmokingreverently，asbefitsoneinthepresenceofhissuperior。

Thethingthatstruckmefirstwasthathewasanelderlyman；yet，afteraminute’sthought，Iperceivedthatitwasotherwise，andinfiveminutes，theeyeslookingatme，Isawthatthegrayhairwasanaccidentofthemosttrivial。Hewasquiteyoung。Iwasshakinghishand。Iwassmokinghiscigar，andIwashearinghimtalk——thismanIhadlearnedtoloveandadmirefourteenthousandmilesaway。

Readinghisbooks，Ihadstriventogetanideaofhispersonality，andallmypreconceivednotionswerewrongandbeneaththereality。

Blessedisthemanwhofindsnodisillusionwhenheisbroughtfacetofacewithareveredwriter。

Themeetingofthosetwomenmadethesummerof’89memorableinlateryears。Butitwasrecalledsadly，too。TheodoreCrane，whohadbeentakensuddenlyanddangerouslyillthepreviousautumn，hadarecurringattackanddiedJuly3d。Itwasthefirstdeathintheimmediatefamiliesformorethanseventeenyears，Mrs。Clemens，rememberingthatearlierperiodofsorrow，wasdepressedwithforebodings。

CLXX

"THEPRINCEANDTHEPAUPER"ONTHESTAGE

TherewasanunusualdramaticinterestintheClemenshomethatautumn。

AbbySageRichardsonhaddramatized’ThePrinceandthePauper’，andDanielFrohmanhadsecuredElsieLeslie(Lyde)totakethedoubleroleofthePrinceandTomCanty。Therehearsalsweregoingon，andtheClemenschildrenwerenaturallyagooddealexcitedovertheoutcome。SusyClemenswasinspiredtowriteaplayofherown——aprettyGreekfancy，called"TheTriumphofMusic，"andwhenitwasgivenonThanksgivingnight，byherself，withClaraandJeanandMargaretWarner，itwasreallyalovelyperformance，andcarriedonebacktothedayswhenemotionswerepersonified，andnymphshauntedtheseclusionsofArcady。ClemenswasproudofSusy’sachievement，anddeeplymovedbyit。Heinsistedonhavingtheplayrepeated，anditwasgivenagainlaterintheyear。

PrettyElsieLesliebecameafavoriteoftheClemenshousehold。Shewasveryyoung，andwhenshevisitedHartfordJeanandshewerecompanionsandrompedtogetherinthehay—loft。ShewasalsoafavoriteofWilliamGillette。OnedaywhenClemensandGilletteweretogethertheydecidedtogivethelittlegirlasurprise——auniqueone。Theyagreedtoembroiderapairofslippersforher——todotheworkthemselves。Writingtoherofit，MarkTwainsaid：

Eitheroneofuscouldhavethoughtofasingleslipper，butittookbothofustothinkoftwoslippers。Infact，oneofusdidthinkofoneslipper，andthen，quickasaflash，theotheroftheotherone。Itshowshowwonderfulthehumanmindis……

Gilletteembroideredhisslipperwithastonishingfacilityandsplendor，butIhavebeenalongtimepullingthroughwithmine。

Yousee，itwasmyveryfirstattemptatart，andIcouldn’trightlygetthehangofitalongatfirst。AndthenIwassobusythatI

couldn’tgetachancetoworkatitathome，andtheywouldn’tletmeembroideronthecars；theysaiditmadetheotherpassengersafraid。Theydidn’tlikethelightthatflaredintomyeyewhenI

hadaninspiration。Andeventhemostfair—mindedpeopledoubtedmewhenIexplainedwhatitwasIwasmaking——especiallybrakemen。

Brakemenalwayssworeatitandcarriedon，thewayignorantpeopledoaboutart。Theywouldn’ttakemywordthatitwasaslipper；

theysaidtheybelieveditwasasnow—shoethathadsomekindofdisease。

Hewentontoexplainandelucidatethepatternoftheslipper，andhowDr。Roothadcomeinandinsistedontakingahandinit，andhowbeautifulitwastoseehimsitthereandtellMrs。Clemenswhathadbeenhappeningwhiletheywereawayduringthesummer，holdingtheslipperuptowardtheendofhisnose，imaginingthecanvaswasa"subject"withascalp—wound，workingwitha"lovelysurgicalstitch，"neverhesitatingamomentinhistalkexcepttosay"Ouch！"whenhestuckhimselfwiththeneedle。

Taketheslippersandwearthemnextyourheart，Elsiedear；foreverystitchinthemisatestimonyoftheaffectionwhichtwoofyourloyalestfriendsbearyou。Everysinglestitchcostusblood。

I’vegottwiceasmanyporesinmenowasIusedtohave；andyouwouldneverbelievehowmanyplacesyoucanstickaneedleinyourselfuntilyougointotheembroiderylineanddevoteyourselftoart。

Donotweartheseslippersinpublic，dear；itwouldonlyexciteenvy；and，aslikeasnot，somebodywouldtrytoshootyou。

Merelyusethemtoassistyouinrememberingthatamongthemany，manypeoplewhothinkalltheworldofyouisyourfriend，MARKTWAIN。

Theplayof"ThePrinceandthePauper，"dramatizedbyMrs。RichardsonandarrangedforthestagebyDavidBelasco，wasproducedattheParkTheater，Philadelphia，onChristmasEve。Itwasasuccess，butnotalavishone。Theplaywaswellwrittenandstaged，andElsieLesliewascharmingenoughinherparts，butinthedualitylaythedifficulty。ThestrongestscenesinthestoryhadtobeomittedwhenoneperformerplayedbothTomCantyandthelittlePrince。TheplaycametoNewYork——totheBroadwayTheater——andwaswellreceived。OntheopeningnightthereMarkTwainmadeaspeech，inwhichhesaidthatthepresentationof"ThePrinceandthePauper"realizedadreamwhichfifteenyearsbeforehadpossessedhimallthroughalongdown—towntramp，amidthecrowdsandconfusionofBroadway。InElsieLeslie，hesaid，hehadfoundtheembodimentofhisdream，andtoherheofferedhomageastheonlyprinceclothedinadivinerightwhichwasnotragsandsham——thedivinerightofaninbornsupremacyinart。

Itseemsincredibleto—daythat，realizingtheplay’spossibilitiesasMarkTwaindid，andasBelascoandDanielFrohmanmusthavedone，theydidnotcompletetheirpartialtriumphbyfindinganotherchildactresstotakethepartofTomCanty。Clemensurgedandpleadedwiththem，butperhapstheundertakingseemedtoodifficult——atalleventstheydidnotfindthelittlebeggarking。Thenlegalcomplicationsdeveloped。EdwardHouse，towhomClemenshadoncegivenapermissiontoattemptadramatizationoftheplay，suddenlyappearedwithademandforrecognition，backedbyalawsuitagainstallthosewhohadaproprietaryinterestintheproduction。House，withhisadoptedJapanesedaughterKoto，duringaperiodofrheumatismandfinancialdepression，hadmadeaprolongedvisitintheClemenshomeandoriginallyundertookthedramatizationasasortofreturnforhospitality。HeappearsnottohavecompleteditandtohavemadenoarrangementforitsproductionortohavetakenanydefinitestepuntilMrs。Richardson’splaywasprofitablyputon；whereuponhissuitandinjunction。

Bythetimeasettlementofthisclaimhadbeenreachedtheplayhadrunitscourse，anditwasnotrevivedinthatform。ItwasbroughtoutinEngland，whereitwasfairlyprosperous，thoughitseemsnottohavebeenlongcontinued。Variouslyreconstructed，ithasoccasionallybeenplayedsince，andalways，whenthepartsofTomCantyandthePrincewereseparate，withgreatsuccess。Whythisbeautifuldramashouldeverbeabsentfromtheboardsisoneoftheunexplainablethings。Itisaplayforalltimesandseasons，thedifficultyofobtainingsuitable"twin"

interpretersforthecharactersofthePrinceandthePauperbeingitsonlydrawback。

CLXXI

"ACONNECTICUTYANKEEINKINGARTHUR’SCOURT"

>Fromeverypointofviewitseemednecessarytomakethe’YankeeinKingArthur’sCourt’animportantandpretentiouspublication。ItwasMarkTwain’sfirstbookafterasilenceoffiveyears；itwasabookbadlyneededbyhispublishingbusinesswithwhichtomaintainitsprestigeandprofit；itwasabookwhichwastocomeoutofhismaturityandpresenthisdeductions，astohumanityatlargeandkingsinparticular，toawaitingpublic。Itwasdeterminedtosparenoexpenseonthemanufacture，alsothatitsillustrationsmustbeofasorttoilluminateand，indeed，toelaboratethetext。ClemenshadadmiredsomepicturesmadebyDanielCarter("Dan")BeardforaChinesestoryintheCosmopolitan，andmadeuphismindthatBeardwasthemanfortheYankee。

ThemanuscriptwassenttoBeard，whometClemensalittlelaterintheofficeofWebster&Co。todiscussthematter。Clemenssaid：

"Mr。Beard，Idonotwanttosubjectyoutoanyunduesuffering，butI

wishyouwouldreadthebookbeforeyoumakethepictures。"

Beardrepliedthathehadalreadyreadittwice。

"Verygood，"Clemenssaid；"butIwasn’tledtosupposethatthatwastheusualcustomamongillustrators，judgingfromsomeresultsIhaveseen。

Youknow，"hewenton，"thisYankeeofminehasneithertherefinementnortheweaknessofacollegeeducation；heisaperfectignoramus；heisbossofamachineshop；hecanbuildalocomotiveoraColt’srevolver，hecanputupandrunatelegraphline，buthe’sanignoramus，nevertheless。Iamnotgoingtotellyouwhattodraw。Ifamancomestomeandsays，’Mr。Clemens，Iwantyoutowritemeastory，’I’llwriteitforhim；butifheundertakestotellmewhattowriteI’llsay，’Gohireatypewriter。’"

ToHallafewdayslaterhewrote：

TellBeardtoobeyhisowninspirations，andwhenheseesapictureinhismindputthatpictureonpaper，beithumorousorbeitserious。Iwanthisgeniustobewhollyunhampered。Isha’n’thaveanyfearastoresults。

WithoutgoingfurtheritispropertosayherethatthepicturesinthefirsteditionofAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourtjustifiedtheauthor’sfaithintheartistofhisselection。TheyarefarandawayDanBeard’sbestwork。Thesocialismofthetextstronglyappealedtohim。Beardhimselfhadsocialistictendencies，andtheworkinspiredhimtohishighestflightsoffancyandtotheacmeofhistechnic。Clemensexaminedthepicturesfromtimetotime，andoncewasmovedtowrite：

Mypleasureinthemisasstrongandasfreshasever。Idonotknowofanyqualitytheylack。Grace，dignity，poetry，spirit，imagination，theseenrichthemandmakethemcharmingandbeautiful；

andwhereverhumorappearsitishighandfine——easy，unforced，keptunder，masterly，anddelicious。

Hewentontodescribehisappreciationindetail，andwhenthedrawingswerecompletehewroteagain：

Holdmeunderpermanentobligations。Whatluckitwastofindyou！

Therearehundredsofartistswhocouldillustrateanyotherbookofmine，buttherewasonlyonewhocouldillustratethisone。Yes，itwasafortunatehourthatIwentnettingforlightning—bugsandcaughtameteor。Liveforever！

Thiswasnottoomuchpraise。Beardrealizedthelastshadeoftheauthor’sallegoricalintentandportrayeditwithahundredaccentswhichtheaveragereaderwouldotherwisebelikelytomiss。

ClemenssubmittedhismanuscripttoHowellsandtoStedman，andhereadportionsofit，atleast，toMrs。Clemens，whoseeyesweretroublinghersothatshecouldnotreadforherself。Stedmansuggestedcertaineliminations，but，onthewhole，wouldseemtohaveapprovedofthebook。

Howellswasenthusiastic。ItappealedtohimasithadappealedtoBeard。Itssociologyanditssocialismseemedtohimthefinalwordthatcouldbesaidonthosesubjects。Whenhehadpartlyfinishedithewrote：

It’samightygreatbookanditmakesmyheart，burnwithwrath。ItseemsthatGoddidn’tforgettoputasoulinyou。Heshutsmostliterarymenoffwithabrain，merely。

Afewdayslaterhewroteagain：

Thebookisglorious—simplynoble。Whatmassesofvirgintruthnevertouchedinprintbefore！

Andwhenhehadfinishedit：

LastnightIreadyourlastchapter。AsStedmansaysofthewholebook，it’stitanic。

Clemensdeclared，inoneofhisrepliestoHowells：

I’mnotwritingforthosepartieswhomiscallthemselvescritics，andIdon’tcaretohavethempawthebookatall。It’smyswansong，myretirementfromliteraturepermanently，andIwishtopasstothecemeteryunclodded……Well，mybookiswritten——letitgo，butifitwereonlytowriteoveragaintherewouldn’tbesomanythingsleftout。Theyburninme；theykeepmultiplyingandmultiplying，butnowtheycan’teverbesaid；andbesidestheywouldrequirealibrary——andapenwarmedupinhell。

InanotherletterofthistimetoSylvesterBaxter，aproposofthetumblingBrazilianthrone，hewrote：

Whenourgreatbrethren，thedisenslavedBrazilians，frametheirdeclarationofindependenceIhopetheywillinsertthismissinglink："Weholdthesetruthstobeself—evident——thatallmonarchsareusurpersanddescendantsofusurpers，forthereasonthatnothronewaseversetupinthisworldbythewill，freelyexercised，oftheonlybodypossessingthelegitimaterighttosetitup——thenumericalmassofthenation。"

Hewasfullofit，ashehadbeenallalong，and’AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt’isnothinglessthanabriefforhumanrightsandhumanprivileges。Thatiswhatitis，anditisapitythatitshouldbemorethanthat。Itisapitythatheshouldhavebeenbesetbyhisolddemonoftheburlesque，andthatnooneshouldhavehadthewisdomorthestrengthtobringitundercontrol。

ThereisnothingmorecharminginanyofMarkTwain’sworkthanhisintroductorychapter，nothingmoredelightfulthanthearmoringoftheYankeeandtheoutsetandthewanderingwithAlisande。Thereisnothingmorepowerfulorinspiringthanhissplendidpanoramicpicture——oftheKinglearningmercythroughhisowndegradation，hisdailyintercoursewithabandofmana