How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph.)
Quote #4
"You see, the membership of the mews is, after all, restricted to the raptors—and that does help a lot. They know that none of the lower classes can get in. Their screen perches don't carry blackbirds or such trash as that." (S.8.42).
Merlyn is telling Wart about the social make-up of the mews (where the birds are kept). The "raptor" birds (birds of prey, like hawks, eagles, and falcons) are equivalent to the nobility. It's not surprising that lots of these types of birds appear in medieval heraldry symbolizing powerful families.
Quote #5
"Let thee sleep in ʾem, come summer, come winter, and hunt in ʾem for thy commons lest thee starve." (S.10.50).
Little John's telling Wart and Kay about Robin Hood (here called Robin Wood). Wood rules the woods, and lets the common folk stay there and hunt for their food, so they don't starve. It certainly doesn't sound like the poor people have it easy in England at this time.
Quote #6
"Measter," said Wat, suddenly remembering one word, the word which he had always been accustomed to offer to the great people who made him a present of food, his only livelihood. (S.12.33).
Wat, the semi-crazed man who bites off little boys' noses, here remembers his manners and calls Arthur "master." It's pretty sad, isn't it, for someone to regard food as a gift?