How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Whip thee!" said Tom, astonished out of his presence of mind. "Why should he whip thee for faults of mine?"
"Ah, your grace forgetteth again. He always scourgeth me, when thou dost fail in thy lessons." (14.47)
Don't you wish you had someone to take the fall every time you did something bad? Seriously, though: what's the point of having a whipping boy? If the prince isn't going to be punished himself, why have someone take the punishment for him? Why not just skip the punishment altogether? We'd like to point out, by the way, that when Edward sees Miles take his punishment for him, he's moved. We can probably assume that he'll do away with whipping boys when he gets on the throne.
Quote #2
"I beg a boon, for my doom is more than I can bear. A grace, a grace, my lord the king! in thy royal compassion grant my prayer—give commandment that I be hanged!"
Tom was amazed. This was not the outcome he had looked for.
"Odds my life, a strange boon! Was it not the fate intended thee?"
"Oh, good my liege, not so! It is ordered that I be boiled alive!" (15.29)
In case you didn't get that, this guy is asking Tom to grant him the favor of being hanged instead of boiled alive—and not just in water, but in oil, which is even worse. It doesn't matter what he did, we're sure that's going way overboard. What does that tell you about this society?
Quote #3
Some—yes. Particularly new-comers—such as small husband-men turned shiftless and hungry upon the world because their farms were taken from them to be changed to sheep-ranges. They begged, and were whipped at the cart's tail, naked from the girdle up, till the blood ran; then set in the stocks to be pelted; they begged again, were whipped again, and deprived of an ear; they begged a third time—poor devils, what else could they do?—and were branded on the cheek with a red-hot iron, then sold for slaves; they ran away, were hunted down, and hanged. (17.34)
Over and over again, we seem to hear the stories of people whose lives have been turned upside down by King Henry VIII's tough and bizarre laws. Then, after their lives have been ruined and they're sent onto the streets, they're not allowed to beg. Since that's the only way they can survive, they do it anyway and get in big trouble for it. They just can't win.
Quote #4
My good old blameless mother strove to earn bread by nursing the sick; one of these died, the doctors knew not how, so my mother was burned for a witch whilst my babes looked on and wailed. English law!—up, all, with your cups! now all together and with a cheer!—drink to the merciful English law that delivered her from the English hell! (17.37)
Things are so bad that this thief is thankful his mother was burnt as a witch. Even that, in his view, is better than actually being alive in England.
Quote #5
"Reflect, sire—your laws are the wholesome breath of your own royalty; shall their source resist them, yet require the branches to respect them? Apparently, one of these laws has been broken; when the king is on his throne again, can it ever grieve him to remember that when he was seemingly a private person he loyally sunk the king in the citizen and submitted to its authority?" (23.5)
This is Miles Hendon talking to Prince Edward after he has been accused of stealing a pig. Edward doesn't even want to go to court, but Miles convinces him that it's for the best. Do you think it's important for rulers to follow the same laws as their subjects? Why or why not?
Quote #6
"By advantage taken of one in fault, in dire peril, and at thy mercy, thou hast seized goods worth above thirteen pence ha'penny, paying but a trifle for the same; and this, in the eye of the law, is constructive barratry, misprision of treason, malfeasance in office, ad hominem expurgatis in statu quo—and the penalty is death by the halter, without ransom, commutation, or benefit of clergy." (24.20)
Miles is a pretty good liar, isn't he? It seems that there are so many petty, specific, and ridiculous laws in 16th-century England that the guy who buys the pig actually believes in Miles's made-up law. How can a legal system work if it's so all over the place and arbitrary?
Quote #7
He asked them why they were in prison, and when they said they were Baptists, he smiled, and inquired:
"Is that a crime to be shut up for in a prison? Now I grieve, for I shall lose ye—they will not keep ye long for such a little thing." (27.43)
This only shows how little Prince Edward knows about his dad's laws. After the Protestant Reformation, it was made illegal to belong to any other church besides the Anglican Church. The penalty? Burning at the stake.
Quote #8
Among these prisoners was an old lawyer—a man with a strong face and a dauntless mien. Three years past, he had written a pamphlet against the Lord Chancellor, accusing him of injustice, and had been punished for it by the loss of his ears in the pillory and degradation from the bar, and in addition had been fined £3,000 and sentenced to imprisonment for life. Lately he had repeated his offense; and in consequence was now under sentence to lose what remained of his ears, pay a fine of £5,000, be branded on both cheeks, and remain in prison for life. (27.64)
You probably don't need any more proof of the injustice rampant during King Henry VIII's reign than this. Seriously? They're going to cut off what remains of his ears?
Quote #9
Hugh deserted his wife and went over to the Continent, where he presently died; and by and by the Earl of Kent married his relict. There were grand times and rejoicings at Hendon village when the couple paid their first visit to the Hall.
Tom Canty's father was never heard of again. (34.1)
This is just an example of the overall cleanup that happens in the last couple of chapters of the novel. After chapters and chapters of grievous injustice, we actually get to see some justice: the villains of the novel get their just desserts. Notice that even though Hugh Hendon and Tom Canty did some horrible things, Edward still doesn't boil them alive or cut off their ears. It looks like justice has some ways of taking care of things on its own.
Quote #10
"What dost thou know of suffering and oppression? I and my people know, but not thou." (34.11)
This is from the very last lines of the novel. Seeing all of that suffering and injustice has turned Edward into a very just king. How do you think experiencing suffering firsthand changes someone's attitude about others and their situations?