In this scene, Twain again satirizes the codes of conduct in the English court. While Tom has dinner, he is continually disturbed by the presence of a number of servants, who do not allow him to do even the most menial tasks. The Diaperer to the Prince of Wales places a napkin around his neck, the cupbearer lifts his glass for him, the taster is poised behind him to taste any dish that draws concern. While these and other servants watch him intently, Tom feels he is about to sneeze:
“I crave your indulgence: my nose itcheth cruelly. What is the custom and usage in this emergency? Prithee, speed, for tis’ but a little time that I can bear it.”
None smiled; but all were sore perplexed, and looked one to the other in deep tribulation for counsel. But behold, here was a dead wall, and nothing in English history to tell how to get over it.
Tom is surrounded by servants who dote on his every whim so completely that he’s not even sure whether he’s allowed to scratch his own nose. Hilariously, the servants themselves aren’t sure if Tom should scratch his own nose, either. They look to one another in confusion, unable to think of any immediate historical precedents for how they should behave (“nothing in English history”).
In this scene, Twain mocks the extreme formality and uncritical adherence to rules within the court, as well as the coddling of the English sovereign. The servants and courtiers are obsessed with doing things according to custom and tradition. When faced with even a minor unforeseen event (like an itchy nose), they crumble if there is no clear rule to address it.
Twain satirizes the royal code of conduct in this dialogue between Edward and Miles. When Edward goes to Miles’s lodging with him, he expects the same treatment from Miles that he received from courtiers in the castle. Edward does not even allow Miles to sit in his own room (as people of a lesser rank cannot sit in front of the king, but must stand behind him).
After the two get to know each other, Edward recognizes that Miles has saved his life and offers him a favor (“Name thy desire [...] and it is thine”). Miles, who believes Edward to be insane, requests leave to sit:
“ [...] De Courcy, kneeling as I do now, [said] ‘This, then, I ask my liege; that I and my successors may have and hold the privilege of remaining covered in the presence of the kings of England, henceforth as the throne shall last.’ [...] Invoking this precedent in aid of my prayer, I beseech the King to grant to me but this one grace and privilege–to my more than sufficient reward—[...] that I and my heirs forever may sit in the presence of the Majesty of England!”
Miles cites the real-life story of the Lord De Courcy, a nobleman who was given the right to keep his hat on in front of the King (“remain covered”) for the rest of his life after saving England from a French invasion. In a similar vein, Miles requests the right for himself and his descendants to sit in the king’s presence. Miles is half-ironic here: he thinks Edward is out of his mind, but chooses to play along with his apparent delusions.
In this scene, Twain mocks the absolute power of the monarch, which reduces its subjects to receiving bare minimum courtesies as rewards for heroic behavior. De Courcy surely deserved a better reward for saving England, and Miles deserves (and eventually receives) a greater reward for his troubles on Edward’s behalf. But the difference in status between these men and the king is so great that simple accommodations any normal person would make for a friend (allowing him to sit down, for example) are seen as tremendous personal favors.
