Lud-in-the-Mist · Chapter
XXV: The Law Crouches and Springs explained
Master Polydore Vigil receives a warrant for the arrest of Endymion Leer for the murder of Farmer Gibberty.
What happens
Master Polydore Vigil receives a warrant for the arrest of Endymion Leer for the murder of Farmer Gibberty. Despite his reliance on Leer, Vigil feels compelled to enforce the law. Captain Mumchance arrests Leer, who reacts with accusations of betrayal by the Silent People. The news spreads through Lud, and evidence of fairy fruit smuggling is discovered in the Dapple River.
Themes in this chapter
Law and Justice
The warrant and arrest of Leer demonstrate the rigid, impersonal force of the law, overriding personal relationships.
Reality vs. Delusion
Polydore hopes the warrant is a forgery, but the law's solid reality forces him to act; Leer's mask of confidence falls away.
Fear of the Unknown
Leer's cry of betrayal by the Silent People introduces a supernatural element, suggesting hidden forces at work.
Characters to notice
- Master Polydore Vigil
Receives the warrant for Leer's arrest and struggles between his loyalty to Leer and his respect for the law.
- Endymion Leer
Arrested for murder; reacts with accusations of betrayal by the Silent People.
- Mumchance
Executes the arrest, showing grim satisfaction and professional pride.
- Bawdy Bess
Incites the crowd in Lud with her strange speech after the arrest.
- Mother Tibbs
Laughs and weeps in the streets, prophesying Leer's fate.
- Jeremiah Gibberty
Mentioned as the victim of the alleged murder.
Key passages
“The Law, my good lady, is no respector of a gentleman's stomach, so I'll trouble you to stand out of the way.”
Mumchance tells the housekeeper that the law does not care about interrupting a meal.
Highlights the law's uncompromising nature.
“Treachery! Treachery! The Silent People have betrayed me! It is ill serving a perfidious master!”
Leer accuses the fairy folk of betraying him.
Reveals Leer's connection to Fairyland and his sense of being abandoned.