The Prince and the Pauper · Chapter
Foo-Foo the First explained
Miles Hendon searches for the king in Southwark but loses the trail; he deduces the boy will head for Hendon Hall.
What happens
Miles Hendon searches for the king in Southwark but loses the trail; he deduces the boy will head for Hendon Hall. Meanwhile, the king is lured into a trap by Hugo and recaptured by John Canty, who has disguised himself as a lame ruffian. Canty forces the king to join a gang of thieves and vagabonds, where the king witnesses their crude revelry and hears tales of their brutal lives. The chapter ends with the king grieving for his father, Henry VIII.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The stark contrast between the king's royal upbringing and the squalid life of the gang highlights the vast social divide.
Power and Corruption
John Canty's murder and the gang's lawless existence illustrate the corruption that arises from powerlessness and desperation.
Family and Belonging
The king's grief for his father and his forced 'adoption' into Canty's criminal 'family' explore themes of belonging and loss.
Characters to notice
- Miles Hendon
Searches for the king in Southwark, deduces the boy will head for Hendon Hall, and plans to continue his search.
- Edward VI
Lured into a trap by Hugo, recaptured by John Canty, forced to join a gang of thieves, and grieves for his father Henry VIII.
- John Canty
Disguised as a lame ruffian, recaptures the king, reveals he has committed a murder, and forces the king to join the gang under the alias John Hobbs.
- Hugo
Lures the king into the trap and mocks him; later converses with John Canty.
- Henry VIII
Mentioned in the king's grief; the king recalls loving memories of his father.
Key passages
“The boy would escape from the ruffian, his reputed father, if possible; would he go back to London and seek his former haunts? No, he would not do that, he would avoid recapture.”
Miles Hendon reasons that the king will try to flee from John Canty and will not return to London for fear of being caught again.
Hendon's logical deduction about the king's likely actions.
“I have done a murder, and may not tarry at home—neither shalt thou, seeing I need thy service.”
John Canty admits to killing a man and tells the king that he must come with him because Canty needs his help.
Canty reveals his crime and forces the king to accompany him.
“To the rest of the world the name of Henry VIII brought a shiver, and suggested an ogre whose nostrils breathed destruction and whose hand dealt scourgings and death; but to this boy the name brought only sensations of pleasure; the figure it invoked wore a countenance that was all gentleness and affection.”
While most people feared Henry VIII as a cruel tyrant, the king remembered him only as a loving and gentle father.
The king's personal, affectionate view of his father contrasts with the public's fear.