“The man said, ‘Your Majesty must be aware that we have already been here some time, and that it is not safe for me to stay longer, but if you will give me your word not to say anything of what has passed for twenty-four hours, I will place the seal at the same hour to-morrow morning on that stone,’ pointing to a particular place. The King promised, went the next morning at the appointed hour, the man appeared, brought the seal, and then jumped over the wall and went off.* His Majesty,” added King William, “never afterwards walked alone in Kensington Gardens.”
His Majesty’s attendants must have been rather surprised to see him arrive at the palace minus his shoe-buckles!
From ‘The Greville Memoirs (Second Part): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1852’ (1885) by Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville (1794-1865).
* This is the remarkable heart of the story. A thief promised to return to the scene of his crime and hand back a trinket to his victim; he kept his word without fear of betrayal. A King agreed to meet with the man who had robbed him; he kept his word without bringing with him a troop of soldiers.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
The robber considered the King’s request; but, thinking the operation to detach the seal would take too long, he bound the King to silence for twenty-four hours, and promised to return with the trinket, leaving George to walk home with unbuckled shoes. King and thief kept their word, and next morning the seal was handed over without incident. (58 / 60 words)
The robber considered the King’s request; but, thinking the operation to detach the seal would take too long, he bound the King to silence for twenty-four hours, and promised to return with the trinket, leaving George to walk home with unbuckled shoes. King and thief kept their word, and next morning the seal was handed over without incident.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, if, or, since, until, whereas, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Hour. Majesty. Round.
2 Attendant. Place. See.
3 Alone. Everything. Four.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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