The Prince and the Pauper (Annotated Edition)

The youngest son of a poor family, Tom Canty lives in the relatively poor area of London known as Offal Court. Tom has always known that he was made for better things, and aspires to a more well-to-do lifestyle. The local parish priest is very encouraging to him, and teaches him to read and write. Tom spends alot of time hanging around the gates of the palace, eventually this pays off; he meets Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales. This is seen as somewhat of a threat to the Prince’s safety by his guards, who want to whisk him off and beat him for his insolence, but Edward speaks up for Tom and asks him to accompany him into the palace chamber. The two boys begin to strike up a friendship; despite their different stations in life, and their wildly divergent upbringings, what they have in common is that they are two young boys of the same age who happen to look very similar to each other. They are both fascinated by the other’s life. The wildest coincidence is that they share the same birthday. One thing leads to another and they decide to switch places for the day.
The Prince goes outside dressed like Tom. He is carrying an important document with him. The guards don’t recognize him and they drive him as far as the outer walls of the palace. When he is dropped off he makes his own way to Tom’s family’s home. It is a brutal experience; Tom’s father is an alcoholic and extremely abusive. He manages to escape from him and he meets a soldier, nobleman Miles Hendon, who is returning from war. Miles doesn’t believe a word of the boy’s story about being a prince disguised as a poor boy, but he likes the boy and he decides to humor him by pretending that he believes what he is saying. He becomes his wing man, and protector.