Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Release Date: July 7, 2004 [EBook #86]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** Start of this project gutenberg
EBOOK Connecticut Yankee ***
Produced by David Widger. The 10th edition was
taken from Internet
Wiretap collection.
by
Mark Twain
(Samuel L. Clemens)
The ungentle laws and customs touched upon in this
tale are historical, and the episodes which are used
to illustrate them are also historical. It is
not pretended that these laws and customs existed
in England in the sixth century; no, it is only pretended
that inasmuch as they existed in the English and other
civilizations of far later times, it is safe to consider
that it is no libel upon the sixth century to suppose
them to have been in practice in that day also.
One is quite justified in inferring that whatever
one of these laws or customs was lacking in that remote
time, its place was competently filled by a worse one.
The question as to whether there is such a thing as
divine right of kings is not settled in this book.
It was found too difficult. That the executive
head of a nation should be a person of lofty character
and extraordinary ability, was manifest and indisputable;
that none but the Deity could select that head unerringly,
was also manifest and indisputable; that the Deity
ought to make that selection, then, was likewise manifest
and indisputable; consequently, that He does make
it, as claimed, was an unavoidable deduction.
I mean, until the author of this book encountered the
Pompadour, and Lady Castlemaine, and some other executive
heads of that kind; these were found so difficult
to work into the scheme, that it was judged better
to take the other tack in this book (which must be
issued this fall), and then go into training and settle
the question in another book. It is, of course,
a thing which ought to be settled, and I am not going
to have anything particular to do next winter anyway.
Hartford, July 21, 1889
A WORD OF EXPLANATION
