Tom Canty

Tom Canty is a boy born in the first half of the sixteenth century in London to an extremely poor family who do not want him, because they cannot afford him. He knows no other life than that of a beggar whose father is a thief. Sleeping on the floor of a filthy tenement, beaten daily by his drunken father and grandmother, Tom nevertheless thinks his life is quite acceptable. When a priest who lives in the multiple-family dwelling teaches Tom to read and write, and to understand a little Latin, the boy begins to speak in flowery language, which leads to creating a fantasy court, with Tom as prince and his friends as courtiers. He develops a passion to see a real prince, and that leads him to Westminster, where he meets Prince Edward. When the two accidentally switch identities, Tom's natural modesty and honesty prevent...