He must be of her kindred,
for he wins me against my will."
As the sound of their feet died away in the depths of the tower,
Villon turned to the king.
"If the Duke of Burgundy falls into my trap," he said; "men will
call me a great captain. Yet it is no more than remembering the
shape of a meadow where I played in childhood. Strange that an
urchin's playground should become a Golgotha of graves and glories."
The king clapped him playfully on the shoulder.
"Where did you learn wisdom?"
"In the school of hope deferred. When I was--what I was, I still
believed that this dingy carcass swaddled a Roman spirit. In the
pomp of my pallet I dreamed Olympian dreams. And the dreams have
come true."
"You are an amazing fellow. Here in a week, you have made me more
popular than I made myself since my accession. In court, in camp, in
council, men are pleased to call you paragon."
"I am a man of the people and I know what the people need. A week
ago the good people of Paris were disloyal enough. I repeal the tax
on wine and to-day they clap their hands and cry 'God save King
Louis' lustily. A week ago your soldiers were mutinous because they
were ill fed, worse clothed, and never paid at all.
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