

                                   Mark Twain

                  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

                                    Preface

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 wherever 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.
    
                                                                     Mark Twain.
HARTFORD, July 21, 1889.
 

                             A Word of Explanation

It was in Warwick Castle that I came across the curious stranger whom I am going
to talk about. He attracted me by three things: his candid simplicity, his
marvelous familiarity with ancient armor, and the restfulness of his company -
for he did all the talking. We fell together, as modest people will, in the tail
of the herd that was being shown through, and he at once began to say things
which interested me. As he talked along, softly, pleasantly, flowingly, he
seemed to drift away imperceptibly out of this world and time, and into some
remote era and old forgotten country; and so he gradually wove such a spell
about me that I seemed to move among the spectres and shadows and dust and mould
of a gray antiquity, holding speech with
