“Now then,” said Henry the Eighth, when all the bustle had subsided, “wire in, somebody! Let’s begin.”
“You’d better get a jury first,” said King John. “That’s one of the first things I insist upon in Magna Charta.”
“Order in the court!” cried Henry, “and Magna Charta be bothered! I shall do as I like!”
“Do have a jury, love,” said Catherine Parr; “it’s such fun when they come in with their verdict!”
“Oh, all right; have it your own way. I should have thought, though, I could come in with a verdict as well as they. Now then, you there!” said he, addressing the convicts round me, “answer to your names.”
And he proceeded to call the names out from the catalogue.
When a dozen had answered, Anne of Cleeves said, “That’s enough, Henry dear; we’ve got twelve.”
“Oh, have we?” said he. “You can have more if you like, you know; there’s plenty left.”
The ladies, however, decided that a dozen was enough, and the trial began.
“Prisoner at the bar,” said Edward the Black Prince, who was acting as usher, “are you guilty or not guilty?”