'Has he been with my men-at-arms,
Has he borne scars for me,
That I should take this Basil Boil
Among my chivalry?'
'Sire, in a war some years ago
You called him to the fray,
And he would have served you loyally,
But his conscience bade him nay.
'And they took him before the judges,
Because he did rebel,
And he lay a year in prison
To save his soul from hell.'
'Then what have I for a portent,
What bring you me for a sign,
That I should take this coistril
To be a knight of mine?'
'Sire, we are bringing in a bill
Which the Daily Squeal could foil,
And it might be wise to wheedle
Baron de Bathmat Boil.'
Then the King rose up in anger
And seared them with his gaze:
'You have taken the wine and the laughter,
The pride and the grace of days;
'The last fair woman is faded,
And the last man dead for shame,
But a dog from the gutter shall serve me
Before this man you name.'
They heard, and did not answer;
They heard, and did not bend;
And he saw their frozen stillness
