but that I may earn my daily bread like another."

"Yea," said Clement, looking on him kindly, "I deem of all thy
brethren thou hast the biggest share of the blood of Red Robert,
who first won Upmeads. And now thou shalt know that this good town
of Whitwall that lieth behind us is the last of the lands we shall
come to wherein folk can any courtesy, or are ruled by the customs of
the manor, or by due lawful Earls and Kings, or the laws of the Lineage
or the Port, or have any Guilds for their guiding, and helping.
And though these folks whereunto we shall come, are, some of them,
Christian men by name, and have amongst them priests and religious;
yet are they wild men of manners, and many heathen customs abide
amongst them; as swearing on the altars of devils, and eating
horse-flesh at the High-tides, and spell-raising more than enough,
and such like things, even to the reddening of the doom-rings with
the blood of men and of women, yea, and of babes: from such things
their priests cannot withhold them. As for their towns that we
shall come to, I say not but we shall find crafts amongst them,
and worthy good men therein, but they have little might against
the tyrants who reign over the towns, and who are of no great kindred,
nor of blood better than other folk, but merely masterful and wise
men who have gained their place by cunning and the high hand.
Thou shalt see castles and fair strong-houses about the country-side,
but the great men who dwell therein are not the natural kindly
lords of the land yielding service to Earls, Dukes, and Kings,
and having under them vavassors and villeins, men of the manor;
but their tillers and shepherds and workmen and servants be mere thralls,
whom they may sell at any market, like their horses or oxen.
Forsooth these great men have with them for the more part free men
waged for their service, who will not hold their hands from aught that