Knightly Humor

[MT himself identified the following undated journal entry as the seed from which Connecticut Yankee grew. According to Henry Nash Smith, it was "apparently made during the tour with Cable."]
Dream of being a knight in armor in the middle ages. Have the notions & habits of thought of the present day mixed with the necessities of that. No pockets in the armor. No way to manage certain requirements of nature. Can't scratch. Cold in the head -- can't blow -- can't get at handkerchief, can't use iron sleeve. Iron gets red hot in the sun -- leaks in the rain, gets white with frost & freezes me solid in winter. Suffer from lice & fleas. Make disagreeable clatter when I enter church. Can't dress or undress myself. Always getting struck by lightning. Fall down, can't get up. See Morte DArthur.

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