Then his majesty sings, passing off as his own, a song of Charles Lever's.

Sir Wilfrid declares the truth, and twits the king with his falsehood, whereupon he has the guitar thrown at his head for his pains.

He catches the guitar, however, gracefully in his left hand, and sings his own immortal ballad of _King Canute_,--than which Thackeray never did anything better.
"Might I stay the sun above us, good Sir Bishop ?" Canute cried; "Could I bid the silver moon to pause upon her heavenly ride?
If the moon obeys my orders, sure I can command the tide.
Will the advancing waves obey me, Bishop, if I make the sign ?" Said the bishop, bowing lowly; "Land and sea, my lord, are thine." Canute turned towards the ocean; "Back," he said, "thou foaming brine." But the sullen ocean answered with a louder deeper roar, And the rapid waves drew nearer, falling, sounding on the shore; Back the keeper and the bishop, back the king and courtiers bore.
We must go to the book to look at the picture of the king as he is killing the youngest of the sons of the Count of Chalons.

Those illustrations of Doyle's are admirable.

The size of the king's head, and the size of his battle-axe as contrasted with the size of the child, are burlesque all over.