Home > Work > The Saxon Tales Collection 4 Book Set (The Burning Land, The Death of Kings, The Pagan Lord, The Empty Throne)
1 " They’re mean bastards, those monks,” I said. I was supposed to deliver a weekly cartload of firewood to Saint Rumwold’s, but that was a duty I ignored. The monks could cut their own timber. “Who was Rumwold?” I asked Willibald. I knew the answer, but wanted to drag Willibald through the thorns. “He was a very pious child, lord,” he said. “A child?” “A baby,” he said, sighing as he saw where the conversation was leading, “a mere three days old when he died.” “A three-day-old baby is a saint?” Willibald flapped his hands. “Miracles happen, lord,” he said, “they really do. They say little Rumwold sang God’s praises whenever he suckled.” “I feel much the same when I get hold of a tit,” I said, “so does that make me a saint?” Willibald shuddered, then sensibly changed the subject. "
― Bernard Cornwell , The Saxon Tales Collection 4 Book Set (The Burning Land, The Death of Kings, The Pagan Lord, The Empty Throne)
2 " How many’s that?” I asked the shepherd. “Jiggit and mumph, lord,” he said. “Is that enough?” “It’s enough, lord.” “Kill the rest then,” I said. “Jiggit and mumph?” Willibald asked, still shivering. “Twenty and five,” I said. “Yain, tain, tether, mether, mumph. It’s how shepherds count. I don’t know why. The world is full of mystery. "