Chapter2-Too Dear

Chapter-2
TOO DEAR

 Monaco
 Tiny little kingdom/Toy kingdom
 Near the border of France and Italy
 Shore of Mediterranean sea
 Small country can boast more inhabitants than this kingdom
 There are only seven thousand men
 All land kingdom is divided there would not be an acre for each inhabitant
 This kingdom has a real kinglet,and he has a palace
 Courtiers, ministers, bishop, generals and an army are also present
 Army has sixty men
 King levies taxes on tobacco, wine and spirits, poll tax

 Gambling House
 Special revenue comes from a gambling house
 People play roulette
 People play, whether they win or lose the keeper always get a percentage on turnover
 Out of his profit he pays a large sum to the Prince
 Because it is the only gambling establishment left in Europe
 German Sovereigns used to keep gambling house of same kind
 Later they were stopped because they did so much harm
 A man would come and try his luck
 He would risk all he had and lose it
 Then he would even risk money that did not belong to him and lose that too
 Then in despair he would drown or shoot himself
 So Germans forbade their rulers to make money this way
 But there was no one to stop the Prince of Monaco
 He remained with monopoly of business
 Everyone who wants to gamble goes to Monaco

 Proverb
 Everyone who wants to gamble goes to Monaco
 Whether they win or lose, the Prince gains by it
 As the proverb says ‘You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour’
 The king of Moaco knows it is a dirty business
 But he can’t to anything
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 He has to live
 Draw a revenue from drink and is also not a nice thing
 So he lives, reigns and rakes in money
 Holds his court with all ceremony of a real king
 He has his coronation, levees, sentences, rewards and pardons
 He also has council, laws, courts, justice, reviews

 Murder in Monaco/Murderers punishment

 Murder was commited in toys kingdom
 People of that kingdom are peaceable
 Such thing never happened before
 The judges assembled with much ceremony
 The judges, prosecutors, jurymen and barristers tried the case in most judicial manner
 They condemned the criminal to have his cut off as law directs
 They submitted the sentence to the Prince
 The Prince read the sentence and confirmed it
 He said ‘If the fellow must be executed, execute him’

 Problems in murderers punishment/Alter the punishment

 There was one hinch in the death sentence of murderer
 They had neither a guillotine for cutting head off, nor an executioner
 Ministers decided to address an enquiry to French Government
 A letter was sent to French Government
 A week later reply came that both could be supplied and
 It would cost 16,000 francs
 The king said that ‘The wretch is not worth the money’
 16,000 francs means more than 2 francs a head on whole population
 The people wont stand it and it would cause a riot
 Council was called to consider what could be done
 They decided to send a similar enquiry to King of Italy
 The French government is republican and has no respect for king of Monaco
 But King of Italy was a brother monarch and might induce things cheaper
 A letter was written and a prompt reply was received
 They wrote both could be supplied and
 It would cost 12,000 francs including travel expenses
 The king thought it was still too much
 Another council was called
 They decided to do it in rough and homely fashion
 The General was called to look for solider who would cut mans head off
 General talked it over with solder to see someone who would undertake the job
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 None of the soliders would do it

 They said ‘we don’t know how to do it, it is not a thing we have been taught’
 Again ministers considered and reconsidered
 They finally decided to alter the death sentence to life imprisonment
 This would enable the Prince to show mercy and it would become cheaper

 Life imprisonment
 There was one hinch in the life imprisonment of murderer
 There was no suitable prison for him
 There was a small lock up where people were sometimes kept temporarily
 But there was no strong prison fit for permanent use
 However they managed to find a place
 They put the young fellow there and placed a guard over him
 The guard had to watch the criminal and fetch his food from palace kitchen

 Result of Life imprisonment

 A year had passed after the imprisonment of murderer
 The kinglet was looking over the account of his income and expenditure
 He noticed a new item of expenditure
 This was for the keep of the criminal
 It was not a small item
 There was special guard and there was also the mans food
 It came more than 600 francs a year
 The worst of it was the criminal was still young and healthy
 He might live for fifty year
 Prince summoned his ministers
 He said to them to deal with the criminal in a cheaper way
 One of them said to dismiss the guard
 Another Minister said to let the criminal run away and be hanged to him
 They reported this to the kinglet and he agreed with them
 The guard was dismissed and they waited to see what would happen
 At dinner time the criminal came out
 He was not finding his guard instead he went to Princes kitchen to fetch is food
 He took what was given to him and returned to the prison
 Next day same thing happened
 He did not show any sign of running away

 Criminals reason for not running away

 Minister asked criminal why he did not run away
 The criminal said he have nowhere to go and further said
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 The king and his council have ruined his character by their sentence and
 People would turn their back on him
 Besides he have got out of the way of working
 The king and his council treated him badly and it was not fair
 He said when once you sentenced me to death you ought to have executed me
 Then you have sentenced me to imprisonment for life and put a guard to fetch him food
 After some time they took him away
 And now he had to fetch his own food which he did not complain
 So the criminal did not run away

 Criminals release
 When criminal refused to run away another council was summoned
 They decided to offer him a pension
 They reported this to the Prince
 The Prince agreed and the sum was fixed for 600 francs
 This was announced to the prisoner
 He said he would go way as long as they undertake to pay it regularly
 The matter was settled
 He received one-third of his annuity in advance
 He left the Kings domain

 Criminals life after release

 The criminal left Kings domain after he received one-third of his annuity in advance
 He travelled through train and emigrated and settled just across the frontier
 He brought a bit of land, started market-gardening
 He now lives comfortably
 He always goes to proper time to draw his pension
 After receiving the money he goes to gambling house
 Stakes two or three francs, sometimes wins and sometimes loses
 Then he returns home
 He lives peaceably and well

2 MARKS

1. Mention any two things which make Monaco a toy kingdom

There are only about seven thousand people

 There would be not acre for each inhabitant if all the land in kingdom were divided
2. Name the two countries that bordered Monaco?
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France

 Italy
3. Mention any two-supporting staff / officials of the King of Monaco
 Courtiers
 Ministers
 Bishop
 Generals
4. Name any two commodities that were taxed in Monaco
 Tobacco
 Wine and spirits
5. Which commodities did the king of Monaco draw the revenue from?
 Tobacco
 Wine and spirits
6. Who were the main beneficiaries of Gaming House in Monaco whether one loses or wins?
 Keeper
 King
7. Name any two reasons that made German Sovereigns to forbid gaming houses
8. Name any two things that the prince of Monaco did on a smaller scale as a king
 Reviews
 Councils
 Laws
 Courts of justice
 Rewards
 Leeves
 Coronation
 Sentences
9. Mention any two professionals who tried the murder case in the most judicial manner
 Judges
 Prosecutors
 Jurymen
 Barristers
10. What were the works assigned to the guard when the criminal was kept in the prison?
 To watch the criminal
 To fetch him food
11. How much pension was fixed for the criminal? How much money was received in advance?
 600 francs
 One-third
12. What did the criminal do for his living after receiving his annuity in advance?
 Bought a bit of land
 Started Market gardening
13. Why there was hitch in execution of murderer?
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They had neither a guillotine


 Nor an executioner
14. Why council decided to send a similar enquiry to King to Italy?
 King of Italy was brother monarch
 He might induce things cheaper
15. Why was death sentence altered to life imprisonment?
 It would enable the prince to show mercy
 It would become cheaper
16. Mention the reaons for soliders refusal to execute the criminal
 They don’t know how to do it
 It is not a thing they have been taught
17. What plans did the minister suggest the Prince to make the criminals expense cheaper?
18. Mention any two reasons provided by criminal for not running away

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