The Devil and His Boy (16 page)

“Tom!” Shakespeare was calling him now, a great pile of papers in one hand, a feather quill in the other. The two of them spent much of their time together. Tom loved giving Shakespeare ideas for new plays. In return, Shakespeare was teaching Tom how to read.

Tom hurried to join his friend.

At the same time, a short way up the Thames, four men and one woman were gazing in Tom’s direction, as if trying to see what he was doing. Dr Mobius was the first of them. Then came James Grimly, Sir Richard Brooke and finally Sebastian and Henrietta Slope. They were almost unrecognizable by now, as they’d been there for several weeks. Five heads on five spikes high above London Bridge.

Beneath them, the river flowed gently past, the water glistening in the dying light.

Goodnight, goodnight!
Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say goodnight
till it be morrow…

This
is the chapter you don’t have to read.

But for those of you who want to know, a lot of
The Devil and his Boy
is based on truth. Many of the characters, for example, were alive in 1593. Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, of course, but also Gamaliel Ratsey, Moll Cutpurse, Philip Henslowe, Lord Strange, Edmund Tilney (Master of the Revels), Dr John Dee and even Mr Bull, the hangman.

I have tried to describe London as it was in the sixteenth century. Paul’s Walk really was at the heart of the City – it was the place where people went to find work – and there was an open area called Moorfield, just north of Moorgate. The Rose Theatre, Newgate Prison and Whitehall were all much as I’ve described and the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall really was made of cloth (it was replaced with a solid structure in the reign of King James). Framlingham is also a real town. You can still visit the castle with its peculiar twisted chimneys. Even now, nobody knows why they were built.

As to the events described in this book… It is certainly true that the young Elizabeth had a close relationship with Thomas Seymour, brother of the Protector. It was also rumoured that she carried his child. Elizabeth herself wrote, “…that there goeth rumours abroad which be greatly both against my honour and honesty (which above all things I esteem) which be these: that I am in the Tower and with child by my lord Admiral…”

There were also many people who hated the Queen and wanted her dead – mainly the Spanish. The
Garduna
was a secret organization, closely linked with the Inquisition. Its members were also known as the Holy Warriors of Spain.

Moll Cutpurse was a famous thief of the sixteenth century. She is even the subject of a play –
The Roaring Girl
. Moll did dress up in boys’ clothes. She was involved with a “school for crime”. And she was the daughter of a shoemaker. It’s nice to know that she lived until she was seventy, a remarkable age, before she died of dropsy.

Gamaliel Ratsey was less fortunate. The most famous highwayman of his time, Ratsey did have noble parents and had served in Ireland before he took to crime (many thieves were unemployed soldiers). He was also well-known for his horrible masks. Eight years after this book ends, Ratsey was betrayed by a friend and taken prisoner. He was hanged.

John Dee is an interesting character. He was Queen Elizabeth’s personal magician, a Welshman who spent much of his life searching for the secret of how to turn base metal into gold. Dee also owned a “stone of vision” – I didn’t make it up. There’s no record, however, of his owning a talking cat!

Wherever possible, in
The Devil and his Boy
, I have tried to use accurate details from the sixteenth century. For example, dinner at The Pig’s Head would have cost you “sixpence downstairs and eightpence up”. London boys did enjoy throwing mud balls at strangers. And so on.

That said, however, it is quite possible that teachers will find some mistakes in this book. These mistakes are entirely deliberate. I put them in to keep the teachers happy.

Anthony Horowitz

For other great books, visit:

www.walker.co.uk

Anthony Horowitz
is one of the most popular contemporary children’s writers. Both The Power of Five and Alex Rider are number one bestselling series enjoyed by millions of readers worldwide.

When Anthony launched the Alex Rider series he created a phenomenon in children’s books, spurring a new trend of junior spy books and inspiring thousands of previously reluctant readers. Hailed as a reading hero, Anthony has also won many major awards, including the Bookseller Association/Nielson Author of the Year Award, the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards, and the Red House Children’s Book Award. The first Alex Rider adventure,
Stormbreaker
, was made into a blockbuster movie in 2006.

Anthony’s other titles for Walker Books include the Diamond Brothers mysteries;
Groosham Grange
and its sequel,
Return to Groosham Grange; The Devil and His Boy; Granny; The Switch;
and a collection of horror stories,
More Bloody Horowitz
. Anthony also writes extensively for TV, with programmes including
Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders, Collision
and, most recently,
Injustice
.

Although abandoned by both his sons, Anthony Horowitz continues to live in Clerkenwell with his wife, Jill Green, and their dog, Gluey.

You can find out more about Anthony and his books at:

www.anthonyhorowitz.com
www.alexrider.com
www.powerof5.co.uk