Surrendering to God’s mysterious will with the faith that walks in the darkness of the future, Alfred humbles himself as God’s servant and assumes a childlike trust in his heavenly father. When an old woman mistakenly views Alfred as a beggar and offers him food for the task of watching the cakes cook without burning, Alfred neglects his duty only to be struck by the irate woman with the cake he let burn: she “struck him suddenly on the face / Leaving a scarlet scar”—a surprise that not only shocks and humbles the great king but also evokes a burst of laughter, “The giant laughter of Christian men / That roars through a thousand tales, / Where greed is an ape and pride is an ass.” Even in the midst of defeat or humiliation, the Christian king
