Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
History
Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
England -- Social life and customs -- 16th century; Great Britain -- History -- Edward III, 1327-1377
In the morning on Corpus Christi day king Richard heard mass in the
Tower of London, and all his lords, and then he took his barge with
the earl of Salisbury, the earl of Warwick, the earl of Oxford and
certain knights, and so rowed down along the Thames to Rotherhithe,
whereas was descended down the hill a ten thousand men to see the king
and to speak with him. And when they saw the king's barge coming, they
began to shout, and made such a cry, as though all the devils of hell
had been among them. And they had brought with them sir John Newton to
the intent that, if the king had not come, they would have stricken
him all to pieces, and so they had promised him. And when the king and
his lords saw the demeanour of the people, the best assured of them
were in dread; and so the king was counselled by his barons not to
take any landing there, but so rowed up and down the river. And the
king demanded of them what they would, and said how he was come
thither to speak with them, and they said all with one voice: 'We
would that ye should come aland, and then we shall shew you what we
lack.' Then the earl of Salisbury answered for the king and said:
'Sirs, ye be not in such order nor array that the king ought to speak
with you.' And so with those words no more said: and then the king was
counselled to return again to the Tower of London, and so he did.
And when these people saw that, they were inflamed with ire and
returned to the hill where the great band was, and there shewed them
what answer they had and how the king was returned to the Tower of
London. Then they cried all with one voice, 'Let us go to London,' and
so they took their way thither; and in their going they beat down
abbeys and houses of advocates and of men of the court, and so came
into the suburbs of London, which were great and fair, and there beat
down divers fair houses, and specially they brake up the king's
prisons, as the Marshalsea and other, and delivered out all the
prisoners that were within: and there they did much hurt, and at the
bridge foot they threat them of London because the gates of the bridge
were closed, saying how they would bren all the suburbs and so conquer
London by force, and to slay and bren all the commons of the city.
There were many within the city of their accord, and so they drew
together and said: 'Why do we not let these good people enter into the
city? they are your fellows, and that that they do is for us,' So
therewith the gates were opened, and then these people entered into
the city and went into houses and sat down to eat and drink. They
desired nothing but it was incontinent brought to them, for every man
was ready to make them good cheer and to give them meat and drink to
appease them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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