In the meane time, the lord maior of London was returned into the citie, with one man onelie attending vpon him, and cried to the citizens; “Oh yée good and vertuous citizens, come foorth out of hand, and helpe your king readie to be slaine, & helpe me your maior standing in the same perill; or if yée will not helpe me for some faults committed by me against you, yet forsake not your king, but helpe and succour him in this present danger.” When the worshipfull citizens and other, that in their loiall hearts loued the king, had heard these words, incontinentlie they put themselues in strong and sure armor, to the number of a thousand men, and gathering themselues togither into the streets, tarried but for some lord or knight that might conduct them to the king: and by chance there came vnto them sir Robert Knolles, whom all of them requested that he would be their leader, least comming out of arraie and order, they might the sooner be broken, who willinglie led one part of them, and certeine other knights led other of them, clad in faire bright armour vnto the kings presence. The king with the lords, knights and esquires, not a little reioised at the comming of those armed men, and streightwaies compassed the commons about, as they had beene a flocke of sheepe that should haue béene closed within some fold, till it pleased the sheepheard to appoint foorth, which should be thrust into pasture, and which taken to go to the shambels. [Sidenote: The rebels quite discouraged threw downe their weapons at the comming of the Londoners in aid of the king.] There was to be seene a maruellous change of the right hand of the lord, to behold how they throwing downe staues, bils, axes, swords, bowes and arowes, humblie began to sue for pardon, which a little before gloried to haue the life of the king and his seruants wholie and altogither in their hands, power, and disposition. The poore wretches sought to hide themselues in the corne that grew in the fields, in ditches, hedges and dennes, and wheresoeuer they might get out of the way, so to safe gard their liues. The knights that were with the king would gladlie haue beene dooing with them, and requested licence of him to strike off the heads of some one or two hundred of them, that it might be a witnesse in time to come, that the force of the order of knighthood was able |742| to doo somewhat against the carters and ploughmen: but the king would not suffer them, alledging that manie of them were come thither by compulsion, and not of their owne accord, and therefore it might come to passe that those should die for it, that had nothing offended: but he commanded that there should be proclamation made in London, that the citizens should haue no dealings with them, nor suffer anie of them to come within the citie that night, but to cause them to lie without doores. [Sidenote: _Abraham Fleming_ out of _Henrie Knighton_ canon of Leicester abbeie.]