London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
History
London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.
Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
London (England) -- History
The deputation forthwith proceeded, clothed in gowns of black, to
Greenwich, whither the king had gone on the 11th May. The Recorder as
usual acted as spokesman, and humbly prayed the royal forgiveness for the
negligence displayed by the mayor in not keeping the king’s peace within
the city. The king in reply told them plainly his opinion that the civic
authorities had winked at the whole business, and referred them to
Cardinal Wolsey, his chancellor, who would declare to them his
pleasure.(1065) With this answer the deputation withdrew and reported what
had taken place to the mayor, who had wisely kept away. It was clear that
above all things the favour of the cardinal had to be obtained. For this
purpose a committee was appointed, whose duty it was to "devise what
thinges of plesur shalbe geven to my lord Cardynall and to other of the
lordes as they shall thynk convenient for their benevolences doon
concernyng this last Insurreccioun."(1066) By the 22nd May matters had
evidently been accommodated. On that date the king sat at Westminster Hall
in great state, surrounded by the lords of his council and attended by the
cardinal. The mayor and aldermen and chief commoners of the city, chosen
from the leading civic companies,(1067) had arrived by nine o’clock in the
morning clad in their best liveries, "according as the cardinal had
commanded them."(1068) Wolsey knew the king’s weakness for theatrical
display. At Henry’s command all the prisoners were brought into his
presence. They appeared, to the number of 400 men and eleven women, all
with ropes round their necks. After the cardinal had administered a rebuke
to the civic authorities for their negligence, and had declared that the
prisoners had deserved death, a formal pardon was proclaimed by the king,
the cardinal exhorting all present to loyalty and obedience. It was some
time before the effects of the late outbreak disappeared. Compensation for
losses had to be made;(1069) some were bound over to keep the peace;(1070)
and counsel were employed to draw up a statement of the points of
grievance between the citizens and merchant strangers for submission to
the king.(1071) In September there were rumours of another outbreak, but
the civic authorities were better prepared than formerly, and effectually
stopt any such attempt by putting suspected persons into prison.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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