Source Book of London History, from the earliest times to 1800
History
Source Book of London History, from the earliest times to 1800
London (England) -- History
Then the captains, as John Ball, Jack Straw, and Wat Tyler, went
throughout London, 20,000 with them, and so came to the Savoy on the
way to Westminster, which was a goodly house, and it pertaineth to
the Duke of Lancaster. And when they had entered, they slew the
keepers thereof, and robbed and pillaged the house; and when they
had so done, then they set fire on it, and clean destroyed and brent
it. And when they had done that outrage, they left not therewith,
but went straight to the fair hospital called St. John's, and there
they brent house, hospital, minster, and all. Then they went from
street to street and slew all the Flemings that they could find in
church or in any other place, there was none respited from death.
And they brake up divers houses of the Lombards, and robbed them and
took their goods at their pleasure, for there was none that durst
say them nay. And they slew in the city a rich merchant called
Richard Lyon, whom before that time Wat Tyler had served in France;
and on a time this Richard Lyon had beaten him, while he was his
varlet, which Wat Tyler then remembered, and so came to his house
and strake off his head, and caused it to be borne on a spear-point
before him all about the city....
The Saturday the king went to Westminster and heard mass in the
church there, and all his lords with him; and then he leapt on his
horse, and all his lords, and so the king rode toward London; and
when he had ridden a little way, on the left hand there was a way to
pass without London.
The same morning Wat Tyler, Jack Straw, and John Ball had assembled
their company together in a place called Smithfield, where every
Friday there is a market of horses; and there were together all of
one affinity more than 20,000, and yet there were many still in the
town, drinking and making merry in the taverns, and paying nothing,
for they were happy that made them best cheer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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