At this point there comes a complete break in the contemporary letters and reports. No account of these first negotiations at Doncaster survives. Aske alluded to the meeting once or twice, but always said that as he was not there he could not be certain of what passed. He knew, however, that Robert Bowes delivered a copy of the articles to the Duke. The principal business of the meeting was probably to arrange for the final conference. It was decided that the appointed three hundred should come to Doncaster next day, and there choose forty of their number, twenty gentlemen and twenty commons, to treat with the Duke[55]. The King’s safe-conduct seems to have been sent, although there is no absolute statement to that effect, but it does not appear that any hostage was given for Aske[56]. Perhaps the matter of the safe-conduct was compromised on those terms. When this had been decided the ten gentlemen returned to Pontefract. However Norfolk may have endeavoured to gloze the matter over, it could not be denied that the preliminaries had been very discouraging. The commons realised this, and on Tuesday they were uproarious. They threw the blame on Archbishop Lee, rightly thinking that his wavering had encouraged the royalists, and there was another tumult in the church, where the Archbishop was performing service[57]. In order to prevent a breach of the truce, it was agreed that Lord Neville, Lord Lumley and Lord Conyers should remain at Pontefract to control the commons, while Lord Scrope, Lord Latimer, Lord Darcy and Aske, with the three hundred knights, esquires, gentlemen and commons, rode to Doncaster[58]. During these two days the clergy had been drawing up their articles, which were not completed and accepted until Tuesday afternoon[59], and it must have been after the close of the short December day that the three hundred rode across the bridge to the Grey Friars’ house in Doncaster. Next morning, Wednesday 6 December, they chose ten knights, ten esquires and twenty commons to go to the conference with Norfolk. Robert Aske was their leader, and was empowered to speak in the name of all. This being determined, the forty set out for the house of the White Friars, where Norfolk and his council were prepared to receive them. By this time the King’s last instructions must have arrived, which gave Norfolk something to base the treaty upon.