The best opportunity for this policy was immediately after the conference at Doncaster, as from 9 December until the beginning of January, in spite of some grumbling and rioting, the north was fairly quiet in the expectation of the Duke’s coming. But the departure of the gentlemen who travelled south to sue their pardons alarmed the commons and caused rumours and threats of a new rising[138]. On Friday 15 December Henry made his most skilful move. Peter Mewtas, a gentleman of the Privy Chamber, was despatched to Robert Aske, with a letter from the King. Henry wrote that, as he had granted a free pardon to Aske, he had conceived a great desire to speak with him, and therefore summoned him to come up to court, where he trusted that by frankness Aske would deserve reward. A safe-conduct was enclosed, from the date until Twelfth Day, 6 January 1536–7. Aske was instructed not to inform anyone of the summons[139]. The King’s object in enjoining that the visit to court must be secret was to inspire the other leaders of rebellion with fear and suspicion of Aske. If he disappeared from the north and was next heard of in London, everyone would conclude that he had gone up to turn King’s evidence. His credit would be destroyed, and the other gentlemen, trembling for their lives, might be induced to turn traitors in fact. Simple-minded as he was, Aske was not quite so foolish as to fall into this trap. He had been living in his old home at Aughton since the conference at Doncaster[140], and did not receive the King’s messenger until after 18 December[141], for travelling must have been slow in that bitter winter. When the letter arrived Aske sent his brother-in-law William Monketon to Lord Darcy with a copy of it, and a message that he intended to go, and that he begged Darcy to keep the country in order while he was away. After despatching the messenger he set out for London, accompanied by six servants, without waiting for an answer from Darcy. When Aske returned to the North, Monketon told him that Darcy said “he did well to venture, seeing that he had the King’s letter therefor.”[142] Darcy was afterwards accused of having counselled Aske to take six servants and to leave one at Lincoln, another at Huntingdon, another at Ware, and to lodge the rest in different parts of London, so that if the King attempted any treachery they might bring back news to Darcy, who would come to his rescue[143]. Aske never received any such message[144], and the story in its elaborated form must be untrue[145], but it sounds as if it might have had some foundation in Darcy’s impetuous form of humour. If Monketon hinted that he feared Aske was really on his way to the Tower, Darcy may have exclaimed, “If he is in any doubt, let him lay posts along the road to bring me early news, and I will come and fetch him out myself,”—or words to that effect. He might easily make a hasty remark of that nature, without the smallest idea that anyone would take it seriously, but