felde yn the north."[274] Many of the towns took part with Edward in this famous battle, for order and good government seemed more likely to follow from the Yorkist than the Lancastrian rule. Each town went to the field under their ancient ensign. As a contemporary ballad has it:-- "The wolf came fro Worcester, ful sure he thought to byte, The dragon came fro Gloucester, he bent his tayle to smyte; The griffin cam fro Leycester, flying in as tyte, The George cam fro Nottingham, with spere for to fyte."[275] The citizens certainly continued to deserve the King's favour. They presented him with £100 and a cup to his "welcome to his cite of Coventre from the felde yn the North,"[276] and decorated the city with pageants and goodly shows in his honour, the smiths' craft providing the character of Samson, who no doubt gave in appropriate verses the promise to use his great strength in defending the King's just claim "to his newly-acquired sovereignty."[277] In that year also all men dwelling in the city were sworn to King Edward to be "his true lege men." In later times the King learnt to distrust this ancient Lancastrian refuge, but for the present there was nothing but amity between himself and the citizens. So vivid was the remembrance of the plundering of Margaret's army, that the old loyalty towards the Lancastrians turned to rancour. And the same spring, on the King-maker's coming--the first important mention of him in the city annals--£40 was collected to be given to him for the payment of forty men that went to the north to resist "kyng Herry and quene Marget _that were_, and alle other with theym accompanyed, as Scottes and Frenchemen, of theyre entre yn to this lande." The mere whisper of a foreign alliance and invasion was sufficient to damn the Lancastrian cause, for Lord Rous, with other refugees, aided by the Scots, were making trouble on the Border. The men returned on July 29, for the north was pacified, men believed, the Scots having rebellions, stirred up by King Edward, to look to nearer home. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 234: _Leet Book_, 112.] [Footnote 235: Ramsay, _Lanc. and York_, ii. 169.] [Footnote 236: Dugdale, _Warw._, ii. 1,011.] [Footnote 237: _Leet Book_, 244. A _jack_ was a tunic of stuffed leather; a _sallet_, a helmet; and a _habergeon_, a short coat of mail. A unique sallet of the time of the Wars of the Roses, traditionally known as the Black Prince's helmet, is in S. Mary's Hall.] [Footnote 238: _Leet Book_, 253.] [Footnote 239: _Ib._, 256-60.] [Footnote 240: _Ib._, 257.] [Footnote 241: _Ib._, 260.] [Footnote 242: _Leet Book_, 263.] [Footnote 243: MS. Coïalte: this contraction will be henceforth written in full. I deviate from the MS. in putting capital letters to proper names, and in writing these in full wherever contractions occur. I have also substituted small letters for capitals whenever the latter would cause confusion to the modern reader.] [Footnote 244: Outer.]