The Tower clock had just struck ten, and father John was reading a
Latin manuscript by the light of a small lamp, when the door of his
prison opened, and the glare of a large wax-light, preceding a lady,
almost dazzled his eyes. The torch-bearer, placing the torch in a
convenient position against the wall, retired, leaving the monk and the
lady alone.
There was but one seat in the dungeon, so John Ball arose, and
presenting his stool to his visitor, seated himself on the bundle of
straw which composed his bed.
Isabella de Boteler placed the stool so that her own face might be in
the shade, at the same time that the light played full upon that of the
monk. They sat an instant silent; and as the baroness bent her eyes
upon the father, she saw, in the deep marks on the forehead, and in the
changed hue of his circling hair, that he had paid the price of strong
excitement; but yet she almost marvelled if the placid countenance she
now gazed upon could belong to one who had dared and done so much. At
length she spoke.
"You know me, father John?"
"Yes, lady."
"Know you why I have visited this cell?"
"It is not for me to speak of what is passing in the heart of another."
"Tell me, monk," asked Isabella, "did you see the multitude who filled
the open space when you were led upon the battlements this afternoon?"
"I did, lady, and my heart rejoiced--even as a father at sight of his
children!" a slight tinge passing over his cheek.
"You speak too boldly," said Isabella, with some impatience; "but if
your eyes were gladdened with what they saw on Tower-hill to-day,
they will not be gladdened at the things that will meet their glance
to-morrow!" She hesitated, and then went on rather hurriedly: "When you
are led forth again, the rebellious commons will be dispersed, and the
block will be standing ready for your own head!"
"Man is but dust, and a breath may blow him away. I was born, Lady de
Boteler, but to die; and there is not a morning, since I have abided
in this dungeon, but, as I have watched the first rays of light stream
through yonder grating, I have thought, shall my eyes behold the
departing day! and, as well as a sinner may do, I prepared for my end.
But, lady, are the thousands but as one man?--and think you that the
spirit which has gone forth----"
"I tell you, father John," interrupted Isabella, "that even at
this moment a leader of the rebels is before the council--and ere
to-morrow's sun shall set, the turbulent villeins will be either hanged
or driven back--and _you_ will be beheaded!"
"Is the betrayer a captive?" asked the monk; and he fixed an anxious
searching glance on the baroness.
"No, the man came voluntarily----"
Isabella paused. The monk, however, did not reply; but she inferred,
from a sort of quivering of the upper lip, that her information
affected him more deeply than he chose to tell. She passed one hand
across her forehead, and then, clasping them both, and resting them
upon her knees, looked earnestly at John Ball, and said, impressively--
"The rebels are betrayed, and you are condemned; but, if you will
hearken to my request, this hour shall free you from prison:--Will you,
will you tell me of my lost child?"
"Lady," said the monk in a stern voice, "think you so meanly of
John Ball that he would do for a bribe what he would not do for
justice sake? The time was when ye might have known, but ye took not
counsel----"
"Then he lives!" said Isabella, in a suppressed shriek; and she bent
her head on her bosom, and covered her face with her hands.
For a minute she sat thus, and then slowly removing her hands, and
raising up her pale and tearful face, said tremulously, and in so low a
tone as to be scarcely audible, "My child then does live?"
"Baroness de Boteler, I said not that your child lives."
"Oh, father John, torture me not so," said she, with hysterical
eagerness. "Oh, tell me not that I have a living son, and then bid me
look upon the grave. Oh, lead me to my child, or even give assurance
that he lives, and you shall be freed; and if he whom I suspect did the
deed, he shall be pardoned and enriched."
"The Baroness of Sudley," replied father John, "does not know the
poor Cistercian monk. Were the bolts withdrawn, and that door left
swinging upon its hinges, I would not leave my prison until the voice
of the people bade me come forth. And know ye not, lady, that with what
measure ye mete to others, the same shall be meted to you again. Did ye
deal out mercy to Edith Holgrave? Did ye deal mercifully by Stephen,
when ye gave him bondage as a reward for true faith--and then stripes
and a prison? And, as for me,--can ye expect that the bondman's son is
to set a pattern of mercy and forgiveness to the noble and the free?"
"I was right, then," said the baroness, in a more composed tone--"it
was Stephen Holgrave who did the deed; but father, if you spurn my
offers, at least answer me yes or no to one question--Am I the mother
of a living son?"
It was in vain, however, that Isabella promised, implored, and even
threatened; John Ball would not vouchsafe another reply, and the
baroness, at length, wearied and indignant, arose, turned abruptly
from the monk, and summoning her attendants, hastened forth to her own
apartment, and there, throwing herself in a chair, wept and sobbed
until her heart was in a measure relieved.
That night was a period of strong excitement within and without the
Tower. Without, the moonlight displayed an immense mass of dark bodies
stretched on the ground, and slumbering in the open air; while others,
of more active minds, moved to and fro, like evil spirits in the
night. Beyond, in the adjacent streets, occasionally rose the drunken
shouts of rioters, or the shrieks of some unhappy foreigner, who was
slaughtered by the ignorant and ferocious multitude for the crime of
being unable to speak English. Within the Tower there was as little of
repose; there were the fears of many noble hearts, lest the renegade
leader might not be as influential as he vaunted, concealed beneath the
semblance of contemptuous pride or affected defiance;--then there were
the sanguine hopes of the youthful Richard;--the maternal fears of his
mother;--the anxious feelings of the baroness;--the troubled thoughts
and misgivings of John Ball;--and the strange whisperings among the men
at arms and archers, who all "did quail in stomach," we may suppose,
at the novel combination of a prophet in prison, and an armed populace
besieging the fortress.
The next morning Richard, without breastplate or helmet, but simply
attired in a saffron-coloured tunic and an azure mantle lined with
ermine (on which opened pea-shells were wrought in their natural green,
but with the peas represented by large pearls), a cap of azure velvet,
edged also with ermine, and with no other weapon but a small dagger
in the girdle of his tunic, prepared himself to meet his rebellious
subjects. The idea of letting down the drawbridge, and passing by
it from the Tower, was too imprudent a thing to be thought of, and
Richard, therefore, attended by De Boteler, Oxford, Warwick, Sir Aubrey
de Vere, and a few others, were just about taking water, in order to
pass a little way down the river, and then proceed to Mile-end on
horseback, when the Princess Joan, attended by the Lady Warwick, joined
the party, and intimated her intention of accompanying her son.
It was to little purpose that Richard expostulated; the fair Joan was
resolved to share in whatever perils might befal her son. As they
approached Mile-end, the princess started at the deafening clamour
which arose from the multitude; some shouting for Richard as they saw
him advance, and others vociferating as loudly that all should hold
their peace until they knew what the king would grant. When the tumult
had in some degree subsided, Sir Aubrey de Vere and Sir Robert Knowles
rode forward in advance of the king, and approaching Jack Straw, who
was also on horseback:--
"Sir leader," said De Vere, "we have come at the king's command to make
known to these assembled Commons his grace's pleasure. Are ye willing
to listen to the royal clemency?"
Leicester was not among the leaders, for, disgusted with Oakley's
tardiness, he had about an hour before passed the city gates with
a large body, to join Tyler. Jack Straw, therefore, had not him to
contend with, and a flattering plausible speech in a few minutes
procured attention to the following charter:--
"Richard, king of England and of France, doth greatly thank his good
Commons, because they so greatly desire to see and hold him for their
king; and doth pardon them all manner of trespasses, misprisions,
and felonies done before this time, and willeth and commandeth, from
henceforth, that every one hasten to his own dwelling, and set down all
his grievances in writing, and send it unto him, and he will, by advice
of his lawful lords and good council, provide such remedy as shall be
profitable to him, to them, and to the whole realm."
"Ye may tell his grace," cried Rugge, "that I for one will never return
to my dwelling until a charter is granted to make all cities free to
buy and sell in."
"And shall we go back to our homes to be bondmen again?" burst in a
wild cry from thousands.
At this moment a messenger rode up to Oakley, and, putting a letter
into his hands, instantly retired.
"A message from the prophet!" cried Black Jack, as he glanced over the
writing, and then read aloud, "John Ball greeteth Jack Straw, John
Leicester, Ralph Rugge, and the other leaders, and also all the true
commons assembled at Mile-end, and commandeth them that they listen to
the voice of their anointed king, and hasten back to their own homes;
and John Ball, who is now freed, will obtain from the royal hand, the
charter of freedom, for the bond, and the redress of all the grievances
that weigh down the free."
There was much murmuring and discontent at the tenor of this epistle;
and but little disposition manifested to obey the mandate: but the
example of their principal leader, Jack Straw, who instantly, as in
obedience to the prophet's command, divested himself of his sword, and
presented it to Sir Aubrey de Vere, intimating his submission to the
king, occasioned a sort of general panic, or rather, a distrust of
their own powers. This, added to the specious and equivocal promises of
Richard, who now approached; and the persuasive eloquence of Oakley,
operated so far on the credulous multitude, that the king, amidst a
universal shout of "Long live the king of the Commons," turned his
horse's head towards London, rejoicing in his heart that so far the
rebels were dispersed.
But in this instance his exultation was of short duration, for one,
who had leaped from the battlements of the Tower unheeded, and had
swam along the river unharmed, approached Sir Robert Knowles, who
was riding something in advance of the party, and with his saturated
apparel bearing testimony to his assertions, announced the stunning
intelligence that the Tower was at that moment in the possession of the
commons. This brave defender of the fortress was Calverley.
There was a sudden halt at this intelligence, and many an exclamation
at the presumption of the insolent commons. However, after some
consultation, it was deemed most prudent to come as little as possible
in collision with the rebels, but, under countenance of the mayor, to
pass through the city, and then, as the most probable security, claim
the hospitality of the worthy abbot of Westminster.
We shall leave Ring Richard with the fair Joan of Kent and the nobles,
to pursue their journey to Westminster, while we give some idea of
the means by which the commons, so soon after the departure of the
king, became masters of the tower. The galleyman had been a resident in
London for some years; and it will of course be inferred, that during
this time he must have formed many acquaintances, which circumstance,
indeed, had been of much avail in gaining admittance into the city, and
now turned to as good account in effecting an entrance into the Tower.
It was about midnight that Wells, who had been thinking a great deal of
the probability of gaining access to the fortress, went to the smith's
quarters, and proposed to attempt an entrance. Tyler commended his
devotion; and the galleyman, provided with a rope, to which an iron
hook was affixed, and a flask or two of wine, dropped unobserved into
the water. He swam on as softly as possible beneath the wall, and in
the shadow cast by the moonlight. There was one part where he observed
that an angle of the building cast a broad shade on the parapet; and
here, without a moment's hesitation, he stopped, and throwing up the
rope, the hook caught. Though encumbered by his wet apparel, he climbed
up with the agility of a boy; but the instant his figure appeared above
the wall, two men with drawn swords sprung forward.
"Hold there! I have brought ye a drop of wine."
At the first sound of his voice the weapons were lowered. "It was well
that ye spoke, master vintner," said the men, taking each a flask of
wine and draining its contents.
It so happened, that these men had a strong sympathy for the commons,
and besides this, they had been much wrought upon by the stories,
whether true or false, circulated through the Tower respecting Ball;
and it did not require much persuasion to gain them over in assisting
Wells's project. A female domestic belonging to the lieutenant, a
sweetheart of one of those men, secreted Wells in an apartment in her
master's house, and contrived to purloin the keys of the gates after
Richard's departure. The galleyman, aided by a few daring disciples
of the prophet, with whom he found means to communicate through the
same female instrumentality, surprised the few who guarded the gate,
and drawbridge; and the blast of a horn was the signal for the smith
to advance. So suddenly was this feat accomplished, that the men at
arms, who were scattered up and down the fortress, had not time to
seize their weapons or oppose the thousands who, headed by Tyler and
Holgrave, rushed forward, and entered the Tower. With exulting shouts
the conquerors took possession of the building. Some made strict
search for the members of the council; others, with blows and taunts,
employed themselves in divesting the panic-struck soldiers of their
arms; and others, the more numerous of the intruders, were intent only
on forcing the wine-cellars, regardless of the threats and buffets of
their leaders. But above all this wild clamour, arose the voice of
Tyler, who strode rapidly on, like some demon of power, striking and
reviling friend or foe who was unable to point out where the prophet
was confined.
At length one of the keepers was seized, who conducted Tyler and
Holgrave to his cell.
"Father John, you are free--the Tower is ours!" exclaimed Holgrave,
flinging wide the massive door.
"And I am freed? and by the bond!" exclaimed the monk.
"Aye, father John, you are free," said Tyler. "We have found you at
last; but, by St. Nicholas! we have had a long search. Hah!" as he
glanced on the monk, "have the knaves chained you. Bear him forth, men
of Kent--Wat Tyler himself will strike off those irons."
The monk was then conducted to the outer door of the prison. It would
be in vain to paint the frantic joy of those without. Deafening shouts
of "The prophet is free!" passed from mouth to mouth, and then came the
rush to obtain a prayer or benediction.
"Back, men of Kent--back," vociferated Tyler;--and then arose the long
wild shout as Tyler freed the monk from the last link of his bonds.
Just then a movement among the people was observed, and a man, hastily
forcing his way through the yielding ranks, announced to the astonished
smith, and yet more astonished monk, that Oakley had, by command of the
prophet, made terms with the king, and that even now the Essex men had
broke up their camp, and were marching homewards.
"And is this thy counsel, father John?" said Tyler, reproachfully:
"but, by St. Nicholas! this robber of the high altar shall not depart
scatheless. Kentish men!--my horse, my horse!" and he stamped his armed
heels upon the pavement.
"Wat Tyler," returned the monk, sternly, "this is _not_ my
counsel--this, then, is the traitor!--but perhaps he has obtained the
charters!"
"The charters, father John," responded Tyler, with a sneer: "aye, by
St. Nicholas! he has got _his_ charters in good broad pieces, I'll
warrant!--My horse, Kentish men, I say!"
"Confound the whole rising, if he escapes me! Stephen Holgrave! as the
father doesn't like me to go, tell Leicester to take a chosen body of
the Kentish men; and, mark ye, he must catch that fiend, and bring him
to the Tower, dead or alive!"
"Stephen Holgrave," said the monk, "let not one hair of his head be
meddled with! And now, Wat Tyler, I enjoin thee to clear the fortress
of those who have forgotten their duty--but slay not. I now go to
the chapel, where I shall remain a short time in prayer." The monk
then waved his hand, and drew his cowl closely over his brow, to hide
from his gaze the evidences of debauchery he encountered at every
step in his way to the chapel. The gutters and kennels ran with wine,
and some, for want of vessels, were lying prostrate, lapping up the
flowing beverage--some, entirely overpowered, were stretched across the
doorways, and in the court-yards, serving as seats to others, who were,
with wild oaths, passing round the goblet.
"And this is the first fruits of liberty," muttered the monk--"but no
good can be had unalloyed with evil."
The chapel, during all the tumult, was unnoticed, probably less through
respect for the place, than from neglect; and thither those who had
most to fear from the people had hastened, expecting safety from the
sacredness of the spot. Among the rest, or rather leading the way,
went Sudbury, who was shortly afterwards joined by the constable and
treasurer, on perceiving the commons in possession of the Tower.
In order to impress the place with a still greater degree of awe,
Sudbury, with his attendant priests, had robed themselves, and
commenced vespers.
Father John entered the chapel, and prostrating himself thrice at the
door, arose, and silently advanced to the foot of the altar. Here he
recognised the archbishop, and, checking his emotions, knelt in prayer,
unnoticed till the service had concluded. In the midst of the sacred
song, terror was depicted, more strongly than piety, in the faces of
all the worshippers, save Sudbury; he seemed calm, except, indeed, when
a shout from without caused an indignant frown to darken his brow.
The monk was at length perceived, for the treasurer, on raising his
eyes, met the glance of father John. "My lord bishop," said he, "yonder
stands the monk, John Ball!"
"And why not, my lord treasurer?" said father John, in a clear, full
voice, his face, before so pale, glowing, and his frame trembling so
much that he grasped a pillar for support; "this temple is open to
all--the just as well as the unjust."
"Darest thou, rash man, to defile the holy place?--why art thou not in
thy prison?" said Sudbury, whose glance fell proudly and scornfully on
the monk.
"Simon Sudbury," answered Ball, with a look of equal defiance, and
still deeper scorn--"my dungeon doors obeyed the spirit of the free;
and God alone can judge who is defiled, or who is pure----"
"Away, degraded priest!" answered Sudbury, fiercely, and he raised his
arm, and pointed towards the door.
"Simon Sudbury," retorted the monk, "if, as thou sayest, I am degraded,
to thee no authority is due--if I am still a chosen one of the Lord,
methinks I am free to enter and worship in his temple: but," he
continued, elevating his tones to their fullest compass, "whether I am
a priest or no priest, yet _here_ I am powerful, and, proud prelate,
_I_, in my turn, command _thee_ hence!"
"And is this the way, misguided zealot?" cried Sudbury--"is this the
way that _you_ preach _peace_? What hast thou done with the royal
Richard?"
"The royal Richard," returned father John, exultingly, "is but king
of the _commons_; but the royal Richard is well served," he added,
sarcastically, "by Simon Sudbury and the nobles, who leave their
prince, in his peril, to hide them in holes and sanctuaries!"
The treasurer turned pale, and hung his head.
"Aye, Sir Treasurer, thou hast reason to sink thy head! Thy odious
poll-tax has mingled vengeance--nay, blood--with the cry of the bond."
"It is thou, foul spirit!" cried Sudbury, descending a step from the
altar--"it is thou who hast stimulated the thirst for blood, and hast
brought the royal prerogative and holy church into contempt--away! ere,
with my own hands, I drive thee hence!"
"And away, ill-starred prelate!--away (as I prophesy) to thy doom!"
returned the monk, advancing a step towards Sudbury; "aye--aye--away!
and----"
The monk did not finish the sentence, for the door of the chapel was
for a moment darkened with the shadows of two men, who were just
entering; and father John, wrapping his cloak around him, walked
rapidly towards them, and, with a single adjuration of "Friend Tyler,
spare!" issued forth from the chapel.
Tyler, in his haste to seize the archbishop, stumbled over a lance
which one of those who had fled with the prelate had dropped.
"Confound the hand that dropped thee!" muttered the smith, as he sprang
on his feet. "John Kirkby, is not that Sudbury yonder? It is he, by St.
Nicholas! Seize that babbling old man!--he with the mitre!" They had
now arrived at the altar.
"Not one step further, kern!" cried the treasurer, seizing his sword,
and placing himself in front of Sudbury.
A shriek from the women who had clustered around the treasurer, made
matters worse; for, attracted by the noise, the chapel was instantly
filled with armed men.
"Sir Treasurer, think you to scare him who leads the Kentish men?
Kirkby, drag the antichrist from the altar!"
Kirkby advanced a few paces, but a glance from Sudbury seemed to
unnerve him, and he stood for a moment irresolute.
"There, chicken-hearted carle!" cried the smith, felling Kirkby to the
ground with his mailed hand--"there, dog!--Wat Tyler must be obeyed!
And now, Simon Sudbury, take off that blessed mitre, which ill befits
thee, and come forth; for, by my faith and the blessed St. Nicholas! in
one hour hence, thy head shall be stuck on London bridge, wrapped up in
the hood of thy own mantle!" And with this, Tyler placed his foot on
the first step of the altar.
Another shriek from the terrified females but seemed to augment his
fury; and the treasurer, after a few vain parries, fell stunned and
bleeding by a powerful blow of the smith's axe.
"Lie there, dog!--there goes one of the accursed council!" and,
springing up the step with a giant grasp, he seized the mitred
chancellor by the neck, and dragged him forth into the centre of the
church.
"Hold, impious man!" said the undaunted prelate; "the noblest and
gentlest heart in England lies bleeding and gasping on the high altar
in defence of the Lord's anointed; but even the blood of the anointed
shall stain the sanctuary ere _He_ quail before man in his master's
temple!"
"By St. Nicholas! then you shall be cheated of dying here," said Tyler;
and, snatching the mitre from the grey locks it covered, he threw it to
Holgrave. "There, Stephen, that shall soon sit upon a worthier head:
and now, sir priest, or sir prelate, be quick with an ave--for the
block is ready and the axe sharp. And you, Kirkby, (who sullenly stood
by), mind and lift up that knave yonder," pointing to the treasurer;
"for, by St. Nicholas! he, too, shall die!" and the treasurer, faint
and almost lifeless, was, with Sudbury, borne away to Tower-hill.
John Ball, in the meantime, had passed on from the chapel, heedless of
the greetings that met him at every step, and of the riot and confusion
that would, at another time, have called forth his rebuke. At length,
as he passed the royal apartments, he heard sounds that seemed to recal
him to himself--they were the shrieks of woman! Throwing back his cowl,
and casting an indignant glance at Kirkby, who had just emerged from
the building, he said--
"What dost thou here, John Kirkby, and why these screams?"
Kirkby muttered something of the council.
"And darest thou, John Kirkby, a leader of the people--darest thou be
the foremost to set at nought my commands? I repent me of my endeavours
to right the oppressed, for, alas! they have been like stray sheep
without the care of the shepherd!--and now, that the shepherd has
sought and is among them, they heed not his voice."
But the shrieks were again repeated, and father John commanding Kirkby
to follow, passed rapidly through the apartments, where every thing
presented the trace of the spoiler. In many of them were stretched, or
rather huddled together, peasants in the last stage of inebriety, some
on the beds, and others on the carpets; and the shattered garniture
of this abode of Richard and his fair mother, served but to mark its
recent costliness and splendour.
The monk groaned deeply as he observed four or five men hewing with
axes at a door which had resisted their first efforts to burst open;
while two others were struggling with a man who seemed to be disputing
their entrance; and a few paces from these lay, on a richly-worked
counterpane, an infant, whose shrill cries mingled with the strife.
The flashing eye and indignant rebuke of the monk, on beholding this
scene, unnerved the fear-stricken peasants.
"It is the prophet himself!" burst from the lips of the men, dropping
their weapons and looking abashed.
"Aye, it is he whom you say is the prophet," cried father John, "and
accurst, say I, be the house-breakers!" his eye fell on Ralph Rugge.
"What, another of the chosen!" he added, with a withering glance. "All,
all are unworthy--my heart is sick!" and he turned away and covered his
face with his hands.
"Father John, you have come in good time," said the galleyman, who now
approached the monk, and who was he that had been contesting with the
two men; "for, good father, if my ears serve me rightly, within that
berth is the Lady de Boteler!"
The monk started.
"And where is her lord?"
"I know not, unless he be with the king at Mile-end."
"Lady de Boteler," cried the monk, "if thou art within come forth!" and
Isabella, at his voice, at once threw open the door.
"Lady," said Ball, who, in a low voice, had exchanged a few words with
Wells, "here thou art no longer safe. Conduct this lady, my friend,
to the abbey of Westminster," addressing Wells, "and encounter not
those who might, unchecked by me, commit further outrage. Take a boat
from the water-side--that way is yet open. Farewell, lady, I must
hence;--for even Simon Sudbury, who made John Ball what he is now, may
be in peril, and it is for the Lord alone to smite.--_I_ seek not the
brand to right me!"
The idea of Sudbury's danger had been confirmed by the behaviour
of those whom his presence had arrested in guilt; and the monk,
whose sympathies were thus awakened, hastened away, and gained the
court-yard. Here his ears were assailed by a loud shout, which was
repeated thrice, and which, he conjectured, proceeded from Tower-hill.
The monk hurried to the northern battlements, and stood, for an
instant, gazing intently on the confusion which filled the vast area
before him. At one point, and towards the centre, he observed a circle
formed of some mounted commons, and he perceived a man in the midst
in a kneeling posture. His voice now arose deep and startling as he
exclaimed, "Wat Tyler, I adjure thee, touch not the prelate--touch
not the Lord's anointed! Forbear! forbear!" and then, with an agility
which, since his boyhood, he had not probably before exerted, he
descended the platform, hurried through the fortress, crossed the
moat, and then striding rapidly through the people, who made way as he
approached, stood in the centre of that circle towards which his fears
had impelled him.
A glance informed father John that vengeance was swifter in the race
than mercy, and his eye now fiercely sought for the guilty author
of the drama. _He_ stood a few paces to the right, leaning on the
instrument of crime, and his eyes rivetted on the prophet. Upon his
dark countenance was marked triumph and agitation, for he feared the
storm which he expected was now to burst upon him. But whether it
was the spectacle which the monk's first gaze encountered, or that
indignation, too deep for utterance, overpowered his energies, cannot
be said; but, after regarding Tyler with a look which seemed to combine
every thing of horror and disgust, father John turned away, and was
quickly lost in the multitude.
Those who witnessed this brief interview saw enough to indicate, in
that glance cast on their leader, the monk's displeasure at the deed;
and Tyler himself well understood the silent rebuke, for, turning to
Kirkby, he said, in a bitter, though subdued tone,--
"John Kirkby, the father is angry, and this is all one gets for one's
pains. Now that the mitre waits for his head, he will not put it
on;--and did not that traitor Jack Straw often say the father wished
for Sudbury's place; and though I hate bishops, I would not mind seeing
_him_ one. But, by St. Nicholas! he added fiercely, no more bishops for
Wat Tyler--and----"
The smith was here interrupted by a messenger from Richard, with
a proclamation for the Commons to meet him the next morning in
Smithfield, when they should have every thing they required.
"Ye may tell King Richard that the Commons _will_ meet him; but mind
ye, and tell him to have no lords, nor men of law, nor any of that
brood of bishops with him, if he wishes them to wear their heads;--mind
ye that, sir pursuivant."
Tyler then retired, but first strictly enjoining, on pain of death,
that the bodies of the archbishop and treasurer should not be removed
nor interred.
When night came, and father John did not return, the feeling became
general that, disgusted with the spectacle of the morning, he had
abandoned the cause; and it became apparent, even to Tyler himself,
that some decisive step must at once be taken, before those whom the
monk's eloquence had aroused and united, and his promises inspired with
a confidence of success, should, deprived of his guidance, return home
in despair.
The smith was as great an enthusiast for the freedom of the bond as the
monk himself; but his mode of obtaining it did not coincide with the
peaceful bent of the father. Tyler's plan was bold and sanguinary,--the
monk's, intimidation without violence; and energetic and accustomed as
was the smith to act on his own impulses, yet, even in his fiercest
moods, he willingly yielded obedience to the monk's suggestions.
Indeed, he had long been accustomed to pay that deference which father
John's mildness had, as it were, extorted; and the circumstance of
their first connection, from the liberation of Ball from the dungeon
of Sudley to the present period, had so increased his affection and
veneration, that now, deprived of this pillar of support, he felt a
loneliness and dejection which nothing around could dispel.
The morning was just breaking; and the moon shone full and bright on
the surrounding buildings, on the trees, on the tents that marked the
lodgement of the leaders, and on the groups that lay tentless on the
ground, buried in profound sleep. All within the boundary of the rude
encampment were reposing in the confidence of power, without guard or
centinel, save one, whose eye-lids closed not. Alone, in the corner of
a tent, which stood in the centre of the encampment, sat Tyler, whom
the moonbeams revealed, as they streamed through a rent in the canvass.
His right hand clenched, and his elbow resting against the side of
the tent, supported his head; and in his left he held a small gold
crucifix, on which he was gazing, not with a countenance on which pity
might be traced, but rather a look in which sorrow and despair seemed
blended.
"Aye, it was _his_ gift," said he. "However bad, father John, you may
think Wat Turner, he cares for this holy relic more than the life his
mother gave him. And was it not because he thought to place you above
them all that Sudbury lies on Tower-hill? And did he not take off that
mitre with his own hands?--and did not his heart beat joyfully when he
saw you come, that he might put it on your head? And now you leave him
with the work half done. And the poor commons, too, must go back again
to be kicked and cuffed, and to bear the load heavier than before.
Aye, father John--and did he not snatch you from the stripes and the
bolt?--and were not his hands red with blood that blessed night?--and
was he not forced to fly like a felon, and take this accursed name
of Tyler?" Here his agitation increased, and his articulation became
indistinct and husky; he started up, thrust the crucifix into his
bosom, and paced the tent for a few minutes in silence; then looked
upon the sleeping mass, and resumed, as he re-entered the tent--
"Aye, ye may soon sleep your last sleep. They will have at ye in the
morning; for the proud barons are gathering their might; but, by St.
Nicholas! I may do something yet. Yes, there will be more blood--I see
it;--I must have an order to behead the lords; and then, if Richard
will be king of the commons, and no more lords or bondage, father John
himself could not wish for more."
He, at length, became somewhat composed, and threw himself upon the
floor, to get a few hours' rest.
At an early hour, he prepared to redeem his pledge of meeting the king;
and the Commons, as they arrived, commenced forming in order of battle
along the west side of Smithfield. When marshalled, they presented
the appearance of a wedge, broad behind and gradually diminishing to
the front; the banner of St. George was in the centre of the line,
supported by the men at arms; while on either side were disposed the
slingers and archers.
In this order, they awaited the king; and, in the interim, Tyler
employed himself in riding up and down the ranks, exhorting the people
to be firm, and to take care that they should not be cheated out of
their rights by king or priest. Indeed, his whole demeanour supported
the night's resolve, and vindicated a determination of purpose which
imparted itself to the thousands who cheered him at every step in his
progress.
We must premise, before describing the coming interview, that the
Tower was again occupied by Richard. A sudden attack during the night
surprised those left in possession; and here the assiduity of the lords
had collected a strong force, by means of the communication from the
river; and they determined on giving battle to the commons, should they
refuse to return home on obtaining the charters. A large body of the
citizens had, by previous concert, thrown themselves unobserved into
the priory of Bartholomew, in order to operate, under William Walworth,
with those in the Tower.
Precisely at ten o'clock, Richard, without pomp or circumstance, issued
from the Tower, attended only by De Boteler, Warwick, and a few others,
Sir John Newton bearing the sword of state. He was apparelled in the
same manner as when he appeared at Mile-end, when he went forth to
meet the Essex men, and with that unsuspecting confidence that marked
his early years, entered Smithfield with as much gaiety as if he were
going to a banquet. Sir Robert Knowles and his men at arms had orders
to follow at some distance, but on no account to show themselves until
there might be occasion. After surveying the formidable array, which
stretched far away into the fields, and listening to De Boteler's
remarks on their clever arrangement, either for attack or defence,--
"By my faith! my lord," said Richard eagerly, "these knaves will not
be trifled with; but lo! who have we here?" as he perceived a single
horseman gallop forward from the centre.
"My liege," said Newton, as the horseman neared the royal train, "that
man is Wat Tyler."
"And if my eyes do not mislead me," said De Boteler, looking
searchingly on Tyler, "I know the graceless kerne."
Newton then pushed forward to open the conference, and said, as he
joined the smith--
"My lord, the king, wishes to hear you on the alleged grievances."
"And who are you, knave, that dare ride in presence of Wat Tyler?"
"I am, Sir John Newton, the king's sword-bearer," returned Newton,
proudly.
"Then, by St. Nicholas! none shall ride here but Richard and myself.
Come down, braggart," and he seized the bridle of Newton's horse.
Richard now rode up, perceiving the peril of his attendant.
"And what would ye have, Wat Tyler?" asked Richard, in a conciliatory
tone.
"Sir King, I would first have this knave well whipped for riding in my
presence."
"But what would ye have put in your own charter, Wat?" again asked
Richard, endeavouring to draw the smith's attention from Newton.
Tyler, however, was more intent on unhorsing the sword-bearer, than
listening to the king, for he now grasped Newton by the shoulder, and
endeavoured to drag him from his horse.
During this altercation, a small body of archers had advanced from the
lines to within bow-shot of the disputants.
Richard observed the movement, and beckoned to Sir John to dismount,
who, choking with mortification, surrendered the animal to a man whom
Tyler had beckoned to approach.
"And that dagger too, surly knave," said the smith. "How dare ye come
here armed. Go to, thou art a knave!"
Richard could contain himself no longer. "Thou liest! sir leader," said
he, reining back his charger, whose bridle had come in contact with the
head of the smith's horse.
"The dagger, knave," muttered Tyler, still intent on humbling the proud
sword-bearer, and raising his axe in a menacing attitude.
The dagger, like the horse, was then relinquished, and Tyler, with a
glance of triumph, turned to Richard, and continued--
"King Richard, I'll now tell you what the commons want: first, I want a
commission to behead all the lords, and those who began the poll-tax--I
would have no more lords nor bishops, nor lawyers, nor bondage; and I
would have you king of the commons--and now sir king, be quick with
the charter, for, by St. Nicholas! I shall not eat or drink till every
mother's son of those yonder, can go and come, when and where they
will; aye, and be as proud as the proudest of ye."
"These are bold demands, Wat Tyler," returned Richard, his cheek
glowing with indignation, "and more, by my faith, than we shall listen
to."
Tyler, during the colloquy, had seized his axe, and though it was not
raised above his saddle-bow, yet the convulsive motion of the hand
as it grasped the weapon, might seem to indicate danger to the young
king. Richard was now surrounded by his retinue, among whom was William
Walworth, the Lord Mayor, who had crossed over from the priory on
perceiving his peril.
"Sir leader," cried the mayor, boiling with rage, and approaching
Tyler, "ride not so close to his grace, it ill becomes such as you to
ride or speak so in the king's presence."
"Ha! and do ye say so?" returned Tyler, elevating his arm, "take ye
that for your insolence:" but the blow, which would have deprived the
worthy citizens of their sturdy chief, was arrested, ere it descended,
by Warwick, who seized the uplifted weapon from behind, and the next
moment the smith received a stunning blow from William Walworth's mace;
then, as the reins dropped from his hands, a thrust from De Boteler's
sword, ended the cares of one who, doubtless, had he lived at a later
period, might, in the cause for which he bled, have been a Tell or a
Hofer.
A thousand spears, and as many shafts, prepared to avenge his fall, and
an instant more of indecision, and Richard would have been spared the
humiliation of after years; but a bold inspiration at this critical
moment, hurried him fearlessly forward into the midst of the commons.
"What, my lieges!" he exclaimed, with a smile of confidence, "are ye
angry that your leader is slain? Richard of England shall supply his
place--follow me to the field and ye shall have what ye desire!"
And, incredible as it may seem, the lances were lowered, the bows
relaxed, and those who so lately had vowed to live or die with Tyler,
followed the king to St. George's fields, rending the air with cries of
"Long live King Richard!"
The men-at-arms, headed by Sir Robert Knowles, and the citizens, under
Walworth, hurried after the commons, and when the charter had been
granted, and the people were dispersing, suddenly, and treacherously,
fell upon them.
Unprepared for such an attack, and now no longer formidable, the
insurgents, panic struck, fled on all sides; and, after a brief
struggle, many of the leaders were cut down or secured. Numbers of the
people perished, and Richard once more entered the Tower in triumph.
It is almost useless to add, that the charters were soon after revoked,
and thus failed the first struggle of the British helots.