ENGLAND. 



627 



History, upon every male and female above fifteen years of age. 



^"Y""^ This new and oppressive measure met with universal 

 opposition among the lower classes ; and their murmurs 

 and complaints were heightened by the harangues of a 

 seditious preacher called Ball, who inculcated the doc- 

 trine of liberty and equality, and inveighed against the 

 insolence and" injustice of their rulers. Their minds 

 were thus prepared for resistance, and it required only 

 a spark to kindle them into a flame. 



This tax was farmed out to tax-gatherers, and was le- 

 vied with great rigour. One of these men, having de- 

 manded payment for a blacksmith's daughter, whom her 

 father asserted to be below the age, was proceeding to 

 indecent familiarities in order to ascertain the fact, when 

 the father, enraged at his insolence, dashed out his 



Incites brains with liis hammer. This resolute action gave 



eUion. courage to his neighbours, and they immediately flew to 

 arms. The spirit of sedition spread rapidly through 

 the kingdom ; and, before the government were 

 aware, 100,000 insurgents were assembled on Black- 

 heath, demanding a redress of grievances. Their 



i*at Tyler leaders had assumed the feigned names of Wat Tyler, 

 Jack Straw, &c. and entering the city, burned the Duke 

 of Lancaster's palace, murdered all the gentry or no- 

 bility that fell into their hands, particularly lawyers and 

 attornies, and pillaged the warehouses of the rich mer- 

 chants. At length the king invited them to a confe- 

 rence, that he might know their demands. They re- 

 quired a general pardon ; the abolition of slavery ; free- 

 dom of commerce in market towns, without toll or im- 

 post ; and a fixed rent on lands, instead of the services 

 due by villenage. These reasonable requests were com- 

 plied with, and charters to that purpose were immedi- 

 ately granted. But while the rebels were thus satisfied 

 in one quarter, another party of them under Wat Ty- 

 ler had entered the Tower, and murdered the Primate, 

 Sir Robert Hales the treasurer, and some others of the 

 nobility. The king met this tumultuous band in Smith- 

 field, and entered into a conference with their leader. 

 But Tyler, who had grown bold with success, behaved 

 with such insolence towards his Majesty, that Walworth, 

 the mayor of London, enraged at his presumption, f'el- 



kilW, led him to the ground with his mace, when he was in- 

 stantly dispatched by others of the king's attendants. 

 The mob seeing their leader fall, were about to sacrifice 

 the king and all his retinue to their resentment, when 

 Richard advanced to them with an intrepid counte- 

 nance, and asked them, " What, my good people, is the 

 meaning of this disorder ? Are you concerned at the 

 loss of your leader r I am your king. Follow me, and 

 J will be your leader." The populace, overawed by his 

 manner, followed him as if mechanically. He led them 

 out of the city into the fields, and there peaceably dis- 

 missed them with the same charters that had been grant- 

 ed to their friends. The barons, hearing of the king's 

 danger, soon after joined him with all their retainers, 

 when he found himself at the head of an army that de- 



ni order fied all opposition. The concessions that had been made 



twoied. to his people were then revoked by parliament ; and 

 several of the ringleaders of the mob were seized, and 

 severely punished. 



The extraordinary presence of mind which the king 

 had shewn on this occasion, gave hopes that he would 

 emulate the glories of his grandfather ; but these were 

 soon dissipated by the discovery of his indolence and 

 incapacity. 



Since the death of Edward, the war with France had 

 been carried on without any event of importance. The 

 Duke of Gloucester had traversed from Calais to Brit-. 

 1 



tany with an army of 10,000 men ; but the enemy, ter. Histoiy. 

 rifled by their former defeats, carefully avoided coming '^-'v*""' 

 to a close engagement, and the Duke was obliged to re- 

 turn. The French, however, soon after meditated, in 

 their turn, an invasion of England. Some of their 

 principal sea-port towns were still in possession of the 

 English ; and they considered this the most likely ex- 

 pedient for wresting them out of their hands. Great 

 preparations were accordingly made ; and all the nobi- 

 lity of France were engaged in the enterprize. But 

 before the army was embarked, their fleet had been 

 dispersed in a storm, and many of their ships were 

 taken by the English, which prevented for a time their 

 hostile designs. 



The frequent incursions of the Scots, who- were sup- \y ar witll 

 ported by a body of French cavalry, called the atten- Scotland. 

 tion of the English government to the defence of their 

 frontiers. A numerous army of 60,000 men was im- 

 mediately collected, which Richard led into Scotland. 

 The enemy retired on his approach ; but he had no 

 sooner crossed the borders on the east,, than the Scots 

 entered England on the west ; and, ravaging the coun- 

 ties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire, 

 returned with an immense booty to their own country. 

 Richard advanced without opposition to Edinburgh, 

 which he reduced to _ ashes. He also burnt Dundee,. 

 Perth, and other places in the low countries ; but when 

 he was advised to march towards the west, and inter- 

 cept the enemy, his indolence and effeminacy overcame 

 every other consideration, and he hastened home to en- 

 joy the pleasures and amusements of a dissolute court. 

 Such conduct soon convinced the nation how little re- 

 liance was to be placed upon the exertions and abilities- 

 of their sovereign ; and the absolute authority which 

 he attempted to exercise over his subjects, excited uni- 

 versal displeasure and disgust 



Richard had been hitherto restrained, in some mea- 

 sure, by the authority of his uncles, particularly of the 

 Duke of Gloucester. But, wishing to shake off the 

 subjection in which he was held, he raised up a rival to 

 them in the Earl of Oxford. This nobleman was young, Richard 

 and of very engaging manners, but dissolute and worth- makes the 

 less. He seemed to possess the entire affections of his Earl . f - 

 master. Richard loaded him with titles and dignities. fordhls f *- 

 He created him first Marquis of Dublin, then Duke of v< 

 Ireland, and conferred upon him the sovereignty of 

 that island for life. These favours could not be over- A. D. 1386.. 

 looked by Gloucester; and this prince was soon joined 

 by the principal nobility, in his opposition to the fa- 

 vourite and his friends. The popularity of Gloucester which oca* 

 hail acquired him a complete ascendant over the parlia- 6 > ODS dissa- 

 mcnt ; and he prevailed with the Commons to carry up tls f ac ' lon . 

 an impeachment to the House of Peers against the Earl ""a" 

 of Suffolk, the chancellor, who was the most able sup- of 

 porter of the Duke of Ireland. The king, apprehen- cellor. 

 sive of danger, withdrew from parliament, and retired 

 with his court to Eltham. The parliament invited him 

 to return, and hinted something about deposition, in 

 case of non-compliance, which immediately ensured 

 his submission. He stipulated, however, that, except- 

 ing the present impeachment against the chancellor, 

 no attack should be made upon any of his other minis- 

 ters. Suffolk was brought to trial, and charged with 

 the most frivolous crimes ; and, though these even were 

 not satisfactorily proved, yet he was condemned to be 

 deprived of his office. 



Gloucester was now sensible of the power which he 

 had acquired, and proceeded to still farther encroach- 

 ments upon the royal authority. A commission was 



