86 



refused them speech and a conference, they would assault the 

 Tower, and destroy it with all the persons within it. To 

 appease them, the king left the Tower in the company of 

 his two brothers, and appointed Mile-end as the place of 

 conference. No sooner had he departed than the leaders of 

 the rebels, with some of their followers, pressed into the 

 Tower, seised the Archbishop and certain others, and put 

 them to death. The rioters even broke into the bedchamber 

 of the Princess of Wales in search of their enemies. 



When the king reached Mile-end, he gave audience to 

 the rioters. In the interval he had sent his two brothers, 

 the Earl of Kent and Sir John Holand, out of the way. These 

 bad men were justly afraid of being recognised. The king, 

 according to Froissart, rode into the crowd and asked their 

 wants. They answered, cc We will that ye make us free for 

 " ever; ourselves, our heirs, and our lands : and that we be called 

 cc no more bond, or so reputed/' The king immediately as- 

 sented. He bade them go home at once, but leave two or 

 three from each village, who should receive and carry back 

 the charters of c manumission.' Many of the insurgents, with 

 singular simplicity, acted on this suggestion. The king as- 

 signed one of his banners to each county which had furnished 

 complainants. As if in fulfilment of his pledge, the king 

 appointed thirty clerks, who were to write and seal the 

 patents of c manumission,' and who appear to have supplied 

 the documents with great rapidity. But though the larger 

 part had dispersed, " the venom," as Froissart says, remained 

 behind, in the shape of 30,000 men, under Tyler, Ball, and 

 Straw. This author informs us that these men stayed in 

 order to rob the city and enrich themselves. It is quite 

 as likely that their object was to enforce the grant of the 

 charters. The king was probably advised by the earl of 

 Salisbury. 



In Norwich the peasants assembled under the guidance of 

 one Littlestreet on Corpus Christi day, and tried to induce 

 Sir Robert Sale, who was then captain-general of the city, 



