GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH. 87 



to become their leader. They urged that as he was himself 

 no gentleman born, but the son of a villain like themselves, 

 he was the fittest person to lead them; and they assured 

 him that they would put one quarter of England under his 

 obedience. Sale, however, remained faithful ; declining both 

 the offer of their services and the hopes which they sug- 

 gested. Perhaps the reasoning which led them to claim his 

 co-operation was ill-chosen. As long as he could use his 

 gigantic strength he defended himself, and fell at last over- 

 powered by numbers. The insurrection spread to Scarborough 

 on the north, and Winchester on the west. 



Tyler, confident in the understanding which he held with 

 the other leaders of the insurrection, occupied Smithfield on 

 Saturday morning. The king, on the other hand, was at- 

 tempting to escape from London, but found the insurgents 

 in force. He stopped, therefore, at the abbey of St. Bartholo* 

 mew, and wished to address the crowd, hoping, it seems, 

 to quiet them with the same promises as had won their 

 companions the day before. As he came near, Tyler bade 

 his men retire, and advanced to parley with the king. 



We all know how Tyler was slain by Walworth the mayor, 

 and how the young king, at the peril of his life, rode into 

 the enraged crowd, and succeeded in appeasing them. The 

 citizens rallied round the monarch, for Walworth ingeniously 

 spread a rumour to the effect that the rebels had tried to 

 murder the king. More than eighteen years afterwards 

 Richard was murdered at the instance of a man at that 

 time in his company, that is, by his cousin, Henry Earl of 

 Derby. 



Walworth and Knolles longed to attack the insurgents, 

 but Richard checked them. He demanded, however, that 

 the banners and charters of manumission should be given up, 

 and destroyed all that were surrendered. The army of the 

 rebels was broken, and they returned to London. Richard 

 still affected to conciliate the people, though, with a dissi- 

 mulation hardly to be expected from so young a man, he 



