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The same proper
morning Wat Tyler, Jack Straw and John Ball had assembled their
company to common together in a place called Smithfield, whereas
every Friday there is a market of horses; and there were together
all of affinity more than twenty thousand, and yet there were many
still in the town, drinking and making merry in the taverns and
paid nothing, for they were happy that made them best cheer. And
these people in Smithfield had with them the king’s banners, the
which were delivered them the day before, and all these gluttons
were in mind to overrun and to rob London the same day; for their
captains said how they had done nothing as yet. ‘These liberties
that the king hath given us is to us but a small profit: therefore
let us be all of one accord and let us overrun this rich and puissant
city, or they of Essex, of Sussex, of Cambridge, of Bedford, of
Arundel, of Warwick, of Reading, of Oxford, of Guildford, of Lynn,
of Stafford, of Yarmouth, of Lincoln, of York and of Durham do come
hither. For all these will come hither; Baker and Lister will bring
them, hither; and if we be first lords of London and have the possession
of the riches that is therein, we shall not repent us; for if we
leave it, they that come after will have it from us.’
To this counsel
they all agreed; and therewith the king came the same way unware
of them, for he had thought to have passed that way without London,
and with him a forty horse. And when he came before the abbey of
Saint Bartholomew and beheld all these people, then the king rested
and said how he would go no farther till he knew what these people
ailed, saying, if they were in any trouble, how he would rappease
them again. The lords that were with him tarried also, as reason
was when they saw the king tarry, And when Wat Tyler saw the king
tarry, he said to his people: ‘Sirs, yonder is the king: I will
go and speak with him. Stir not from hence, without I make you a
sign; and when I make you that sign, come on and slay all them except
the king; but do the king no hurt, he is young, we shall do with
him as we list and shall lead him with us all about England, and
so shall we be lords of all the realm without doubt.’ And there
was a doublet-maker of London called John Tycle, and he had
brought to these gluttons a sixty doublets, the which they ware:
then he demanded of these captains who should pay him for his doublets;
he demanded thirty mark. Wat Tyler answered him and said: ‘Friend,
appease yourself, thou shalt be well paid or this day be ended.
Keep thee near me; I shall be thy creditor.’ And therewith he spurred
his horse and departed from his company and come to the king, so
near him that his horse head touched the croup of the king’s horse,
and the first word that he said was this: ‘Sir king, seest thou
all yonder people?’ ‘Yea truly,’ said the king, ‘wherefore sayest
thou?’ ‘Because,’ said he, ‘they be all at my commandment and have
sworn to me faith and truth, to do all that I will have them.’ ‘In
a good time,’ said the king, ‘I will well it be so.’ Then Wat Tyler
said, as he that nothing demanded but riot: ‘What believest thou,
king, that these people and as many more as be in London at my commandment,
that they will depart from thee thus without having thy letters?’
‘No,’ said the king, ‘ye shall have them: they be ordained for you
and shall be delivered every one each after other. Wherefore, good
fellows, withdraw fair and easily to your people and cause them
to depart out of London; for it is our intent that each of you by
villages and townships shall have letters patents, as I have promised
you.’
With those
words Wat Tyler cast his eyen on a squire that was there with the
king bearing the king’s sword, and Wat Tyler hated greatly the same
squire, for the same squire had displeased him before for words
between them. ‘What,’ said Tyler, ‘art thou there? Give me thy dagger.’
‘Nay,’ said the squire, ‘that will I not do: wherefore should I
give it thee?’ The king beheld the squire and said: ‘Give it him;
let him have it.’ And so the squire took it him sore against his
will. And when this Wat Tyler had it, he began to play therewith
and turned it in his hand, and said again to the squire: ‘Give me
also that sword.’ ‘Nay,’ said the squire, ‘it is the king’s sword:
thou art not worthy to have it, for thou art but a knave; and if
there were no more here but thou and I, thou durst not speak those
words, for as much gold in quantity as all yonder abbey.’ ‘By my
faith,’ said Wat Tyler, ‘I shall never eat meat till I have they
head’: and with those words the major of London came to the king
with a twelve horses will armed under their coats, and so he brake
the press and saw and heard how Wat Tyler demeaned himself, and
said to him: ‘Ha, thou knave, how art thou so hardy in the king’s
presence to speak such words? It is too much for thee so to do.
The the king began to chafe and said to the mayor: ‘Set hands on
him.’ And while the king said so, Tyler said to the mayor: ‘A God’s
name what have I said to displease thee?’ ‘Yes truly,’ quoth the
mayor, ‘thou false stinking knave, shalt thou speak thus in the
presence of the king may natural lord? I commit never to live, without
thou shalt dearly abye it.’ And with those words the mayor drew
out his sword and strake Tyler so great a stroke on the head, that
he fell down at the feet of his horse, and as soon as he was fallen,
they environed him all about, whereby he was not seen of his company.
Then a squire of the king’s alighted, called John Standish, and
he drew out his sword and put it into Wat Tyler’s belly, and so
he died.
Then the ungracious
people there assembled, perceiving their captain slain, began to
murmur among themselves and said: ‘Ah, our captain is slain, let
us go and slay them all’: and therewith they arranged themselves
on the place in manner of battle, and their bows before them. Thus
the king began a great outrage; howbeit, all turned to the best:
for as soon as Tyler was on the earth, the king departed from all
his company and all alone he rode to these people, and said to his
own men: ‘Sirs, none of you follow me; let me alone.’ And so when
he came before these ungracious people, who put themselves in ordinance
to revenge their captain, then the king said to them: ‘Sirs, what
aileth you? Ye shall have no captain but me: I am your king: be
all in rest and peace.’ And so the most part of the people that
heard the king speak and saw him among them, were shamefast and
began to wax peaceable and to depart; but some, such as were malicious
and evil, would not depart, but made semblant as though they would
do somewhat.
Then the king
returned to his own company and demanded of them what was best to
be done. Then he was counselled to draw into the field, for to fly
away was no boot. Then said the mayor: ‘It is good that we do so,
for I think surely we shall have shortly some comfort of them of
London and of such good men as be of our part, who are purveyed
and have their friends and men ready armed in their houses.’ And
in the mean time voice and bruit ran through London how these unhappy
people were likely to slay the king and the mayor in Smithfield;
through the which noise all manner of good men of the king’s party
issued out of their houses and lodgings well armed, and so came
all to Smithfield and to the field where the king was, and they
were anon to the number of seven or eight thousand men well armed.
And first thither came sir Robert Knolles and sir Perducas d’Albret,
well accompanied, and divers of the aldermen of London, and with
them a six hundred men in harness, and a puissant man of the city,
who was the king’s draper, called Nicholas Bramber, and he brought
with him a great company; and ever as they came, they ranged them
afoot in order of battle: and on the other part these unhappy people
were ready ranged, making semblance to give battle and they had
with them divers of the king’s banners. There the king made three
knights, the one the mayor of London sir Nicholas Walworth, sir
John Standish and sir Nicholas Bramber. Then the lords said among
themselves: ‘What shall we do? We see here our enemies, who would
gladly slay us, if they might have the better hand of us.’ Sir Robert
Knolles counselled to go and fight with them and slay them all;
yet the king would not consent thereto, but said: ‘Nay, I will not
so: I will send to them commanding them to send me again my banners,
and thereby we shall see what they will do. Howbeit, other by fairness
or otherwise, I will have them,’ ‘That is well said, sir,’ quoth
the earl of Salisbury. Then these new knights were sent to them,
and these knights made token to them not to shoot at them, and when
they came so near them that their speech might be heard, they said:
‘Sirs, the king commandeth you to send to him again his banners,
and we think he will have mercy of you.’ And incontinent they delivered
again the banners and sent them to the king. Also they were commanded
on pain of their heads, that all such as had letters of the king
to bring them forth and to send them again to the king; and so many
of them delivered their lettes, but not all. Then the king made
them to be all to-torn in their presence; and as soon as the king’s
banners were delivered again, the unhappy people kept none array,
but the most part of them did cast down their bows, and so brake
their array and returned into London. Sir Robert Knolles was sore
displeased in that he might not go to slay them all: but the king
would not consent thereto, but said he would be revenged of them
well enough; and so he was after.
Thus these
foolish people departed, some one way and some another; and the
king and his lords and all his company right ordinately entered
into London with great joy. And the first journey that the king
made he went to the lady princess his mother, who was in a castle
in the Royal called the Queen’s Wardrobe, and there she had tarried
two days and two nights right sore abashed, as she had good reason;
and when she saw the king her son, she was greatly rejoiced and
said: ‘Ah, fair son, what pain and great sorrow that I have suffered
for you this day!’ Then the king answered and said: ‘Certainly,
madam, I know it well; but now rejoice yourself and thank God, for
now it is time. I have this day recovered mine heritage and the
realm of England, the which I had near lost.’ Thus the king tarried
that day with his mother, and every lord went peaceably to their
own lodgings. Then there was a cry made in every street in the king’s
name, that all manner of men, not being of the city of London and
have not dwelt there the space of one year, to depart; and if any
such be found there the Sunday by the sun-rising, that they should
be taken as traitors to the king and to lose their heads. This cry
thus made, there was none that durst brake it, and so all manner
of people departed and sparkled abroad every man to their own places.
John Ball and Jack Straw were found in an old house hidden, thinking
to have stolen away, but they could not, for they were accused by
their own men. Of the taking of them the king and his lords were
glad, and then strake off their heads and Wat Tyler’s also, and
they were set on London bridge, and the valiant men’s heads taken
down that they had set on the Thursday before. These tidings anon
spread abroad, so that the people of the strange countries, which
were coming towards London, returned back again to their own houses
and durst come no farther.
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