154 WAT TYLER'S INSURRECTION.—1381. CHAPTER LXXXVI. The Insurreci m is quelled by the Bravery of William Walworth, and the Presence of Mind of Richard II. 1. THE king's uncles were all absent from the kingdom, and the insurrection was so sudden, that no preparations had been made for checking it. The king, with his mother and chief officers and a small number of the nobles, took refuge in the Tower. Having recovered from the first surprise, a council was held to devise measures for the general security. 2. Some were for resorting to force, but more peaceful counsels prevailed; and it was determined that a message should be sent to the insurgents, to say that if they would retire to a certain place without the city, the king would meet them on the next day, and hear their grievances. Accordingly, on the 14th of June, 1381, Richard, with a few unarmed attendants, proceeded to the appointed place, where he found about sixty thousand persons assembled. 3. The king, in a gentle manner, asked them what they wanted. They replied, they wanted the freedom of themselves and children." The king promised their desire should be granted, and that, if they would return home, he would give them certificates of freedom. Thirty clerks were instantly set to work to write these certificates, which were given to all who asked for them. Imme LXXXVI.-1. Where were the king and his uncles at the breaking out of the insur2. What measure did the king adopt to quell it? 3. What was his success rection? THE INSURRECTION QUELLED.-1381. 155 diately the mob dispersed, every one returning contentedly to his home. 4. In the mean time Wat Tyler, with Jack Straw, and the most desperate of the party, supposing that the proposal on the part of the king to meet the people was merely a stratagem to get them out of the city, and having no expectation that he would keep his engagement, instead of going to the appointed place, proceeded to the Tower. 5. They met with little resistance here, and, having gained admittance, murdered the Archbishop of Canterbury, and many others whom they found there. But they were disappointed in their principal object, which was to get possession of the person of the king, whom they had invited to meet them. He went on the river in a barge, but such were the symptoms of violence that he dared not land, and turned back. 6. But the next day, as Richard, attended by William Walworth, the Mayor of London, and about sixty horsemen, was riding through Smithfield, he met Wat Tyler, at the head of nearly thirty thousand of the insurgents. Walter, ordering his companions to keep at a distance, rode up to the king, and conducted himself towards him with such audacity, that Walworth, unable to endure his insolence, struck him to the ground with his sword. 7. The royal party would undoubtedly have been sacrificed to the fury of the mob, if it had not been for the extraordinary presence of mind of the king. Riding up to the insurgents before they had time to recover from their momentary surprise, he cried out, "My friends, be not concerned for the loss of your unworthy leader; I, your king, will be your leader!" 8. Turning his horse, he rode into the open field at the head of the multitude, who followed him without knowing why. In the mean time, the cry had risen in the city, that the king had fallen into the hands of the rebels, and instantly some thousands of brave men flew to his rescue. 9. When they appeared, the mob, seized with a panic, fell on their knees before the king, imploring his pardon, which he granted them, on condition that they dispersed and returned to their homes. This they all did; and thus this insurrection, which appeared to be so formidable, melted away like snow in a sudden thaw. 4, 5. What did Wat Tyler a 1 his associates do? 6, 7, 8, 9. Relate the particulars of the death of Walter, and of the 'ispersion of the mb. 156 CHARACTER OF RICHARD II.-1381. CHAPTER LXXXVII. Character of Richard II.-About Chaucer and Robert Langland 1. RICHARD'S conduct during this disturbance naturally led his subjects to hope that he had inherited the courage and vigor of mind of the most distinguished of his ancestors. But the hope was not realized. As he advanced in age, he discovered a weakness and frivolity which made him totally unfit for the government of a kingdom. His person was extraordinarily beautiful. He hated business, and devoted himself to amusement. He was fond of show and magnificence; his household consisted of ten thousand persons; he had three hundred in his kitchen alone. 2. One of the first acts, after quiet was restored, was to revoke all the certificates of freedom which had been given, and to compel all those to whom they had been granted, to return to their state of servitude, and to perform all their accustomed services to their lords. 3. At the age of sixteen, Richard married Anne of Bohemia, who was long remembered in England by the name of the good Queen Anne. The Duke of Lancaster had some claims, in right of his wife, to the throne of Castile, and in 1386, he sailed for Spain with an army of twenty thousand men to prosecute these. He remained there LXXXVII.-1. What is said of the character and person of Richard? 2. What was one of his first acts after he restoration of quiet? 3. Whom did Richard marry! THE POETS CHAUCER AND LANGLAND. 1380-1440. 157 three years, and the dispute was finally settled by the marriage of his daughter with the son of the reigning King o* Castile. 4. Lancaster's eldest daughter had married the King of Portugal, and his once turbulent ambition seemed quite satisfied with securing to his posterity the crowns of two kingdoms, for after his return to England he led a private life. In 1394 he married Catherine Swynford, who had been governess to his daughters, and who was the sister of Chaucer, who is sometimes called the Father of English Poetry, because he was the first English poet of eminence. 5. He was born in 1368, and having a distaste for the profession of the law, for which he was originally intended, obtained a place at the court of Edward III., to whom he made himself very agreeable, and from whom he obtained many substantial marks of favor. Having adopted the religious opinions of Wickliffe, about whom we shall presently speak, Chaucer was obliged to leave the kingdom, to avoid the anger of the clergy. 6. He was at length enabled to return, and the last years of his life were spent in ease and plenty. His chief work is the poem called the Canterbury Tales. Few of the modern poets have equalled him in the excellence of his descriptions; but from the great changes that have taken place in the English language since his time, his poetry is often so obscure, that persons unaccustomed to the old style of writing cannot understand it. 7. Since we have begun upon poetry, we may as well mention Robert Langland, who lived about this time. He wrote a very severe satire against persons of all professions, called the "Vision of Piers Plowman," which is very valuable, for the insight it gives us into the manners of the times. 8. It is not in rhyme, and is written in a very singular kind of verse, which is called alliterative, and which consists in having in the same line as many words as possible beginning with the same letter. Thus, speaking of the magnificence of a monkish dwelling, he says, "I found there A hall for a high king, a household to holden, CHAPTER LXXXVIII. Anecdote illustrating the Manners of the Times. 1. THE king was frequently engaged in wars with the Scots. During one of the expeditions against them, an incident occurred, What expedition did the Duke of Lancaster engage in? How did it result? 4. What of the conduct of the duke after his return from Spain? 5, 6. What is said of Chaucer? 7, 8. What of Robert Langland? LXXXVIII.-2, 3. Relate the circumstances of Sir Ralph Stafford's death. 5. What is 158 TIMES OF RICHARD II.-1377-1400. which, as it illustrates the manners of the times, we will relate. Having arrived with his forces at Beverley, Richard determined to remain there for several days. 2. His army was too numerous to be lodged in the town, and part was, therefore, dispersed in the neighboring villages. A poor German knight, who was one of those who were so dispersed, was looking for a lodging, and trying, in very bad English, to make himself understood. A squire, belonging to the king's half-brother, Sir John Holland, began to abuse the poor German, and laughed at him. 3. An archer of Sir Ralph Stafford's took up the quarrel of the German, and shot the squire. When Sir John Holland heard of the death of his follower, he made a vow that he would neither eat nor drink till it was avenged. Riding furiously about the lanes in search of the German knight, the innocent cause of the affray, he met Sir Ralph Stafford in a narrow passage, and struck him with his sword as he passed. 4. The blow was mortal; but Sir John rode on, without perhaps knowing that he had killed him. The king was very angry when he heard of Sir Ralph's death, and would certainly have hanged the murderer, had he not taken refuge in the Sanctuary of St. John at Beverley. 5. In those days, every church, abbey, or consecrated place was a sanctuary; and all persons who had committed crimes, or were otherwise in fear of their lives, might secure themselves from danger by getting into them; for they were deemed so sacred, that to force a sanctuary, that is, to take any person out by violence who had sought refuge there, was thought a greater crime than murder itself. 6. We remember a story of a nobleman who had taken sanctuary in some abbey during the reign of Richard III. The king was on the point of rushing in and seizing his victim, when the abbot presented himself in the gateway, bearing the Holy Sacrament in his hand, and Richard turned away, not daring to violate a sanctuary so guarded. 7. We will now return to Sir John. The Princess of Wales, his mother, was so much distressed at her son's danger, that she died of grief. He was afterwards pardoned by the king, and received into favor. Sir Ralph Stafford, the victim of his lawless conduct, was a very accomplished young man, and the only son of an old Lord Stafford, who was then with the army. 8. Lord Stafford, as soon as he had recovered from the first burst of grief at the shocking murder of his son, went to the king, and told him that as he was on his road to fight the Scots, he would not let his grief prevent him from serving his country in the hour of need; "and," added he, “during this expedition I shall not think of my affliction: for I like not that the Scots be rejoiced at the misery of the Earl of Stafford." aid of sanctuaries? 6. What anecdote of Richard III.'s respect for them? 7, 8, 9 Re late the remainder of the story of Sir John Holland and of Lord Stafford. |