Richard II.'s mother, who was coming back from a pilgrimage to Canterbury. The rebels mounted her car, but she, who all her life long had shown herself worthy of the people's love, calmed the mob by her words and, some say, by a few kisses, so that they let her go on her way in peace.

The King's ministers in London were much alarmed, for in many parts of the country besides Kent the peasants had risen, and were burning and plundering and doing much harm. The young King, however, was not frightened. The rebels sent a knight, whom they had taken prisoner, to ask the King to meet them and listen to the tale of their wrongs. The King promised that he would go down the river in his barge if they would come to the water-side to speak with him.

So one morning, after he had heard Mass, the King entered his barge with some of his nobles, and was rowed down the river. Ten thousand of the rebels with flying banners waited at the spot fixed upon for a meeting. When they saw the barge coming they began to shout and yell, and by the wildness of their manner so frightened those who were with the King that they would not let him land. The barge was slowly rowed up and down the river, in order that the King might be in safety in the middle of the water. He tried to speak to the rebels from his barge. "What do you wish for?" he asked; "I am come hither to hear what you have to say.” They answered with one voice: "We wish thee to land, when we will tell thee more at our ease what our wants are." Then one of the nobles who was with the King shouted out to them,

"Gentlemen, you are not properly dressed, nor in a fit condition for the King to talk to you."

After this the King went back to the Tower of London, and the rebels were full of passion at not having been able to talk to him. They returned to the rest of their party, who were still at Blackheath, and told them what had happened. Then they all cried out, "Let us march at once to London." They set off directly, and plundered and destroyed many houses on their way. At first the gates of the city were shut upon them; but the common people of London were very willing to befriend them, and soon insisted that the gates should be opened. Every one was eager to give the rebels meat and drink, and for once, at least, the poor peasants feasted as well as the nobles were wont to do. To every man whom they met the rebels put the question, "With whom holdest thou?" and if he did not answer, "With King Richard and the Commons," he was at once put to death.

Whilst the rebels rioted in the streets and taverns of London, and burned the houses of the nobles they hated, there was terror in the hearts of the Princess of Wales and the ministers, who were with the King in the Tower, where they could hear the shouts and cries of the rebels. They had not enough soldiers to put them down by force; so they made up their minds to see whether they could not win them over by fair words.

In the morning a great crowd gathered on Tower Hill, calling out with loud cries that their wishes must be attended A herald was sent to tell them that if they would go to

to.

Mile-end without the city, the King would come there and speak with them. The gates were thrown open, and Richard with only a few unarmed attendants rode out. The crowd willingly followed him to Mile-end; and there, in a beautiful meadow, he paused, and sixty thousand of the rebels gathered round him. Then he spoke very pleasantly to them, saying, 'My good people, I am your king and your lord; what is it you want, and what do you wish to say to me?" They answered: "We wish that thou wouldst free us for ever, us, our heirs, and our lands."

66

"I grant your wish," said the King; and he bade them go. back to their homes, leaving a few chosen men to whom he would give a written promise that the changes which they wished for should be carried out.

This pleased and quieted those who heard him. But meanwhile more trouble was going on in London. Wat Tyler had stayed behind, and with some of his followers entered the Tower by force. They ran from room to room till they found the Archbishop of Canterbury, whom they hated as one of the chief members of the Government. They beheaded him and three other men they found in the Tower. Their heads were put on pikes, and carried out to be placed on London Bridge. The rebels also forced their way into the private rooms of the Princess of Wales, and passed their swords through her bed to see if there was nothing hidden there. She was so frightened that she fainted, and in this condition her servants and ladies carried her to a covered boat and took her away to a house called the Wardrobe.

That evening Richard II. rode back from Mile-end, hoping that the troubles were over; but when he entered the city he heard with sadness of the lawless deeds of the rebels, and rode at once to the Wardrobe to comfort his mother. The next morning he rode out with some of his followers, and at Smithfield he came upon a large body of the rebels gathered together under the leadership of Wat Tyler.

Wat, seeing the King, said to his men, "Here is the King; I will go and speak with him. Do not stir from hence till I give you a sign, then step forward and kill every one except the King; but hurt him not, for he is young, and we can do what we please with him." So saying, Wat spurred his horse on until he came quite near to the King, and then he began to speak proudly and impudently to him. Some of those who stood by the King answered him angrily, and Wat Tyler, who only wished to pick a quarrel, grew still more violent, till at last the Lord Mayor could bear it no longer, and drew his sword and gave Wat such a blow that he felled him to his horse's feet. Another blow finished him. When his men saw their leader dead, they cried out with rage, "They have killed our captain; let us march to them and slay the whole." For a moment the King was in great danger, but his own boldness saved his life and that of his followers. Commanding no one to follow him, he rode forward alone to the rebels. "What need ye, my masters?" he asked. and king; follow me and keep the peace." were willing to trust their young King, and followed him till they met with a number of men who had been got together

"I am your captain The simple peasants

to protect Richard. Then, with promises of pardon, and with the King's word that their wrongs should be redressed, the peasants were persuaded to go back in peace to their own homes. The Princess of Wales waited in anxiety for the return of When she saw him come in at last, she exclaimed, "Ah, fair son, what pain and anguish have I not suffered for you this day?" Then the King bade her rejoice and thank God, saying, "I have this day regained my inheritance, the Kingdom of England, which I had lost."

her son.

In other parts of England the revolt still went on; but the nobles by degrees lost their fear and gathered their followers together to put down the rebels. Richard II. himself marched against them at the head of an army. He taught these simple folk how little they could trust in a king's word. Seven thousand men are said to have perished, slain either fighting or on the gallows. Still, though the cause of the peasants seemed lost, they had gained something. They had shown how strong they were; and the nobles did not dare again to treat them so harshly as they had done before the revolt.

XXVI.

SIR JOHN OLDCASTLE.

A.D. 1413-1417.

IN the days of Edward III. a learned priest at Oxford, called John Wiclif, began to teach that there were many things