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A March on London By: George Alfred Henty (1832-1902) |
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[Illustration: "EDGAR STRUCK HIM A BUFFET ON THE FACE WHICH SENT HIM
REELING BACKWARDS."]
A MARCH ON LONDON
BEING A STORY OF WAT TYLER'S INSURRECTION BY
G. A. HENTY
PREFACE
The events that took place during the latter half of the fourteenth
century and the first half of the fifteenth are known to us far better
than those preceding or following them, owing to the fact that three great
chroniclers, Froissart, Monstrelet, and Holinshed, have recounted the
events with a fulness of detail that leaves nothing to be desired. The
uprising of the Commons, as they called themselves that is to say,
chiefly the folk who were still kept in a state of serfdom in the reign of
Richard II. was in itself justifiable. Although serfdom in England was
never carried to the extent that prevailed on the Continent, the serfs
suffered from grievous disabilities. A certain portion of their time had
to be devoted to the work of their feudal lord. They themselves were
forbidden to buy or sell at public markets or fairs. They were bound to
the soil, and could not, except under special circumstances, leave it. Above all, they felt that they were not free men, and were not even deemed
worthy to fight in the wars of their country. Attempts have been made to
represent the rising as the result of Wickliffe's attack upon the Church,
but there seems to be very small foundation for the assertion. Undoubtedly
many of the lower class of clergy, discontented with their position, did
their best to inflame the minds of the peasants, but as the rising
extended over a very large part of England, and the people were far too
ignorant to understand, and far too much irritated by their own grievances
to care for the condition of the Church, it may be taken that they
murdered the Archbishop of Canterbury and many other priests simply
because they regarded them as being wealthy, and so slew them as they slew
other people of substance. Had it been otherwise, the Church would not
have been wholly ignored in the demands that they set before the king, but
some allusion would have been made for the need of reforms in that
direction. The troubles in Flanders are of interest to Englishmen, since there was
for many years an alliance, more or less close, between our king and some
of the great Flemish cities. Indeed, from the time when the first Von
Artevelde was murdered because he proposed that the Black Prince should be
accepted as ruler of Flanders, to the day upon which Napoleon's power was
broken forever at Waterloo, Flanders has been the theatre of almost
incessant turmoil and strife, in which Germans and Dutchmen, Spaniards,
Englishmen, and Frenchmen have fought out their quarrels. G. A. HENTY.
CONTENTS
I. TROUBLED TIMES II. A FENCING BOUT III. WAT TYLER IV. IN LONDON V. A RESCUE VI. A CITY MERCHANT VII. DEATH TO THE FLEMINGS! VIII. A COMBAT IN THE TOWER IX. DEATH OF THE TYLER X. A FIGHT IN THE OPEN XI. AN INVITATION XII. THE TROUBLES IN FLANDERS XIII. A STARVING TOWN XIV. CIVIL WAR XV. A CRUSHING DEFEAT XVI. A WAR OF THE CHURCH XVII. PRISONERS XVIII. A NOBLE GIFT XIX. WELL SETTLED
ILLUSTRATIONS
"EDGAR STRUCK HIM A BUFFET ON THE FACE WHICH SENT HIM REELING BACKWARDS." EDGAR TALKS MATTERS OVER WITH THE PRIOR OF ST. ALWYTH. "IN A MOMENT EDGAR'S SWORD FELL ON THE RUFFIAN'S WRIST." THE LORD MAYOR STABS WAT THE TYLER IN PRESENCE OF THE BOY KING. EDGAR AND ALBERT ARE KNIGHTED BY KING RICHARD. THE TWO YOUNG KNIGHTS CHARGE DOWN UPON THE PANIC STRICKEN CROWD. SIR EDGAR AT LAST SURRENDERS TO SIR ROBERT DE BEAULIEU. THE PRISONERS MAKE THEIR ESCAPE OVER THE ROOFS OF YPRES.
A MARCH ON LONDON
CHAPTER I TROUBLED TIMES
"And what do you think of it all, good Father?" "'Tis a difficult question, my son, and I am glad that it is one that
wiser heads than mine will have to solve." "But they don't seem to try to solve it; things get worse and worse... Continue reading book >>
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