ollards; he only wished to make use of them for a
political purpose. It was otherwise with the Londoners, and with John de
Northampton, a supporter of the duke, who succeeded to the mayoralty soon
after the suppression of the revolt. Under Northampton--a man whom even his
enemies allowed to be of stern purpose, not truckling to those above him,
nor bending to his inferiors,(644)--many reforms were carried out,
ecclesiastical as well as civil.

The ecclesiastical courts having grossly failed in their duty, the
citizens themselves, fearful of God's vengeance if matters were allowed to
continue as they were, undertook the work of reform within the city's
walls. The fees of the city parsons were cut down. The fee for baptism was
not to exceed forty pence, whilst that for marriage was not as a general
rule to be more than half a mark. One farthing was all that could be
demanded for a mass for the dead, and the priest was bound to give change
for a half-penny when requested or forego his fee.(645) Steps were taken
at the same time to improve the morality of the city by ridding the
streets of lewd women and licentious men. On the occasion of a first
offence, culprits of either sex were subjected to the ignominy of having
their hair cropt for future identification, and then conducted with rough
music through the public thoroughfares, the men to the pillory and the
women to the "thewe." After a third conviction, they were made to abjure
the City altogether.(646) It was during Northampton's first year of the
mayoralty that the citizens succeeded in breaking down the monopoly of the
free fish-mongers. A number of "dossers" or baskets for carrying fish were
also seized because they were deficient in holding capacity, and on that
account were calculated to defraud the purchaser.(647) But, although a
mayor in those days exercised, no doubt, greater power in the municipal
government than now, we must be careful to avoid the common mistake of
attributing to the individuality of the mayor for the time being what was
really the action of the citizens as a body corporate.

(M350)

In October, 1382, Northampton was elected mayor for the second time, and
Philipot, his rival, either resigned or was deprived of his
aldermancy.(648) His re-election was at the king's express wish. On the
6th he wrote to the sheriffs, aldermen and commons of the city intimating
that, whilst anxious to leave the citizens free choice in the matter of
election o