erned, and how that gold and silver was taken from
them by them that were named noblemen: so thus these unhappy men of
London began to rebel and assembled them together, and sent word to
the foresaid countries that they should come to London and bring their
people with them, promising them how they should find London open to
receive them and the commons of the city to be of the same accord,
saying how they would do so much to the king that there should not be
one bondman in all England.

This promise moved so them of Kent, of Essex, of Sussex, of Bedford
and of the countries about, that they rose and came towards London to
the number of sixty thousand. And they had a captain called Water
Tyler, and with him in company was Jack Straw and John Ball: these
three were chief sovereign captains, but the head of all was Water
Tyler, and he was indeed a tiler of houses, an ungracious patron. When
these unhappy men began thus to stir, they of London, except such as
were of their band, were greatly affrayed. Then the mayor of London
and the rich men of the city took counsel together, and when they saw
the people thus coming on every side, they caused the gates of the
city to be closed and would suffer no man to enter into the city. But
when they had well imagined, they advised not so to do, for they
thought they should thereby put their suburbs in great peril to be
brent; and so they opened again the city, and there entered in at the
gates in some place a hundred, two hundred, by twenty and by thirty,
and so when they came to London, they entered and lodged: and yet of
truth the third part[3] of these people could not tell what to ask or
demand, but followed each other like beasts, as the shepherds[4] did
of old time, saying how they would go conquer the Holy Land, and at
last all came to nothing. In like wise these villains and poor people
came to London, a hundred mile off, sixty mile, fifty mile, forty
mile, and twenty mile off, and from all countries about London, but
the most part came from the countries before named, and as they came
they demanded ever for the king. The gentlemen of the countries,
knights and squires, began to doubt, when they saw the people began to
rebel; and though they were in doubt, it was good reason; for a less
occasion they might have been affrayed. So the gentlemen drew together
as well as they might.

[3] 'Bien les trois pars.' i.e. 'three-fourths.'

[4] 'Les pastoureaulx.' The ref