s of the realm, for very few of the lower
ranks would be admitted to see the ceremony; and these people, in
addition to the usual religious prejudice against the Jews, had many
of them been exasperated against the bankers and money-lenders on
account of difficulties that they had had with them in relation to
money that they had borrowed, and to the high interest which they had
been compelled to pay. Some wise observer of the working of human
passions has said that men always hate more or less those to whom they
owe money. This is a reason why there should ordinarily be very few
pecuniary transactions between friends.

At length, as one of the Jews who was outside was attempting to go
in, a by-stander at the gate cried out, "Here comes a Jew!" and struck
at him. This excited the passions of the rest, and they struck and
pushed the poor Jew in order to drive him back; and at the same time a
general outcry against the Jews arose, and spread into the interior of
the hall. The people there, glad of the opportunity afforded them by
the excitement, began to assault the Jews and drive them out; and as
they came out at the door beaten and bruised, a rumor was raised that
they had been expelled by the king's orders. This rumor, as it spread
through the streets, was soon changed into a report that the king had
ordered all the unbelievers to be destroyed; and so, whenever a Jew
was found in the street, a riot was raised about him, he was assaulted
with sticks and stones, cruelly beaten, and if he was not killed, he
was driven to seek refuge in his home, wounded and bleeding.

In the mean time, the news that the king had ordered all the Jews to
be killed spread rapidly over the town, and in the evening crowds
collected, and after murdering all the Jews that they could find in
the streets, they gathered round their houses, and finally broke into
them and killed the inhabitants. In some cases where the houses were
strong, the Jews barricaded the doors and the mob could not get in. In
such cases they brought combustibles, and piled them up before the
windows and doors, and then, setting them on fire, they burned the
houses to the ground, and men, women, and children were consumed
together in the flames. If any of the unhappy wretches burning in
these fires attempted to escape by leaping from the windows, the mob
below held up spears and lances for them to fall upon.

There were so many of these fires in the course of the night that t