t up a howl
at this, and struck a Jew who was trying to get in at the Hall door with
his present. A riot arose. The Jews who had got into the Hall, were
driven forth; and some of the rabble cried out that the new King had
commanded the unbelieving race to be put to death. Thereupon the crowd
rushed through the narrow streets of the city, slaughtering all the Jews
they met; and when they could find no more out of doors (on account of
their having fled to their houses, and fastened themselves in), they ran
madly about, breaking open all the houses where the Jews lived, rushing
in and stabbing or spearing them, sometimes even flinging old people and
children out of window into blazing fires they had lighted up below. This
great cruelty lasted four-and-twenty hours, and only three men were
punished for it. Even they forfeited their lives not for murdering and
robbing the Jews, but for burning the houses of some Christians.

King Richard, who was a strong, restless, burly man, with one idea always
in his head, and that the very troublesome idea of breaking the heads of
other men, was mightily impatient to go on a Crusade to the Holy Land,
with a great army. As great armies could not be raised to go, even to
the Holy Land, without a great deal of money, he sold the Crown domains,
and even the high offices of State; recklessly appointing noblemen to
rule over his English subjects, not because they were fit to govern, but
because they could pay high for the privilege. In this way, and by
selling pardons at a dear rate and by varieties of avarice and
oppression, he scraped together a large treasure. He then appointed two
Bishops to take care of his kingdom in his absence, and gave great powers
and possessions to his brother John, to secure his friendship. John
would rather have been made Regent of England; but he was a sly man, and
friendly to the expedition; saying to himself, no doubt, 'The more
fighting, the more chance of my brother being killed; and when he _is_
killed, then I become King John!'

Before the newly levied army departed from England, the recruits and the
general populace distinguished themselves by astonishing cruelties on the
unfortunate Jews: whom, in many large towns, they murdered by hundreds in
the most horrible manner.

At York, a large body of Jews took refuge in the Castle, in the absence
of its Governor, after the wives and children of many of them had been
slain before their eyes. Present