s in
England. The inhabitants were divided. The mayor and aldermen, the
fathers of families, and the men of property, were conservatives,
loyal to the queen, to the mass, and to "the cause of order." The
young and enthusiastic, supported by others who had good reasons for
being in opposition to established authorities, were those who had
placed themselves in correspondence with the Duke of Suffolk.

Suffolk's servant (his name was Thomas Rampton), on reaching the town,
on Monday evening, made a mistake in the first person to whom he
addressed himself, and received a cold answer. Two others of the
townsmen, however, immediately {p.101} welcomed him, and told him
that "the whole place was at his lord's commandment, except certain of
the town council, who feared that, if good fellows had the upper hand,
their extremities heretofore should be remembered."[234] They took
Rampton into a house, where, presently, another man entered of the
same way of thinking, and, in his own eyes, a man of importance. "My
lord's quarrel is right well known," this person said, "it is God's
quarrel, let him come; let him come, and make no stay, for this town
is his own. I say to you assuredly this town is his own. I am it."

[Footnote 234: Rampton's Confession: _MS. Domestic.
Mary_, vol. iii. State Paper Office.]

It was now night; no time was to be lost, the townsmen said. They
urged Rampton to return at once to Suffolk, and hasten his movements.
They would themselves read the proclamation at the market-cross
forthwith, and raise the people. Rampton, who had ridden far, and was
weary, wished to wait till the morning; if they were so confident of
success, a few hours could make no difference: but it appeared shortly
that the "good fellows" in Coventry were not exclusively under the
influence of piety and patriotism. If a rising commenced in the
darkness, it was admitted that "undoubted spoil and peradventure
destruction of many rich men would ensue," and with transactions of
this kind the duke's servant was unwilling to connect himself.

Thus the hours wore away, and no resolution was arrived at; and, in
the meantime, the town council had received a warning to be on their
guard. Before daybreak the constables were on the alert, the decent
citizens took possession of the gates, and the conspirators had lost
their opportunity. In the afternoon Suffolk arrived with a hundred
horse under the walls, but ther