ither a force of one thousand men-at-arms,
which had been collected by the Lord Mayor and Sir Robert Knowles,
hastened to protect the young King; and the insurgents, falling on their
knees, begged for mercy. Many of the royalists demanded permission to
punish them for their past excesses; but Richard firmly refused, ordered
the suppliants to return to their homes, and by proclamation forbade,
under pain of death, any stranger to pass the night in the city.

On the southern coast the excesses of the insurgents reached as far as
Winchester; on the eastern, to Beverley and Scarborough; and, if we
reflect that in every place they rose about the same time, and uniformly
pursued the same system, we may discover reason to suspect that they
acted under the direction of some acknowledged though invisible leader.
The nobility and gentry, intimidated by the hostility of their tenants,
and distressed by contradictory reports, sought security within the
fortifications of their castles. The only man who behaved with
promptitude and resolution was Henry Spenser, the young and warlike
Bishop of Norwich. In the counties of Norfolk, Cambridge, and Huntington
tranquillity was restored and preserved by this singular prelate, who
successively exercised the offices of general, judge, and priest. In
complete armor he always led his followers to the attack; after the
battle he sat in judgment on his prisoners; and before execution he
administered to them the aids of religion. But as soon as the death of
Tyler and the dispersion of the men of Kent and Essex were known,
thousands became eager to display their loyalty; and knights and
esquires from every quarter poured into London to offer their services
to the King. At the head of forty thousand horse he published
proclamations, revoking the charters of manumission which he had
granted, commanding the villeins to perform their usual services, and
prohibiting illegal assemblies and associations. In several parts the
commons threatened to renew the horrors of the late tumult in defence of
their liberties; but the approach of the royal army dismayed the
disaffected in Kent; the loss of five hundred men induced the insurgents
of Essex to sue for pardon; and numerous executions in different
counties effectually crushed the spirit of resistance. Among the
sufferers were Lister and Westbroom, who had assumed the title and
authority of kings in Norfolk and Suffolk; and Straw and Ball, the
itinerant prea