On the 4th of May, the Lord Mayor, the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Surry, and others, sate upon the trial of the offenders at Guildhall, the Duke of Norfolk entering the city with 1300 men. That day several were indicted, and on the next thirteen were sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, for the execution of whom ten gallowses were set up in several parts of the city, upon wheels, to be removed from street to street, and from door to door.
On the 7th of May several others were found guilty, and received the same sentence as the former, and soon after were drawn upon hurdles to the standard in Cheapside; but when one was executed, and the rest about to be turned off, a respite came, and they were remanded back to prison.
After this the soldiers who had kept watch in the city were withdrawn, which making the citizens flatter themselves that the King’s displeasure against them was not so great as they had imagined, the Lord Mayor, Recorder, and several Aldermen, went in mourning gowns to wait upon the King at Greenwich, when, having attended for some time at the privy chamber door, his Majesty with several of the nobility came forth, upon which, all of them falling upon their knees, the Recorder, in the name of the rest, in the most humble and submissive terms, begged that he would have mercy on them for their negligence, and compassion on the offenders, whom he represented as a small number of light persons. His Majesty let them know that he was really displeased, and that they ought to wail and be sorry for it; for as they had not attempted to fight with those whom they pretended were so small a number of light persons, they must have winked at the matter; he therefore ordered them to repair to the Lord Chancellor, who would give them an answer. Upon which they retired deeply mortified.
Being informed that the King was to be at Westminster Hall on the 22d of May, they resolved to repair thither, which they did with the consent of Cardinal Wolsey Lord High Chancellor. The King sat at the upper end of Westminster Hall, under a cloth of state, with the Cardinal and several of the nobility: and the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Recorder, and several of the Common-Council attended; the prisoners, who then amounted to about 400, were brought in their shirts bound together with cords, and with halters about their necks, and among these were eleven women. The Cardinal, having sharply rebuked the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty for their negligence, told the prisoners, that, for their offences against the laws of the realm, and against his Majesty’s crown and dignity, they had deserved death; upon which they all set up a piteous cry, of “Mercy, gracious Lord, mercy!” which so moved the King, that, at the earnest intreaty of the Lords, he pronounced them pardoned; upon which giving a great shout, they threw up their halters towards the top of the hall, crying God save the King! After this affair the May-games were not so commonly used as before.
By the following account the reader will see, that our hospitable ancestors were not less fond of the pleasures of the table, than of outward pomp. Mr. Stow observes, that in the year 1531, eleven gentlemen of the law being promoted to the dignity of the coif, they gave a splendid and elegant entertainment in the Bishop of Ely’s palace in Holborn, for five days successively, at which were present the King, Queen, foreign Ministers, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, the Judges, the Master of the rolls, the Masters in chancery, the Serjeants at law, the principal Merchants of London, with many Knights and Esquires, and a certain number of citizens belonging to the chief companies of the city.
This being one of the greatest entertainments recorded in history, an account of it cannot be unacceptable to the reader: but as there were three poulterers concerned in providing the poultry, and only one of their accounts which we are able to communicate, it will be very deficient; however, as this great entertainment was given but about two hundred and thirty years ago, the subjoined account will shew the vast disparity between the prices of provisions then and now, and consequently the great disproportion between the scarcity of money at that time, and its plenty at present.
Twenty-four large oxen, at 1l. 6s. 8d. each.
The carcase of a large ox from the market, 1l. 4s.
One hundred sheep, at 2s. 10d. each.
Fifty-one calves, at 4s. 8d. each.