“My lord, now is no time to be nice in small matters. Moreover, these be not rebels, but loyal, true lovers of the King.”
“Yea,—yea!—God save the King!” shouted the mob. “Let our King come to us that we may advise him of our wrongs.”
From where they stood on shore they could see Richard in the barge, how he laid his hand on my Lord Salisbury's arm and spoke earnestly with him. But my Lord of Salisbury shook his head, and the Archbishop and John Hales came up a little way into the prow, as they were pleading and craving a boon.
“This thing is not possible, that the body of our King should be delivered to ruffians and staff-strikers,” called out the Earl of Salisbury yet again. “We, being his true servants and guardians, dare not do this thing; for if so be any harm come to him, all England will lay it at our door, and rightly. Neither may we come to land with him, seeing ye are so hot to slay certain among us, and one of those the Archbishop of Canterbury. This is scandal and deadly sin. I call upon ye to disperse, in the King's name!”
“We are risen in the King's name,” cried out an Essex man; “how, then, shall we disperse?”
They could see Richard urgent, though they might not hear his words; and the Earl always shaking his head for answer; and Robert Hales with his two hands clinging to the King's cloak as a suppliant. Then the Earl of Salisbury made sign to the rowers, who began to turn the barge backward and rowed up the river again to the Tower, the while the people on Rotherhithe shore cursed and roared for rage.
Now when they were come again to Blackheath they found more men from Kent; and the taking of Canterbury was in every man's mouth; how the mayor had sworn oath of fealty to King Richard and the Commons, and the monks were afeared for their lives.
“Rochester and Canterbury is ours!” they cried.—“London next!”
Those that had a crust shared it, but they were few; a-most men on Blackheath went hungry that night.
“Yea, London next, and that quickly,” said John Ball. “A man may not fill his belly with furze and heather.”