“Sayst thou so?” the boy murmured, and clutched Etienne's shoulder,—“sayst thou so?” Then he flung out his arms on the battlement, and his head on his arms. “Ah, wherefore do I take keep if this people love me or no? Wherefore do I take keep of the love of dirty ploughmen, vermin-ridden,—of branded knaves and silly ragged folk? But I do,—Dieu, ma vie, I do!”
“Then come to them, sire!—Hear them!—Another day and 't will be too late. They will believe thou hast forsaken them,—and what they 'll then do, I dare not think on. They are not so strong as to overturn a kingdom, but”—He swept his arm about, where the sky glowed to the north, and westward the Savoy lay, red embers. “Oh, sire, they have made Cheapside a shambles!”
“Wilt thou have me go out, now, thither?” said Richard, pointing to the camp. Here and there men slept. Others roasted bullocks by the fire that hissed with the dropping of blood. The sound of a catch came up:—
"Help truth, and truth shall help you!
Now reigneth pride in price,
And covetise is counted wise,
And lechery withouten shame,
And gluttony withouten blame.
Envy reigneth with reason,
And sloth is take in great season.
God do bote, for now is time."
“If we do,” the King continued, “we must steal forth secretly, mon ami; for Sudbury and the rest would never let us from the gate of their own will.”
“Nay, we 'll not go to-night, sire; but do thou come down with me to the chamber below and persuade the Archbishop and Salisbury that thou wilt meet the people on the morrow to have speech of them,—else all London is like to be made a desert afore aid come.”
So they went down and, at the foot of the stair, young Henry sat, half-asleep, but he shook himself and followed after them to the table whereon the nobles now leaned elbow in gloomy silence.
“My lords,” said Richard, “here 's Etienne Fitzwarine hath been in the city all day, saith somewhat must be done if we will not have the morrow's sun set redder than to-day's.”
“Must be done!” shouted Thomas of Woodstock, shaking the table with a blow of his fist.—“Have I not said so?—Up!—Assemble the guard and make an onslaught! A sudden sally forth with the guard, at midnight when these rebels be sleeping, and we may rout them and put them to flight. These be village churls, untrained to matters of war,—they 'll fly before a sword. So saith Master Walworth likewise. Peasants and prentices be no warriors. Moreover, Sir Robert Knolles holdeth his own house against them in the city,—he will help us.”
The Earl of Salisbury lifted his head as he would speak, but Richard was before him.