Item, the duke of Excester, our holie father the cardinall, the noble prince the duke of Warwike, and also the realme of France, the duchie of Normandie, Gascoigne, and Guion, Aniou, and Maine, were deliuered and lost by the meanes of the said traitors: and our true lords, knights, and esquiers, and manie a good yeoman lost and sold yer they went, the which is great pitie to heare, of the great and gréeuous losse to our souereigne lord and his realme.
Item, desireth the said capteine and commons, that all extortions vsed dailie among the common people, might be laid downe, that is to saie, the gréene wax; the which is falselie vsed, to the perpetuall destruction of the kings true commons of Kent. Also the kings Bench, the which is too gréefefull to the shire of Kent, without prouision of our souereigne lord and his true councell. And also in taking of wheat and other graines, béefe, mutton, & all other vittels, the which is importable to the said commons, without the bréefe prouision of our said souereigne lord and his true councell, they maie no longer beare it. And also vnto the statute of labourers, and the great extortioners, the which is to saie the false traitors, Sleg. Cromer, Isle, and Robert Est.
King Henrie went against the Kentishmen with a great power.
These billes when the councell had well perused, they did not onelie disalow and condemne them and the authors, as proud and presumptuous; but also persuaded the king rather to suppresse those rebels by force, than by faire promises. Wherevpon the king remoued from Westminster vnto Gréenewich, from whence he would haue sent certeine lords with a power to haue distressed the Kentishmen, but the men said to their lords they would not fight against them that laboured to amend the common-weale: wherefore the lords were driuen to leaue their purpose. And bicause the Kentishmen cried out against the lord Saie the kings chamberline, he was by the king committed to the Tower of London. Then went the king againe to London, & within two dais after went against the Kentishmen with fiftéene thousand men well prepared for the war: but the said Kentishmen fled the night before his comming into the wood countrie néere vnto Senocke. Wherevpon the king returned againe to London.
The Staffords slaine at Senocke by Iacke Cade.
The quéene (that bare rule) being of his retrait aduertised, sent sir Humfreie Stafford knight, and William his brother, with manie other gentlemen, to follow the Kentishmen, thinking that they had fled: but they were deceiued, for at the first skirmish both the Staffords were slaine, & all their companie discomfited. The kings armie by this time comen to Blackheath, hearing of this discomfiture, began to murmur amongst themselues: some wishing the duke of Yorke at home to aid the capteine his cousine: some vndutifullie coueting the ouerthrow of the king and his councell: other openlie crieng out on the quéene and hir complices.
This rumor published abroad, caused the king and certeine of his councell (for the appeasing thereof) to commit the lord Saie treasurer of England to the Tower of London; and if other (against whome like displeasure was borne) had béene present, they had béene likewise committed. Iacke Cade vpon victorie against the Staffords apparelled himselfe in sir Humfries brigandine set full of guilt nailes, and so in some glorie returned againe toward London; diuerse idle and vagarant persons out of Sussex, Surreie and other places, still increasing his number. Thus this glorious capteine, garded with a multitude of rusticall people, came againe to the plaine of Blackheath, & there stronglie incamped himselfe: to whome were sent from the king, the archbishop of Canturburie, and Humfrie duke of Buckingham, to common with him of his gréefes and requests.
These lords found him sober in talke, wise in reasoning, arrogant in hart, and stiffe in opinion; as who that by no means would grant to dissolue his armie, except the king in person would come to him, and assent to the things he would require. The K. vpon the presumptuous answers & requests of this villanous rebell, begining asmuch to doubt his owne meniall seruants, as his vnknowen subiects (which spared not to speake, that the capteins cause was profitable for the common-wealth) departed in all hast to the castell of Killingworth in Warwikeshire, leauing onlie behind him the lord Scales to kéepe the Tower of London. The Kentish capteine being aduertised of the kings absence, came first into Southwarke, and there lodged at the white hart, prohibiting to all his retinue, murder, rape, and robberie; by which colour of well meaning, he the more allured to him the harts of the common people.