The scholars of every school have their ball, or baton, in their hands; the ancient and wealthy men of the city come forth on horseback to see the sport of the young men, and to take part of the pleasure in beholding their agility. Every Friday in Lent a fresh company of young men comes into the field on horseback, and the best horseman conducteth the rest. Then march forth the citizen's sons, and other young men, with disarmed lances and shields, and there they practise feats of war. Many courtiers likewise, when the king lieth near, and attendants of noblemen, do repair to these exercises; and while the hope of victory doth inflame their minds, do show good proof how serviceable they would be in martial affairs.
In Easter holidays they fight battles on the water; a shield is hung upon a pole, fixed in the midst of a stream, a boat is prepared without oars, to be carried by violence of the water, and in the fore part thereof standeth a young man, ready to give charge upon the shield with his lance; if so be he breaketh his lance against the shield, and doth not fall, he is thought to have performed a worthy deed; if so be, without breaking his lance, he runneth strongly against the shield, down he falleth into the water, for the boat is violently forced with the tide; but on each side of the shield ride two boats, furnished with young men, which recover him that falleth as soon as they may. Upon the bridge, wharfs, and houses, by the river's side, stand great numbers to see and laugh thereat.
In the holidays all the summer the youths are exercised in leaping, dancing, shooting, wrestling, casting the stone, and practising their shields; the maidens trip in their timbrels, and dance as long as they can well see. In winter, every holiday before dinner, the boars prepared for brawn are set to fight, or else bulls and bears are baited.
When the great fen, or moor, which watereth the walls of the city on the north side, is frozen, many young men play upon the ice; some, striding as wide as they may, do slide swiftly; others make themselves seats of ice, as great as millstones; one sits down, many hand in hand to draw him, and one slipping on a sudden, all fall together; some tie bones to their feet and under their heels; and shoving themselves by a little picked staff, do slide as swiftly as a bird flieth in the air, or an arrow out of a crossbow. Sometime two run together with poles, and hitting on the other, either one or both do fall, not without hurt; some break their arms, some their legs, but youth desirous of glory in this sort exerciseth itself against the time of war. Many of the citizens do delight themselves in hawks and hounds; for they have liberty of hunting in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, all Chiltern, and in Kent to the water of Cray.
DISTURBANCES IN THE CITY (1177).
The following story is not altogether free from suspicion, but it was probably inspired by accounts of the depredations of the young bloods of the City. Nocturnal disturbances were by no means unknown as late as the eighteenth century, and the Mohocks were following a tradition which was as old as the City itself.
Source.—Translated from Benedict of Peterborough, vol. i., p. 155.
During this council the brother of earl Ferrers was slain by night in London. When the King heard this he was greatly distressed, and swore that he would take vengeance on the citizens of London. For it was the custom then in London for a hundred or more of the sons and relations of the citizens to make nocturnal assaults on the houses of the rich, and rob them; and if they found anybody wandering about the streets they would kill him without pity; so that very few dared to walk through the city at night for fear of them. Three years before this the sons of the "nobility" of London assembled by night for purposes of robbery, and attacked the house of a certain rich citizen; having broken down the wall with iron bars they entered through the aperture thus made. But the occupier of the house had been forewarned of their arrival; he donned a coat of mail and collected several trusty armed servants, with whom he waited in a corner of the house. Soon he saw one of the robbers, named Andrew Bucquinte, who was eagerly leading the rest; he hurled at him a pan full of hot coals and rushed on him fiercely. When Richard Bucquinte saw this, he drew his dagger and struck the citizen, but he received no injury because of his coat of mail; he drew his sword and cut off the right hand of Richard Bucquinte. Then he raised a cry, "Thieves, thieves!" and on hearing it all the robbers fled except the one who had lost his hand, and the citizen captured him. Next day he was brought before Richard de Lucy, the King's justiciar, and was imprisoned. This thief, being promised pardon, informed against his companions, many of whom were taken, although many escaped. Among those who were taken was a certain John, an old man, the noblest and wealthiest of the citizens of London. He offered five hundred marks of silver to the King in return for his life, but the King would not take the fine, and ordered justice to be carried out, so he was hanged.
ORDINANCES CONCERNING BUILDING
(1189, 1212).
The documents quoted below give good evidence of the style in which the better class of houses was built during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The greater part of the city was built of wood, the houses being roofed with straw, reeds, and similar materials. The frequent fires which took place owing to this manner of building, especially the great fire of 1135 which destroyed a great part of the City, compelled the citizens to take some precautions against the recurrence of such a calamity. Stone was used to a larger extent, and various privileges were conceded to those who used stone in the construction of their houses. This material was made compulsory in the party-walls, but the rest of the buildings might be made of anything, and was usually constructed of wood. The regulations of 1189 did not produce any great or immediate effect on the style of building, and a further ordinance was issued in 1212, after a disastrous fire had destroyed London Bridge and a large number of houses.