They that were at Canterbury entered into Saint Thomas' church
and did there much hurt, and robbed and brake up the bishop's chamber,
and in robbing and bearing out their pillage they said: 'Ah, this
chancellor of England hath had a good market to get together all this
riches: he shall give us now account of the revenues of England and of
the great profits that he hath gathered sith the king's coronation.'
When they had this Monday thus broken the abbey of Saint Vincent, they
departed in the morning and all the people of Canterbury with them,
and so took the way to Rochester and sent their people to the villages
about. And in their going they beat down and robbed houses of
advocates and procurers of the king's court and of the archbishop, and
had mercy of none. And when they were come to Rochester, they had
there good cheer; for the people of that town tarried for them, for
they were of the same sect, and then they went to the castle there and
took the knight that had the rule thereof, he was called sir John
Newton, and they said to him: 'Sir, it behoveth you to go with us and
you shall be our sovereign captain and to do that we will have you,'
The knight excused himself honestly and shewed them divers
considerations and excuses, but all availed him nothing, for they said
unto him: 'Sir John, if ye do not as we will have you, ye are but
dead,' The knight, seeing these people in that fury and ready to slay
him, he then doubted death and agreed to them, and so they took him
with them against his inward will; and in like wise did they of other
counties in England, as Essex, Sussex, Stafford, Bedford and Warwick,
even to Lincoln; for they brought the knights and gentlemen into such
obeisance, that they caused them to go with them, whether they would
or not, as the lord Moylays, a great baron, sir Stephen of Hales and
sir Thomas of Cosington and other.
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