treafory; and a new tax of three groats on every perfon above fifteen, was granted by parliament as a fupply. The indignation of the people had been for fome time increafing; but a tax fo unequitable, in which the rich paid no more than the poor, kindled the refentment of the latter into flame. It began in Effex, where a report was induftriously spread, that the peafants were to be destroyed, their houfes burned, and their farms plundered. A blacksmith, well known by the name of Wat Tyler, was the first that excited them to arms. The tax-gatherers, coming to this man's houfe while he was at work, demanded payment for his daughter, which he refufed, al ledging the was under the age mentioned in the act. One of the brutal collectors infifted on her being a full grown woman; and immediately attempted a very indecent proof of his affertion. This provoked the father to fuch a degree, that he instantly struck him dead with a blow of his hammer. The ftanders-by applauded his fpirit, and, one and all, refolved to defend his conduct. He was confidered as a champion in the caufe, and appointed the leader and spokesman of the people. It is eafy to imagine the diforders committed by this tumultuous rabble; the whole neighbourhood rofe in arms; they burnt and plun dered wherever they came, and revenged upon their former mafters, all thofe infults which they had long fuf. tained with impunity. As the difcontent was general, the infurgents increased in proportion as they approached the capital. The flame foon propagated itfelf into Kent, Hertfordshire, Surry, Suffex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Lincoln. They were found to amount to above a hundred thousand men, by the time they were arrived at Blackheath. At the head of one party of these was Wat Tyler, who led his men into Smithfield, where he was met by the king, who invited him to a conference, under a pretence of hearing and redreffing his grievances. Tyler ordered his companions to retire, till he fhould give them a fignal, boldly ventured to meet the king in the midft of his retinue, and accordingly began the conference. The demands of this demagogue are cenfured by all the hiftorians of the time, as infolent and extravagant; and yet nothing can be more just than those they have deli

vered for him. He required that all flaves fhould be fet free; that all commonages fhould be open to the poor as well as rich; and that a general pardon fhould be paffed for the late outrages. Whilft he made these demands, he now and then lifted up his fword in a menacing manner; which infolence fo raised the indignation of William Walworth, then mayor of London, attending on the king, that, without confidering the danger to which he expofed his majefty, he ftunned Tyler with a blow of his mace while one of the king's knights, riding up, difpatched him with his fword. The mutineers, feeing their leader fall, prepared themselves to take revenge; and their bows were now bent for execution, when Richard, though not yet quite fixteen years of age, rode up to the rebels, and, with admirable prefence of mind, cried out, "What, my people, will you then kill your king? Be not concerned for the lofs of your leader; I myfelf will now be your general; follow me into the field, and you fhall have whatever you defire." The awed multitude immediately defifted; they followed the king as if mechanically into the fields, and there he granted them the fame charter that he had before given to their companions, but which he foon after revoked in parliament.

Hitherto the king had acted under the control of the regency, who did all they could devife to abridge his power; however, in an extraordinary council of the nobility, affembled after Eafter, he, to the astonishment of all prefent, defired to know his age; and being told that he was turned of two-and-twenty, he alledged, that it was time then for him to govern without help; and that there was no reafon that he should be deprived of those rights which the meaneft of his fubjects enjoyed.

Being thus fet at liberty to conduct the business of government at difcretion, it quickly appeared A. D. that he wanted thofe arts that are ufually found 1389. to procure a lafting refpect; he was fond of luxnrious pleafures and idle oftentation; he admitted the meanest ranks to his familiarity; and his converfation was not adapted to imprefs them with a reverence for his morals or abilities, The cruelty fhewn to the duke of Gloucester,

Gloucefter, who, upon flight fufpicions, was fent to confinement in Calais, and there murdered in prifon, with fome other acts equally arbitrary, did not fail to increafe those animofities which had already taken deep root in the kingdom. The aggrandifement of fome new favourites contributed ftill more to make the king odious; but though he feemed refolved, by all his actions, to fet his fubjects against him, it was accident that gave the occafion for his overthrow. The duke of Hereford appeared in parliament, and accufed the duke of Norfolk of having fpoken feditious words against his majefty in a private converfation. Norfolk denied the charge, gave Hereford the lie, and offered to prove his innocence by fingle combat. As proofs were wanting for legal trial, the lords readily acquiefced in that mode of determination; the time and place were appointed; and the whole nation waited with anxious fufpenfe for the event. At length the day arrived on which this duel was to be fought, and the champions, having juft begun their career, the king ftopped the combat, and ordered both the combatants to leave the kingdom. The duke of Norfolk he banished for life, but the duke of Hereford only for ten years. Thus the one was condemned to exile without being charged with any offence, and the other without being convicted of any crime. The duke of Norfolk was overwhelmed with grief and defpondence at the judgment awarded against him; he retired to Venice, where, in a little time after, he died of a broken heart. Hereford's behaviour on this occafion was refigned and fubmiffive, which fo pleafed the king, that he confented to fhorten the date of his banishment four years; and he also granted him letters patent, enfuring him the enjoyment of any inheritance which fhould fall to him during his abfence; but upon the death of his father, the duke of Lancaster, which happened fhortly after, Richard revoked thofe letters, and retained the poffeffion of the Lancafter eftate to himself.

Such complicated injuries ferved to inflame the refentment of Hereford against the king; and although he had hitherto concealed it, he now fet no bounds to his indignation, but even conceived a defire of dethroning a person who had fhewn himself fo unworthy of power.

Indeed no man could be better qualified for an enterprise of this nature than the earl of Hereford; he was cool, cautious, difcerning, and refolute. He had ferved with diftinction against the infidels of Lithuania; and he had thus joined to his other merits thofe of piety and valour. He was ftimulated by private injuries; and had alliances and fortune fufficient to give weight to his measures. He only waited the abfence of the king from England to put his fchemes in execution; and Richard's going over into Ireland to quell an infurrection there, was the opportunity he long had looked for.

Accordingly he inftantly embarked at Nantz, with a retinue of fixty perfons, in three fmall veffels, and landed at Ravenfpur, in Yorkshire. The earl of Northumberland, who had long been a malecontent; together with Henry Percy, his fon, who, from his ardent valour, was furnamed Hotfpur, immediately joined him with their forces. After this junction, the concourfe of people coming to lift under his banner was fo great, that in a few days his army amounted to threefcore thousand men. Whilft thefe things were tranfacting in England, Richard continued in Ireland in perfect fecurity. Contrary winds, for three weeks together, prevented his receiving any news of the rebellion which was begun in his native dominions; wherefore, upon landing at Milford haven with a body of twenty thousand men, he faw himfelf in a dreadful fituation, in the midst of an enraged people, without any friend on whom to rely: and forfaken by thofe, who, in the fun-fhine of his power, had only contributed to fan his follies. His little army gra dually began to defert him, till at laft he found that he had not above fix thousand men, who followed his ftan. dard. Thus, not knowing whom to truft, or where to turn, he faw no other hopes of fafety, but to throw him. felf upon the generofity of his enemy, and to gain from pity what he could not obtain by arms. He, therefore, fent Hereford word, that he was ready to fubmit to whatever terms he thought proper to prefcribe, and that he earnestly defired a conference. For this purpose, the earl appointed him to meet at a castle within about ten miles of Chefter, where he came the next day with his

whole

whole army. Richard, who the day before had been brought thither by the duke of Northumberland, descrying his rival's approach from the walls, went down to receive him; while Hereford, after fome ceremony, entered the caftle in complete armour, only his head was bare, in compliment to the fallen king. Richard re ceived him with that open air for which he had been remarkable, and kindly bade him welcome. "My Lord, the king, returned the earl, with a cool refpectful bow, I am come fooner than you appointed, becaufe your people fay, that for one-and-twenty years you have governed with rigour and indifcretion. They are very ill-fatisfied with your conduct; but, if it pleafe God, I will help you to govern them better for the time to

come."

To this declaration the king made no other anfwer, but Fair coufin, fince it pleases you, it pleases us

likewife."

But Hereford's haughty anfwer was not the only mortification the unfortunate Richard was to endure. After a fhort converfation with fome of the king's attendants, Hereford ordered the king's horfes to be brought out of the ftable; and two wretched animals being produced, Richard was placed upon one, and his favourite, the earl of Salisbury, upon the other. In this mean equipage they rode to Chefter; and were conveyed to the caftle with a great noife of trumpets, and through a vaft concourfe of people, who were no way moved at the fight. In this manner he was led triumphantly along, from town to town, amidft multitudes, who fcoffed at him, and extolled his rival. Long live the good duke of Lancaster, our deliverer! was the general cry; but as for the king, to use the pathetic words of the poet, "None cried God blefs him." Thus, after repeated indignities, he was confined a close prifoner in the Tower; there, if poffible, to undergo a ftill greater variety of ftudied infolence, and flagrant contempt. The wretched monarch, humbled in this manner, began to lofe the pride of a king with the fplendours of royalty, and his fpirit funk to his circumftances. There was no great difficulty, therefore, in inducing him to fign a deed, by which he renounced his

crown,