outh and blew a long blast, and then
took a scroll into his hand and made as if he were going to read; but
Jack Straw lifted up his voice and cried out:

"Do it not, or thou art but dead! We will have no accursed lawyers and
their sheep-skins here! Go back to those that sent thee----"

But the man broke in in a loud harsh voice:

"Ho! YE PEOPLE! what will ye gathering in arms?"

Then cried Jack Straw:

"Sir Fool, hold your peace till ye have heard me, or else we shoot at
once. Go back to those that sent thee, and tell them that we free men
of Kent are on the way to London to speak with King Richard, and to
tell him that which he wots not; to wit, that there is a certain sort
of fools and traitors to the realm who would put collars on our necks
and make beasts of us, and that it is his right and his devoir to do as
he swore when he was crowned and anointed at Westminster on the Stone
of Doom, and gainsay these thieves and traitors; and if he be too weak,
then shall we help him; and if he will not be king, then shall we have
one who will be, and that is the King's Son of Heaven. Now, therefore,
if any withstand us on our lawful errand as we go to speak with our own
king and lord, let him look to it. Bear back this word to them that
sent thee. But for thee, hearken, thou bastard of an inky sheep-skin!
get thee gone and tarry not; three times shall I lift up my hand, and
the third time look to thyself, for then shalt thou hear the loose of
our bowstrings, and after that nought else till thou hearest the devil
bidding thee welcome to hell!"

Our fellows shouted, but the summoner began again, yet in a quavering
voice:

"Ho! YE PEOPLE! what will ye gathering in arms? Wot ye not that ye
are doing or shall do great harm, loss, and hurt to the king's
lieges----"

He stopped; Jack Straw's hand was lowered for the second time. He
looked to his men right and left, and then turned rein and turned tail,
and scuttled back to the main body at his swiftest. Huge laughter
rattled out all along our line as Jack Straw climbed back into the
orchard grinning also.

Then we noted more movement in the enemy's line. They were spreading
the archers and arbalestiers to our left, and the men-at-arms and
others also spread some, what under the three pennons of which Long
Gregory had told us, and which were plain enough to us in the dear
evening. Presently the moving line faced us, and the archers set off
at a smart pace toward