y they
came with swords and clubs to Saint Marcel's, and entering
forcibly the house of a certain shop keeper, broke up all his
wine casks and poured the wine out on the floor of the house.
And, proceeding through the open squares, they attacked sharply
whatever man or woman they came upon and left them half dead from
the blows given them.

But the Prior of Saint Marcel's, as soon as he learned of this
great injury done to his men, whom he was bound to defend,
lodged a complaint with the Roman legate and the Bishop of
Paris. And they went together in haste to the Queen, to whom the
management of the realm had been committed at that time, and
asked her to take measures for the punishment of such a wrong.
But she, with a woman's forwardness, and impelled by mental
excitement, immediately gave orders to the prefects of the city
and to certain of her own ruffians [mercenary body-guard] with
all speed to go out of the city, under arms, and to punish the
authors of the violence, sparing no one. Now as these armed men,
who were prone to act cruelly at every opportunity, left the
gates of the city, they came upon a number of clerks busy just
outside the city walls with games,--men who were entirely without
fault in connection with the aforesaid violence, since those who
had begun the riotous strife were men from the regions adjoining
Flanders, whom we commonly call Picards. But, notwithstanding
this, the police, rushing upon these men who they saw were
unarmed and innocent, killed some, wounded others, and handled
others mercilessly, battering them with the blows they inflicted
on them. But some of them escaping by flight lay hid in dens and
caverns. And among the wounded it was found that there were two
clerks, rich and of great influence, who died, one of them being
by race a man of Flanders, and the other of the Norman Nation.

But when the enormity of this transgression reached the ears of
the Masters of the University they came together in the presence
of the Queen and Legate, having first suspended entirely all
lectures and debates, and strenuously demanded that justice be
shown them for such a wrong. For it seemed to them disgraceful
that so light an occasion as the transgression of certain
contemptible little clerks should be taken to c