en-at-arms ready to do his bidding that none in
the town was safe from him if he deemed it more for his pleasure and
profit to rob or maim, or torment or slay, than to suffer them to live
peaceably. "But with us chapmen," said Clement, "he will not meddle,
lest there be an end of chaffer in the town; and verily the market is
good."

Thus they rode through the streets into the market place, which was
wide and great, and the best houses of the town were therein, and so
came to the hostel of the Merchants, called the Fleece, which was a big
house, and goodly enough.

The next morning Clement and the other chapmen went up into the Castle,
bearing with them gifts out of their wares for the lord, and Clement
bade Ralph keep close till he came back, and especially to keep his
war-caught thrall, Bull Shockhead, safe at home, lest he be taken from
him, and to clothe him in the guise of the chapman lads, and to dock
his hair; and even so Ralph did, though Bull were loath thereto.

About noon the chapmen came back again well pleased; and Clement gave
Ralph a parchment from the lord, which bade all men help and let pass
Ralph of Upmeads, as a sergeant of the chapmen's guard, and said withal
that now he was free to go about the town if he listed, so that he were
back at the hostel of the Fleece by nightfall.

So Ralph went in company with some of the sergeants and others, and
looked at this and that about the town without hindrance, save that the
guard would not suffer them to pass further than the bailey of the
Castle. And for the said bailey, forsooth, they had but little
stomach; for they saw thence, on the slopes of the Castle-hill, tokens
of the cruel justice of the said lord; for there were men and women
there, yea, and babes also, hanging on gibbets and thrust through with
sharp pales, and when they asked of folk why these had suffered, they
but looked at them as if astonished, and passed on without a word.

So they went thence, and found the master-church, and deemed it not
much fairer than it was great; and it was nowise great, albeit it was
strange and uncouth of fashion.

Then they came to great gardens within the town, and they were
exceeding goodly, and had trees and flowers and fruits in them which
Ralph had not seen hitherto, as lemons, and oranges, and pomegranates;
and the waters were running through them in runnels of ashlar; and the
weather was fair and hot; so they rested in those gardens till it was
eve