n their coming they caused every
man to rise with them, so that they left no villains behind them. The
cause why they rested before Norwich I shall shew you. There was a
knight, captain of the town, called sir Robert Sale. He was no
gentleman born, but he had the grace to be reputed sage and valiant in
arms, and for his valiantness king Edward made him knight. He was of
his body one of the biggest knights in all England. Lister and his
company thought to have had this knight with them and to make him
their chief captain, to the intent to be the more feared and beloved:
so they sent to him that he should come and speak with them in the
field, or else they would bren the town. The knight considered that it
was better for him to go and speak with them rather than they should
do that outrage to the town: then he mounted on his horse and issued
out of the town all alone, and so came to speak with them. And when
they saw him, they made him great cheer and honoured him much,
desiring him to alight off his horse and to speak with them, and so he
did: wherein he did great folly; for when he was alighted, they came
round about him and began to speak fair to him and said: 'Sir Robert,
ye are a knight and a man greatly beloved in this country and renowned
a valiant man; and though ye be thus, yet we know you well, ye be no
gentleman born, but son to a villain such as we be. Therefore come you
with us and be our master, and we shall make you so great a lord, that
one quarter of England shall be under your obeisance,' When the knight
heard them speak thus, it was greatly contrarious to his mind, for he
thought never to make any such bargain, and answered them with a
felonous regard: 'Fly away, ye ungracious people, false and evil
traitors that ye be: would you that I should forsake my natural lord
for such a company of knaves as ye be, to my dishonour for ever? I had
rather ye were all hanged, as ye shall be; for that shall be your
end.' And with those words he had thought to have leapt again upon his
horse, but he failed of the stirrup and the horse started away. Then
they cried all at him and said: 'Slay him without mercy.' When he
heard those words, he let his horse go and drew out a good sword and
began to scrimmish with them, and made a great place about him, that
it was pleasure to behold him. There was none that durst approach near
him: there were some that approached near him, but at every stroke
that he gave he cut off other