and alarm prevailed. Some of
Richard's advisers recommended that the most decisive measures should
be adopted at once. The king had in the Tower with him a considerable
body of armed men. There were also in other parts of London and
vicinity many more, amounting in all to about four thousand. It was
recommended by some of the king's counselors that these men should all
be ordered to attack the insurgents the next morning, and kill them
without mercy. It is true that there were between fifty and one
hundred thousand of the insurgents; but they had no arms, and no
organization, and it was not to be expected, therefore, that they
could stand a moment, numerous as they were, against the king's
regular troops. They would be slaughtered, it was said, like sheep,
and the insurrection would be at once put down.

Others thought that this would be a very hazardous mode of proceeding,
and very uncertain as to its results.

"It is much better," said they, "that your majesty should appease
them, if possible, by fair words, and by a show of granting what they
ask; for if we once attempt to put them down by force, and should not
be able to go through with it, we shall only make matters a great deal
worse. The commonalty of London and of all England would then join
them, and the nobles and the government will be swept away entirely
from the land."

These counsels prevailed. It was decided not to attack the rioters
immediately, but to wait a little, and see what turn things would
take.

The next morning, as soon as the insurgents were in motion in the
great square, they began to be very turbulent and noisy, and to
threaten that they would attack the Tower itself if the king did not
open the gates to them. It was finally determined to yield in part to
their requests.

There was a certain place in the suburbs of London known by the name
of Mile-End--so called, perhaps, because it was at the end of a mile
from some place or other. At this place was an extended meadow, to
which the people of London were accustomed to resort on gala days for
parades and public amusements. The king sent out a messenger from the
Tower to the leaders of the insurgents with directions to say to them
that if they would all go to Mile-End, he would come out and meet them
there.

They took him at his word, and the whole immense mass began to set
itself in motion toward Mile-End.

They did not all go there, however. Those who really desired to have
an int