peaceable times: he might have added, and by such virtuous
princes as Bedford and Glocester. But it is to be presumed
that Mortimer was guilty; though his condemnation was highly
irregular and illegal. The people had at this time a very
feeble sense of law and a constitution; and power was very
imperfectly restrained by these limits. When the proceedings
of a parliament were so irregular it is easy to imagine that
those of a king would be more so.

** Hall, fol. 159. Holing. p, 634.

Though elated by his victory, he still maintained the appearance of
moderation; and sending to the court a plausible list of grievances,[*]
he promised that, when these should be redressed, and when Lord Say,
the treasurer, and Cromer, sheriff of Kent, should be punished for their
malversations, he would immediately lay down his arms. The council, who
observed that nobody was willing to fight against men so reasonable in
their pretensions, carried the king, for present safety, to Kenilworth;
and the city immediately opened its gates to Cade, who maintained,
during some time, great order and discipline among his followers. He
always led them into the fields during the night-time; and published
severe edicts against plunder and violence of every kind: but being
obliged, in order to gratify their malevolence against Say and Cromer,
to put these men to death without a legal trial,[**] he found that,
after the commission of this crime, he was no longer master of their
riotous disposition, and that all his orders were neglected.[***] They
broke into a rich house, which they plundered; and the citizens, alarmed
at this act of violence, shut their gates against them; and being
seconded by a detachment of soldiers, sent them by Lord Scales, governor
of the Tower, they repulsed the rebels with great slaughter.[****] The
Kentish men were so discouraged by the blow, that upon receiving a
general pardon from the primate, then chancellor, they retreated towards
Rochester, and there dispersed. The pardon was soon after annulled, as
extorted by violence: a price was set on Cade's head,[*****] who was
killed by one Iden, a gentleman of Sussex; and many of his followers
were capitally punished for their rebellion.

It was imagined by the court, that the duke of York had secretly
instigated Cade to this attempt, in order to try, by that experiment,
the dispositions of the people towards his title and family:[*]