Black Prince's son, and was associated in the popular
mind with the King's mistress, Alice Ferrers, as taking every sort of
mean and wicked advantage of the old man's dotage. Added to this the
Londoners were on the side of their Bishop (Courtenay) in defence,
as they held, of the rights of the City. So on the day of Wyclif's
appearance the cathedral and streets surrounding it were crowded, to
such an extent indeed that Wyclif had much trouble in getting through,
and when Gaunt was seen, accompanied by his large body of retainers, a
wild tumult ensued; the mob attacked Gaunt's noble mansion, the Savoy
Palace, and had not Courtenay intervened, would have burnt it down.
The Black Prince's widow was at her palace at Kennington, with her
son, the future Richard II., and her great influence was able to
pacify the rioters.

Soon came an overwhelming change. The succession of the Black Prince's
son was secured, and then public opinion was directed to the other
question, Wyclif's denunciation of the Papal abuses. Relieved from
Gaunt's partisanship, he sprang at once into unbounded popularity. His
learning, his piety of life, were fully recognised, and the Londoners
were now on his side. He had preached at the very beginning of the
new reign that a great amount of treasure, in the hands of the Pope's
agent, ought not to pass out of England. Archbishop Sudbury summoned
him not to St. Paul's, but to Lambeth. But the favour with which he
was now regarded was so manifest that he was allowed to depart from
the assembly a free man, only with an injunction to keep silence "lest
he should mislead the ignorant." He went back to Lutterworth, where he
occupied himself in preaching and translating the Bible. He died in
1384. A wonderful impetus was, however, given to the spread of his
opinions by the schism in the Papacy which was filling Europe with
horrified amazement.

From that time till the accession of the Tudors, two subjects are
prominent in English history: the spread of Lollardism, _i.e._, the
Wycliffite doctrines, and the Wars of the Roses. Both topics have some
place in the history of Old St. Paul's.

Richard II. on his accession came in great pomp hither, and never
again alive. But his body was shown in the cathedral by his victorious
successor, Henry IV., who had a few days before buried his father,
John of Gaunt, there, who died at Ely House, Holborn, February 3rd,
1399, and whose tomb was one of the finest in the cathedral