The Labor enquirer., 1883-12-29
The Murder Of a Labor Leader
Half a Thousand Years
Ago.
A Tile With . Lesson and Moral
Which are Applicable
To-day.
How the King, as is Usual With
Kings, Lied toa Believing
People.

boy eleven years of age, succeeded to the
crown Of England under the title Of
Z King Richard the Second
The war with France still being un.
settled. the government of England
wanted money to provide for the e1pen-
ses that might arise out of it. Accord.
ingly, certain tax, called the poll tax,
which had originated in the last reign,
was ordered to be levied on the people.
This was tax on every person in the
kingdom, male and female, above the age
of fourteen, of three goats Tor three four
penny-pieees) year; clergymen were
charged more, and only beggars were
exempt.
] have no need to repeat that the COM
mon people of England had long been
suffering under great oppression. They
were still the mere slaves of the lords of
the land on which they lived, and were
on most occasions harshly and unjustly
treated. But, they had begun by this
time to think very seriously of not bear
ing quite SO much; and, probably, were
emboldened by that French insurrection
Z of the Jacqueric.
The people of Essex rose against the
poll tax, and, being severely handled by
the government officers, killed some of
them. At this very time one of the tax
collectors, going his rounds from house
to house, at hartford in Kent came to
the cottage of one Wat, tiler by trade,
and claimed the tax upon his daughter.
Her mother, who was at home declared
that she was under the age of fourteen;
upon that, the collector (as other collect
ors had already done in different parts
of England) behaved in a savage way,
and brutally insulted Wat Tyler's daugh-
ter. The daughter screamed, the mother
screamed. Wat the Tiler, who was at
work not far off, ran to the spot, and
did what any honest father under such
provocation might have done-struck the
collector dead at blow.
Instantly the people of that town up
rose as one man. They made Wat their
leader; they joined with the people of
Essex, who were in arms under priest
called Jack Straw; they took out of prison
another priest named John Ball; and,
gathering IN numbers as they went along,
advanced in great confused army of
poor men, to Blackheath, 1t is said that
they wanted to abolish all property, and
to declare all men equal. lido not think
this very likely; because they stopped
the travellers on the roads, and made
them swear to BIZ true to King Richard
and the people. Nor were they at all
disposed to injure them who had done
them no harm, merely because they were
of high station; for, the kings mother,
who had to pass through their camp at
Blackheath, on her way to her young son
lying for safety in the Tower of London,
had merely to kiss few dirty-faced
rough bearded men who were noisily
fond of royalty, and so got away in per
feet safety. Next day the whole mass
marched on to London Bridge. \
There was drawbridge in the middle,
which William Walworth, the mayor,
caused to be raised to prevent their COM
ing into the city; but they soon terrified
the citizens into lowering it again, and
spread themselves, with great uproar,
over the streets. They broke open the
prisons; they burned the papers in Lam
beth Palace; they DESTROYED the Duke of
Lancaster's Palace, the Savoy, in the
Strand, said to be the most beautiful and
splendid in England they set fire to the
books and documents in the temple; and
made. a great riot Many of these out
rages we're committed in drunkenness;
since those citizens who had well-filled
cellars were only too glad to throw them
open, to save the rest of their property;
but even the drunken rioters were very
careful to steal nothing. They were so
angry with one man who was seen to
take silver cup at the Savoy Palace, and
put it in his breast, that they drowned
him it the river, cup and all. ,
The young king had been taken ont to
treat with them before they committed
these excesses; but, he and the people
about him were so frightened by the
.riotous shouts, that they got back to the
tower in the best way they could. This
made the insurgents boldeI; so they went
on noting away, striking off the heads of
those who did not, at moments notice,
declare for King Richard and the people;
and killing as many of the unpopular
persons whom they supposed to be their
enemies as they could by any means lay
hold of. In this manner they passed one
very violent day, and then proclamation
was made that the king would meet them
at Mile-end, and rant their requests.
The riotere went to Mile-end, to the
number of sixty thousand, and the king
met them there, and to the king the
rioters peaceably proposed four condi-
tions. First, that neither they, nor their
children, nor any coming after them,