New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-09

Poitiers: "He lay in fierce humor on MS oea'n-
he'd refusing all pretence OF forgiveness 10 HIS
ororoies Of the Lancastran faction. Wheh Oh
the last day the doors Of the chamber were Iei'
omen for all to enter and see him dying Hr
Richard Stury, It was said. came 10 man .''
peace But the sight Of him only rouseu IL
Prince a sense OF the injustice OF the f"-'''
Come, Richard he said. come and 100" o''
what you have long desired to see COO pay
you according to your deserts, he repileo /" ''e
mans protestatlons; leave me, and let me see
your face no more A few hours later he made
q more Christian ending AS there was no room
or the mound where his ancestors were bured
in Westminster Abbey for any other toIno save
that OF his father his body was carried 70 Cdh-
terbury as he had himself requested. Ihere IL
lies as i were in sullen exile ana mute pro-
tcstation against the degeneracy OF MS hou9e'
far from the father whose folly ne had 'ai'l'S
tried To correct and the son whose doom he
might foresec but could not avert Inc "o'''
that no antcipated did not occur. When Ed
ward III died. John of Gaunt wisely relrane'
from any attempt to divert the succession He
had no respect for the deathbed fears OF Tue
Black Prince. but he knew that he was himself
cordially detested and he Joined warmly in the
proceedings that seated Richard II on the
throne. That untried Prince promised to make
a good king His conduct on the occasion OF
the Peasants Rising in 1881 was at the outset
perfect and yielded indeed, one picturesque IN
cident which shines valiantly in his generally
dubious career With his attendants ne rode
from the Tower to Smthfed and there par
leyed with the rebels. Walworth. who rode at
his side. was incensed by the insolence OF wat
Tyler struck the man down, and others IN the
Kings party Immediately stabbed the daring
leader to death. For moment the NE OF lne
royal peacemaker hung in the balance but ne
did not lose his head. with the GOODNESS OF an
/ Old general qucng a mutiny. he rode alone
across the square. leaving his followers huddled
together round Ty;er's body. i am your leader
he said to the rebels The sight OF the Deautiiu
child, whose good intentions toward them lhey
had not yet learned to distrust riding up to
| them with quiet confidence at once disarmed
the mob which had neither leader nor plan"
II Richard had then and there permanently
dedicated himself to the cause which he nom
inally took under his protection the whole face
of fourteenth century history in England might
have been changed. But the good will that he
showed to the peasants. the pardOns he issued
to them. the reforms he granted. were only 50
many counters that ne played in the game on
the success of which he and his cOunseors re-
of London. once he had gained his ends the
mask Of kiney mercy and friendship dropped
from his face The acts of mercy were rescind-
ed and he soon equalled. if he did not surpass,
John of Gaunt in selfshness and turpitude. In
political acumen and administrative ability he
was far inferior to the unprincipled old Duke.
The ensuing decades were to see only an ag
gravaton Of evils The military and naval re-
had 70
worse Reveises on the Continent and damag-
ing blows TO English commerce followed one
another constantly. At home the King and his
party substituted for the pecuIatng ministers
and courtiers of Edward III and the Duke Of
Lancaster other officials seldom any better. The
battle between Church and State went on
apace the mobiles and laymen generally strug-
Cling To deprive the ecclesiastics of their vast
possessions and revenues and the latter in
triguing against their opponents with all their
ancient skill and yigor. Between the upper and
the neither millstones the people were crushed
in the good old fashion. Serfage was rampant
as The peasants held their land under
back breaking conditions. Tied to the soil and
the lord of the manor by iniquitOus statutes,
they were obliged not only to pay many feudal
dues but had to give their master a certain
number Of days out of the year. working his
land for him under the orders OF his bailiff. NJ.
Trevelyan observes that for many centuries
this system served England we'll Even in the
fourteenth century. when the Black Death car
ried off an immense number and the scarcity Of
laborers enabled the survivors to make higher
terms with the overload there were not always
sound economic reasons for rebellion. The peas
ants were i'm many cases well off. But the bur
den of personal dependence was becoming too
grievOus to be borne. The Government with its
taxation. the mobiles with their incesslnt innic-
ton Of petty abuses drove the peasants to dis
Gfrpu1tapaouci,,