The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-07-31

sp1scd the insurgents ana auvocateu
energetic measures. They secured the
cooperation of Sir Robert Knolles,
whose military experience and fame
made him valuable ally. They then
proceeded to reason over the leading
members of the kings council.
But first they learned all they could
about the actual strength and the feel
ings of the rebels. This was more
easily done now. Among the insurg-
ents were, as we have before said,
good many gentlemen who, like Sir
John Newton. had been forced to join
them. OF the alternatives, joining or
fighting for their lives, they had pre-
ferred the former.
After the king had agreed to abolish
bondage, and the propose of the rising
was thus gained, these unwilling coad-
tutors we're free to return to their class,
and they sought amends for their deg
radiation, and at the same time recov-
cry of favor, by urging that the insurg-
ents should now be attacked, and rep
resenting how easy it would be to put
them to rout.
Sir Richard Rainham was peculiarly
eager to be revenged for the indignities
he had suffered, and had special reason
to fear that it might be difficult to
make his peace at court. It CALLED him
to remember that the kna YES had asked
him to join, because by birth he was
one Of themselves; and the recollection
that to save his life he had helped to
order them on the march, awoke other
feelings than wounded pride. When,
therefore, HE old captain, Sir Robert
Knolles, to whom he had obsequiously
attached himself, questioned him about
the strength of she rebels, he spoke OF
their array with the utmost contempt.
They had no store of victuals; the more
provident of them had brought small
bags of coarse meal on their backs, from
which they had to feed the less rrovid-
ent as we'll as themselves. Half of
them did not know what they had risen
for, and would be only too glad to be
safely back il. their homes again. To
lie within walls in fear of such herd
as if they were regular army was
ridiculous. A handful of men alarms
would ride through them like flock of
sheep.
Now it had been the policy of Sails
bury and others about the king to give
the rebels what they asked, and when
the simple churls had dispersed to their
homes to revoke their charters andstake
ample revenge for their presumption.
But when these representa- ions were
pressed by Knolles and the aldermen,
the kings counsellors began to think
that they had been too timid, and to be
asham of, and angry at, their former
caution.
Already on Friday afternoon the
gathering that had SO frightened them
began to melt away. The peasants
were filing away, district by district, az
fast as their charters we're ready By
Friday night nearly all the men of
Essex were gone, marching off with
their documents in peaceful triumph.
There still remained bivouacked around
Smithfield, under Tyler's command, =
force computed at thirty thousand men.
On this point the leaders of the COM
mons were firm-none would go with
out their charters; they would stay till
they saw their charters executed, and
had them delivered for a triumphant
march back to their homes, no longer
bondmen, freemen in the eye of the
law.
But the industry of the clerks had
greatly reduced the numbers thus in
waiting. The good and true men at
the disposal of the government could
easily deal with all that remained.
Why, then, delay vengeance? Why
not throw off the mask at once and I'M
deceive the presump tuoua rascals while
their foolish conceit was still hot with
in them? The leaders were there; let
a signal example be made of them
without delay.
This was mooted to the king. He
Indignantly refused his consent. The
boys unsophisticated sense OF honor
was outraged. He bad passed his royal
word. The word of Plantagenet was
sacred. In vain they argued that the
promise had been extortsd from him,
and thus was not binding on his con.
science; he would keep it nevertheless.
Richards sense of honor, unhappily,
became blunter in his more mature
years; how could it have remained I'M
corrupted in such an atmospheric
This, his first great experience of
affairs, was memorable lesson in
treachery-afterwa one is glad to
know, put in practice at the cost of
somS of his tutors.
The more experienced statesmen,
men of the medieval world, chafed at
the boys scrupulosity, and tried
another tack IL be would not hraak