These requests were complied with, and this body immediately dispersed.

During this transaction another body of the rebels had broken into the tower, had murdered Simon Sudbury, the primate and chancellor, with sir Robert Hales the treasurer, and some other persons of distinction, when the king passing along Smithfield very slenderly guarded, met with Wat Tyler at the head of these rioters, and entered into a conference with him. This bold man there behaved in such a manner, that Walworth, the mayor of London, not able to bear his insolence, brought him to the ground with a blow of his mace, and he was instantly dispatched by others of the king's attendants. The mutineers seeing their leader fall, prepared themselves for revenge, when the king, by an extraordinary presence of mind in a youth of sixteen years of age, ordered his company to stop, advanced alone towards the enraged multitude, and accosting them with an affable and intrepid countenance, he asked them; "What is the meaning of all this disorder, my good people? Are ye angry that you have lost your leader? I am your king, I will be your leader." The populace overawed by his presence, implicitly followed him; he led them into the fields and peaceably dismissed them with the same charters, which had been granted to their fellows. Soon after, Richard taking the field at the head of forty thousand men, compelled the rebels to submit. The charters of enfranchisement and pardon were revoked by parliament, and several of the ringleaders were severely punished. courage, prudence, and dexterity which the king had discovered in this critical situation, raised great expectations in the nation; but they unfortunately vanished in proportion as Richard advanced in years.

The

Ann. 1385, 1386.

Death of the famous heretic John Wickliffe, a secular priest, educated at Oxford, who began in the latter end of Edward III. to spread the doctrine of reformation. His opinions were nearly the same with those which were propagated by the reformers in the sixteenth century. He denied the doctrine of the real presence, the supremacy of the church of Rome, the merit of monastic vows; he maintained that the scriptures were the sole rule of faith; that the church was dependent on the state, and should be reformed by it; that the clergy ought to possess no estates; that the begging friars were a nuisance, and ought not to be supported, that the numerous ceremonies of the church were hurtful to true piety, that oaths were unlawful, that every thing was subject to fate and destiny, and that all men were pre-ordained either to eternal salvation or reprobation.

Robert Stuart, nephew to David Bruce, now filled the throne of Scotland, and had obtained from the regency of Charles VI. the present king of France, one thousand five hundred men at arms, to support the Scots in their incursions against the English. The king's uncles, apprehensive of the consequences, marched into Scotland with an army of sixty thousand men, and Richard himself at their head. The Scots did not pretend to make resistance against so great a force; but when Richard entered Scotland by the east coast, the Scots, to the number of thirty thousand men, attended by the French, entered the borders of England by the west, and carried their ravages through Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire. Richard destroying in his way all the towns and villages, advanced towards Edinburgh, reduced it to ashes, as

well as Perth, Dundee, and other places in the low countries; but when he was advised to march towards the west coast to await the enemy, his impatience to return to England, and enjoy his usual amusements, outweighed every consideration, and he led back his army. Robert de Vere earl of Oxford, a young man of a noble family, of an agreeable figure, but of dissolute manners, had acquired an entire ascendant over him, and governed him with an absolute authority. The king first created this favourite, marquis of Dublin, a title before unknown in England, then duke of Ireland, and transferred to him by patent, which was confirmed in parliament, the entire sovereignty for life of that island. He gave him in marriage his cousin-german, the daughter of Ingelram de Courcy, earl of Bedford; but soon after, he permitted him to repudiate that lady, and to marry a Bohemian, with whom he had become enamoured. All favours passed through his hands; access to the king could only be obtained by his mediation; and Richard, unmindful how dearly his great-grandfather Edward II. had paid for his fatal fondness for minions, seemed to value royal authority, so far only as it enabled him to load with favours, titles, and dignities this object of his affections.

The usual complaints against the insolence of minions were loudly echoed and greedily received in every part of the kingdom. The principal nobility, and even the princes of the blood united against the favourite, and resolved on his destruction. At the head of this association were the earls of Nottingham, of Arundel, of Northumberland, of Salisbury, and of Warwick. Their first attack was directed against the chancellor, Michael de la Pole, who was esteemed the person of greatest experience and capacity among those who were attached to the duke of Ireland and to the king's

secret council. An impeachment against him was carried up by the house of commons to the house of peers. The king, foreseeing the tempest preparing against him and his ministers, withdrew from parliament, and retired with his court to Eltham, The parliament sent a deputation inviting him to return, and threatening that if he persisted in absenting himself, they would immediately dissolve without granting any supply. At the same time, a member was encouraged to call for the record, containing the parliamentary deposition of Edward II. a plain intimation of the fate which Richard, if he continued refractory, had to expect. The king, unable to resist, consented to return to the parlia ment, on condition, that except concluding the present impeachment, no attack should be made upon any other of his ministers. The chancellor was condemned and deprived of his office, although nothing material was allédged against him.

The confederates observed their stipulation with the king, and attacked no more of his ministers, but they immediately attacked himself and his royal dignity. A commission, which was ratified by parliament, appointed a council of fourteen persons, all of the duke of Gloucester's faction, except Nevil, archbishop of York. The sovereign power was transferred to these men for a twelve month; the king, who had now reached the twenty-first year of his age, was in reality dethroned, and the aristocracy was rendered supreme. The king was obliged to submit, and contented himself with entering publicly a vague protest, which did not pre, yent the commissioners from proceeding in the exer, cise of their authority.

Ann. 1387, 1388,

As the house of commons appeared now of

1

weight in the constitution, Richard secretly tried some expedients for procuring a favourable election; he sounded some of the sheriffs, who, being at that time, both the returning officers and magistrates of great power in the counties, had naturally considerable influence in elections, but he found the great majority of them averse to his enterprises. The sentiments and inclinations of the judges were more favourable to him. They declared, that the late commission was derogatory to the royalty and prerogative of the king; that those who had procured it, or advised the king to consent to it, were punishable with death, and that those were equally criminals who should persevere in maintaining it.

The duke of Gloucester and his adherents soon got intelligence of this secret consultation, and as soon as the king came to London, they assembled their forces, and appeared in arms at Haringay park near Highgate, with a power that Richard was not able to resist. They sent him a message, and demanded that the persons who had seduced him by their pernicious counsel, and were traitors both to him and to the kingdom, should be delivered up to them, and they accused by name the archbishop of York, the duke of Ireland, the late chancellor, sir Robert Tresilian, and sir Nicholas Brembre: all of them had withdrawn. The duke of Ireland fled to Cheshire, and levied some forces, with which he advanced, but was encountered by Gloucester, who routed him, dispersed his followers, and obliged him to fly into the Low Countries, where he died a few years after. The confederate lords appeared at London with an army of forty thousand men, and having obliged the king to summon a parliament, an accusation was drawn up against the five persons they had already accused. Sir Nicholas Brembre and sir Robert Tresilian, who had been discovered, were quickly found guilty and executed.