by the Cade insurgents who had plundered his house. The Archbishop with the Duke of Buckingham went direct to the camp of the rebels, and found the Captain' arrayed in the splendid armour of their kinsman, his brigandine set with gilt nails, his sabot and spurs." We are told that the Archbishop and Duke found that they had to do with a man of no ordinary powers.' The chief would confer with

the King alone."

6

When the rebels entered London they were at first well received. Cade, as Lord Mortimer, was handsomely entertained. In a few days all was changed. Cade robbed his entertainers, and his followers "got among the cellars of London." The Londoners resisted, a battle was fought, and the rebel army was dispersed.

Although the citizens successfully crushed the rebellion of Jack Cade, there was general discontent; and when the Duke of York developed his pretensions as a competitor for the throne his interests were warmly espoused in the City. It is noticeable, however, that during the contest the Duke compromised his claim with Henry by agreeing to allow the latter possession of the throne for life. The war, however, was soon resumed. Although the Duke was killed, his son immediately hastened to London, where he had power and influence enough to proclaim himself King as Edward IV.

EDWARD IV.

1460 TO 1483.

THE chiefs of the Yorkist faction had proceeded very warily in ascertaining public feeling, and lost no opportunity of bidding for popular favour by professing their cause to be identical with that of a suffering people.

Decided support from the City of London may be said to have more than once conferred the crown, for when "in the strange vicissitudes of the time, Edward was compelled rather to seek refuge in the City as an exile than as a leader of a formidable party, the zeal of the citizens again elevated him to the situation of a conqueror."

The Lancastrians assailed the City in vain. The Londoners were twice subjected to furious assaults, once by Lord Scales, and again by the bastard Falconbridge, who with 17,000 men stormed the City in two places, but was repulsed by the citizens with little extraneous aid.

Twelve Aldermen were, on this occasion, knighted in the field, viz., Sir John Stockton, Mayor; Ralph Verney,* John Young, William Tayleur, Richard Lee, Matthew Phillips, George Ireland, William Stoker, William Hampton, Thomas Stutt

* Ancestor of several Peers.

broke, John Crosby, and Bartholomew James, also Thomas Urswick, Recorder.

It should be added that Alderman Robert Basset, commanding officer at Aldgate, greatly distinguished himself, as did Alderman Sir Ralph Jocelyn, the late Mayor.*

It would be agreeable to add that Edward evinced due gratitude to those who had rendered him such essential service. But although he granted several beneficial charters, and is said to have lived in "convenient familiarity" with the citizens, his seduction of the wife of Shore, and his barbarous treatment of Alderman Sir Thomas Coke, K.B., afford, among others, two signal instances of his want of principle.

Alderman Cooke, alias Coke, and Alderman Fielding, were, in the early part of Edward's reign, treated with marks of special confidence, and on the fifteenth of May, 1465, Alderman Coke was made a Knight of the Bath. We are further told of him that during his mayoralties, on a call of new Serjeants-at-Law, a great entertainment was given by them at Ely House, in Holborn, to which the Mayor and principal citizens were invited, who, on arrival, found that Baron Ruthven, the Lord High Treasurer, had assumed the most honourable seat

* Ancestor of Earl Roden.

Ancestor of Lord Bacon, and of the present Marquis of Salisbury and Viscount Cranbourne.

at table, in derogation of the dignity of the Lord Mayor; whereupon the citizens withdrew, and on their return to the City, were entertained by the Mayor "in an elegant manner."

In 1465, this same Sir Thomas Coke, being a man of mark and of large possessions, was impeached of high treason, but admitted to bail, No sooner, however, had the King's sister, Margaret, the friend of Coke, left England (on her marriage with Charles of Burgundy) than he was again arrested and sent to the Tower, his effects seized, and his wife committed to the custody of the then Mayor. Sir Thomas was shortly afterwards tried at Guildhall and acquitted. But on his acquittal he was sent to the Bread Street Compter, and from thence to the King's Bench, and there kept until he paid eight thousand pounds to the King, and eight hundred pounds to the Queen.

His wife, on regaining possession of his house after acquittal, "found it in very evil plight, for the servants of Sir John Fagge and Lord Rivers had made havoc of what they listed. Also, at his destroyed the

place at Gidea Hall, Essex, they had

deer in his park, his conies, and fish, and spared not brass, pewter, bedding, nor all they could carry away; for which never a penny was gotten back in recompense."

It appears also that Lord Rivers and the Duchess of Bedford, his wife, obtained the dismissal of

Chief Justice Markham from his office for having determined that Coke was not guilty of treason.*

Alderman Sir John Plummer, Alderman Hayward, and others, were also charged with treason and acquitted, but had their goods seized by the King and were fined 4000 marks.

On the temporary restoration of Henry VI., Alderman Coke had his estates restored, and was appointed locum tenens to the Lord Mayor (Stockton), who shammed illness; but on power being regained by Edward, Coke was captured after attempting flight. As we are told that Edward saw the policy of pardoning all who had been his opposers, it is to be hoped that Sir Thomas escaped further molestation.

"A very ridiculous fashion now prevailed in London of wearing shoes with toes turned up of a monstrous length. For preventing this, proclamation was made in the City, strictly enjoining, that, for the future, the beaks or toes of boots and shoes should not exceed two inches in length, upon pains of excommunication, (a punishment in terrorem then much in fashion), and forfeiture of twenty shillings for each offence; to be divided between the King, Chamber of London, and Company of Cordwainers.

"In the year 1468, divers of the London jury were tried and convicted before the Lord Mayor of perjury, for having taken bribes to favour a certain person

*Was he the Thomas Cook, draper, through whom Cade gave orders to the citizens ?