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12
REIGN OF HENRY THE EIGHTH.
[ch. 14.
with a fair excuse. Constable sent out orders,[1] imperiously commanding every one to remain quiet. The Duke of Norfolk, he said, was coming only with his private retinue to listen to the complaints of the people. The King was to follow at Whitsuntide, to hold a Parliament in the midst of them. Their present folly was compromising their cause, and would undo their victory. To the King both he and Aske made the most of their exertions to preserve order, and received from him his thanks and acknowledgments.[2] Yet their position was full of danger; and to move either against the rising or in favour of it might equally injure them; they ruined
- ↑ 'The King's Highness hath declared by his own mouth unto Robert Aske, that he intendeth we shall have our Parliament at York frankly and freely for the ordering and reformation of all causes for the commonwealth of this realm, and also his frank and free Convocation for the good stay and ordering of the faith and other spiritual causes, which he supposes shall come down under his great seal by my Lord of Norfolk, who comes down shortly with a mean company after a quiet manner to the great quietness and comfort of all good men. Wherefore, good and loving neighbours, let us stay ourselves and by no means follow the wilfulness of such as are disposed to spoil and to undo themselves and you both, but to resist them in all that ye may, to the best of your power; and so will I do for my part, and so know I well that all good men will do; and if it had not been for my disease which hath taken me so sore that I may neither go nor ride, I would have come and have shewed you this myself for the good stay and quietness of you all, and for the commonwealth of all the country. The Parliament and the Convocation is appointed to be at York at Whitsuntide, and the coronation of the Queen's Highness about the same time.'Written in Spaldingmore this 16th day of January.::'Robert Constable,:::'of Flamborough.'—Letter of Sir R. Constable to the Commons of the North on Bigod's Insurrection: Rolls House MS. first series, 276.
- ↑ For this matter see Rolls House MS. first series, 276, 416, 1144, and State Papers, vol. i. p. 529.
