A Dream of John Ball; and, A King's Lesson Read online

  CHAPTER VI

  THE BATTLE AT THE TOWNSHIP'S END

  Our men had got into their places leisurely and coolly enough, and withno lack of jesting and laughter. As we went along the hedge by theroad, the leaders tore off leafy twigs from the low oak bushes therein,and set them for a rallying sign in their hats and headpieces, and twoor three of them had horns for blowing.

  Will Green, when he got into his place, which was thirty yards fromwhere Jack Straw and the billmen stood in the corner of the two hedges,the road hedge and the hedge between the close and field, looked toright and left of him a moment, then turned to the man on the left andsaid:

  "Look you, mate, when you hear our horns blow ask no more questions,but shoot straight and strong at whatso cometh towards us, till ye hearmore tidings from Jack Straw or from me. Pass that word onward."

  Then he looked at me and said:

  "Now, lad from Essex, thou hadst best sit down out of the way at once:forsooth I wot not why I brought thee hither. Wilt thou not back tothe cross, for thou art little of a fighting-man?"

  "Nay," said I, "I would see the play. What shall come of it?"

  "Little," said he; "we shall slay a horse or twain maybe. I will tellthee, since thou hast not seen a fight belike, as I have seen some,that these men-at-arms cannot run fast either to the play or from it,if they be a-foot; and if they come on a-horseback, what shall hinderme to put a shaft into the poor beast? But down with thee on thedaisies, for some shot there will be first."

  As he spoke he was pulling off his belts and other gear, and his coat,which done, he laid his quiver on the ground, girt him again, did hisaxe and buckler on to his girdle, and hung up his other attire on thenearest tree behind us. Then he opened his quiver and took out of itsome two dozen of arrows, which he stuck in the ground beside him readyto his hand. Most of the bowmen within sight were doing the like.

  As I glanced toward the houses I saw three or four bright figuresmoving through the orchards, and presently noted that they were women,all clad more or less like the girl in the Rose, except that two ofthem wore white coifs on their heads. Their errand there was clear,for each carried a bundle of arrows under her arm.

  One of them came straight up to Will Green, and I could see at oncethat she was his daughter. She was tall and strongly made, with blackhair like her father, somewhat comely, though no great beauty; but asthey met, her eyes smiled even more than her mouth, and made her facelook very sweet and kind, and the smile was answered back in a way soquaintly like to her father's face, that I too smiled for goodwill andpleasure.

  "Well, well, lass," said he, "dost thou think that here is Crecy fieldtoward, that ye bring all this artillery? Turn back, my girl, and setthe pot on the fire; for that shall we need when we come home, I andthis ballad-maker here."

  "Nay," she said, nodding kindly at me, "if this is to be no Crecy, thenmay I stop to see, as well as the ballad-maker, since he hath neithersword nor staff?"

  "Sweetling," he said, "get thee home in haste. This play is butlittle, yet mightest thou be hurt in it; and trust me the time maycome, sweetheart, when even thou and such as thou shalt hold a sword ora staff. Ere the moon throws a shadow we shall be back."

  She turned away lingering, not without tears on her face, laid thesheaf of arrows at the foot of the tree, and hastened off through theorchard. I was going to say something, when Will Green held up hishand as who would bid us hearken. The noise of the horse-hoofs, aftergrowing nearer and nearer, had ceased suddenly, and a confused murmurof voices had taken the place of it.

  "Get thee down, and take cover, old lad," said Will Green; "the dancewill soon begin, and ye shall hear the music presently."

  Sure enough as I slipped down by the hedge close to which I had beenstanding, I heard the harsh twang of the bow-strings, one, two, three,almost together, from the road, and even the whew of the shafts, thoughthat was drowned in a moment by a confused but loud and threateningshout from the other side, and again the bowstrings clanged, and thistime a far-off clash of arms followed, and therewithal that cry of astrong man that comes without his will, and is so different from hiswonted voice that one has a guess thereby of the change that death is.Then for a while was almost silence; nor did our horns blow up, thoughsome half-dozen of the billmen had leapt into the road when the bowsfirst shot. But presently came a great blare of trumpets and hornsfrom the other side, and therewith as it were a river of steel andbright coats poured into the field before us, and still their hornsblew as they spread out toward the left of our line; the cattle in thepasture-field, heretofore feeding quietly, seemed frightened silly bythe sudden noise, and ran about tail in air and lowing loudly; the oldbull with his head a little lowered, and his stubborn legs plantedfirmly, growling threateningly; while the geese about the brook waddledaway gobbling and squeaking; all which seemed so strange to us alongwith the threat of sudden death that rang out from the bright arrayover against us, that we laughed outright, the most of us, and WillGreen put down his head in mockery of the bull and grunted like him,whereat we laughed yet more. He turned round to me as he nocked hisarrow, and said:

  "I would they were just fifty paces nigher, and they move not. Ho!Jack Straw, shall we shoot?"

  For the latter-named was nigh us now; he shook his head and saidnothing as he stood looking at the enemy's line.

  "Fear not but they are the right folk, Jack," quoth Will Green.

  "Yea, yea," said he, "but abide awhile; they could make nought of thehighway, and two of their sergeants had a message from the grey-goosefeather. Abide, for they have not crossed the road to our right hand,and belike have not seen our fellows on the other side, who are now fora bushment to them."

  I looked hard at the man. He was a tall, wiry, and broad-shoulderedfellow, clad in a handsome armour of bright steel that certainly hadnot been made for a yeoman, but over it he had a common linensmock-frock or gabardine, like our field workmen wear now or used towear, and in his helmet he carried instead of a feather a wisp ofwheaten straw. He bore a heavy axe in his hand besides the sword hewas girt with, and round his neck hung a great horn for blowing. Ishould say that I knew that there were at least three "Jack Straws"among the fellowship of the discontented, one of whom was over in Essex.

  As we waited there, every bowman with his shaft nocked on the string,there was a movement in the line opposite, and presently came from it alittle knot of three men, the middle one on horseback, the other twoarmed with long-handled glaives; all three well muffled up in armour.As they came nearer I could see that the horseman had a tabard over hisarmour, gaily embroidered with a green tree on a gold ground, and inhis hand a trumpet.

  "They are come to summon us. Wilt thou that he speak, Jack?" said WillGreen.

  "Nay," said the other; "yet shall he have warning first. Shoot when myhorn blows!"

  And therewith he came up to the hedge, climbed over, slowly because ofhis armour, and stood some dozen yards out in the field. The man onhorseback put his trumpet to his mouth and blew a long blast, and thentook a scroll into his hand and made as if he were going to read; butJack Straw lifted up his voice and cried out:

  "Do it not, or thou art but dead! We will have no accursed lawyers andtheir sheep-skins here! Go back to those that sent thee----"

  But the man broke in in a loud harsh voice:

  "Ho! YE PEOPLE! what will ye gathering in arms?"

  Then cried Jack Straw:

  "Sir Fool, hold your peace till ye have heard me, or else we shoot atonce. Go back to those that sent thee, and tell them that we free menof Kent are on the way to London to speak with King Richard, and totell him that which he wots not; to wit, that there is a certain sortof fools and traitors to the realm who would put collars on our necksand make beasts of us, and that it is his right and his devoir to do ashe swore when he was crowned and anointed at Westminster on the Stoneof Doom, and gainsay these thieves and traitors; and if he be too weak,then shall we help him; and if he will not be king, then shall we h
aveone who will be, and that is the King's Son of Heaven. Now, therefore,if any withstand us on our lawful errand as we go to speak with our ownking and lord, let him look to it. Bear back this word to them thatsent thee. But for thee, hearken, thou bastard of an inky sheep-skin!get thee gone and tarry not; three times shall I lift up my hand, andthe third time look to thyself, for then shalt thou hear the loose ofour bowstrings, and after that nought else till thou hearest the devilbidding thee welcome to hell!"

  Our fellows shouted, but the summoner began again, yet in a quaveringvoice:

  "Ho! YE PEOPLE! what will ye gathering in arms? Wot ye not that yeare doing or shall do great harm, loss, and hurt to the king'slieges----"

  He stopped; Jack Straw's hand was lowered for the second time. Helooked to his men right and left, and then turned rein and turned tail,and scuttled back to the main body at his swiftest. Huge laughterrattled out all along our line as Jack Straw climbed back into theorchard grinning also.

  Then we noted more movement in the enemy's line. They were spreadingthe archers and arbalestiers to our left, and the men-at-arms andothers also spread some, what under the three pennons of which LongGregory had told us, and which were plain enough to us in the dearevening. Presently the moving line faced us, and the archers set offat a smart pace toward us, the men-at-arms holding back a little behindthem. I knew now that they had been within bowshot all along, but ourmen were loth to shoot before their first shots would tell, like thosehalf-dozen in the road when, as they told me afterwards, a plump oftheir men-at-arms had made a show of falling on.

  But now as soon as those men began to move on us directly in face, JackStraw put his horn to his lips and blew a loud rough blast that wasechoed by five or six others along the orchard hedge. Every man hadhis shaft nocked on the string; I watched them, and Will Greenspecially; he and his bow and its string seemed all of a piece, soeasily by seeming did he draw the nock of the arrow to his ear. Amoment, as he took his aim, and then--O then did I understand themeaning of the awe with which the ancient poet speaks of the loose ofthe god Apollo's bow; for terrible indeed was the mingled sound of thetwanging bowstring and the whirring shaft so close to me.

  I was now on my knees right in front of Will and saw all clearly; thearbalestiers (for no long-bow men were over against our stead) had allof them bright headpieces, and stout body-armour of boiled leather withmetal studs, and as they came towards us, I could see over theirshoulders great wooden shields hanging at their backs. Further to ourleft their long-bow men had shot almost as soon as ours, and I heard orseemed to hear the rush of the arrows through the apple-boughs and aman's cry therewith; but with us the long-bow had been before thecross-bow; one of the arbalestiers fell outright, his great shieldclattering down on him, and moved no more; while three others were hitand were crawling to the rear. The rest had shouldered their bows andwere aiming, but I thought unsteadily; and before the triggers weredrawn again Will Green had nocked and loosed, and not a few others ofour folk; then came the wooden hail of the bolts rattling through theboughs, but all overhead and no one hit.

  The next time Will Green nocked his arrow he drew with a great shout,which all our fellows took up; for the arbalestiers instead of turningabout in their places covered by their great shields and winding uptheir cross-bows for a second shot, as is the custom of such soldiers,ran huddling together toward their men-at-arms, our arrows drivingthump-thump into their shields as they ran: I saw four lying on thefield dead or sore wounded.

  But our archers shouted again, and kept on each plucking the arrowsfrom the ground, and nocking and loosing swiftly but deliberately atthe line before them; indeed now was the time for these terriblebowmen, for as Will Green told me afterwards they always reckoned tokill through cloth or leather at five hundred yards, and they had letthe cross-bow men come nearly within three hundred, and these were nowall mingled and muddled up with the men-at-arms at scant five hundredyards' distance; and belike, too, the latter were not treating them toowell, but seemed to be belabouring them with their spear-staves intheir anger at the poorness of the play; so that as Will Green said itwas like shooting at hay-ricks.

  All this you must understand lasted but a few minutes, and when our menhad been shooting quite coolly, like good workmen at peaceful work, fora few minutes more, the enemy's line seemed to clear somewhat; thepennon with the three red kine showed in front and three men armed fromhead to foot in gleaming steel, except for their short coats brightwith heraldry, were with it. One of them (and he bore the three kine onhis coat) turned round and gave some word of command, and an angryshout went up from them, and they came on steadily towards us, the manwith the red kine on his coat leading them, a great naked sword in hishand: you must note that they were all on foot; but as they drew nearerI saw their horses led by grooms and pages coming on slowly behind them.

  Sooth said Will Green that the men-at-arms run not fast either to orfro the fray; they came on no faster than a hasty walk, their armsclashing about them and the twang of the bows and whistle of the arrowsnever failing all the while, but going on like the push of the westerlygale, as from time to time the men-at-arms shouted, "Ha! ha! out! out!Kentish thieves!"

  But when they began to fall on, Jack Straw shouted out, "Bills to thefield! bills to the field!"

  Then all our billmen ran up and leapt over the hedge into the meadowand stood stoutly along the ditch under our bows, Jack Straw in theforefront handling his great axe. Then he cast it into his left hand,caught up his horn and winded it loudly. The men-at-arms drew nearsteadily, some fell under the arrow-storm, but not a many; for thoughthe target was big, it was hard, since not even the cloth-yard shaftcould pierce well-wrought armour of plate, and there was much armouramong them. Withal the arbalestiers were shooting again, but high andat a venture, so they did us no hurt.

  But as these soldiers made wise by the French war were now drawingnear, and our bowmen were casting down their bows and drawing theirshort swords, or handling their axes, as did Will Green, muttering,"Now must Hob Wright's gear end this play"--while this was a-doing, lo,on a sudden a flight of arrows from our right on the flank of thesergeants' array, which stayed them somewhat; not because it slew manymen, but because they began to bethink them that their foes were manyand all around them; then the road-hedge on the right seemed alive witharmed men, for whatever could hold sword or staff amongst us was there;every bowman also leapt our orchard-hedge sword or axe in hand, andwith a great shout, billmen, archers, and all, ran in on them;half-armed, yea, and half-naked some of them; strong and stout andlithe and light withal, the wrath of battle and the hope of bettertimes lifting up their hearts till nothing could withstand them. Sowas all mingled together, and for a minute or two was a confusedclamour over which rose a clatter like the riveting of iron plates, orthe noise of the street of coppersmiths at Florence; then the throngburst open and the steel-clad sergeants and squires and knights ranhuddling and shuffling towards their horses; but some cast down theirweapons and threw up their hands and cried for peace and ransom; andsome stood and fought desperately, and slew some till they werehammered down by many strokes, and of these were the bailiffs andtipstaves, and the lawyers and their men, who could not run and hopedfor no mercy.

  I looked as on a picture and wondered, and my mind was at strain toremember something forgotten, which yet had left its mark on it. Iheard the noise of the horse-hoofs of the fleeing men-at-arms (thearchers and arbalestiers had scattered before the last minutes of theplay), I heard the confused sound of laughter and rejoicing down in themeadow, and close by me the evening wind lifting the lighter twigs ofthe trees, and far away the many noises of the quiet country, tilllight and sound both began to fade from me and I saw and heard nothing.

  I leapt up to my feet presently and there was Will Green before me as Ihad first seen him in the street with coat and hood and the gear at hisgirdle and his unstrung bow in his hand; his face smiling and kindagain, but maybe a thought sad.

  "Well," quoth I, "what is
the tale for the ballad-maker?"

  "As Jack Straw said it would be," said he, "'the end of the day and theend of the fray;'" and he pointed to the brave show of the sky over thesunken sun; "the knights fled and the sheriff dead: two of the lawyerkind slain afield, and one hanged: and cruel was he to make them cruel:and three bailiffs knocked on the head--stout men, and so witless, thatnone found their brains in their skulls; and five arbalestiers and onearcher slain, and a score and a half of others, mostly men come backfrom the French wars, men of the Companions there, knowing no othercraft than fighting for gold; and this is the end they are paid for.Well, brother, saving the lawyers who belike had no souls, but onlyparchment deeds and libels of the same, God rest their souls!"

  He fell a-musing; but I said, "And of our Fellowship were any slain?"

  "Two good men of the township," he said, "Hob Horner and Antony Webber,were slain outright, Hob with a shaft and Antony in the hand-play, andJohn Pargetter hurt very sore on the shoulder with a glaive; and fivemore men of the Fellowship slain in the hand-play, and some few hurt,but not sorely. And as to those slain, if God give their souls rest itis well; for little rest they had on the earth belike; but for me, Idesire rest no more."

  I looked at him and our eyes met with no little love; and I wondered tosee how wrath and grief within him were contending with the kindness ofthe man, and how clear the tokens of it were in his face.

  "Come now, old lad," said he, "for I deem that John Ball and Jack Strawhave a word to say to us at the cross yet, since these men broke offthe telling of the tale; there shall we know what we are to take inhand to-morrow. And afterwards thou shalt eat and drink in my housethis once, if never again."

  So we went through the orchard closes again; and others were about andanigh us, all turned towards the cross as we went over the dewy grass,whereon the moon was just beginning to throw shadows.