with us, and before long tens of thousands of the men of Kent will be in
arms. Our course is resolved upon. We and the men of Essex will march on
London, and woe be to those who try to bar our way. All shall be done
orderly and with discretion. We war only against the government, and to
obtain our rights. Already our demands have been drawn up, and unless
these are granted we will not be content. These are what we ask: _first_,
the total abolition of slavery for ourselves and our children for ever;
_second_, the reduction of the rent of good land to 4_d_. the acre;
_third_, the full liberty of buying and selling like other men in fairs
and markets; _fourth_, a general pardon for all past offences."

The recital of these demands was received with a shout of approval.

"This and nothing less will we be content with," he went on. "There are
some of the king's advisers who had best not fall into our hands, for if
they do their lives will pay the penalty for their evil deeds. But upon
one thing we are determined: there shall be no plundering. Our cause is a
just one, and for that we are ready to fight. But should any join us with
the intention of turning this movement to their private advantage, and of
plunder and robbery, we warn them that such will not be permitted, and any
man caught plundering will at once be hung. They may call us rioters; they
may try and persuade the king that we are disloyal subjects, though this
is not the case. One thing they shall not say of us, that we are a band of
robbers and thieves. By to-night we shall be joined by all true men of the
neighbourhood, and will then march to Gravesend, where our fellows have
already risen and are in arms; thence we go to Rochester and deliver those
of our brethren who have been thrown into prison because they could not
pay the unjust taxes. That done, we will go straight to London and demand
from the king himself a charter granting the four points we demand. Wat
the Tyler has been chosen our leader. He has struck the first blow, and as