Then the ungracious people there assembled, perceiving their captain slain, began to murmur among themselves and said:  ’Ah, our captain is slain, let us go and slay them all’:  and therewith they arranged themselves on the place in manner of battle, and their bows before them.  Thus the king began a great outrage;[4] howbeit, all turned to the best:  for as soon as Tyler was on the earth, the king departed from all his company and all alone he rode to these people, and said to his own men:  ‘Sirs, none of you follow me; let me alone.’  And so when he came before these ungracious people, who put themselves in ordinance to revenge their captain, then the king said to them:  ’Sirs, what aileth you?  Ye shall have no captain but me:  I am your king:  be all in rest and peace.’  And so the most part of the people that heard the king speak and saw him among them, were shamefast and began to wax peaceable and to depart; but some, such as were malicious and evil, would not depart, but made semblant as though they would do somewhat.

      [4] ‘Outrage’ here means ‘act of boldness,’ as elsewhere, e.g.
      ‘si fist une grant apertise d’armes et un grant outrage.’

Then the king returned to his own company and demanded of them what was best to be done.  Then he was counselled to draw into the field, for to fly away was no boot.  Then said the mayor:  ’It is good that we do so, for I think surely we shall have shortly some comfort of them of London and of such good men as be of our part, who are purveyed and have their friends and men ready armed in their houses.’  And in the mean time voice and bruit ran through London how these unhappy people were likely to slay the king and the mayor in Smithfield; through the which noise all manner of good men of the king’s party issued out of their houses and lodgings well armed, and so came all to Smithfield and to the field where the king was, and they were anon to the number of seven or eight thousand men well armed.  And first thither came sir Robert Knolles and sir Perducas d’Albret, well accompanied, and divers of the aldermen of London, and with them a six hundred men in harness, and a puissant man of the city, who was the king’s draper,[5] called Nicholas Bramber, and he brought with him a great company; and ever as they came, they ranged them afoot in order of battle:  and on the other part these unhappy people were ready ranged, making semblance to give battle, and they had with them divers of the king’s banners.  There the king made three knights, the one the mayor of London sir Nicholas Walworth, sir John Standish and sir Nicholas Bramber.  Then the lords said among themselves:  ’What shall we do?  We see here our enemies, who would gladly slay us, if they might have the better hand of us.’  Sir Robert Knolles counselled to go and fight with them and slay them all; yet the king would not consent thereto, but said:  ’Nay, I will not so:  I will send to them commanding them to send me again