Text 77: From Thomas Usk’s Appeal, 1384 (ii)

Also, atte Goldsmithes halle, when al the people was assembled, the mair, John Northampton reherced as euel as he koude of the eleccion on the day to forn, & seyde that truly: ‘Sirs, thus be ye shape for to be ouer ronne, & that ,’ quod he, ‘I nel noght soeffre; lat vs rather al be ded atones than soeffre such a vylenye.’ & than the comunes, vpon these wordes, wer stered, & seiden truly they wolde go to a nother eleccion, & noght soeffre thys wrong, to be ded al ther for attones in on tyme; and than be the mair, John Northampton, was euery man boden gon hom, & kome fast a yein strong in to Chepe with al her craftes, & I wene ther wer a boute a XXX craftes, & in Chepe they sholden haue sembled to go to a newe eleccion, &, truly, had noght the aldermen kome to trete, & maked that John Northampton bad the poeple gon hoom, they wolde haue go to a Newe eleccion, & in that hete haue slayn hym that wolde haue letted it, yf they had myght; and ther of I appele John Northampton.

Also, at the Goldsmiths hall, when all the people were gathered, the mayor, John Northampton, criticised as much as he could the election on the day before and said that truly: ‘Sirs, this sets the scene to be trampled under foot and that’ he said ‘I will not tolerate: let us die here and now than suffering such mischief’. And then the common people, on listening to these words, were stirred up and said truly they would hold another election and not suffer this wrong or else all die together; and then everybody was told to go home by the mayor John Northampton and come back quickly in strength to Cheapside with their fellow craftsmen and I believe/reckon there were about 30 craftsmen and they were meant to assemble/gather in Cheapside, and truly the older men had not come to negotiate and persuade that John Northampton tell the people to go home, they would have held a new election and in the heat of the moment they would have slain anyone who tried to stop them if they had strength and of this I accuse John Northampton.