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Edward and his army reached St. Alban's. Great commotion, great joy,were in the Sanctuary of Westminster! The Jerusalem Chamber, therein,was made the high council-hall of the friends of York. Greatcommotion, great terror, were in the city of London. Timid MasterStokton had been elected mayor; horribly frightened either to sidewith an Edward or a Henry, timid Master Stokton feigned or fell ill.Sir Thomas Cook, a wealthy and influential citizen, and a member ofthe House of Commons, had been appointed deputy in his stead. SirThomas Cook took fright also, and ran away. [Fabyan.] The power ofthe city thus fell into the hands of Ureswick, the Recorder, a zealousYorkist. Great commotion, great scorn, were in the breasts of thepopulace, as the Archbishop of York, hoping thereby to rekindle theirloyalty, placed King Henry on horseback, and paraded him through thestreets from Chepeside to Walbrook, from Walbrook to St. Paul's; forthe news of Edward's arrival, and the sudden agitation and excitementit produced on his enfeebled frame, had brought upon the poor king oneof the epileptic attacks to which he had been subject from childhood,and which made the cause of his frequent imbecility; and, justrecovered from such a fit,—his eyes vacant, his face haggard, hishead drooping,—the spectacle of such an antagonist to the vigorousEdward moved only pity in the few and ridicule in the many. Twothousand Yorkist gentlemen were in the various Sanctuaries; aided andheaded by the Earl of Essex, they came forth armed and clamorous,scouring the streets, and shouting, "King Edward!" with impunity.Edward's popularity in London was heightened amongst the merchants byprudent reminiscences of the vast debts he had incurred, which hisvictory only could ever enable him to repay to his good citizens.[Comines.] The women, always, in such a movement, active partisans,and useful, deserted their hearths to canvass all strong arms andstout hearts for the handsome woman-lover. [Comines.] The YorkistArchbishop of Canterbury did his best with the ecclesiastics, theYorkist Recorder his best with the flat-caps. Alwyn, true to hisanti-feudal principles, animated all the young freemen to support themerchant-king, the favourer of commerce, the man of his age! The cityauthorities began to yield to their own and the general metropolitanpredilections. But still the Archbishop of York had six thousandsoldiers at his disposal, and London could be yet saved to Warwick, ifthe prelate acted with energy and zeal and good faith. That such washis first intention is clear, from his appeal to the public loyalty inKing Henry's procession; but when he perceived how little effect thatpageant had produced; when, on re-entering the Bishop of London'spalace, he saw before him the guileless, helpless puppet of contendingfactions, gasping for breath, scarcely able to articulate, theheartless prelate turned away, with a muttered ejaculation ofcontempt.
"Clarence had not deserted," said he to himself, "unless he sawgreater profit with King Edward!" And then he began to commune withhimself, and to commune with his brother-prelate of Canterbury; and inthe midst of all this commune arrived Catesby, charged with messagesto the archbishop from Edward,—messages full of promise and affectionon the one hand, of menace and revenge upon the other. Brief:Warwick's cup of bitterness had not yet been filled; that night thearchbishop and the may