"I am your Captain and your King; follow me!" The hopes of the peasants centred in the young sovereign; one aim of their rising had been to free him from the evil counsellors who, as they believed, abused his youth; and at his word they followed him with a touching loyalty and trust till he entered the Tower.
His mother welcomed him within its walls with tears of joy.

"Rejoice and praise God," Richard answered, "for I have recovered to-day my heritage which was lost and the realm of England!" But he was compelled to give the same pledge of freedom to the Kentishmen as at Mile-end, and it was only after receiving his letters of pardon and emancipation that the yeomen dispersed to their homes.
[Sidenote: The general revolt] The revolt indeed was far from being at an end.

As the news of the rising ran through the country the discontent almost everywhere broke into flame.
There were outbreaks in every shire south of the Thames as far westward as Devonshire.

In the north tumults broke out at Beverley and Scarborough, and Yorkshire and Lancashire made ready to rise.

The eastern counties were in one wild turmoil of revolt.