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THe prouost and his sect had among themself dyuers counsaylles secretly to know howe they shulde mayntene thēselfe / for they coude fynde by no meanes any mercy in the duke of Normandy / for he sende worde generally to all the commens of Parys / that he wolde kepe with them no lenger peace / without he had delyuerd into his handes
twelfe of Parys / suche as he wolde chose / to do with them his pleasure. The which thyng gret∣ly abasshed the prouost and his company: final∣ly they sawe well that it were better for them to saue their lyues / goodes / and frendes: ratherr than to be distroyed. And that it were better for theym to slee / than̄e to be slayne: than secreatly they treated with thenglysshmen / such as made warre agaynst Parys. And they agreed by∣twene theym: that the prouost and his sect shul∣de be at the gate saynt Honoure / and at the gate saynt Anthoyne at the houre of mydnight: and to lette in the englysshmen and naueroyse / pro∣uyded redy to ouerr ronne the cytie: and to dy∣stroy and robbe it clene. Ercept suche houses as hadde certayne signes lymyted among theym / and in all other houses without suche tokens to slee menne / womenne / and chyldren. The same nyght that this shulde haue been done: god en∣spyred certayne burgesses of the cytie / suche as alwayes were of the dukes partie: as Johanne Mayllart / and Symonde his brother / and dy¦uers other. Who by dyuyne inspyracion: as hit ought to be supposedde / were enfourmed that Parys shulde be that nyght distroyed. They incontynent armed theym and shewed the ma∣ter in other places / to haue more ayde: and a ly∣tell before mydnight they came to the gate saint Anthoyne / and there they founde the prouost of the marchauntes with the kayes of the gates in his handes. Thanne John̄ Mayllart sayde to the prouoste / callynge hym by his name Ste∣phyne what do you here at this houre: the pro∣uost answered (and sayd) Johāne what wolde ye / I am here to take hede to the towne: wher∣of I haue the gouernynge / by god sayde John̄ ye shall natte go so. ye are nat here at this houre for any good: and that may be sene by the kay∣es of the gates that ye haue in your handes / I thynke it be to betray the towne. Quod the pro∣uost Johanne ye lye falsely. Nay sayd Johān / Stephyn thou lyest falsely lyke a treatour / and therwith strake at hym / and sayd to his compa∣ny slee the treatours. Than̄e euery man strake at theym: the prouost wolde a fledde / but John̄ Mayllart gaue him with an are on y• heed that he fyll downe to the yerthe / and yet he was his gossyppe / and lefte nat tyll he was slayne / and sixe of theym that were there with hym: and the other taken and putte in prison. Than̄e people began to styre in the stretes: and John̄ Mayl∣lart and they of his acorde went to y• gate saynt Honoure / and there they founde certayne of the prouostes secte / and there they layde treason to thē: but their excuses auayled nothyng. There were dyuers taken and send into dyuers places to prison / and suche as wolde nat be taken were slayn without mercy. The same night they wēt and toke dyuers in their beddes / suche as were culpable of the treason: by the confessyon of su∣che as were taken. The next day John̄ Mayl∣lart assembled the moost parte of the commons in the markette hall and there he mounted on a stage: and shewedd generally the cause why he hadde slayne the prouoste of the marchauntes. And ther: by the coūsayle of all the wysmen / all suche as were of the sect of the prouost were ••••∣ged to the dethe / and so they were executed by dyuers tourmentes of dethe. Thus done John̄ Mayllart / who was than̄e greatly in the grace of the commons of Parys and other of his ad∣herentes / sende Symonde Mayllart / and two maisters of the parlyament sir Johān Alphons and maister John̄ Pastorell to the duke of Nor¦mandy / beyng at Charenton. They shewed the duke all the mater: and desyred hym to come to Parys to ayde and to counsayle them of the cy∣tie / fro thens forthe: sayeng that all his aduersa∣ryes were deed. The duke sayde with ryght 〈◊〉〈◊〉 good wyll: and so he came to Parys / and with hym sir Arnolde Dandrehen / the lorde of Roy / and other knyghtes / and he lodged at Lour.