Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/140

 126 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 53. They had all but broken up, and ' departed, every man to provide for himself/ when Lady Westmoreland, Lord Surrey's daughter, threw herself among them, l weeping bitterly/ and crying ' that they and their country were shamed for ever, and that they would seek holes to creep into/ The lady's courage put spirit into the men. There was still one more chance : while they were debating, a pursuivant came from Sussex requiring the Earls, for the last time, to return to their allegiance. If they were falsely accused to the Queen, Sussex said that their friends would stand by them. If they had slipped, their friends would intercede for them.' 1 But it was now too late. Northumberland proposed to go on to Alnwick, raise his people there, and join the others on the Tyne ; but the Nortons and the other gentlemen would not allow him to leave them. The pursuivant was detained till he could carry back a fuller answer than could be expressed in words ; and at four o'clock the fol- lowing afternoon, Sunday, the i/j-th of November, as the twilight was darkening, Northumberland, Westmore- land, Sir Christofer, and Sir Cuthbert Neville, and old Richard Norton entered the city of Durham. With sixty followers armed to the teeth behind them, they strode into the cathedral ; Norton with a massive gold cruci- fix hanging from his neck, and carrying the old banner of the Pilgrimage, the cross and streamers and the five wounds. They ' overthrew the communion board ; ' they tore the English Bible and Prayer-book to pieces, the 1 Sussex to the Earls, November 13 : Memorials of the Rebellion.