Sir Jocelyn's arrival at the hall of his ancestors was the occasion of
great rejoicings; and, in spite of the temptations held out to him, many
years elapsed ere he and Lady Mounchensey revisited the scene of their
troubles in London.
CONCLUDING CHAPTER.
Retribution.
As will have been foreseen, the judgment pronounced by Prince Charles
upon Mompesson and his partner, was confirmed by the King and the Lords
of the Council, when the two offenders were brought be them in the
Star-Chamber. They were both degraded from the honour of knighthood; and
Mitchell, besides being so heavily fined that all his ill-gotten wealth
was wrested from him, had to endure the in of riding through the
streets--in a posture the reverse of the ordinary mode of
equitation--name with his face towards the horse's tail, two quart pots
tied round his neck, to show that he was punished I for his exactions
upon ale-house keepers and hostel-keepers, and a placard upon his
breast, detailing the nature of his offences. In this way,--hooted and
pelted by the rabble, who pursued him as he was led along, and who would
have inflicted serious injuries upon him, and perhaps despatched him
outright, had it not been for the escort by whom he was protected,--he
was taken in turn to all such taverns and houses of entertainment as
had suffered most from his scandalous system of oppression.
In the course of his progress, he was brought to the Three Cranes in the
Vintry, before which an immense concourse was assembled to witness the
spectacle.
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