Suffolk, and
other Gentlemen, prisoners.
&mast;Cap.
&mast;The gaudy, blabbing, and remorseful day8 note
&mast;Is crept into the bosom of the sea;
-- 281 --
&mast;And now loud-howling wolves arouse the jades
&mast;That drag the tragick melancholy night;
&mast;Who, with their drowsy, slow, and flagging wings
&mast;Clip dead men's graves9 note
, and from their misty jaws
&mast;Breathe foul contagious darkness in the air.
&mast;Therefore, bring forth the soldiers of our prize;
&mast;For, whilst our pinnace anchors in the Downs,
&mast;Here shall they make their ransom on the sand,
&mast;Or with their blood stain this discolour'd shore.—
&mlquo;Master, this prisoner freely give I thee;—
&mlquo;And thou that art his mate, make boot of this;—
-- 282 --
&mlquo;The other, [Pointing to Suffolk,] Walter Whitmore, is thy share.
&mlquo;1 Gent.
&mlquo;What is my ransom, master? let me know.
&mlquo;Mast.
&mlquo;A thousand crowns, or else lay down your head.
&mlquo;Mate.
&mlquo;And so much shall you give, or off goes yours.
&mast;Cap.
&mast;What, think you much to pay two thousand crowns,
&mast;And bear the name and port of gentlemen?—
&mast;Cut both the villains' throats;—for die you shall;
&mast;The lives of those which we have lost in fight,
&mast;Cannot be counterpois'd with such a petty sum1 note
.
-- 283 --
&mast;1 Gent.
&mast;I'll give it, sir; and therefore spare my life.
&mast;2 Gent.
&mast;And so will I, and write home for it straight.
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;I lost mine eye in laying the prize aboard,
&mlquo;And therefore, to revenge it, shalt thou die;
[To Suf.
&mlquo;And so should these, if I might have my will.
&mast;Cap.
&mast;Be not so rash; take ransom, let him live.
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Look on my George, I am a gentleman2 note
;
&mlquo;Rate me at what thou wilt, thou shalt be paid.
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;And so am I; my name is—Walter Whitmore.
&mlquo;How now? why start'st thou? what, doth death affright?
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Thy name affrights me3 note, in whose sound is death.
&mlquo;A cunning man did calculate my birth,
&mlquo;And told me—that by Water4 note
I should die:
-- 284 --
&mlquo;Yet let not this make thee be bloody minded;
&mlquo;Thy name is—Gualtier, being rightly sounded.
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;Gualtier, or Walter, which it is, I care not;
&mlquo;Ne'er yet did base dishonour blur our name5 note
,
&mlquo;But with our sword we wip'd away the blot;
&mlquo;Therefore, when merchant-like I sell revenge,
&mlquo;Broke be my sword, my arms torn and defac'd,
&mlquo;And I proclaim'd a coward through the world!
[Lays hold on Suffolk.
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Stay, Whitmore; for thy prisoner is a prince,
The duke of Suffolk, William de la Pole.
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;The duke of Suffolk, muffled up in rags!
Suf.
Ay, but these rags are no part of the duke;
Jove sometime went disguis'd, And why not I6 note
?
-- 285 --
Cap.
But Jove was never slain, as thou shalt be.
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Obscure and lowly swain,7 note
king Henry's blood,
The honourable blood of Lancaster8 note,
&mlquo;Must not be shed by such a jaded groom9 note
.
Hast thou not kiss'd thy hand, and held my stirrup?
&mlquo;Bare-headed plodded by my foot-cloth mule,
&mlquo;And thought thee happy when I shook my head?
&mlquo;How often hast thou waited at my cup,
&mlquo;Fed from my trencher, kneel'd down at the board,
&mlquo;When I have feasted with queen Margaret?
&mast;Remember it, and let it make thee crest-fall'n;
&mast;Ay, and allay this thy abortive pride1 note:
&mast;How in our voiding lobby hast thou stood,
&mast;And duly waited for my coming forth?
-- 286 --
&mlquo;This hand of mine hath writ in thy behalf,
&mlquo;And therefore shall it charm thy riotous tongue1y note
.
&mast;Whit.
&mast;Speak, captain, shall I stab the forlorn swain?
&mast;Cap.
&mast;First let my words stab him, as he hath me.
&mast;Suf.
&mast;Base slave! thy words are blunt, and so art thou.
&mlquo;Cap.
&mlquo;Convey him hence, and on our long-boat's side
&mlquo;Strike off his head.
Suf.
Thou dar'st not for thy own2 note
.
Cap.
Yes, Poole.
Suf.
Poole?
Cap.
Poole? Sir Poole? lord3 note
?
-- 287 --
&mlquo;Ay, kennel, puddle, sink; whose filth and dirt
&mlquo;Troubles the silver spring where England drinks.
&mlquo;Now will I dam up this thy yawning mouth,
&mlquo;For swallowing4 note the treasure of the realm:
&mlquo;Thy lips, that kiss'd the queen, shall sweep the ground;
&mlquo;And thou, that smil'dst at good duke Humphrey's death5 note
,
&mlquo;Against the senseless winds shalt grin in vain6 note,
&mast;Who, in contempt, shall hiss at thee again7 note
:
&mast;And wedded be thou to the hags of hell,
&mast;For daring to affy8 note
a mighty lord
-- 288 --
&mast;Unto the daughter of a worthless king,
&mast;Having neither subject, wealth, nor diadem.
&mast;By devilish policy art thou grown great,
&mast;And, like ambitious Sylla, overgorg'd
&mast;With gobbets of thy mother's bleeding heart.
&mast;By thee, Anjou and Maine were sold to France:
&mast;The false revolting Normans, thorough thee,
&mast;Disdain to call us lord; and Picardy
&mast;Hath slain their governors, surpriz'd our forts,
&mast;And sent the ragged soldiers wounded home.
&mast;The princely Warwick, and the Nevils all,—
&mast;Whose dreadful swords were never drawn in vain,—
&mast;As hating thee, are rising9 note up in arms:
&mast;And now the house of York—thrust from the crown,
&mast;By shameful murder of a guiltless king,
&mast;And lofty proud encroaching tyranny,—
&mast;Burns with revenging fire; whose hopeful colours
&mast;Advance our half-fac'd sun1 note
, striving to shine,
&mast;Under the which is writ—Invitis nubibus.
&mast;The commons here in Kent are up in arms:
&mast;And, to conclude, reproach, and beggary,
&mast;Is crept into the palace of our king,
&mast;And all by thee:—Away! convey him hence.
&mast;Suf.
&mast;O that I were a god, to shoot forth thunder
&mast;Upon these paltry, servile, abject drudges!
-- 289 --
&mast;Small things make base men proud: &mlquo;this villain here,
&mlquo;Being captain of a pinnace2 note
, threatens more
&mlquo;Than Bargulus the strong Illyrian pirate3 note
.
&mlquo;Drones suck not eagles' blood, but rob bee-hives.
&mlquo;It is impossible, that I should die
&mlquo;By such a lowly vassal as thyself.
&mlquo;Thy words move rage, and not remorse, in me4 note
:
-- 290 --
&mlquo;I go of message from the queen to France;
&mlquo;I charge thee, waft me safely cross the channel.
&mlquo;Cap.
&mlquo;Walter,—
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;Come, Suffolk, I must waft thee to thy death.
&mast;Suf.
&mast;Penè gelidus timor occupat artus5 note
:—'tis thee I fear.
-- 291 --
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;Thou shalt have cause to fear, before I leave thee.
&mlquo;What, are ye daunted now? now will ye stoop?
&mlquo;1 Gent.
&mlquo;My gracious lord, entreat him, speak him fair.
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Suffolk's imperial tongue is stern and rough,
&mlquo;Us'd to command, untaught to plead for favour.
&mlquo;Far be it, we should honour such as these
&mlquo;With humble suit: no, rather let my head
&mlquo;Stoop to the block, than these knees bow to any,
&mlquo;Save to the God of heaven, and to my king;
&mlquo;And sooner dance upon a bloody pole,
&mlquo;Than stand uncover'd to the vulgar groom.
&mast;True nobility is exempt from fear:—
&mlquo;More can I bear, than you dare execute6 note
.
&mlquo;Cap.
&mlquo;Hale him away, and let him talk no more.
&mlquo;Suf.
&mlquo;Come, soldiers, show what cruelty ye can7 note
,
-- 292 --
&mlquo;That this my death may never be forgot!—
&mlquo;Great men oft die by vile bezonians8 note
:
&mlquo;A Roman sworder9 note and banditto slave,
&mlquo;Murder'd sweet Tully; Brutus' bastard hand1 note
&mlquo;Stabb'd Julius Cæsar; savage islanders,
&mlquo;Pompey the great2 note
: and Suffolk dies by pirates.
[Exit Suf. with Whit. and Others.
Cap.
And as for these whose ransom we have set,
-- 293 --
It is our pleasure one of them depart:
Therefore come you with us, and let him go.
[Exeunt all but the first Gentleman.
Re-enter Whitmore, with Suffolk's Body.
&mlquo;Whit.
&mlquo;There let his head and lifeless body lie,
&mlquo;Until the queen his mistress bury it3 note
.
[Exit.
&mlquo;1 Gent.
&mlquo;O barbarous and bloody spectacle!
&mlquo;His body will I bear unto the king:
&mlquo;If he revenge it not, yet will his friends;
&mlquo;So will the queen, that living held him dear.
[Exit, with the Body.
SCENE II.
Blackheath.
Enter George Bevis and John Holland.
&mlquo;Geo.
&mlquo;Come, and get thee a sword4 note
, though
made of a lath; they have been up these two
days.&mrquo;
&mlquo;John.
&mlquo;They have the more need to sleep now
then.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Geo.
&mlquo;I tell thee5 note, Jack Cade the clothier means
-- 294 --
to dress the commonwealth, and turn it, and set a
new nap upon it.&mrquo;
John.
So he had need, for 'tis threadbare. Well,
I say, it was never merry world in England6 note, since
gentlemen came up7 note.
&mast;Geo.
&mast;O miserable age! Virtue is not regarded
&mast;in handycrafts-men.
&mlquo;John.
&mlquo;The nobility think scorn to go in leather
aprons.&mrquo;
&mast;Geo.
&mast;Nay more, the king's council are no good
&mast;workmen.
&mast;John.
&mast;True; And yet it is said,—Labour in
&mast;thy vocation: which is as much to say, as,—let
&mast;the magistrates be labouring men; and therefore
&mast;should we be magistrates.
&mast;Geo.
&mast;Thou hast hit it: for there's no better
&mast;sign of a brave mind, than a hard hand.
&mast;John.
&mast;I see them! I see them! There's Best's
&mast;son, the tanner of Wingham;—
&mast;Geo.
&mast;He shall have the skins of our enemies,
&mast;to make dog's leather of.
John.
And Dick the butcher8 note
,—
-- 295 --
&mast;Geo.
&mast;Then is sin struck down like an ox, and
&mast;iniquity's throat cut like a calf.
&mast;John.
&mast;And Smith the weaver:—
&mast;Geo.
&mast;Argo, their thread of life is spun.
&mast;John.
&mast;Come, come, let's fall in with them.
Drum. Enter Cade, Dick the Butcher, Smith
the Weaver, and Others in great number.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;We John Cade, so termed of our supposed
father,—&mrquo;
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;Or rather, of stealing a cade of herrings9 note
.&mrquo;
[Aside.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;&lblank; for our enemies shall fall before us1 note
,
-- 296 --
inspired with the spirit of putting down kings and
princes,—Command silence.&mrquo;
Dick.
Silence!
Cade.
My father was a Mortimer,—
Dick.
He was an honest man, and a good bricklayer.
[Aside.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;My mother a Plantagenet,—&mrquo;
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;I knew her well, she was a midwife.&mrquo;
[Aside.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;My wife descended of the Lacies,—&mrquo;
Dick.
She was, indeed, a pedlar's daughter, and
sold many laces.
[Aside.
&mlquo;Smith.
&mlquo;But, now of late, not able to travel with
her furred pack2 note, she washes bucks here at home.&mrquo;
[Aside.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Therefore am I of an honourable house.&mrquo;
Dick.
Ay, by my faith, the field is honourable3 note;
and there was he born, under a hedge; for
his father had never a house, but the cage4 note
.
[Aside.
-- 297 --
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Valiant I am.
&mast;Smith.
&mast;'A must needs; for beggary is valiant.
[Aside.
Cade.
I am able to endure much.
Dick.
No question of that; for I have seen him
whipped three market days together.
[Aside.
Cade.
I fear neither sword nor fire.
Smith.
He need not fear the sword, for his coat
is of proof5 note.
[Aside.
Dick.
But, methinks, he should stand in fear of
fire, being burnt i' the hand for stealing of sheep.
[Aside.
Cade.
Be brave then; for your captain is brave,
and vows reformation. There shall be, in England,
seven half-penny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hooped
pot shall have ten hoops6 note
; and I will make
it felony, to drink small beer: all the realm shall
be in common, and in Cheapside shall my palfry
-- 298 --
go to grass. And, when I am king, (as king I will
be)—
All.
God save your majesty!
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;I thank you, good people:—there shall
be no money7 note; all shall eat and drink on my
&mlquo;score; and I will apparel them all in one livery,
&mlquo;that they may agree like brothers, and worship me
&mlquo;their lord.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;The first thing we do, let's kill all the
lawyers.&mrquo;
Cade.
Nay, that I mean to do. Is not this a lamentable
thing8 note, that of the skin of an innocent
lamb should be made parchment? that parchment,
being scribbled o'er, should undo a man? Some
say, the bee stings: but I say, 'tis the bee's wax,
for I did but seal once to a thing, and I was never
mine own man since. How now? who's there?
Enter some, bringing in the Clerk of Chatham9 note
.
Smith.
The clerk of Chatham: he can write and
read, and cast accompt.
Cade.
O monstrous!
-- 299 --
Smith.
We took him setting of boys' copies1 note.
Cade.
Here's a villain!
Smith.
H'as a book in his pocket, with red letters
in't.
Cade.
Nay, then he is a conjurer.
Dick.
Nay, he can make obligations2 note, and write
court-hand.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;I am sorry for't: the man is a proper
man, on mine honour; unless I find him guilty,
he shall not die,—Come hither, sirrah, I must examine
thee: What is thy name?&mrquo;
Clerk.
Emmanuel.
Dick.
They use to write it on the top of letters3 note
;
—'Twill go hard with you.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Let me alone:—Dost thou use to write
thy name? or hast thou a mark to thyself, like an
honest plain-dealing man?&mrquo;
-- 300 --
Clerk.
Sir, I thank God, I have been so well
brought up, that I can write my name.
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;He hath confessed: away with him, he's
a villain, and a traitor.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Away with him, I say: hang him with
his pen and ink-horn about his neck.&mrquo;
[Exeunt some with the Clerk.
Enter Michael.
&mlquo;Mich.
&mlquo;Where's our general?&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Here I am, thou particular fellow.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Mich.
&mlquo;Fly, fly, fly! sir Humphrey Stafford and
his brother are hard by, with the king's forces.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Stand, villain, stand, or I'll fell thee
down: He shall be encountered with a man as
good as himself: He is but a knight, is 'a?&mrquo;
&mlquo;Mich.
&mlquo;No.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;To equal him, I will make myself a
knight presently; Rise up sir John Mortimer.
Now have at him4 note
.&mrquo;
Enter Sir Humphrey Stafford, and William his
Brother, with Drum and Forces.
&mast;Staf.
&mast;Rebellious hinds, the filth and scum of Kent,
&mast;Mark'd for the gallows,—lay your weapons down,
&mast;Home to your cottages, forsake this groom;—
&mast;The king is merciful, if you revolt.
&mast;W. Staf.
&mast;But angry, wrathful, and inclin'd to blood,
-- 301 --
&mast;If you go forward: therefore yield, or die.
Cade.
As for these silken-coated slaves, I pass not5 note
;
It is to you, good people, that I speak,
&mast;O'er whom, in time to come, I hope to reign;
&mast;For I am rightful heir unto the crown.
&mlquo;Staf.
&mlquo;Villain, thy father was a plasterer;
&mlquo;And thou thyself, a shearman, Art thou not?
Cade.
And Adam was a gardener.
&mlquo;W. Staf.
&mlquo;And what of that?
Cade.
Marry, this:—Edmund Mortimer, earl of March,
Married the duke of Clarence' daughter; Did he not?
&mlquo;Staf.
&mlquo;Ay, sir.
Cade.
By her he had two children at one birth.
W. Staf.
That's false.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Ay, there's the question; but, I say, 'tis true:
&mlquo;The elder of them, being put to nurse,
&mlquo;Was by a beggar-woman stol'n away;
&mlquo;And, ignorant of his birth and parentage,
&mlquo;Became a bricklayer, when he came to age:
&mlquo;His son am I; deny it, if you can.
Dick.
Nay, 'tis too true; therefore he shall be king.
Smith.
Sir, he made a chimney in my father's
house, and the bricks are alive at this day to testify
it; therefore, deny it not.
&mast;Staf.
&mast;And will you credit this base drudge's words,
&mast;That speaks he knows not what?
&mast;All.
&mast;Ay, marry, will we; therefore get ye gone.
-- 302 --
W. Staf.
Jack Cade, the duke of York hath taught you this.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;He lies, for I invented it myself.
[Aside.]—Go to, sirrah, Tell the king from me,
that—for his father's sake, Henry the fifth, in whose
time boys went to span-counter for French crowns,
—I am content he shall reign; but I'll be protector
over him.
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;And, furthermore, we'll have the lord
&mlquo;Say's head, for selling the dukedom of Maine.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;And good reason; for thereby is England
maimed6 note
, and fain to go with a staff, but
that my puissance holds it up. Fellow kings, I
tell you that that lord Say hath gelded the commonwealth7 note
,
and made it an eunuch: and more
than that, he can speak French, and therefore he
is a traitor.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Staf.
&mlquo;O gross and miserable ignorance!&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Nay, answer, if you can: The Frenchmen
are our enemies: go to then, I ask but this;
-- 303 --
Can he, that speaks with the tongue of an enemy,
be a good counsellor, or no?&mrquo;
&mast;All.
&mast;No, no; and therefore we'll have his
&mast;head.
&mast;W. Staf.
&mast;Well, seeing gentle words will not prevail,
&mast;Assail them with the army of the king.
&mlquo;Staf.
&mlquo;Herald, away: and, throughout every town,
&mlquo;Proclaim them traitors that are up with Cade;
&mlquo;That those which fly before the battle ends,
&mlquo;May, even in their wives' and children's sight,
&mlquo;Be hang'd up for example at their doors:—
&mlquo;And you, that be the king's friends, follow me.
[Exeunt the two Staffords, and Forces.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;And you, that love the commons, follow me.—
&mast;Now show yourselves men, 'tis for liberty.
&mast;We will not leave one lord, one gentleman:
&mast;Spare none, but such as go in clouted shoon;
&mast;For they are thrifty honest men, and such
&mast;As would (but that they dare not,) take our parts.
&mast;Dick.
&mast;They are all in order, and march toward us.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;But then are we in order, when we are
&mast;most out of order. Come, march forward8 note.
[Exeunt.
-- 304 --
SCENE III.
Another Part of Blackheath.
Alarums. The two Parties enter, and fight, and both the Staffords are slain.
mlquo;Cade.
Where's Dick, the butcher of Ashford?
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;Here, sir.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;They fell before thee like sheep and
oxen, and thou behavedst thyself as if thou hadst
been in thine own slaughter-house: therefore thus
will I reward thee,—The Lent shall be as long
again as it is9 note; and thou shalt have a license to
kill for a hundred lacking one, a week1&mrquo; note.&mrquo;
-- 305 --
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;I desire no more.&mrquo;
&mast;Cade.
&mast;And, to speak truth, thou deservest no
&mast;less. This monument of the victory will I bear1 note
;
&mast;and the bodies shall be dragged at my horse' heels,
&mast;till I do come to London, where we will have the
&mast;mayor's sword borne before us.
&mast;Dick.
&mast;If we mean to thrive and do good2 note
,
&mast;break open the gaols, and let out the prisoners.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Fear not that, I warrant thee. Come,
&mast;let's march towards London.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.
London. A Room in the Palace.
Enter King Henry, reading a Supplication; the
Duke of Buckingham, and Lord Say with him:
at a distance, Queen Margaret, mourning over
Suffolk's Head.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;Oft have I heard—that grief softens the mind,
&mast;And makes it fearful and degenerate;
&mast;Think therefore on revenge, and cease to weep.
&mast;But who can cease to weep, and look on this?
&mast;Here may his head lie on my throbbing breast:
-- 306 --
&mast;But where's the body that I should embrace?
&mlquo;Buck.
&mlquo;What answer makes your grace to the
rebels' supplication3 note?&mrquo;
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;I'll send some holy bishop to entreat4 note:
&mlquo;For God forbid, so many simple souls
&mlquo;Should perish by the sword! And I myself,
&mlquo;Rather than bloody war shall cut them short,
&mlquo;Will parley with Jack Cade their general,—
&mlquo;But stay, I'll read it over once again.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;Ah, barbarous villains! hath this lovely face
&mast;Rul'd, like a wandering planet5 note
, over me;
&mast;And could it not enforce them to relent,
&mast;That were unworthy to behold the same?
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;Lord Say, Jack Cade hath sworn to have thy head.
-- 307 --
&mlquo;Say.
&mlquo;Ay, but I hope, your highness shall have his.
K. Hen.
How, now, madam? Still
Lamenting, and mourning for Suffolk's death?
I fear, my love6 note, if that I had been dead,
Thou wouldest not have mourn'd so much for me.
Q. Mar.
No, my love, I should not mourn, but die for thee.
Enter a Messenger.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;How now! what news? why com'st thou in such haste?
&mlquo;Mess.
&mlquo;The rebels are in Southwark; Fly, my lord!
&mlquo;Jack Cade proclaims himself lord Mortimer,
&mlquo;Descended from the duke of Clarence' house;
&mlquo;And calls your grace usurper, openly,
&mlquo;And vows to crown himself in Westminster.
&mlquo;His army is a ragged multitude
&mlquo;Of hinds and peasants, rude and merciless:
&mlquo;Sir Humphrey Stafford and his brother's death
&mlquo;Hath given them heart and courage to proceed:
&mlquo;All scholars, lawyers, courtiers, gentlemen,
&mlquo;They call—false caterpillars, and intend their death.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;O graceless men! they know not what they do7 note
.
Mlquo;Buck.
My gracious lord, retire to Kenelworth8 note
,
-- 308 --
&mlquo;Until a power be rais'd to put them down.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;Ah! were the duke of Suffolk now alive,
&mast;These Kentish rebels would be soon appeas'd.
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;Lord Say, the traitors hate thee,
&mlquo;Therefore away with us to Kenelworth.
&mlquo;Say.
&mlquo;So might your grace's person be in danger;
&mlquo;The sight of me is odious in their eyes:
&mlquo;And therefore in this city will I stay,
&mlquo;And live alone as secret as I may.
Enter another Messenger.
&mast;2 Mess.
&mast;Jack Cade hath gotten London-bridge; the citizens
&mast;Fly and forsake their houses:
&mast;The rascal people, thirsting after prey,
&mast;Join with the traitor; and they jointly swear,
&mast;To spoil the city, and your royal court.
&mast;Buck.
&mast;Then linger not, my lord; away, take horse.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Come, Margaret; God, our hope, will succour us.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;My hope is gone, now Suffolk is deceas'd.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Farewell, my lord; [To Lord Say.] trust not the Kentish rebels.
&mast;Buck.
&mast;Trust no body, for fear you be betray'd9 note.
&mlquo;Say.
&mlquo;The trust I have is in mine innocence,
&mlquo;And therefore am I bold and resolute.
[Exeunt.
-- 309 --
SCENE V.
The Same. The Tower.
Enter Lord Scales, and Others, on the Walls.
Then enter certain Citizens, below.
Scales.
How now? is Jack Cade slain?
1 Cit.
No, my lord, nor likely to be slain; for
they have won the bridge, killing all those that withstand
them: The lord mayor craves aid of your
honour from the Tower, to defend the city from
the rebels.
Scales.
Such aid as I can spare, you shall command;
But I am troubled here with them myself,
The rebels have assay'd to win the Tower.
But get you to Smithfield, and gather head,
And thither I will send you Matthew Gough:
Fight for your king, your country, and your lives;
And so farewell, for I must hence again.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VI.
The Same. Cannon Street.
Enter Jack Cade, and his Followers. He strikes
his Staff on London-stone.
Cade.
Now is Mortimer lord of this city. And
here, sitting upon London-stone, I charge and command,
that, of the city's cost, the pissing-conduit
run nothing but claret1 note
wine this first year of our
-- 310 --
reign. And now, henceforward, it shall be treason
for any that calls me other than—lord Mortimer.
Enter a Soldier, running.
Sold.
Jack Cade! Jack Cade!
Cade.
Knock him down there2 note.
[They kill him.
&mast;Smith.
&mast;If this fellow be wise, he'll never call
&mast;you Jack Cade more; I think, he hath a very
&mast;fair warning.
Dick.
My lord, there's an army gathered together
in Smithfield.
Cade.
Come then, let's go fight with them: But,
first, go and set London-bridge on fire3 note; and, if
-- 311 --
you can, burn down the Tower too. Come, let's
away.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VII.
The Same. Smithfield.
Alarum. Enter, on one side, Cade and his Company;
on the other, Citizens, and the King's
Forces, headed by Matthew Gough. They
fight; the Citizens are routed, and Matthew
Gough4 note
is slain.
Cade.
So, sirs:—Now go some and pull down
the Savoy5 note; others to the inns of court; down
with them all.
Dick.
I have a suit unto your lordship.
Cade.
Be it a lordship thou shalt have it for that
word.
&mast;Dick.
&mast;Only, that the laws of England may
&mast;come out of your mouth6 note.
-- 312 --
&mast;John.
&mast;Mass, 'twill be sore law then7 note
; for he
&mast;was thrust in the mouth with a spear, and 'tis not
&mast;whole yet.
[Aside.
&mast;Smith.
&mast;Nay, John, it will be stinking law; for
&mast;his breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.
[Aside.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;I have thought upon it, it shall be so.
&mast;Away, burn all the records of the realm8 note; my
&mast;mouth shall be the parliament of England.
&mast;John.
&mast;Then we are like to have biting statutes,
&mast;unless his teeth be pulled out.
[Aside.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;And henceforward all things shall be in
&mast;common.
Enter a Messenger.
&mlquo;mlquo;Mess.
&mlquo;My lord, a prize, a prize! here's the lord
Say, which sold the towns in France; he that
made us pay one and twenty fifteens9 note, and one
shilling to the pound, the last subsidy.&mrquo;
-- 313 --
Enter George Bevis, with the Lord Say.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Well, he shall be beheaded for it ten
times.—Ah, thou say, thou serge1 note
, nay, thou
buckram lord! now art thou within point-blank
of our jurisdiction regal. What canst thou answer
to my majesty, for giving up of Normandy unto
monsieur Basimecu2 note, the dauphin of France? Be
it known unto thee by these presence, even the
presence of lord Mortimer, that I am the besom
that must sweep the court clean of such filth as
thou art. Thou hast most traitorously corrupted
the youth of the realm, in erecting a grammar-school:
and whereas, before, our fore-fathers had
no other books but the score and the tally, thou
-- 314 --
hast caused printing to be used3 note
; and, contrary
to the king, his crown, and dignity4 note, thou hast
built a paper-mill. It will be proved to thy face,
that thou hast men about thee, that usually talk
of a noun, and a verb; and such abominable
words, as no Christian ear can endure to hear.
Thou hast appointed justices of peace, to call poor
men before them about matters they were not
able to answer5 note. Moreover, thou hast put them
-- 315 --
in prison; and because they could not read, thou
hast hanged them6 note; when, indeed, only for that
cause they have been most worthy to live. Thou
dost ride on a foot-cloth7 note
, dost thou not?&mrquo;
Say.
What of that?
Cade.
Marry, thou oughtest not to let thy horse
wear a cloak8 note, when honester men than thou go in
their hose and doublets.
&mast;Dick.
&mast;And work in their shirt too; as myself,
&mast;for example, that am a butcher.
Say.
You men of Kent,—
Dick.
What say you of Kent?
&mlquo;Say.
&mlquo;Nothing but this: 'Tis bona terra, mala gens9 note
.&mrquo;
-- 316 --
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Away with him, away with him! he
speaks Latin.&mrquo;
&mast;Say.
&mast;Hear me but speak, and bear me where you will.
&mlquo;Kent, in the commentaries Cæsar writ,
&mlquo;Is term'd the civil'st place of all this isle1 note
:
&mlquo;Sweet is the country, because full of riches;
&mlquo;The people, liberal, valiant, active, wealthy;
&mlquo;Which makes me hope you are not void of pity.
&mlquo;I sold not Maine, I lost not Normandy;
&mast;Yet, to recover them2, would lose my life.
&mast;Justice with favour have I always done;
&mast;Prayers and tears have mov'd me, gifts could never.
&mast;When have I aught exacted at your hands,
&mast;Kent to maintain, the king, the realm, and you?
&mast;Large gifts have I bestow'd on learned clerks,
&mast;Because my book preferr'd me to the king2 note
:
-- 317 --
&mast;And—seeing ignorance is the curse of God,
&mast;Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven,—
&mast;Unless you be possess'd with devilish spirits,
&mast;You cannot but forbear to murder me.
&mast;This tongue hath parley'd unto foreign kings
&mast;For your behoof,—
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Tut! when struck'st thou one blow in
&mast;the field?
&mast;Say.
&mast;Great men have reaching hands: oft have I struck
&mast;Those that I never saw, and struck them dead.
&mast;Geo.
&mast;O monstrous coward! what, to come behind folks?
&mast;Say.
&mast;These cheeks are pale for watching3 note
for your good.
-- 318 --
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Give him a box o' the ear, and that will
&mast;make 'em red again.
&mast;Say.
&mast;Long sitting to determine poor men's causes
Hath made me full of sickness and diseases.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Ye shall have a hempen caudle then,
&mast;and the help of a hatchet5 note
.
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;Why dost thou quiver, man6 note
?&mrquo;
&mlquo;Say.
&mlquo;The palsy, and not fear, provoketh me.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Nay, he nods at us; as who should say,
I'll be even with you. I'll see if his head will stand
steadier on a pole, or no: Take him away, and behead
him.&mrquo;
&mast;Say.
&mast;Tell me, wherein I have offended most?
-- 319 --
&mast;Have I affected wealth, or honour; speak?
&mast;Are my chests fill'd up with extorted gold?
&mast;Is my apparel sumptuous to behold?
&mast;Whom have I injur'd, that ye seek my death?
&mast;These hands are free from guiltless blood-sheddding7 note
,
&mast;This breast from harbouring foul deceitful thoughts.
&mast;O, let me live!
&mast;Cade.
&mast;I feel remorse in myself with his words:
&mast;but I'll bridle it; he shall die, an it be but for
&mast;pleading so well for his life8 note. Away with him!
&mast;he has a familiar under his tongue9 note
; he speaks
&mast;not o' God's name. &mlquo;Go, take him away, I say,
and strike off his head presently; and then break
into his son-in-law's house, sir James Cromer1 note,
-- 320 --
and strike off his head, and bring them both upon
two poles hither.&mrquo;
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;It shall be done.&mrquo;
&mast;Say.
&mast;Ah, countrymen! if when you make your prayers,
&mast;God should be so obdurate as yourselves,
&mast;How would it fare with your departed souls?
&mast;And therefore yet relent, and save my life.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Away with him, and do as I command ye.
[Exeunt some, with Lord Say.
&mlquo;The proudest peer in the realm shall not wear a
head on his shoulders, unless he pay me tribute;
there shall not a maid be married, but she shall
pay to me her maidenhead2 note
ere they have it:
Men shall hold of me in capite3 note; and we charge
and command, that their wives be as free as heart
can wish, or tongue can tell4 note
.&mrquo;
-- 321 --
&mlquo;Dick.
&mlquo;My lord, when shall we go to Cheapside,
and take up commodities upon our bills5 note
?&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Marry, presently.&mrquo;
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;O brave!&mrquo;
Re-enter Rebels, with the Heads of Lord Say and his Son-in-law.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;But is not this braver?—Let them kiss
-- 322 --
one another6 note
, for they loved well7 note
, when they were
alive. Now part them again, lest they consult
about the giving up of some more towns in France.
Soldiers, defer the spoil of the city until night:
for with these borne before us, instead of maces,
will we ride through the streets; and at every
corner, have them kiss.—Away!
[Exeunt.
SCENE VIII.
Southwark.
Alarum. Enter Cade, and all his Rabblement.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Up Fish-street! down Saint Magnus'
&mast;corner! kill and knock down! throw them into
&mast;Thames!—[A Parley sounded, then a Retreat.]
&mast;What noise is this I hear? Dare any be so bold
&mast;to sound retreat or parley, when I command them
&mast;kill?
Enter Buckingham, and Old Clifford, with Forces.
&mlquo;Buck.
&mlquo;Ay, here they be that dare and will disturb thee;
-- 323 --
&mlquo;Know, Cade, we come ambassadors from the king
&mlquo;Unto the commons whom thou hast misled;
&mlquo;And here pronounce free pardon to them all,
&mlquo;That will forsake thee, and go home in peace.
&mlquo;Clif.
&mlquo;What say ye, countrymen8 note
? will ye relent,
&mlquo;And yield to mercy, whilst 'tis offer'd you;
&mlquo;Or let a rabble lead you to your deaths?
&mlquo;Who loves the king, and will embrace his pardon,
&mlquo;Fling up his cap, and say—God save his majesty!
&mlquo;Who hateth him, and honours not his father,
&mlquo;Henry the fifth, that made all France to quake,
&mlquo;Shake he his weapon at us, and pass by.
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;God save the king! God save the king!&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;What, Buckingham, and Clifford, are ye
so brave?—And you, base peasants, do ye believe
him? will you needs be hanged with your pardons
about your necks? Hath my sword therefore
broke through London Gates, that you should leave
me at the White Hart in Southwark? I thought,
ye would never have given out these arms, till you
had recovered your ancient freedom: but you are
all recreants, and dastards; and delight to live in
-- 324 --
slavery to the nobility. Let them break your backs
with burdens, take your houses over your heads,
ravish your wives and daughters before your faces:
For me,—I will make shift for one; and so—God's
curse 'light upon you all!&mrquo;
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;We'll follow Cade, we'll follow Cade.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Clif.
&mlquo;Is Cade the son of Henry the fifth,
&mlquo;That thus you do exclaim—you'll go with him?
&mlquo;Will he conduct you through the heart of France,
&mlquo;And make the meanest of you earls and dukes?
&mlquo;Alas, he hath no home, no place to fly to;
&mlquo;Nor knows he how to live, but by the spoil,
&mlquo;Unless by robbing of your friends, and us.
&mlquo;Wer't not a shame, that whilst you live at jar,
&mlquo;The fearful French, whom you late vanquished,
&mlquo;Should make a start o'er seas, and vanquish you?
&mlquo;Methinks, already, in this civil broil,
&mlquo;I see them lording it in London streets,
&mlquo;Crying—Villageois9 note! unto all they meet.
&mlquo;Better, ten thousand base-born Cades miscarry,
&mlquo;Than you should stoop unto a Frenchman's mercy.
&mlquo;To France, to France, and get what you have lost;
&mlquo;Spare England, for it is your native coast:
&mlquo;Henry hath money1 note, you are strong and manly;
&mlquo;God on our side, doubt not of victory.
&mlquo;All.
&mlquo;A Clifford! a Clifford! we'll follow the
king, and Clifford.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Was ever feather so lightly blown to and
-- 325 --
fro, as this multitude? the name of Henry the
fifth hales them to an hundred mischiefs, and
makes them leave me desolate. I see them lay
their heads together, to surprize me: my sword
make way for me2 note, for here is no staying.—In despight
of the devils and hell, have through the
very midst of you! and heavens and honour be
witness, that no want of resolution in me, but only
my followers' base and ignominious treasons,
makes me betake me to my heels.&mrquo;
[Exit.
&mlquo;Buck.
&mlquo;What, is he fled? go some, and follow him;
&mlquo;And he, that brings his head unto the king,
&mlquo;Shall have a thousand crowns for his reward.—
[Exeunt some of them.
&mlquo;Follow me, soldiers; we'll devise a mean
&mlquo;To reconcile you all unto the king.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IX.
Kenelworth Castle.
Enter King Henry, Queen Margaret, and Somerset, on the Terrace of the Castle.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne,
&mast;And could command no more content than I?
&mast;No sooner was I crept out of my cradle,
&mast;But I was made a king, at nine months old3 note
:
-- 326 --
&mast;Was never subject long'd to be a king,
&mast;As I do long and wish to be a subject4 note
.
Enter Buckingham and Clifford.
&mast;Buck.
&mast;Health, and glad tidings, to your majesty!
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Why, Buckingham, is the traitor, Cade, surpriz'd?
&mast;Or is he but retir'd to make him strong?
Enter, below, a great number of Cade's Followers,
with Halters about their Necks.
&mlquo;Clif.
&mlquo;He's fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield:
&mlquo;And humbly thus, with halters on their necks,
&mlquo;Expect your highness' doom, of life, or death.
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;Then, heaven5 note
, set ope thy everlasting gates,
-- 327 --
&mlquo;To entertain my vows of thanks and praise!—
&mlquo;Soldiers, this day have you redeem'd your lives,
&mlquo;And show'd how well you love your prince and country:
&mlquo;Continue still in this so good a mind,
&mlquo;And Henry, though he be infortunate,
&mlquo;Assure yourselves, will never be unkind:
&mlquo;And so, with thanks, and pardon to you all,
&mlquo;I do dismiss you to your several countries.
All.
God save the king! God save the king!
Enter a Messenger.
&mast;Mess.
&mast;Please it your grace to be advértised,
&mast;The duke of York is newly come from Ireland:
&mast;And with a puissant and a mighty power,
&mast;Of Gallowglasses, and stout Kernes6 note
,
&mast;Is marching hitherward in proud array;
&mast;And still proclaimeth, as he comes along,
&mast;His arms are only to remove from thee
&mlquo;The duke of Somerset, whom he terms a traitor.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Thus stands my state, 'twixt Cade and York distress'd;
&mast;Like to a ship, that, having scap'd a tempest,
&mast;Is straightway calm, and boarded with a pirate7 note
:
-- 328 --
&mast;But now8 note
is Cade driven back, his men dispers'd;
&mast;And now is York in arms to second him.—
&mast;I pray thee, Buckingham, go forth and meet him;
&mast;And ask him, what's the reason of these arms.
&mast;Tell him, I'll send duke Edmund to the Tower;—
-- 329 --
&mast;And, Somerset, we will commit thee thither,
&mast;Until his army be dismiss'd from him.
&mast;Som.
&mast;My lord,
&mast;I'll yield myself to prison willingly,
&mast;Or unto death, to do my country good.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;In any case, be not too rough in terms;
&mast;For he is fierce, and cannot brook hard language.
&mast;Buck.
&mast;I will, my lord; and doubt not so to deal,
&mast;As all things shall redound unto your good.
&mast;K. Hen.
&mast;Come, wife, let's in9 note
, and learn to govern better;
&mast;For yet may England curse my wretched reign.
[Exeunt.
SCENE X.
Kent. Iden's Garden1 note
.
Enter Cade.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;Fye on ambition! fye on myself; that
&mast;have a sword, and yet am ready to famish! These
-- 330 --
&mast;five days have I hid me in these woods; and durst
&mast;not peep out, for all the country is laid for me;
&mast;but now am I so hungry, that if I might have a
&mast;lease of my life for a thousand years, I could stay
&mast;no longer. Wherefore, on a brick-wall have I
&mast;climbed into this garden; to see if I can eat
&mast;grass, or pick a sallet another while, which is not
&mast;amiss to cool a man's stomach this hot weather.
&mast;And, I think, this word sallet was born to do me
&mast;good: for, many a time, but for a sallet, my brain-pan2 note
&mast;had been cleft with a brown bill; and, many
-- 331 --
&mast;a time, when I have been dry, and bravely marching,
&mast;it hath served me instead of a quart-pot to
&mast;drink in; and now the word sallet must serve me
&mast;to feed on.
Enter Iden, with Servants.
&mlquo;Iden.
&mlquo;Lord, who would live turmoiled in the court,
&mlquo;And may enjoy such quiet walks as these?
&mlquo;This small inheritance, my father left me,
&mlquo;Contenteth me, and is worth a monarchy.
&mlquo;I seek not to wax great by others' waning3 note;
&mlquo;Or gather wealth, I care not with what envy4 note
;
&mlquo;Sufficeth that I have maintains my state,
&mlquo;And sends the poor well pleased from my gate.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Here's the lord of the soil come to seize
me for a stray, for entering his fee-simple without
leave. Ah, villain, thou wilt betray me, and get
a thousand crowns of the king for carrying my
head to him; but I'll make thee eat iron like an
-- 332 --
ostrich, and swallow my sword like a great pin, ere
thou and I part.&mrquo;
&mlquo;Iden.
&mlquo;Why, rude companion, whatsoe'er thou be,
&mlquo;I know thee not; Why then should I betray thee?
&mlquo;Is't not enough, to break into my garden,
&mlquo;And, like a thief to come to rob my grounds,
&mlquo;Climbing my walls in spite of me the owner,
&mlquo;But thou wilt brave me with these saucy terms?
Cade.
Brave thee? ay, by the best blood that
ever was broached, and beard thee too5 note. Look on
me well: I have eat no meat these five days; yet,
come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave
you all as dead as a door nail6 note, I pray God I may
never eat grass more.
&mlquo;Iden.
&mlquo;Nay, it shall ne'er be said, while England stands,
That Alexander Iden, an esquire of Kent,
Took odds to combat a poor famish'd man.
&mlquo;Oppose thy stedfast-gazing eyes to mine7 note
,
&mlquo;See if thou canst outface me with thy looks.
&mlquo;Set limb to limb, and thou art far the lesser;
&mlquo;Thy hand is but a finger to my fist;
&mlquo;Thy leg a stick, compared with this truncheon;
&mlquo;My foot shall fight with all the strength thou hast;
&mlquo;And if mine arm be heaved in the air,
&mlquo;Thy grave is digg'd already in the earth.
&mlquo;As for words, whose greatness answers words,
-- 333 --
&mlquo;Let this my sword report what speech forbears8 note
.
&mast;Cade.
&mast;By my valour, the most complete champion
&mast;that ever I heard.—&mlquo; Steel, if thou turn the
edge, or cut not out the burly-boned clown in
chines of beef ere thou sleep in thy sheath, I beseech
God9 note on my knees, thou mayest be turned
-- 334 --
to hobnails. [They fight. Cade falls.] O, I am
slain! famine! and no other, hath slain me: let
ten thousand devils come against me, and give me
but the ten meals I have lost, and I'd defy them
all. Wither, garden; and be henceforth a burying-place
to all that do dwell in this house, because
the unconquered soul of Cade is fled.
&mlquo;Iden.
&mlquo;Is't Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor?
&mlquo;Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed,
&mlquo;And hang thee o'er my tomb, when I am dead1 note
:
&mast;Ne'er shall this blood be wiped from thy point;
&mast;But thou shalt wear it as a herald's coat,
&mast;To emblaze the honour that thy master got.
&mlquo;Cade.
&mlquo;Iden, farewell; and be proud of thy victory:
Tell Kent from me, she hath lost her best
man, and exhort all the world to be cowards; for
-- 335 --
I, that never feared any, am vanquished by famine,
not by valour.&mrquo;
[Dies.
&mast;Iden.
&mast;How much thou wrong'st me2 note
, heaven be my judge.
&mast;Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bare thee!
&mast;And as I thrust thy body in with my sword,
&mast;So wish I, I might thrust thy soul to hell3 note
.
&mlquo;Hence will I drag thee headlong by the heels
&mlquo;Unto a dunghill, which shall be thy grave,
-- 336 --
&mlquo;And there cut off thy most ungracious head;
&mlquo;Which I will bear in triumph to the king,
&mlquo;Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon.
[Exit dragging out the Body.
James Boswell [1821], The plays and poems of William Shakspeare, with the corrections and illustrations of various commentators: comprehending A Life of the Poet, and an enlarged history of the stage, by the late Edmond Malone. With a new glossarial index (J. Deighton and Sons, Cambridge) [word count] [S10201].
