All scholars, lawyers, courtiers, gentlemen, They call false caterpillars, and intend their death. KING HENRY VI O graceless men! they know not what they do. BUCKINGHAM My gracious lord, return to Killingworth, Until a power be raised to put them down. QUEEN MARGARET Ah, were the Duke of Suffolk now alive, These Kentish rebels would be soon appeased! KING HENRY VI Lord Say, the traitors hate thee;Therefore away with us to Killingworth. SAY So might your grace's person be in danger.
The sight of me is odious in their eyes;
And therefore in this city will I stay And live alone as secret as I may.
Enter another Messenger Messenger Jack Cade hath gotten London bridge:
The citizens fly and forsake their houses:
The rascal people, thirsting after prey, Join with the traitor, and they jointly swear To spoil the city and your royal court. BUCKINGHAM Then linger not, my lord, away, take horse. KING HENRY VI Come, Margaret; God, our hope, will succor us. QUEEN MARGARET My hope is gone, now Suffolk is deceased. KING HENRY VI Farewell, my lord: trust not the Kentish rebels. BUCKINGHAM Trust nobody, for fear you be betray'd. SAY The trust I have is in mine innocence, And therefore am I bold and resolute.
Exeunt SCENE V. London. The Tower. Enter SCALES upon the Tower, walking. Then enter two or three Citizens below SCALES How now! is Jack Cade slain? First Citizen 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 Goffe;Fight for your king, your country and your lives;And so, farewell, for I must hence again.
Exeunt SCENE VI. London. Cannon Street. Enter CADE and the rest, and 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 claret wine this first year of our reign. And now henceforward it shall be treason for any that calls me other than Lord Mortimer.
Enter a Soldier, running Soldier Jack Cade! Jack Cade! CADE Knock him down there.
They kill him SMITH If this fellow be wise, he'll never call ye Jack Cade more: I think he hath a very 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 fire; and, if you can, burn down the Tower too. Come, let's away.
Exeunt SCENE VII. London. Smithfield. Alarums. MATTHEW GOFFE is slain, and all the rest. Then enter CADE, with his company. CADE So, sirs: now go some and pull down the Savoy;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. DICK Only that the laws of England may come out of your mouth. HOLLAND [Aside] Mass, 'twill be sore law, then;for he was thrust in the mouth with a spear, and 'tis not whole yet. SMITH [Aside] Nay, John, it will be stinking law for his breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. CADE I have thought upon it, it shall be so.
Away, burn all the records of the realm: my mouth shall be the parliament of England. HOLLAND [Aside] Then we are like to have biting statutes, unless his teeth be pulled out. CADE And henceforward all things shall be in common.
Enter a Messenger Messenger 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 fifteens, and one shilling to the pound, the last subsidy.
Enter BEVIS, with Lord SAY CADE Well, he shall be beheaded for it ten times. Ah, thou say, thou serge, 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 Mounsieur Basimecu, the dauphin of France? Be it known unto thee by these presence, even the presence of Lord Mortimer, that Iam 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 forefathers had no other books but the score and the tally, thou hast caused printing to be used, and, contrary to the king, his crown and dignity, 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 answer.
Moreover, thou hast put them in prison; and because they could not read, thou hast hanged them; when, indeed, only for that cause they have been most worthy to live. Thou dost ride in a foot-cloth, dost thou not? SAY What of that? CADE Marry, thou oughtest not to let thy horse wear a cloak, when honester men than thou go in their hose and doublets. DICK And work in their shirt too; as myself, for example, that am a butcher. SAY You men of Kent,-- DICK What say you of Kent? SAY Nothing but this; 'tis 'bona terra, mala gens.' CADE Away with him, away with him! he speaks Latin. SAY Hear me but speak, and bear me where you will.
Kent, in the Commentaries Caesar writ, Is term'd the civil'st place of this isle:
Sweet is the country, because full of riches;The people liberal, valiant, active, wealthy;Which makes me hope you are not void of pity.
I sold not Maine, I lost not Normandy, Yet, to recover them, would lose my life.
Justice with favour have I always done;
Prayers and tears have moved me, gifts could never.
When have I aught exacted at your hands, But to maintain the king, the realm and you?
