Say. Ay, but I hope, your highness shall have his. K. Hen. How now, madam? Still Lamenting, and mourning for Suffolk's death? 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. *K. Hen. How now! what news? why com'st thou in such haste? 'Mess. The rebels are in Southwark; Fly, my lord! 'Jack Cade proclaims himself lord Mortimer, 'And vows to crown himself in Westminster. 'Of hinds and peasants, rude and merciless: All scholars, lawyers, courtiers, gentlemen, They call-false caterpillars, and intend their death. * K. Hen. O graceless men! they know not what they do. Buck. My gracious lord, retire to Kenelworth, 'Until a power be rais'd to put them down. * Q. Mar. Ah! were the duke of Suffolk now alive, *These Kentish rebels would be soon appeas'd. 'K. Hen. Lord Say, the traitors hate thee, Therefore away with us to Kenelworth. 6 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. * 2 Mess. Jack Cade hath gotten London-bridge; the citizens * Fly and forsake their houses: * The rascal people, thirsting after prey, *Buck. Then linger not, my lord; away, take horse. *K. Hen. Come, Margaret; God, our hope, will succour us. * Q. Mar. My hope is gone, now Suffolk is deceas'd. * K. Hen. Farewell, my lord; [To Lord SAY.] trust not the Kentish rebels. * Buck. Trust no body, for fear you be betray'd. Say. The trust I have is in mine innocence, And therefore am I bold and resolute. SCENE V. The same. The Tower. [Exeunt. 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, 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 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. Sold. Jack Cade! Jack Cade! you Cade. Knock him down there. [They kill him. *Smith. If this fellow be wise, he'll never call *Jack Cade more; I think, he hath a very fair * warning. Dick. My lord, there's an army gathered together in Smithfield. Gade. 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. 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 GOUGH is slain. 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. 'John. Mass, 'twill be sore law then; for he was 'thrust in the mouth with a spear, and 'tis not 'whole yet. [Aside. 'Smith. Nay, John, it will be stinking law; for ⚫ his breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. [Aside. 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. *John. Then we are like to have biting statutes, * unless his teeth be pulled out. Aside. * Cade. And henceforward all things shall be in common. Enter a Messenger. Mess. 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. 6 Enter GEORGE BEVIS, with the 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 'monsieur Basimecu, 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 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 en'dure 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 on a foot-cloth,' dost thou not? 6 7 8 one and twenty fifteens,] A fifteen was the fifteenth part of all the moveables or personal property of each subject. thou say, thou serge,] Say was the old word for silk; on this depends the series of degradation, from say to serge, from serge to buckram. printing to be used;] Shakspeare is a little too early with this accusation. 9 -because they could not read, thou hast hanged them:] That is, they were hanged because they could not claim the benefit of clergy. Thou dost ride on a foot-cloth,] A foot-cloth was a kind of |