Sir Thomas More [7]
the rebels have broke open Newgate,
From whence they have delivered many prisoners,
Both felons and notorious murderers,
That desperately cleave to their lawless train.
LORD MAYOR.
Up with the drawbridge, gather some forces
To Cornhill and Cheapside:--and, gentlemen,
If diligence be weighed on every side,
A quiet ebb will follow this rough tide.
[Enter Shrewsbury, Surrey, Palmer, and Cholmley.]
SHREWSBURY.
Lord Mayor, his majesty, receiving notice
Of this most dangerous insurrection,
Hath sent my lord of Surrey and myself,
Sir Thomas Palmer and our followers,
To add unto your forces our best means
For pacifying of this mutiny.
In God's name, then, set on with happy speed!
The king laments, if one true subject bleed.
SURREY.
I hear they mean to fire the Lombards' houses:
Oh power, what art thou in a madman's eyes!
Thou makest the plodding idiot bloody-wise.
MORE.
My lords, I doubt not but we shall appease
With a calm breath this flux of discontent:
To call them to a parley, questionless--
PALMER.
May fall out good: tis well said, Master More.
MORE.
Let's to these simple men; for many sweat
Under this act, that knows not the law's debt
Which hangs upon their lives; for silly men
Plod on they know not how, like a fool's pen,
That, ending, shows not any sentence writ,
Linked but to common reason or slightest wit:
These follow for no harm; but yet incur
Self penalty with those that raised this stir.
A God's name, on, to calm our private foes
With breath of gravity, not dangerous blows!
SCENE IV. St. Martin's Gate.
[Enter Lincoln, Doll, Clown, George Betts, Williamson, others;
and a Sergeant at Arms.]
LINCOLN.
Peace, hear me: he that will not see a red herring at a Harry groat,
butter at elevenpence a pound, meal at nine shillings a bushel, and
beef at four nobles a stone, list to me.
GEORGE.
It will come to that pass, if strangers be suffered. Mark him.
LINCOLN.
Our country is a great eating country; ergo, they eat more in our
country than they do in their own.
CLOWN.
By a halfpenny loaf, a day, troy weight.
LINCOLN.
They bring in strange roots, which is merely to the undoing of poor
prentices; for what's a sorry parsnip to a good heart?
WILLIAMSON.
Trash, trash; they breed sore eyes, and tis enough to infect the city
with the palsey.
LINCOLN.
Nay, it has infected it with the palsey; for these bastards of dung,
as you know they grow in dung, have infected us, and it is our
infection will make the city shake, which partly comes through the
eating of parsnips.
CLOWN.
True; and pumpkins together.
SERGEANT.
What say ye to the mercy of the king?
Do ye refuse it?
LINCOLN.
You would have us upon this, would you? no, marry, do we not;
we accept of the king's mercy, but we will show no mercy upon the
strangers.
SERGEANT.
You are the simplest things that ever stood
In such a question.
LINCOLN.
How say ye now, prentices? prentices simple! down with him!
ALL.
Prentices simple! prentices simple!
[Enter the Lord Mayor, Surrey, Shrewsbury, More.]
LORD MAYOR.
Hold! in the king's name, hold!
SURREY.
Friends, masters, countrymen--
LORD MAYOR.
Peace, how, peace! I charge you, keep the peace!
SHREWSBURY.
My masters, countrymen--
WILLIAMSON.
The noble earl of Shrewsbury, let's hear him.
GEORGE.
We'll hear the earl of Surrey.
LINCOLN.
The earl of Shrewsbury.
GEORGE.
We'll hear both.
ALL.
Both, both, both, both!
LINCOLN.
Peace, I say, peace! are you men of wisdom, or what are you?
SURREY.
What you will have them; but not men of wisdom.
ALL.
We'll not hear my lord of Surrey; no, no, no, no, no! Shrewsbury,
Shrewsbury!
MORE.
Whiles they are o'er the bank of their obedience,
Thus will they bear down all things.
LINCOLN.
Sheriff More speaks; shall we hear Sheriff More speak?
DOLL.
Let's hear him: a keeps a plentyful shrievaltry, and a made my
brother Arthur Watchins Seriant Safes yeoman: let's hear Shrieve
More.
ALL.
Shrieve More, More, More, Shrieve
From whence they have delivered many prisoners,
Both felons and notorious murderers,
That desperately cleave to their lawless train.
LORD MAYOR.
Up with the drawbridge, gather some forces
To Cornhill and Cheapside:--and, gentlemen,
If diligence be weighed on every side,
A quiet ebb will follow this rough tide.
[Enter Shrewsbury, Surrey, Palmer, and Cholmley.]
SHREWSBURY.
Lord Mayor, his majesty, receiving notice
Of this most dangerous insurrection,
Hath sent my lord of Surrey and myself,
Sir Thomas Palmer and our followers,
To add unto your forces our best means
For pacifying of this mutiny.
In God's name, then, set on with happy speed!
The king laments, if one true subject bleed.
SURREY.
I hear they mean to fire the Lombards' houses:
Oh power, what art thou in a madman's eyes!
Thou makest the plodding idiot bloody-wise.
MORE.
My lords, I doubt not but we shall appease
With a calm breath this flux of discontent:
To call them to a parley, questionless--
PALMER.
May fall out good: tis well said, Master More.
MORE.
Let's to these simple men; for many sweat
Under this act, that knows not the law's debt
Which hangs upon their lives; for silly men
Plod on they know not how, like a fool's pen,
That, ending, shows not any sentence writ,
Linked but to common reason or slightest wit:
These follow for no harm; but yet incur
Self penalty with those that raised this stir.
A God's name, on, to calm our private foes
With breath of gravity, not dangerous blows!
SCENE IV. St. Martin's Gate.
[Enter Lincoln, Doll, Clown, George Betts, Williamson, others;
and a Sergeant at Arms.]
LINCOLN.
Peace, hear me: he that will not see a red herring at a Harry groat,
butter at elevenpence a pound, meal at nine shillings a bushel, and
beef at four nobles a stone, list to me.
GEORGE.
It will come to that pass, if strangers be suffered. Mark him.
LINCOLN.
Our country is a great eating country; ergo, they eat more in our
country than they do in their own.
CLOWN.
By a halfpenny loaf, a day, troy weight.
LINCOLN.
They bring in strange roots, which is merely to the undoing of poor
prentices; for what's a sorry parsnip to a good heart?
WILLIAMSON.
Trash, trash; they breed sore eyes, and tis enough to infect the city
with the palsey.
LINCOLN.
Nay, it has infected it with the palsey; for these bastards of dung,
as you know they grow in dung, have infected us, and it is our
infection will make the city shake, which partly comes through the
eating of parsnips.
CLOWN.
True; and pumpkins together.
SERGEANT.
What say ye to the mercy of the king?
Do ye refuse it?
LINCOLN.
You would have us upon this, would you? no, marry, do we not;
we accept of the king's mercy, but we will show no mercy upon the
strangers.
SERGEANT.
You are the simplest things that ever stood
In such a question.
LINCOLN.
How say ye now, prentices? prentices simple! down with him!
ALL.
Prentices simple! prentices simple!
[Enter the Lord Mayor, Surrey, Shrewsbury, More.]
LORD MAYOR.
Hold! in the king's name, hold!
SURREY.
Friends, masters, countrymen--
LORD MAYOR.
Peace, how, peace! I charge you, keep the peace!
SHREWSBURY.
My masters, countrymen--
WILLIAMSON.
The noble earl of Shrewsbury, let's hear him.
GEORGE.
We'll hear the earl of Surrey.
LINCOLN.
The earl of Shrewsbury.
GEORGE.
We'll hear both.
ALL.
Both, both, both, both!
LINCOLN.
Peace, I say, peace! are you men of wisdom, or what are you?
SURREY.
What you will have them; but not men of wisdom.
ALL.
We'll not hear my lord of Surrey; no, no, no, no, no! Shrewsbury,
Shrewsbury!
MORE.
Whiles they are o'er the bank of their obedience,
Thus will they bear down all things.
LINCOLN.
Sheriff More speaks; shall we hear Sheriff More speak?
DOLL.
Let's hear him: a keeps a plentyful shrievaltry, and a made my
brother Arthur Watchins Seriant Safes yeoman: let's hear Shrieve
More.
ALL.
Shrieve More, More, More, Shrieve