King Henry VI, Part II

King Henry VI, Part II

ACT IV 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.	5
DICK	Only that the laws of England may come out of your mouth.
HOLLAND	Aside
	thrust in the mouth with a spear, and 'tis not whole
	yet.
SMITH	Aside
	breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.
CADE	I have thought upon it, it shall be so. Away, burn	10
	all the records of the realm: my mouth shall be
	the parliament of England.
HOLLAND	Aside
	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,	15
	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	20
	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 I	25
	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 forefathers
	had no other books but the score and the tally, thou	30
	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	35
	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,	40
	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	45
	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?	50
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:	55
	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.	60
	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?
	Large gifts have I bestow'd on learned clerks,	65
	Because my book preferr'd me to the king,
	And seeing ignorance is the curse of God,
	Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven,
	Unless you be possess'd with devilish spirits,
	You cannot but forbear to murder me:	70
	This tongue hath parley'd unto foreign kings
	For your behoof,--
CADE	Tut, when struck'st thou one blow in the field?
SAY	Great men have reaching hands: oft have I struck
	Those that I never saw and struck them dead.	75
BEVIS	O monstrous coward! what, to come behind folks?
SAY	These cheeks are pale for watching for your good.
CADE	Give him a box o' the ear and that will make 'em red again.
SAY	Long sitting to determine poor men's causes
	Hath made me full of sickness and diseases.	80
CADE	Ye shall have a hempen caudle, then, and the help of hatchet.
DICK	Why dost thou quiver, man?
SAY	The palsy, and not fear, provokes me.
CADE	Nay, he nods at us, as who should say, I'll be even
	with you: I'll see if his head will stand steadier	85
	on a pole, or no. Take him away, and behead him.
SAY	Tell me wherein have I offended most?
	Have I affected wealth or honour? speak.
	Are my chests fill'd up with extorted gold?
	Is my apparel sumptuous to behold?	90
	Whom have I injured, that ye seek my death?
	These hands are free from guiltless bloodshedding,
	This breast from harbouring foul deceitful thoughts.
	O, let me live!
CADE	Aside
	but I'll bridle it: he shall die, an it be but for	95
	pleading so well for his life. Away with him! he
	has a familiar under his tongue; he speaks not o'
	God's name. Go, take him away, I say, and strike
	off his head presently; and then break into his
	son-in-law's house, Sir James Cromer, and strike off	100
	his head, and bring them both upon two poles hither.
ALL	It shall be done.
SAY	Ah, countrymen! if when you make your prayers,
	God should be so obdurate as yourselves,
	How would it fare with your departed souls?	105
	And therefore yet relent, and save my life.
CADE	Away with him! and do as I command ye.
	Exeunt some with Lord SAY
	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	110
	her maidenhead ere they have it: men shall hold of
	me in capite; and we charge and command that their
	wives be as free as heart can wish or tongue can tell.
DICK	My lord, when shall we go to Cheapside and take up
	commodities upon our bills?	115
CADE	Marry, presently.
ALL	O, brave!
	Re-enter one with the heads
CADE	But is not this braver? Let them kiss one another,
	for they loved well when they were alive. Now part
	them again, lest they consult about the giving up of	120
	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