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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 More!
MORE。
Even by the rule you have among yourselves;
Command still audience。
ALL。
Surrey; Surrey! More; More!
LINCOLN:
Peace; peace; silence; peace。
GEORGE。
Peace; peace; silence; peace。
MORE。
You that have voice and credit with the number
Command them to a stillness。
LINCOLN。
A plague on them; they will not hold their peace; the dual cannot
rule them。
MORE。
Then what a rough and riotous charge have you;
To lead those that the dual cannot rule?
Good masters; hear me speak。
DOLL。
Aye; by th' mass; will we; More: th' art a good housekeeper; and I
thank thy good worship for my brother Arthur Watchins。
ALL。
Peace; peace。
MORE。
Look; what you do offend you cry upon;
That is; the peace: not one of you here present;
Had there such fellows lived when you were babes;
That could have topped the peace; as now you would;
The peace wherein you have till now grown up
Had been ta'en from you; and the bloody times
Could not have brought you to the state of men。
Alas; poor things; what is it you have got;
Although we grant you get the thing you seek?
GEORGE。
Marry; the removing of the strangers; which cannot choose but
much advantage the poor handicrafts of the city。
MORE。
Grant them removed; and grant that this your noise
Hath chid down all the majesty of England;
Imagine that you see the wretched strangers;
Their babies at their backs and their poor luggage;
Plodding tooth ports and costs for transportation;
And that you sit as kings in your desires;
Authority quite silent by your brawl;
And you in ruff of your opinions clothed;
What had you got? I'll tell you: you had taught
How insolence and strong hand should prevail;
How order should be quelled; and by this pattern
Not one of you should live an aged man;
For other ruffians; as their fancies wrought;
With self same hand; self reasons; and self right;
Would shark on you; and men like ravenous fishes
Would feed on one another。
DOLL。
Before God; that's as true as the Gospel。
LINCOLN。
Nay; this is a sound fellow; I tell you: let's mark him。
MORE。
Let me set up before your thoughts; good friends;
On supposition; which if you will mark;
You shall perceive how horrible a shape
Your innovation bears: first; tis a sin
Which oft the apostle did forewarn us of;
Urging obedience to authority;
And twere no error; if I told you all;
You were in arms against your God himself。
ALL。
Marry; God forbid that!
MORE。
Nay; certainly you are;
For to the king God hath his office lent
Of dread; of justice; power and command;
Hath bid him rule; and willed you to obey;
And; to add ampler majesty to this;
He hath not only lent the king his figure;
His throne and sword; but given him his own name;
Calls him a god on earth。 What do you; then;
Rising gainst him that God himself installs;
But rise against God? what do you to your souls
In doing this? O; desperate as you are;
Wash your foul minds with tears; and those same hands;
That you like rebels lift against the peace;
Lift up for peace; and your unreverent knees;
Make them your feet to kneel to be forgiven!
Tell me but this: what rebel captain;
As mutinies are incident