CADE

Proclaim silence. I John Cade so nam for my valiancio. My father was a Mortimer. Therefore I am honourable born. Well, Adam was a Gardnar, what then? But I come of the Mortimers. And one of them was stolen away by a beggarwoman, And was my father, and I am his son, Deny it and you can. Be it a lordship Dick, and thou shalt have it For that word. Come hither thou Say, thou George, thou buckrum lord, What answer canst thou make unto my mightiness, For delivering up the towns in France to Monsieur buss mine cue the Dolphin of France? And more the ̄ so, thou hast most traitorously erected a gram mere school, to infect the youth of the realm, & against the kings Crown and dignity, thou hasl built up a paper-mil, nay it will be said to thy face, that thou keepest men in thy house that daily reads of books with read letters, and talks of a Noun and a Verb, and such abominable words, as no christian care is able to endure it: and beside all that, thou hast appointed certain ju stices of peace in every shire to hang honest men that steal for their living, and because they could not read, thou hast hung them up: only for which cause they were most worthy to live: thou ridest on a foothcloth, dost thou not? Nay thou nodst thy head, as who say, thou wilt be even with me, if thou gettest away, but isle make thee sure enough, now I have thee: go take him to the standard in Cheapside & chop off his head, & then go to Milend-green, to sir James Cromer his son in law, and cut off his head too, and bring them to me upon two poles presently. There shall not a nobleman wear a head on his shoulders, But he shall pay me tribute for it: Nor there shall not a maid be married, but he shall see to me for her: Maiden head or else, isle have it my self, Marry I will that married men shall hold of me in capite, And that their wives shall be as free as heart can think, or tongue can tell. How Like a feather is this rascal company Blown every way, But that they may see there wants no valiancy in me, My staff shall make way through the amid of you, And so a pox take you all. Brave thee and beard thee too, by the best blood of the realm, look on me well, I have eat no meat this five days, yet and I do not leave thee and thy five men as dead as a door nail, I pray God I may never cate grass more. Now sword, if thou hewst not this burly-boned churl into chines of beef, I beseech God thou mayest fallen into some smiths hand and be turned into hobnails. My mother came of the Brases. I am able to endure much. I fear neither sword nor fire. Therefore be brave, for your captain is brave and vows reformation: you shall have seven halfpenny loaves for a penny, and the three hoopt pot, shall have ten hoops, and it shall be fe lony to drink small beer, and if I be the King, as King I will be. I thank you good people, you shall all eat & drink of my score, and go all in my livery, and weel have no writing but the score and the tally, and there shall be no laws, but such as comes from my mouth. Whose that, Will? Sounes, he's a conjurer, bring him hither, Now sir, whats your name? And what do you use to write your name? Or do you as ancient forefathers have done, Use the score and the tally? O he has confessed, go hang him with his penny ink horn about his neck. Let them come, he's but a Knight is he Why then to equal him, isle make my self Knight Kneel down John Mortimer, Rise up sir John Mortimer. Is there any more of them that be Knights Then kneel down Dick Butcher, Rise up sir Dick Butcher. As for these silken coated slaves, I pass not a pin, 'Tis to you good people that I speak. The Duke of York, nay, I learned it my self. For look you, Roger Mortimer the Earl of March, Married the Duke of Clarence daughter. And by her he had two children at a birth. Yea, but I say, 'tis true. But dost thou hear Stafford tell the King that for his father's sake, in whose time boys played at spanne-counter with French crowns, I am content that he shall be King as long as he lives: marry always provided, I'll be Protector over him. And tell him, weel have the Lord Says head, & the duke of Somersets, for delivering up the dukedoms of Anioy and Main, and selling the towns in France, by which means England hath been maimed ever since, and gone as it were with a crouch, but that the puissance held it up. And beside, they can speak French, and therefore they are traitors. Why the French men are our enemies, be they not? And then can he that speaks with the tongue of and enemy be a good subject? Answer me to that. Nay, bid the King come to me and he will, and then isle pardon him, or otherways isle have his crown tell him, ere it be long. Come sirs, saint George for us and Kenned. Sir Dick Butcher, thou hast fought to day most vam liantly, and knocked them down as if thou hadst been in thy slaughter house, and thus I will reward thee: the Lent shall be as long again as it was: thou shalt have licence to kill for four score and one a week: drum strike up, for now weel march to London, for to morrow I mean to fit in the Kings seat at Westminster. Now is Mortimer Lord of this city, And now sitting upon London stone, we command, That the first year of our reign, The pissing conduit run nothing but read wine, And now henceforth, it shall be treason For my that calls me otherwise then Lord Mortimer. Zounes, knock him down. Come then, lets go fight with them, But first go on and set London bridge on fire: And if you can, burn down the Tower too, Come lets away. So sirs, now go some and pull down the Sanoy, Others to the Inns of the court, down with them all. Dick it shall be so, and henceforward all thing shall be in common, and in Cheapside shall my palphrey go to grass. Why is't not a miserable thing, that of the skin of and innocent lamb, should parchment be made, and then with a little blotting over with ink, a man should undo himself? Some says 'tis the bees that sting but I say, 'tis their wax, for I am sure I never sealed to any thing but once, and I was never mine own man since. Marry he that will lustily stand to it, Shall go with me and take up these commodities following: Item, a gown, a kirtle, a petticoat and a smock. Marry I say thou oughtest not to let thy horse wear a cloak, when and honester man then thy self goes in his hose and doublet. Bonum terum, sounds whats that? But wherefore dost thou shake thy head so? Run to Billingsgate, and fetch pitch and flax and squench it. Why, what has he done? Dick follow thy suit in her common place, You horson villain, you are a sergeant, yowl Take any man by the throat for twelve pence, And rest a man when he's at dinner, And have him to prison ere the meat be out of his mouth: Go Dick, take him hence, cut out his tonge for cogging, Hough him for running, and to conclude, Brave him with his own mace. So, come carry them before me, and at cuery lanes end, let them kiss together. Why how now, will you forsake your general, And ancient freedom which you have possessed, To bend your necks unto their servile yokes, Who if you stir, will straightways hang you up? But follow me, and you shall pull them down, And make them yield their livings to your hands. Sounes heres the Lord of the soil stand villain, thou wilt betray me to the King, and get a thousand crowns for my head, but ere thou goest, isle make thee eat iron Like and estridge, and swallow my sword Like a great pin. O villain, thou hast slain the flower of Kenned for chi ualry, but it is famine & not thee that has done it, for come ten thousand devils, & give me but the ten meals that I wanted this five days, and I'll fight with you all, and so a pox rot thee, for Jack Cade must die.