W. Staf. And what of that?

Cade. Marry, this :-Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, Married the duke of Clarence' daughter; Did he not?

Staf. Ay, sir.

Cade. By her, he had two children at one birth.
W. Staf. That's false.

Cade. Ay, there's the question; but, I say, 'tis true The elder of them, being put to nurse,

Was by a beggar-woman stol'n away;

And, ignorant of his birth and parentage,
Became a bricklayer, when he came to age:
His son am I ; deny it, if you can.

Dick. Nay, tis too true; therefore he shall be king. Smith. Sir, he made a chimney in my father's house, and the bricks are alive at this day to testify it; therefore, deny it not.

Staf. And will you credit this base drudge's words, That speaks he knows not what?

All. Ay, marry, will we; therefore get ye gone.

W. Staf. Jack Cade, the duke of York hath taught you this. Cade. He lies, for I invented it myself. [Aside.]Go to, sirrah, Tell the king from me that-for his father's sake, Henry the fifth, in whose time boys went to span-counter for French crowns,-I am content he shall reign; but I'll be protector over him.

Dick. And, furthermore, we'll have the lord Say's bead, for selling the dukedom of Maine.

Cade. And good reason; for thereby is England maimed, and fain to go with a staff, but that my puissance holds it up. Fellow kings, I tell you, that that lord Say hath gelded the commonwealth, and made it an eunuch and more than that, he can speak French, and therefore he is a traitor.

Staf. O gross and miserable ignorance!

Cade. Nay, answer, if you can: The Frenchmen are our enemies, go to then; I ask but this; Can he, that speaks with the tongue of an enemy, be a good counsellor, or no?

All. No, no; and, therefore we'll have his head.
W. Staf. Well, seeing gentle words will not prevail,
Assail them with the army of the king.

Staf. Herald, away: and, throughout every town,
Proclaim them traitors that are up with Cade;

That those, which fly before the battle ends,
May, even in their wives' and children's sight,
Be hang'd up for example at their doors :-
And you, that be the king's friends, follow me.

[Exeunt the Two STAFFORDS, and Forces.
Cade. And you, that love the commons, follow me.—
Now show yourselves men, 'tis for liberty.
We will not leave one lord, one gentleman:
Spare none, but such as go in clouted shoon ;
For they are thrifty honest men, and such

As would (but that they dare not,) take our parts.
Dick. They are all in order, and march toward us.
Cade. But then are we in order, when we are most out
of order. Come, march forward.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt.

Another part of Blackheath. Alarums. The two parties enter, and fight, and both the STAFFORDS are slain. Cade. Where's Dick, the butcher of Ashford ?

Dick. Here, sir.

Cade. They fell before thee like sheep and oxen, and thou behavedst thyself as if thou hadst been in thine own slaughter-house: therefore thus will I reward thee,The Lent shall be as long again as it is; and thou shalt have a license to kill for a hundred lacking one.

Dick. I desire no more.

Cade. And, to speak truth, thou deservest no less. This monument of the victory will I bear; and the bodies shall be dragged at my horse' heels till I do come to London, where we will have the mayor's sword borne before us.

Dick. If we mean to thrive and do good, break open the gaols, and let out the prisoners.

Cade. Fear not that, I warrant thee. Come, let's march towards London.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

London. A Room in the Palace. Enter King HENRY, reading a Supplication; the Duke of BUCKINGHAM, and Lord SAY with him at a distance, Queen MARGARET, mourning over SUFFOLK's Head.

Q. Mar. Oft have I heard that grief softens the mind,

[1] Here Cade must be supposed to take off Stafford's armour. So Holinshed "Jack Cade, upon his victory against the Staffords, apparelled himself in Sir Humphrey's brigandine, set full of gilt nails, and so in seme glory returned again toward London." STEEVENS.

And makes it fearful and degenerate ;

Think therefore on revenge, and cease to weep.
But who can cease to weep, and look on this?
Here may his head lie on my throbbing breast:
But where's the body that I should embrace ?
Buck. What answer makes your grace to the rebels'
supplication?

K. Hen. I'll send some holy bishop to entreat :
For God forbid, so many simple souls

Should perish by the sword! And I myself,
Rather than bloody war shall cut them short,
Will parley with Jack Cade their general.-
But stay, I'll read it over once again.

Q. Mar. Ah, barbarous villains! hath this lovely face Rul'd, like a wandering planet, over me;

2

And could it not enforce them to relent,

That were unworthy to behold the same?

K. Hen. Lord Say, Jack Cade hath sworn to have thy head.
Say. Ay, but I hope, your highness shall have his.
K. Hen. How now, madam? Still

Lamenting, and mourning for Suffolk's death?

I fear, my love, if that I had been dead,

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,
Descended from the duke of Clarence' house;
And calls your grace usurper, openly,
And vows to crown himself in Westminster.
His army is a ragged multitude

Of hinds and peasants, rude and merciless :
Sir Humphrey Stafford and his brother's death
Hath given them heart and courage to proceed:
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.

[2] Predominated irresistibly over my passions, as the planets over the lives of those who are born under their influence. JOHNSON.

i

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.

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,

Join with the traitor; and they jointly swear,

To spoil the city, and your royal court.

Buck. Then linger not, my lord; away, take horse.
K. Hen. Come, Margaret; God, our hope, will suc-

cour 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.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

The same. The Tower.

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, And thither I will send you Matthew Gough: Fight for your king, your country, and your lives; And so farewell, for I must hence again,

[Exeunt.

The same.

SCENE VI.

Cannon Street. 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! Cade. Knock him down there. [They kill him. Smith. If this fellow be wise, he'll never call you Jack Cade more; I think, he hath a very fair warning.

Dick. My lord, there's an army gathered together in Smithfield.

Cade. 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.

SCENE VII.

The same. Smithfield. 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 Citi zens 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;3 my mouth shall be the parliament of England.

[3] Little more than half a century had elapsed from the time of writing this play, before a similar proposal was actually made in parliament. Bishop Burnet in his life of Sir Matthew Hale, says: "Among the other extravagant motions made in