SCENE VII. London. Smithfield. The Second part of King Henry the Sixth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VI, part 2  | Act 4, Scene 7 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  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. 

 DICK  Only that the laws of England may come out of your mouth. 

 HOLLAND  [Aside]  Mass, 'twill be sore law, then; for he was 

 thrust in the mouth with a spear, and 'tis not whole 

 yet. 

 SMITH  [Aside]  Nay, John, it will be stinking law for his 

 breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. 

 CADE  I have thought upon it, it shall be so. Away, burn 

 all the records of the realm: my mouth shall be 

 the parliament of England. 

 HOLLAND  [Aside]  Then we are like to have biting statutes, 

 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, 

 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 

 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 

 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 

 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 

 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, 

 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 

 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? 

 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: 

 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. 

 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, 

 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: 

 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. 

 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. 

 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 

 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? 

 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]  I feel remorse in myself with his words; 

 but I'll bridle it: he shall die, an it be but for 

 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 

 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? 

 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 

 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? 

 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 

 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! 



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