The arden shakespeare co.., p.227
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works, page 227
CADE Away with him! And do as I command ye.
Exeunt one or two with the Lord Saye.
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
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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.
BUTCHER My lord, when shall we go to Cheapside and
take up commodities upon our bills?
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CADE Marry, presently.
ALL O brave!
Enter one with the heads upon poles.
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
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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.
4.8 Alarum and retreat. Enter again CADE and all his rabblement.
CADE Up Fish Street! Down Saint Magnus’ Corner!
Kill and knock down! Throw them into Thames!
[Sound a parley.]
What noise is this I hear?
Enter BUCKINGHAM and OLD CLIFFORD, attended.
Dare any be so bold to sound retreat or parley when I
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command them kill?
BUCKINGHAM
Ay, here they be that dare and will disturb thee!
Know, Cade, we come ambassadors from the King
Unto the commons, whom thou hast misled,
And here pronounce free pardon to them all
That will forsake thee and go home in peace.
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OLD CLIFFORD
What say ye, countrymen? Will ye relent,
And yield to mercy whilst ’tis offered you?
Or let a rebel lead you to your deaths?
Who loves the King and will embrace his pardon,
Fling up his cap and say, ‘God save his majesty!’
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Who hateth him and honours not his father,
Henry the Fifth, that made all France to quake,
Shake he his weapon at us, and pass by.
[They forsake Cade.]
ALL God save the King! God save the King!
CADE What, Buckingham and Clifford, are ye so brave?
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And you, base peasants, do ye believe him? Will you
needs be hanged with your pardons about your necks?
Hath my sword therefore broke through London
gates, that you should leave me at the White Hart in
Southwark? I thought ye would never have given o’er
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these arms till you had recovered your ancient
freedom; but you are all recreants and dastards and
delight to live in slavery to the nobility. Let them
break your backs with burdens, take your houses over
your heads, ravish your wives and daughters before
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your faces. For me, I will make shift for one, and so
God’s curse light upon you all!
ALL We’ll follow Cade! We’ll follow Cade!
[They run to Cade again.]
OLD CLIFFORD Is Cade the son of Henry the Fifth
That thus you do exclaim you’ll go with him?
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Will he conduct you through the heart of France
And make the meanest of you earls and dukes?
Alas, he hath no home, no place to fly to,
Nor knows he how to live but by the spoil,
Unless by robbing of your friends and us.
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Were’t not a shame that whilst you live at jar
The fearful French, whom you late vanquished,
Should make a start o’er seas and vanquish you?
Methinks already in this civil broil
I see them lording it in London streets,
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Crying ‘Villiago!’ unto all they meet.
Better ten thousand base-born Cades miscarry
Than you should stoop unto a Frenchman’s mercy.
To France! To France! And get what you have lost!
Spare England, for it is your native coast.
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Henry hath money, you are strong and manly;
God on our side, doubt not of victory.
ALL A Clifford! A Clifford! We’ll follow the King and
Clifford. [They forsake Cade.]
CADE [aside] Was ever feather so lightly blown to and
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fro as this multitude? The name of Henry the Fifth
hales them to an hundred mischiefs and makes them
leave me desolate. I see them lay their heads together
to surprise me. My sword make way for me, for here is
no staying. – In despite of the devils and hell, have
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through the very midst of you! And heavens and
honour be witness that no want of resolution in me,
but only my followers’ base and ignominious treasons,
makes me betake me to my heels. Exit.
BUCKINGHAM
What, is he fled? Go some and follow him.
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And he that brings his head unto the King
Shall have a thousand crowns for his reward.
Exeunt some of them.
Follow me, soldiers; we’ll devise a mean
To reconcile you all unto the King. Exeunt.
4.9 Sound trumpets. Enter KING, QUEEN and SOMERSET on the terrace aloft.
KING Was ever king that joyed an earthly throne
And could command no more content than I?
No sooner was I crept out of my cradle
But I was made a king at nine months old.
Was never subject longed to be a king
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As I do long and wish to be a subject.
Enter BUCKINGHAM and OLD CLIFFORD.
BUCKINGHAM Health and glad tidings to your majesty.
KING Why, Buckingham, is the traitor Cade surprised,
Or is he but retired to make him strong?
Enter multitudes with halters about their necks.
OLD CLIFFORD
He is fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield,
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And humbly thus with halters on their necks
Expect your highness’ doom of life or death.
KING Then, heaven, set ope thy everlasting gates
To entertain my vows of thanks and praise.
Soldiers, this day have you redeemed your lives
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And showed how well you love your prince and country.
Continue still in this so good a mind,
And Henry, though he be unfortunate,
Assure yourselves will never be unkind.
And so, with thanks and pardon to you all,
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I do dismiss you to your several countries.
ALL God save the King! God save the King!
Exeunt rebels.
Enter a Messenger.
MESSENGER Please it your grace to be advertised
The Duke of York is newly come from Ireland,
And with a puissant and a mighty power
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Of gallowglasses and stout kerns
Is marching hitherward in proud array,
And still proclaimeth, as he comes along,
His arms are only to remove from thee
The Duke of Somerset, whom he terms a traitor.
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KING
Thus stands my state, ’twixt Cade and York distressed,
Like to a ship that having scaped a tempest
Is straightway calmed and boarded with a pirate.
But now is Cade driven back, his men dispersed,
And now is York in arms to second him.
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I pray thee, Buckingham, go and meet him,
And ask him what’s the reason of these arms.
Tell him I’ll send Duke Edmund to the Tower –
And, Somerset, we will commit thee thither,
Until his army be dismissed from him.
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SOMERSET My lord, I’ll yield myself to prison willingly,
Or unto death, to do my country good.
KING In any case, be not too rough in terms,
For he is fierce and cannot brook hard language.
BUCKINGHAM I will, my lord, and doubt not so to deal
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As all things shall redound unto your good.
KING Come, wife, let’s in, and learn to govern better;
For yet may England curse my wretched reign.
Flourish. Exeunt.
4.10 Enter CADE.
CADE Fie on ambitions! Fie on myself that have a sword
and yet am ready to famish! These five days have I hid
me in these woods and durst not peep out, for all the
country is laid for me; but now am I so hungry that if I
might have a lease of my life for a thousand years, I
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could stay no longer. Wherefore, o’er a brick wall have
I climbed into this garden, to see if I can eat grass, or
pick a sallet another while, which is not amiss to cool a
man’s stomach this hot weather. And I think this word
‘sallet’ was born to do me good: for many a time, but for
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a sallet, my brain-pan had been cleft with a brown bill;
and many a time, when I have been dry and bravely
marching, it hath served me instead of a quart pot to
drink in; and now the word ‘sallet’ must serve me to
feed on. [Lies down picking of herbs and eating them.]
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Enter IDEN and his men.
IDEN Lord, who would live turmoiled in the court
And may enjoy such quiet walks as these?
This small inheritance my father left me
Contenteth me, and worth a monarchy.
I seek not to wax great by others’ waning
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Or gather wealth I care not with what envy;
Sufficeth that I have maintains my state,
And sends the poor well pleased from my gate.
CADE [aside] Here’s the lord of the soil come to seize me
for a stray for entering his fee-simple without leave. –
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Ah, villain, thou wilt betray me and get a thousand
crowns of the King by carrying my head to him; but
I’ll make thee eat iron like an ostrich, and swallow my
sword like a great pin, ere thou and I part. [Draws his
sword.]
IDEN Why, rude companion, whatsoe’er thou be,
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I know thee not; why then should I betray thee?
Is’t not enough to break into my garden
And like a thief to come to rob my grounds,
Climbing my walls in spite of me the owner,
But thou wilt brave me with these saucy terms?
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CADE Brave thee? Ay, by the best blood that ever was
broached, and beard thee too. Look on me well: I have
eat no meat these five days, yet come thou and thy five
men, an if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail,
I pray God I may never eat grass more.
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IDEN Nay, it shall ne’er be said, while England stands,
That Alexander Iden, a squire of Kent,
Took odds to combat a poor famished man.
Oppose thy steadfast-gazing eyes to mine,
See if thou canst outface me with thy looks.
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Set limb to limb, and thou art far the lesser;
Thy hand is but a finger to my fist,
Thy leg a stick compared with this truncheon.
My foot shall fight with all the strength thou hast;
An if mine arm be heaved in the air
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Thy grave is digged already in the earth.
As for words, whose greatness answers words,
Let this my sword report what speech forbears.
[Draws his sword.]
CADE By my valour, the most complete champion that
ever I heard! Steel, if thou turn the edge or cut not out
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the burly-boned clown in chines of beef ere thou sleep
in thy sheath, I beseech God on my knees thou mayst
be turned to hobnails. [They fight and Cade falls down.]
O, I am slain! Famine and no other hath slain me. Let
