[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.