SCENE III. 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, a week1. 9 as long AGAIN as it is;] The word again, which was certainly omitted in the folio by accident, was restored from the old play, by Mr. Steevens, on the suggestion of Dr. Johnson. MALONE. and thou shalt have a licence to kill for a hundred lacking one, A WEEK.] The last two words I have restored from the original play. In that piece the passage stood thus:-" and the Lent shall be as long again as it was, and thou shalt have a licence for fourscore and one, a week." Shakspeare changed the number to ninety-nine, perhaps from that number being familiar to him, being a common term or period of duration in leases. But, the words" a week," which are found in the original play, must have been accidentally omitted in the transcript or at the press; for the passage is unintelligible without them. In the reign of Elizabeth, butchers were strictly enjoined not to sell flesh meat in Lent, not with a religious view, but for the double purpose of diminishing the consumption of flesh meat during that period, and so making it more plentiful during the rest of the year, and of encouraging the fisheries and augmenting the number of seamen. Butchers who had interest at court, frequently obtained a dispensation from this junction, and procured a licence to kill a certain limited number of beasts a week, during Lent, of which indulgence the wants of invalids who could not subsist without animal food, was generally made the pretence. See the Proclamations in the Library of the Society of Antiquaries. MALONE. '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 2, * break open the gaols, and let out the prisoners. *CADE. Fear not that, I warrant thee. Come, * let's march towards London. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. 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, * 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 brcast: I This monument of the victory will I bear ;] 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 some glory returned again toward London." STEEVENS. Sir Humphrey Stafford, who was killed at Sevenoke in Cade's rebellion, is buried at Bromsgrove in Staffordshire. VAILLANT. 2 If we mean to thrive and do good, &c.] I think it should be read thus: "If we mean to thrive, do good; break open the gaols," &c. JOHNSON. The speaker designs to say-" If we ourselves mean to thrive, and do good to others," &c. The old reading is the true one. STREVENS. * But where's the body that I should embrace? BUCK. What answer makes your grace to the ' rebels' supplication 3 ? 3 * 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, * Q. MAR. Ah, barbarous villains! hath this lovely face * Rul'd, like a wandering planet, over me; 'K. HEN. Lord Say, Jack Cade hath sworn to have thy head. 3 - to the rebels' supplication ?] "And to the entent that the cause of this glorious capitaynes comyng thither might be shadowed from the king and his counsayll, he sent to him an humble supplication,-affirmyng his commyng not to be against him, but against divers of his counsayl," &c. Hall, Henry VI. fol. 77. MALONE. 4 I'll send some HOLY BISHOP to entreat:] Here, as in some other places, our author has fallen into an inconsistency, by sometimes following and sometimes deserting his original. In the old play, the King says not a word of sending any bishop to the rebels; but says, he will himself come and parly with them, and in the mean while order Clifford and Buckingham to gather an army and to go to them. Shakspeare, in new modelling this scene, found in Holinshed's Chronicle the following words: 66 to whome [Cade] were sent from the king, the Archbishop of Canterburie and Humphrey duke of Buckingham, to common with him of his griefs and requests." This gave birth to the line before us; which our author afterwards forgot, having introduced in Scene VIII. only Buckingham and Clifford, conformably to the old play. MALONE. 5 Rul'd, like a wandering planet,] Predominated irresistibly over my passions, as the planets over the lives of those that are born under their influence. JOHNSON. The old play led Shakspeare into this strange exhibition; a queen with the head of her murdered paramour on her bosom, in presence of her husband? MALONE. '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, 'And vows to crown himself in Westminster. '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", 6 I fear, My love.] The folio has here-"I fear me, love," which is certainly sense; but as we find “ my love" in the old play, and these lines were adopted without retouching, I suppose the transcriber's ear deceived him. MALONE. 7 - what they do.] Instead of this line, in the old have "Go, bid Buckingham and Clifford gather copy we "An army up, and meet with the rebels." MALONE. 8 retire to KENELWORTH,] The old copy-Killingworth, which (as Sir William Blackstone observes) is still the modern pronunciation. STEEVENS. "Until a power be rais'd to put them down. * 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, *BUCK. Then linger not, my lord; away, take * K. HEN. Come, Margaret; God, our hope, will succour 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. In the letter concerning Queen Elizabeth's entertainment at this place, we find, "the castle hath name of Kyllelingwoorth; but of truth, grounded upon faythfull story, Kenelwoorth." 9 FARMER. BE betray'd,] Be, which was accidentally omitted in the old copy, was supplied by the editor of the second folio. MALONE. |