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 your faces: For me,-I will make shift for one; and soGod's curse 'light upon you all! All. We'll follow Cade, we'll follow Cade. That thus you do exclaim-you'll go with him ? I see them lording it in London streets, Better, ten thousand base-born Cades miscarry, Henry hath money, you are strong and manly; All. A Clifford a Clifford ! we'll follow the king, and Clifford. Cade. Was ever feather so lightly blown to and 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 despight of the devils and hell, have 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. Buck. What, is he fled? go some, and follow him; 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 [Exeunt. SCENE IX. Kenelworth Castle. Enter King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, and SOMERSET, on the Terrace of the Castle. K.Hen. Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne, And could command no more content than I? No sooner was I crept out of my cradle, As I do long and wish to be a subject. Enter BUCKINGHAM and CLIFFORD. Buck. Health, and glad tidings, to your majesty ! K.Hen. Why, Buckingham, is the traitor, Cade, surpris'd? Or is he but retir'd to make him strong? Enter, below, a great number of CADE's Followers, with Halters about their Necks. Clif. He's fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield; And humbly thus, with halters on their necks, Expect your highness' doom, of life, or death. K.Hen. Then, heaven, set ope thy everlasting gates, And Henry, though he be infortunate, Mess. Please it your grace to be advertised, The duke of Somerset, whom he terms a traitor. K.Hen. Thus stands my state, 'twixt Cade and York distress'd; [4] These were two orders of foot-soldiers among the Irish, STEEV. Like to a ship, that, having 'scap'd a tempest, I pray thee, Buckingham, go forth and meet him ; Som. My lord, I'll yield myself to prison willingly, K.Hen. In any case, be not too rough in terms; For he is fierce, and cannot brook hard language. Buck. I will, my lord; and doubt not so to deal, As all things shall redound unto your good. K.Hen. Come, wife, let's in, and learn to govern, better; For yet may England curse my wretched reign. [Exe. SCENE X. Kent. IDEN's Garden. Enter CADE. Cade. Fye on ambition! fye 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 lay'd for me; but now am I so hungry, that if I might have a lease of my life for a thousand years, I could stay no longer. Wherefore, on 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 a sallet, my brain-pans 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. Enter IDEN, with Servants. Iden. Lord, who could live turmoiled in the court, And may enjoy such quiet walks as these? [5] A corruption from the French salut, taken, I suppose, from the scriptural phrase, the helmet of salvation. Brain-pan, for skull, occurs, I think, in Wickliff's translation of Judges xix, 53. WHALLEY. This small inheritance, my father left me, Cade. Here's the lord of the soil come to seize me for a stray, for entering his fee-simple without leave. Ah, villain, thou wilt betray me, and get a thousand crowns of the king for 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. Iden. Why, rude companion, whatsoe'er thou be, 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, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a door nail, I pray God, I may never eat grass more. Ꭵ Iden. Nay, it shall ne'er be said, while England stands, Thy leg a stick, compared with this truncheon; Thy grave is digg'd already in the earth. As for more words, whose greatness answers words, Cade. By my valour, the most complete champion that ever I heard.-Steel, if thou turn the edge, or cut not the burly-boned clown in chines of beef, ere thou sleep in thy sheath, I beseech God on my knees, thou mayest be turned to hobnails. [They fight. CADE falls.] O, I am slain! famine,and no other,hath slain me : let ten [6] For more words, whose pomp and tumour may answer words, and only words, I shall forbear them, and refer the rest to my sword. JOHNS. thousand devils come against me, and give me but the ten meals I have lost, and I'd defy them all. Wither, garden; and be henceforth a burying-place to all that do dwell in this house, because the unconquered soul of Cade is fled. Iden.Is't Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor? Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed, And hang thee o'er my tomb, when I am dead : To emblaze the honour that thy master got. Cade. Iden, farewell; and be proud of thy victory : Tell Kent from me, she hath lost her best man, and exhort all the world to be cowards; for I, that never feared any, am vanquished by famine, not by valour. [Dies. Ide.How much thou wrong'st me, "heaven be my judge. Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bear thee! And as I thrust thy body in with my sword, So wish I, I might thrust thy soul to hell.6 Hence will I drag thee headlong by the heels Unto a dunghill, which shall be thy grave, And there cut off thy most ungracious head; Which I will bear in triumph to the king, Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon. [Exit, dragging out the body. ACT V. SCENE I-The same. Fields between Dartford and Black heath. The King's Camp on one side. On the other, enter YORK attended, with Drum and Colours: his Forces at some distance. York. FROM Ireland thus comes York, to claim his right, Ah, sancta majestas! who would not buy thee dear? JOHNS. That is, in supposing that I am proud of my victory. Not to dwell upon the wickedness of this horrid wish, with which Iden debases his character, the whole speech is wild and confused. To draw a man by the heels, headlong is somewhat difficult; nor can I discover how the dunghill would be his grave, if his trunk were left to be fed upon by crows. These I conceive not to be the faults of corruption but negligence) and therefore do not attempt correction. JOHNS. |