The Life and Death of Iacke Straw A notable Rebell in England : Who was kild in Smithfield by the Lord Maior of London |
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Actus Tertius.
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 | The Life and Death of Iacke Straw |  |
Actus Tertius.
Enter King, Lord Maior, Sir Iohn Newton, two Sargants, with Gard and Gentlemen.King.
Sir Newton , & Lord Maior, this wrong that I am offered,
This open and vnnaturall iniury,
A King to be thus hardly handled,
Of his owne people and no other foes,
But such as haue bin brought vp and bred in his own bosome,
No urished with his tender care,
To be thus robbed of Honour and of friends,
Thus daunted with continuall frights and feares,
Haled on to what mishap I cannot tell:
More heard mishap than had of like bin mine,
Had I not marked bin to be a King.
Lord Maior.
It shall become your Grace most Gratious Lord,
To beare the minde in this aflicted time,
As other Kings and Lords hath done before,
Armed with sufferance and magnanimitie,
The one to make you resolute for chaunce,
The other forward in your resolution:
The greatest wrong this rowt hath done your Grace,
Amongst a many other wicked parts,
Is in frighting your worthie Lady Mother,
Making fowle slaughter of your Noblemen,
Deficing houses of hostilitie,
Saint Iones in Smithfield, the Sauoy and such like,
And beating downe like wolues, the better sort,
The greatest wrong in my opinions,
That in Honour doth your person touch,
I meane they call your Maiestie to Parle,
And ouer beare you with a multitude,
As if you were a vassall not a King:
O wretched mindes of vild and barbarous men,
For whom the heauens haue secret wreake in store:
But my Lord with reuerence and with pardon too,
VVhy comes your Grace into Smithfield neare the crew,
Vnarmd and garded with so small a traine.
King.
If clementie may win their raging minds,
To ciuill order, Ile approue it first.
They shall perceaue I come in quiet wise,
Accompanied with the Lord Maior here alone,
Besides our Gard that doth attend on vs.
Maior.
May it please your Grace that I shall raise the streets,
To Gard your Maiestie through Smithfield as you walke.
King.
No Lord Maior, twill make them more outragious,
And be a meane to shed a world of blood:
I more account the blood of Englishmen than so,
But this is the place I haue appointed them
To heare them speake and haue aduentured,
To come among this fowle vnrulie crew:
And loe my Lords, see where the people comes.
Iacke Straw.
My Masters this is the King, come away,
Tis hee that we would speake with all.
King.
Newton, desire that one may speake for all;
To tell the summe of their demaund at full.
Newton.
My Masters you that are the especiall men,
His Maiestie requires you all by me,
That one may speake and tell him your demaund,
And gentlie here he lets you know by me,
He is resolu'd to heare him all at large.
King.
I good my friends, I pray you hartely,
Tell vs your mindes as mildly as you can:
And we will answere you so well to all,
As you shall not mislike in anything.
Iacke Straw.
VVe come to reuenge your Officers ill demeanor,
And though we haue kild him for his knauerie,
Now we be gotten together, we will haue wealth and libertie
Cry all.
VVealth and libertie.
King.
It is inough, beleeue me if you will,
For as I am your true succeeding Prince,
I sweare by all the Honour of my Crowne,
You shall haue liberty and pardon all,
As God hath giuen it and your lawfull King.
Ere wele be pincht with pouertie,
To dig our meate and vittels from the ground,
That are as worthie of good maintenance,
As any Gentleman your Grace doth keepe,
VVe will be Kings and Lords within our selues.
And not abide the pride of tyrranie.
King.
I pray thee fellow what countryman art thou?
Wat Tyler.
It skils not much, I am an Englishman.
Ball.
Marrie Sir he is a Kentishman, and hath bin my scholler ere now.
Maior.
Little good manner hath the villaine learnd,
To vse his Lord and King so barberously.
King.
VVell people aske you any more,
Than to be free and haue your libertie.
Cry all.
VVealth and libertie.
King.
Then take my word I promise it to you all,
And eke my generall pardon now forth with,
Vnder seale and Letters pattents to performe the same.
Let euerie man betake him to his home,
And with what speed our Clarks can make dispatch,
Your pardons and your Letters pattents,
Shall be forth with sent downe in euerie shiere.
Hob Carter.
Marrie I thanke your Grace, Hob Carter and the Essex men will home againe, and we take your word.
VVe beleeue you all, and thanke you all,
And presently we will commandement giue,
That all this busines may be quickly readie.
Exeunt King and his Traine.
Iacke Strawe.
I tell thee Wat, this is not that that I would haue,
I come for more than to be answered thus,
And if the Essex men will needes be gone,
Content, let them goe sucke their Mams at home,
I came for spoile and spoile Ile haue.
VVat Tyler.
Doe what thou wilt Iacke, I will follow thee.
Nobs.
How and if it be to the Gallowes.
Wat Tyler.
Why that is the worst.
Nobs.
And I faith that is sure, but if you will be ruld by me,
Trust not to his pardon for you die euerie Mothers sonne,
But Captaines, goe forward as we haue be gone.
Ball.
My Masters the boy speakes wisely,
I haue red this in Cato ad cum filium antiquam voceris.
Take good counsell while it is giuen.
Iacke Straw.
Content boy we will be ruld by thee.
Exeunt Omnes.
Enter Tom Miller to burne Papers.
Nobs.
Why how now Captaine Miller, I perceaue you take no care which way the world goes.
I faith Nobs I haue made a bonfire here of a great many of
Bonds and Indentures and Obligations, faith I haue bin
amongst the ends of the Court, & among the Records, &
althat I saw either in the Guild-Hall or in any other place,
I haue set fire on them, but where hast thou bin?
Nobs.
I haue bin with our Captaines, Straw and Tiler, at Saint
Iones in smithfield, but Sirra: I can tell you newes, Captaine
Carter is gone home, and all our Essex men, and I
feare we shall all be hanged, therefore looke you to your
selfe, for I will looke to my selfe.
Tom Miller.
Well if wee shall be hangd it is but a follie to be sorrie,
But goe to it with a good stomacke,
Rydle me a ridle, whats this,
I shall be hangd, I shall not be hangd.
Here he tries it with a staffe.
Enter Ladie Mother and Gentleman Usher.
Queene.
VVhat doth that fellow?
Usher.
It seemeth Madam, he disputeth with himselfe,
VVhether he shall be hangd or no.
Queene.
Alas poore soule, simple inough God wot,
And yet not so simple as a great many of his companie.
Usher.
If it be as we are let to vnderstand,
My Lord the King hath giuen them generall pardon.
So he hath, & they like honest men are gone homwards,
or at least the most part of them, but worse in mine opinion
is their haps that tarrie longest.
Tom Miller.
But peace here is the Kings Mother, she can do much
with the King, Ile treat her to beg my pardon of the King
wiselie, Ile goe to her, humblie vnto your worships, a pore
Captaine Thomas Miller, requesting your fauorable bequest,
touching the permission of destray, towards the said
Captaine Miller, which in blunt and flat tearmes is nominated,
Sursum cordum, alis dictus hangum meum, from
which place of torment God vs all deliuer, and graunt vs
to be mercifull while wee liue here together: Now Sir, vnderstanding
your worship is the Kings Mother, lamentably
in the behalfe before spoken, to stand betweene mee
and the Gallowes or to beg my pardon, in which you shall
not onely saue a proper hansome tall fellow and a stout
Captaine, but also you shall purchase the prayers of all the
ale wiues in the towne, for sauing a mault-worme and a customer
to helpe away their strong ale.
Queene.
VVhat meanes the fellow by all this eloquence?
Usher.
It seemes he feares he shall be hangd,
And therefore craues your Graces fauour in his behalfe.
Queene.
Alas poore fellow, he seemeth to be a starke nidiot.
Good fellow if thou wilt goe beg thy pardon of the King,
I will speake for thee.
Tom Miller.
VVill you in faith, and I will giue you a tawdrie lace.
Usher.
Madam here comes an vnrulie crew lets be gone.
Enter Iacke Strawe, Wat Tyler, Parson Ball, Nobs, Tom Miller being there.
Iacke Straw.
The King & his Nobles thinke they may sleepe in quiet,
Now they haue giuen vs a little holy water at the Court,
But thers no such matter, we be no such fooles,
To be bobd out with words and after come to hanging:
Wat doe the thing thou comst for,
If thou wilt be ruld by me, wele not leaue it so.
Wat Tyler.
Ran tara haue at all my boyes.
Tom Miller.
Safest thou so my hart, then farewell my pardon:
For Ile doe as yee doe, hang together for companie.
Ball.
Neighbours and friends neuer yeeld,
But fight it lustilie in the field:
For God will giue you strength and might,
And put your enemies to flight:
To stand against them day and night,
For of mine honestie your quarrels right.
Tom Miller.
O Parson Ball, before you all,
If all fall out not well, by following thy counsell,
And that by listning to thy talke,
To the Gallowes we doe walke:
Parson Ball I will tell thee.
And sweare it of mine honestie,
Thou shalt be hangd as well as we.
Peace here comes the King I trow.
Enter the King, Maior, and Newton bearing a sword.
King.
VVhat companie be those Newton we doe see?
Be them of those that promised vs to part?
Newton.
Euen part of those my good and Gratious Lord,
That promised your highnes to depart.
King.
VVhy then I see they stand not to their words,
And sure they should not breake it so with me,
That haue so carefully remembred them:
This is a part of great ingratitude.
Maior.
And it like your Maiestie the Essex men,
With far more better mindes haue parted companie,
And euerie man be tane him to his home.
The chiefest of these Rebels be of Kent,
Of base degree and worse conditions all,
And vowd as I am giuen to vnderstand,
To nothing but to hauocke and to spoile.
King.
Lord Maior, if it be so I wot,
It is a dangerous and vnnaturall resolution,
I pray thee Newton goe and speake with them,
Aske them what more it is that they require.
Newton.
My Masters, you that be the chiefest of the rout,
To come and speake with him a word or two.
Iacke Straw.
Sirra, if the King would any thinge with vs,
Tell him the way is indifferent to meete vs.
Newton.
You are too many to be talkt with all,
Besides you owe a dutie to your Prince.
Iacke Straw.
Sirra, giue me the sword thou wearest there,
Becomes it thee to be armd in my presence.
Newton.
Sir I weare my weapon for mine owne defence,
And by your leaue will weare it yet awhile.
Iacke Strawe.
VVhat wilt thou villaine, giue me it I say.
King.
Newton giue it him if that be all the matter,
Here take it and much good doe it thee.
The King giues him the sword.
Iacke Strawe.
Villaine I say, giue me the sword thou bearest vp,
For thats the thing I tell thee I assect.
Newton.
This sword belongs vnto my Lord the King,
Tis none of mine, nor shalt thou haue the same:
Proud Rebel wert but thou and I alone,
Thou durst not aske it thus boldly, at my hands,
For all the wealth this Smithfield doth containe.
Iacke Strawe.
By him that dide for me, I wil not dine,
Till I haue seene thee hangd or made away.
King.
Alas Lord Maior, Newton is in great danger,
And force cannot preuaile amongst the rowt.
Old Rome I can remember I haue read,
VVhen thou didst flourish for vertue, and for armes,
VVhat magnanimitie did abide in thee:
Then Walworth as it may become thee well,
Deserue some honour at thy Princes hand,
And beutifie this dignitie of thine,
VVith some or other Act of consequence:
Villaine I say whence comes this rage of thine,
How darest thou a dungell bastard borne,
To braue thy Soueraigne and his Nobles thus.
Villaine I doe arrest thee in my Princes name,
Proud Rebel as thou art take that withall;
Here he stabs him.
Learne thou and all posteritie after thee,
VVhat tis a seruile slaue, to braue a King.
Pardon my Gratious Lord for this my fact,
Is seruice done to God, and to your selfe.
King.
Lord Maior for thy valiant Act in this,
And Noble courage in the Kings behalfe,
Thou shalt perceaue vs not to be vngratefull.
Cry all,
Our Captaine is slaine, our Captaine is slaine.
King.
Feare you not people for I am your King,
And I will be your Captaine and your friend.
Newton.
Pleaseth your Grace for to with drawe your selfe.
These Rebls then will soone be put to foile.
Exeunt all but the Maior and two Sargants.
Maior.
Souldiers take hart to you and follow me,
Drag this accursed villian through the streets.
To stake a terrour to the Rebels hearts,
London wil giue you power and armes,
And God will strengthen you and daunt your foes:
Fill Smithfield full of noise and ioyfull cries,
And say alowd God saue our Noble Prince.
Finis Actus Tertius.
| The Life and Death of Iacke Straw | |