University of Virginia Library

Actus Quartus.

Enter King, Lord Maior, Morton, Newton, and Noble men.
King.
Lord Maior and well beloued friends,
VVhose readines in aide of vs and ours,
Hath giuen iust tryall of your loyaltie,
And loue you beare to vs and to our land:
Sith by the helpe and mighty hand of God,
These fowle vnnaturall broyles are quieted,
And this vnhappie tumult well appeasd:
Hauing as law and dutie binds vs too,
Giuen both dew praise and sacrifice of thankes,
Vnto our God from whome this goodnes comes:
Let me now to your counsell recommend,
And to your sad opinions generally,
The end of all these great and high affaires,
This mighty busines that we haue in hand
And that I may in briefe vnfold my minde,
My Lords I would not yet, but mercy should,
Against the law in this hard case preuaile:
And as I gaue my word vnto you all,
That if they then had left their mutiny,
Or rather had let fall their wrongfull Armes,
Their pardon then should haue bin generall,
So will I not; yet God forbid I should,
(Though law I know exact it at my hands)
Behold so many of my country men,
All done to death and strangled in one day,
The end is this, that of that carelesse rout,
That hath so far vnnaturallie rebeld,
The chiefe offenders may be punished:
And thus you know my minde, and so my Lords proceed,
I pray you and no otherwise.

Newton.
Sith mercie in a Prince resembleth right,
The gladsome sunne-shine in a winters day,
Pleaseth your Grace to pardon me to speake:
When all the hope of life and breathing heere,
Be tane from all this rowt in generall,
If then at instant of the dying howre,
Your Graces Honorable pardon come,
To men halfe dead, kild who lie in conceit,
Then thinke I, it will be more Gratious,
Than if it offered were so hastely:
VVhen thrid of life is almost fret in twaine,
To giue it strength breeds thankes, and wonders too.

Maior.
So many as are tane within the Cittie,
Are fast in hold to know your Graces will,

King.
There is but one or two in al the rowt,
VVhom we would haue to die for this offence,
Especially that by name are noted men:
One is a naughtie and seditious Priest,
They call him Ball; as we are let to know,
A person more notorious than the rest,
But this I doe referre to your dispose.

Newton.
Pleaseth your Grace they haue bin rid apace,
Such speciall men as we could possibly finde,
And many of the common rowt among:
And yet suruiues this Ball that cursed Priest,
And one Wat Tiler, leader of the rest:
VVhose villanies and outragious cruelties,
Haue bin so barbourously executed:
The one with mallice of his traiterous taunts,
The other with the violence of his hands;
That gentle ruth nor mercie hath no eares,
To heare them speake, much lesse to pardon them.

King.
It is inough, I vnderstand your mindes,
And well I wot in causes such as these,
Kings may be found too full of clemencie:
But who are those that enter in this place.

Newton.
Pleaseth it your Grace, these be the men,
VVhom Law hath worthily condemnd to die,
Going to the place of execution:
The form oft is that Ball, and next to him,
VVat Tyler, obstinate Rebls both,
For all the rest are of a better mould,
VVhose minds are softer than the formost twaine:
For being common souldiers in the campe,
VVere rather led with counsell of the rest,
Deseruing better to be pittied.

King.
Morton to those condemned men wee see,
Deliuer this a Pardon to them all:
Excepting namelie those two formost men.
I meane the Priest and him they call VVat Tyler.
To all the rest free Pardon we doe send,
And giue the same to vnderstand from vs.

The Kings Pardon deliuered by Sir Iohn Morton to the Rebels.

My friends and vnhappie Countrymen, whom
the lawes of England, haue worthilie condemned
vnto death for your open and vnnaturall
Rebellion against your lawfull Soueraigne
and annointed Prince. I am sent vnto
you from the Kinges most excellent Maiestie to giue you to
vnderstand, that notwithstanding this violence which you
haue offered to your selues, in running furiously into the
daunger of the law, as mad and franticke men vpon an edged
sword: yet notwithstanding I say, that you haue gathered
rods to scourge your own selues, following desperatlie
your lewd and misgouerned heads, which haue haled you
on to this wretched and shamefull end which is now imminent
ouer you all, that must in strangling cords die like
dogs, and finish your liues in this miserable reprochful sort,
because you would not liue like men: But far vnlike your
selues vnlike Englishmen, degenerate from your naturall
obedience, & nature of your country, that by kinde bringeth
forth none such, or at least brooketh none such, but spits thē
out for bastards and recreants: notwithstanding I say, (this
torment wherein you nowe liue looking euerie houre to
suffer such a shamefull and most detestable death, as doth
commonly, belonge to such horrible offenders) yet it hath
pleased the King of his accustomed goodnes to giue you

your liues, and freelie to forgiue you your faults sending
by mee generall Pardon to you all, excepting one onely
accursed and seditious Priest, that so far swarned from the
truth, and his alleageance to his Prince, and one Wat Tiler,
whose outrage hath bin noted so outragious in al his actions
as for ensample to all Englishmen hereafter, his Maiestie
hath thought good to account him & this Parson, (first sturrers
in this tumult, and vnnaturall rebelling) the greatest
offenders that now liue to grieue his Maiestie: and thus I
haue deliuered the message of the King, which is in effect,
generall pardon to you all, and a sentence of death vnto the
two Archrebels, Iohn Ball, and Wat Tyler: For which great
Grace, if you thinke your selues any thinge bound to his
highnes (as infinitely you are) let it appeare as farre forth
hereafter as you may, either by outward signes of dutie, or
inward loyaltie of harts expressed, and to begin the same,
in signe of your thankefulnes, say all God saue the King.

Cry all,
God saue the King.

Wat Tyler.
VVell then we know the worst,
He can but hang vs, and that is all,
VVere Iacke Strawe aliue againe,
And I in as good possibility as euer I was,
I would lay a surer trumpe,
Ere I would lose so faire a tricke.

Ball.
And what I said in time of our busines I repent not,
And if it were to speake againe,
Euerie word should be a whole sermon,
So much I repent me.

Morton.
Awaie with the Rebels suffer them not to speake,
His words are poyson in the eares of the people,
Away villaine, staine to thy country and thy calling.

Wat Tyler.
VVhy Morton are you so lustie with a pox,
I puld you out of Rochester Castell by the powle.

Morton.
And in recompence I will help to set your head on a pole.

Wat Tiler.
Pray you lets be powlde first.

Morton.
Away with the Rebels.
Exeunt Rebels.
As gaue your Grace in charge I haue deliuered,
Your highnes pleasure amongst the prisoners,
And haue proclaimd your Graces pardon amongst thē all
Saue onely those two vnnaturall Englishmen,
O might I say no English nor men,
That Ball and Tyler cursed Rebels both,
VVhom I commaunded to be executed:
And in your highnes name haue freed all the rest,
VVhose thankefull harts I finde as full repleat,
VVith signes of ioy and dutie to your Grace,
As those vnnaturall Rebels hatefull mouthes
Are full of foule speaches, and vnhonourable.

King.
It is no matter Morton let them barke,
I trow they cannot bite when they be dead.
And Lord Maior for your valiant act,
And daungerous attempt in our behalfe,
To free your country and your King from ill:
In our behalfe and in our common weale,
VVe will accept it as the deed deserues,
And thanke you for this honourable attempt.

Maior.
VVhat subiects harts could brooke the rage of theirs,
To vaunt in presence of their Soueraigne Lord,
To braue him to his face before his Pieres,
But would by pollicie or force attempt,
To quell the raging of such furious foes?
My Soueraigne Lord, twas but my dutie done,
First vnto God, next to my lawfull King,
Proceeding from a true and loyall hart,
And so I hope your Grace esteemes thereof.

King.
To the end this deede shall rest in memorie,
VVhich shall continue for euer to the end:
Lord Maior Ile adioyne to thy degree,
Another Title of a lasting fame.
Kneele downe William Walworth and receaue,
By mine owne hand the order of Knighthood:
Stand vp Sir William first Knight of thy degree,
But hence forth all which shall succeed thy place,
Shall haue like honour for thy Noble deede.
Besides that Time, shall nere abridge thy fame,
The Cittie armes shall beare for memorie,
The bloody dagger the more for Walworths honour:
Call forth your Harrold and receaue your due.

Maior.
My Gratious Lord this honourable Grace
So far above desert, sith what I did
My dutie and alieagaunce bad me doe,
Binds me and my successors euermore,
VVith sweet incouragement to the like attempt.
Your Maiestie and all your Royall Pieres,
Shall finde your London such a store house still,
As not alone you shall commaund our wealth,
But loyal harts the treasure of a Prince,
Shall growe like graines sowne in a fertill soyle,
And God I praise that with his holy hand
Hath giuen me hart to free my Prince and land.

King.
Then sith these daungerous broiles are ouer past,
VVith shedding of so little English blood.
Tis for the fame and honour of a Prince,
VVell to reward the Actors of the same.
So many of thy bretheren as accompanied thee,
In Smithfield heere about this bold attempt,
VVhen time shall serue Ile Knight them as thou art
And so Lord Maior, Newton, Morton and the rest,
Accompany vs to gard vs to the Tower,
VVhere wele repose and rest our selues all night.