OTHER GEORGE BETTS It will come to that pass if strangers be suffered. Mark him.
LINCOLN Our country is a great eating country; argo they eat more in our country than they do in their own.
OTHER CLOWN BETTS 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?
OTHER WILLIAMSON Trash, trash. They breed sore eyes, and ’tis enough to infect the city with the palsy.
LINCOLN Nay, it has infected it with the palsy, 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.
OTHER CLOWN BETTS True, and pumpkins together.
Enter ⌈a Sergeant-at-arms⌉
SERGEANT
What say ye to the mercy of the King?
Do you refuse it?
LINCOLN You would have us upon th’ hip, 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 you now, prentices? Prentices ‘simple’? Down with him!
ALL CITIZENS Prentices simple? Prentices simple?
Enter the Lord Mayor, Surrey, Shrewsbury, [More, Palmer]
SHREWSBURY MAYOR
Hold, in the King’s name, hold!
SURREY Friends, masters, countrymen—
LORD MAYOR
Peace ho, peace! I charge you keep the peace.
SHREWSBURY My masters, countrymen—
SHERWIN WILLIAMSON The noble Earl of Shrewsbury! Let’s hear him.
GEORGE BETTS We’ll hear the Earl of Surrey.
LINCOLN The Earl of Shrewsbury!
GEORGE BEETS We’ll hear both.
ALL CITIZENS 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.
SOME CITIZENS We’ll not hear my lord of Surrey.
OTHER CITIZENS 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 plentiful shrievaltry, and a made my brother, Arthur Watchins, Sergeant Safe’s yeoman. Let’s hear Sheriff More!
ALL CITIZENS Sheriff More, More, More, Sheriff More!
MORE
Even by the rule you have among yourselves,
Command still audience.
SOME CITIZENS Surrey, Surrey!
OTHER CITIZENS More, More!
LINCOLN and GEORGE BETTS 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 devil cannot rule them.
MORE
Then what a rough and riotous charge have you
To lead those that the devil cannot rule.—
Good masters, hear me speak.
DOLL Ay, by th’ mass will we, More. Thou’rt a good housekeeper, and I thank thy good worship for my brother Arthur Watchins.
ALL THE OTHER CITIZENS Peace, peace!
MORE
Look what you do offend you cry upon;
That is, the peace. Not one of you here present,
Had there such fellows lived when you were babes
That could have topped the peace as now you would,
The peace wherein you have till now grown up
Had been ta’en from you, and the bloody times
Could not have brought you to the state of men.
Alas, poor things! What is it you have got
Although we grant you get the thing you seek?
GEORGE BETTS Marry, the removing of the strangers, which cannot choose but much advantage the poor handicrafts of the city.
MORE
Grant them removed, and grant that this your noise
Hath chid down all the majesty of England.
Imagine that you see the wretched strangers,
Their babies at their backs, with their poor luggage,
Plodding to th’ ports and coasts for transportation,
And that you sit as kings in your desires,
Authority quite silenced by your brawl,
And you in ruff of your opinions clothed:
What had you got? I’ll tell you: you had taught
How insolence and strong hand should prevail,
How order should be quelled. And by this pattern
Not one of you should live an aged man;
For other ruffians, as their fancies wrought,
With selfsame hand, self reasons, and self right,
Would shark on you, and men, like ravenous fishes,
Would feed on one another.
DOLL Before God, that’s as true as the gospel.
GEORCE BETTS LINCOLN Nay, this’ a sound fellow, I tell you. Let’s mark him.
MORE
Let me set up before your thoughts, good friends,
One supposition, which if you will mark
You shall perceive how horrible a shape
Your innovation bears. First, ‘tis a sin
Which oft th’apostle did forewarn us of,
Urging obedience to authority;
And ‘twere no error if I told you all
You were in arms ’gainst God.
ALL CITIZENS Marry, God forbid thatl
MORE Nay, certainly you are. no
For to the king God hath His office lent
Of dread, of justice, power, and command;
Hath bid him rule, and willed you to obey.
And, to add ampler majesty to this,
He hath not only lent the king His figure,
His throne and sword, but given him His own name:
Calls him a god on earth. What do you, then,
Rising ‘gainst him that God Himself installs,
But rise ’gainst God? What do you to your souls
In doing this? O, desperate as you are,
Wash your foul minds with tears, and those same hands
That you, like rebels, lift against the peace,
Lift up for peace; and your unreverent knees,
Make them your feet. To kneel to be forgiven
Is safer wars than ever you can make
Whose discipline is riot.
In, in, to your obedience! Why, even your hurly
Cannot proceed but by obedience.