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 The King intreats you kindly here by me 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 a while 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 that 's the thing I tell thee I affect Newton This sword belongs vnto my Lord the King T is 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 Maior 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 beautifie 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 t is 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 It is our God that giues the victorie Drag this accursed villain through the streets To strike 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 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 wholie 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 formost 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 〈◊〉 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
Messenger Health and good hap befall your Maiestie Usher My Lord here is a messenger from Kent That craues accesse vnto your Maiestie King Admit him neere for wee will heare him speake T is hard when twixt the people and the King Such termes of threats and parlies must be had VVould any Gentleman or man of worth Be seene in such a cause without offence Both to his God his Countrie and his Prince Except he were inforced thereunto Queene I cannot thinke so good a Gentleman As is that Knight Syr Iohn Morton I meane VVould entertaine so base and vild a thought Nor can it sinke into my womans head That were it not for feare or pollicie So true a bird would file so faire a nest But here hee comes O so my longing minde Desires to know the tidings hee doth bring Morton The Commons of Kent salute your Maiestie And I am made their vnhappie messenger My Lord a crue of Rebels are in field And they haue made commotions late in Kent And drawne your people to a mutinie And if your Grace see not to it in time Your Land will come to ruine by their meanes Yet may your Grace finde remedie in time To quallifie their pride that thus presume Bishop VVho are the Captaines of this Rebel rowt That thus doo rise gainst their annointed King VVhat bee they men of any worth or no If men of worth I cannot choose but pittie them Morton No my good Lord they bee men of no great account For they bee none but Tylers Thatchers Millers and such like That in their liues did neuer come in field Before this mutanie did call them forth And for securitie of my backe returne Vpon this message which I showd the King They keepe my wife and children for a pledge And hald mee out from forth my Castell at Rochester And swore me there to come vnto your Maiestie And hauing told you their mindes I hope your Grace will pardon mee for all In that I am enforced therevnto King How many men haue they assembled in the field Morton I thinke my Lord about twentie thousand men But if your Grace would follow my aduice Thus would I deale with these Rebellious men I would finde time to parly with some of them And know what in their mindes they doo intend For being armed with such treacherous thoughts They may performe more than your Grace expects King VVith speede returne to those vnnaturall men And see Syr Iohn you greete them thus from vs Tell them that wee our selfe will come to them To vnderstand their meaning and their mindes And tell them if they haue any euill sustaind Our selfe will see sufficient recompence Goe good Syr Iohn and tell them vpon the Thames Our selfe will meete with them There to conferre concerning their auaile Doe so Sir Iohn and kindely recommend vs to them all Morton We shall fulfill your graces minde in this And thus I take my Conge of your Maiestie VVishing your Grace thrice Nestors yeares to raigne To keepe your Land and gard your Royall Traine Queene Farewell good Knight and as thou darest remember them though they forget themselues Bishop Exeunt Morton Your grace heerein is very well aduisd VVith resolution fitting your degree Your Grace must shew your selfe to be a King And rule like Gods visgerent here on earth The lookes of Kinges doe lend both life and death And when a King doth set downe his decree His sentence should be irreuocable Your grace herein hath showne your Princely minde In that you hate to pray on carren flesh Such praies befits not Kings to pray vpon That may command and countermand their owne I hope my Lord this message so will proue That publike hate will turne to priuate loue And therefore I say my Lord you haue answered well The taske was giuen your Grace by Act of Parliament And you haue reason to demand your dew King My Lords I hope we shall not neede to feare To meete those men that thus doe threaten vs VVe will my Lords to morrowe meete with them And heare my Lords what t is that they demand Mother your Grace shall need to take no care For you shall in our Towre of London stay Till we returne from Kent to you againe My Lord see euery thing prepard for vs And Mother thus I leaue your Maiestie You to the Towre and I must hence to Kent Treasorer My Lord if so you please take my aduise herein That speakes in loue and duty to your grace I shall in euerie matter priueledge your Maiestie and all your Lordly traine I meane against your Mannor of Greenewich towne And so amidst the streame may houer safe Meane while they send some few and chosen men To giue your Grace to vnderstand their mindes And thus my Lord I haue aduentured To shew your Maiestie my minde herein Finis Actus Primus Actus Secundus Enter Tom Miller with a Goose IT is good to make prouision for peraduenture wee shall lacke victuals and wee lie in campe on Blacke Heath long And in faith as long as this Goose lasts we le not starue And as many good fellowes as will come to the eating of her come and welcome For in faith I came lightly by her And lightly come lightly gone We Captaines are Lords within our selues And if the world hold out we shal be Kings shortly Enter Nobs and cut away the Goose while he talketh and leue the head behinde him with them Morton Tom Miller The rest of my fellowe Captaines are gone before to Grenewich to meete the King That comes to knowe our mindes And while they be about it I le make good cheare with my Goose here What 's the Goose flowne away without her head Exeunt Enter with the crew Tom Miller Iacke Straw Wat Tyler and Hob Carter Iacke Strawe Here 's a sturre more than needs What meanes the King thus to abuse vs And makes vs runne about his pleasure and to no end He promised vs to meete vs on the water And by Ladie as soone as we came at the water side Hee faire and flat turnes his Barge and away hee goes to London I tell thee Wat we will not put vp this abuse VVat Tyler By gogs blood Captaine Strawe wee will remoue our campe and awaie to London roundlie And there we le speake with him or were know whie wee shall not Iacke Straw God amarcie Wat and ere we haue done VVe will be Lords euerie one Hob Carter Gentle Iacke Strawe in one line let vs drawe And we le not leaue a man of lawe Nor a paper worth a hawe And make him worse than a dawe That shall stand against Iacke Strawe Morton Me thinkes you might doe well to answere the King In the name of the whole companie Some dossen or twenty men for the nonce that may deliuer the minds of you all in few words Iacke Straw Sir Iohn Morton you are an Asse to tell vs what wee haue to doe Hold your prating you
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 swarued 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 a liue 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 le ts 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 proclaimed 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 t was 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 I le 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 aboue desert sith what I did My dutie and alleagaunce bad me doe Binds me and my successors euermore VVith sweet incouragement to the like attempt 〈◊〉 Maiestie and all our Royall Pieres Shall finde your London such a store 〈◊〉 still As not 〈…〉 commaund our wealth But loyal harts the treasure of a Prince Shall growe like graines sowne in 〈…〉 soyle And God I praise that with his holy 〈◊〉 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 T is 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 I le Knight them as thou art And so Lord Maior Newton Morton and the rest Accompany vs to gard vs to the Tower VVhere we le repose and rest our selues all night FINIS ⧠Printed at London by Iohn Danter and are to be sold by VVilliam Barley at his shop in Gratious street ouer against Leaden-Hall 1594