[Enter Lincoln, Doll, Clown, George Betts, Williamson, others; and a Sergeant at Arms.]
LINCOLN. Peace, hear me: he that will not see a red herring at a Harry groat, butter at elevenpence a pound, meal at nine shillings a bushel, and beef at four nobles a stone, list to me.
GEORGE. It will come to that pass, if strangers be suffered. Mark him.
LINCOLN. Our country is a great eating country; ergo, they eat more in our country than they do in their own.
CLOWN. 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?
WILLIAMSON. Trash, trash; they breed sore eyes, and tis enough to infect the city with the palsey.
LINCOLN. Nay, it has infected it with the palsey; 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.
CLOWN. True; and pumpkins together.
SERGEANT. What say ye to the mercy of the king? Do ye refuse it?
LINCOLN. You would have us upon this, 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 ye now, prentices? prentices simple! down with him!
ALL. Prentices simple! prentices simple!
[Enter the Lord Mayor, Surrey, Shrewsbury, More.] LORD MAYOR. Hold! in the king's name, hold! SURREY. Friends, masters, countrymen--LORD MAYOR. Peace, how, peace! I charge you, keep the peace!
SHREWSBURY. My masters, countrymen--
WILLIAMSON. The noble earl of Shrewsbury, let's hear him. GEORGE. We'll hear the earl of Surrey.
LINCOLN. The earl of Shrewsbury. GEORGE. We'll hear both.
ALL. 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.
ALL. We'll not hear my lord of Surrey; 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 plentyful shrievaltry, and a made my brother Arthur Watchins Seriant Safes yeoman: let's hear Shrieve More.
ALL. Shrieve More, More, More, Shrieve More!
MORE. Even by the rule you have among yourselves, Command still audience.
ALL. Surrey, Surrey! More, More! LINCOLN: Peace, peace, silence, peace. GEORGE. 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 dual cannot rule them.
MORE. Then what a rough and riotous charge have you, To lead those that the dual cannot rule?-- Good masters, hear me speak.
DOLL. Aye, by th' mass, will we, More: th' art a good housekeeper, and I thank thy good worship for my brother Arthur Watchins.
ALL. 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 peacewherein 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. 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 and their poor luggage, Plodding tooth ports and costs for transportation, And that you sit as kings in your desires, Authority quite silent 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 self same 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.
LINCOLN. Nay, this is a sound fellow, I tell you: let's mark him.
MORE. Let me set up before your thoughts, good friends, On supposition; which if you will mark, You shall perceive how horrible a shape Your innovation bears: first, tis a sin Which oft the apostle did forewarn us of, Urging obedience to authority; And twere no error, if I told you all, You were in arms against your God himself.
ALL. Marry, God forbid that!
