 
K. Sir Newton and Lord Mayor, This wrong that I am offered, This open and unnatural injury, A king to be thus hardly handled Of his own people, and no other foes, But such as have been brought up and bred in his Own bosom: nourished with his tender care. To be thus robbed of honour and of friends; Thus daunted with continual frights and fears; Haled on to what mishap I cannot tell; More hard mishap than had of like been mine. Had I not marked been to be a king. L. Mayor. It shall become your grace, most gracious lord, To bear the mind in this afflicted time, As other kings and lords hath done before, Armed with sufferance and magnanimity: The one to make you resolute for chance, The other forward in your resolution. The greatest wrong this rout hath done your grace, Amongst a many other wicked parts, Is in frighting your worthy lady mother, Making foul slaughter of your noblemen, Burning up books and matters of records, Defacing houses of hostelity: Saint John's in Smithfield, the Savoy, and such like, And beating down, like wolves, the better sort. The greatest wrong in my opinion is, That in honour doth your person touch, I mean they call your majesty to parley, And overbear you with a multitude, As if you were a vassal, not a king. O wretched minds of vile and barbarous men, For whom the heavens have secret wreak in store. But, my lord (with reverence and with pardon too), Why comes your grace into Smithfield near the crew, Unarm'd and guarded with so small a train? K. If clemency may win their raging minds To civil order, I'll approve it first. They shall perceive I come in quiet wise, Accompanied with the Lord Mayor here alone, Besides our guard that doth attend on us. L. Mayor. May it please your grace That I shall raise the streets, to guard your majesty Through Smithfield as you walk? King. No, Lord Mayor, 'twill make them more outrageous, I more account the blood of Englishmen than so. But this is the place I have appointed them To hear them speak, and have adventured To come among this foul, unruly crew. And lo, my lord, see where the people comes!
J. S. My masters, this is the king, come away, 'Tis he that we would speak withal. King. Newton, desire that one may speak for all, To tell the sum of their demand at full. New. My masters, you that are th' especial men, His majesty requires you all by me, That one may speak and tell him your demand; And gently here he lets you know by me, He is resolved to hear him all at large. King. Ay, good my friends, I pray you heartily, Tell us your minds as mildly as you can; And we will answer you so well to all, As you shall not mislike in anything. J. S. We come to revenge your officer's ill-demeanour, And though we have killed him for his knavery, Now we be gotten together, we will have wealth and liberty. [Cry all: Wealth and liberty! King. It is enough; believe me, if you will; For as I am your true-succeeding prince, I swear by all the honour of my crown, You shall have liberty and pardon all, As God hath given it and your lawful king. W. T. Ere we'll be pinch'd with poverty, That are as worthy of good maintenance, As any gentleman your grace doth keep, We will be kings and lords within ourselves, And not abide the pride of tyranny. King. I pray thee, fellow, what countryman art thou? W. T. It skills not much; I am an Englishman. Ball. Marry, sir, he is a Kentishman, and hath been my scholar ere now. Mayor. Little good manners hath the villain learned, To use his lord and king so barbarously. [Aside. King. Well, people, ask you any more, Than to be free and have your liberty? [Cry all: Wealth and liberty! King. Then take my word, I promise it to you all. And eke my general pardon now forthwith, Under seal and letters patents to perform the same. Let every man betake him to his home, And with what speed our clerks can make dispatch, Your pardons and your letters patents Shall be forthwith sent down in every shire. H. C. Marry, I thank your grace. Hob Carter and the Essex men will home Again; and we take your word. King. We believe you all, and thank you all; And presently we will commandment give, That all this business may be quickly ready. [Exeunt King and his Train. J. S. I tell thee, Wat, this is not that that I would have; I come for more than to be answered thus; And if the Essex men will needs be gone, Content: let them go suck their mams at home. I came for spoil, and spoil I'll have. W. T. Do what thou wilt, Jack, I will follow thee. Nobs. How, and if it be to the gallows? [Aside. W. T. Why, that is the worst. Nobs. And, i' faith, that is, sure; but, if you will be ruled by me, Trust not to his pardon, for you die, every mother's son, But (captains) [we] go forward as we have begun. Ball. My masters, the boy speaks wisely. Take good counsel, while it is given. J. S. Content, boy, we will be ruled by thee. [Exeunt omnes except Nobs.
Nobs. Why, how now, Captain Miller, I perceive You take no care which way the world goes? T. M. I' faith, Nobs, I have made a bonfire here Of a great many of bonds and indentures, And obligations; faith, I have been amongst The ends of the court, and among the records; And all that I saw either in the Guild-Hall Or in any other place, I have set fire on them. But where hast thou been? Nobs. I have been With our captains, Straw and Tyler, at Saint John's In Smithfield; but, sirrah, I can tell you news! Captain Carter is gone home, and all our Essexmen, And I fear we shall all be hanged. Therefore, Look you to yourself, for I will look to myself. [Exit. T. M. Well, if we shall be hanged, it is but a folly to be sorry, But go to it with a good stomach. Riddle me a riddle, what's this, I shall be hanged, I shall not be hanged. [Here he tries it with a staff.
Queen. What doth that fellow? Usher. It seemeth, madam, he disputeth with himself Whether he shall be hanged or no. Queen. Alas, poor soul! simple enough, God wot! And yet not so simple as a great many of his company. Usher. If it be, as we are let to understand, My lord the king hath given them general pardon. Queen. So he hath, and they, like honest men, are gone homeward, or at least the most part of them, but worst T. M. (seeing them). But peace, here is the king's mother; she can do much with the king. I'll treat her to beg my pardon of the king wisely. I'll go to her. Humbly unto your worships, a poor captain, Thomas Miller, requesting your favourable bequest, touching the permission of destray, towards the said Captain Miller, which in blunt and flat terms is nominated, Sursum cordum, alias dictus hangum meum, from which place of torment God Queen. What means the fellow by all this eloquence? Usher. It seems he fears he shall be hanged, And therefore craves your grace's favour In his behalf. Queen. Alas, poor fellow! He seemeth to be a starken idiot. Good fellow, If thou wilt go beg thy pardon of the king, I will speak for thee. T. M. Will you, in faith, and I will give you a tawdry Usher. Madam, here comes an unruly crew; let's be gone. [Exeunt Queen-Mother and Usher. Manet T. Miller.
King. What company be those, Newton, we do see? Be they New. Even part of those, my good and gracious lord, That promised your highness to depart. King. Why, then, I see they stand not to their words, And sure they should not break it so with me, This is a part of great ingratitude. Mayor. And it like your majesty, the Essex men With far more better minds have parted company, And every man beta'en him to his home. The chiefest of these rebels be of Kent, Of base degree and worse conditions all, And vowed, as I am given to understand, To nothing but to havoc and to spoil. King. Lord Mayor, if it be so, I wot It is a dangerous and unnatural resolution. I pray thee, Newton, go and speak with them; Ask them what more it is that they require. [Newton goes to the rebels. New. My masters, you that be the chiefest of the rout, The king entreats you kindly here by me To come and speak with him a word or two. J. S. Sirrah, if the king would anything with us, Tell him the way is indifferent New. You are too many to be talked withal; Besides you owe a duty to your prince. J. S. Sirrah, give me the sword thou wearest there; Becomes it thee to be armed in my presence? New. Sir, I wear my weapon for mine own defence, And by your leave will wear it yet a while. J. S. What, wilt thou, villain? give it me, I say. King. Newton, give it him, if that be all the matter; Here take it, and much good do it thee. [The King gives him the sword. J. S. Villain, I say, give me the sword thou bearest up, For that's the thing I tell thee I affect. New. This sword belongs unto my lord the king. Tis none of mine, nor shalt thou have the same. Proud rebel, wert but thou and I alone, Thou durst not ask it thus boldly at my hand, For all the wealth this Smithfield doth contain. J. S. By him that died for me, I will not dine, Till I have seen thee hanged or made away. King. Alas, Lord Mayor! Newton is in great danger, And force cannot prevail amongst the rout. Mayor. Old Rome, I can remember I have read, When thou didst flourish for virtue and for arms, What magnanimity did abide in thee! Then, Walworth, as it may become thee well, Deserve some honour at thy prince's hand, And beautify this dignity of thine With some or other act of consequence! [Aside. Advances. Villain, I say, whence comes this rage of thine? How darest thou, a dunghill bastard born, To brave thy sovereign and his nobles thus? Villain, I do arrest thee in my prince's name! Proud rebel as thou art, take that withal; [Here he stabs him. Learn thou, and all posterity after thee, What 'tis, a servile slave to brave a king! Pardon, my gracious lord; for this my act Is service done to God and to yourself. King. Lord Mayor, for thy valiant act in this, And noble courage in the king's behalf, Thou shalt perceive us not to be ungrateful. All the Rebels. Our captain is slain, our captain is slain! King. Fear you not, people, for I am your king, And I will be your captain and your friend. New. Pleaseth your grace for to withdraw yourself; These rebels then will soon be put to foil. [Exeunt all but the Mayor and two Sergeants. Mayor. Soldiers, take heart to you, and follow me; It is our God that gives the victory. Drag this accursed villain through the streets, To strike a terror to the rebels' hearts. London will give you power and arms, And God will strengthen you, and daunt your foes: Fill Smithfield full of noise and joyful cries, And say aloud, God save our noble prince! [Exeunt.
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