Sir Thomas More by Shakespeare W.TITLE Title Page=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Shakespeare Sir Thomas More Passages Attributed to Shakespeare CONTENTS Table of Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Add.II.D 1.0 Add.III 2.0 Dramatis Personae 3.0 Glossary GLOSSARY 1.0 Add.II.D =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- John Lincoln (a broker), Doll, Betts, (Sherwin (a goldsmith),) and prentices armed; (Thomas More (sheriff of the City of London), the other sheriff, Sir Thomas Palmer, Sir Roger Cholmeley, and a serjeant-at-arms stand aloof ) LINCOLN (to the prentices) Peace, hear me! He that will not see a red herring at a Harry groat, butter at eleven pence a pound, meal at nine shillings a bushel, and beef at four nobles a stone, list to me. OTHER 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 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 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 True, and pumpions together. SERJEANT (coming forward) What say you 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. SERJEANT You are the simplest things That ever stood in such a question. LINCOLN How say you now? Prentices 'simple'? (To the prentices) Down with him! ALL Prentices simple! Prentices simple! Enter the Lord Mayor, the Earl of Surrey, and the Earl of Shrewsbury (SHERIFF) (to the prentices) Hold in the King's name! Hold! SURREY (to the prentices) Friends, masters, countrymen - MAYOR (to the prentices) Peace ho, peace! I charge you, keep the peace! SHREWSBURY (to the prentices) My masters, countrymen - (SHERWIN) The noble Earl of Shrewsbury, let's hear him. BETTS We'll hear the Earl of Surrey. LINCOLN The Earl of Shrewsbury. BETTS 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. (SOME) We'll not hear my Lord of Surrey. (OTHERS) No, no, no, no, no! Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury! MORE (to the nobles and officers) Whiles they are o'er the bank of their obedience, Thus will they bear down all things. LINCOLN (to the prentices) 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 Sheriff More, More, More, Sheriff More! MORE Even by the rule you have among yourselves, Command still audience. SOME Surrey, Surrey! OTHERS More, More! LINCOLN AND 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. (To the prentices) 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 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? 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 agЉd 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. BETTS 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 Marry, God forbid that! MORE Nay, certainly you are. 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. What rebel captain, As mut'nies are incident, by his name Can still the rout? Who will obey a traitor? Or how can well that proclamation sound, When there is no addition but 'a rebel' To qualify a rebel? You'll put down strangers, Kill them, cut their throats, possess their houses, And lead the majesty of law in lyam To slip him like a hound - alas, alas! Say now the King, As he is clement if th' offender mourn, Should so much come too short of your great trespass As but to banish you: whither would you go? What country, by the nature of your error, Should give you harbour? Go you to France or Flanders, To any German province, Spain or Portugal, Nay, anywhere that not adheres to England - Why, you must needs be strangers. Would you be pleased To find a nation of such barbarous temper That breaking out in hideous violence Would not afford you an abode on earth, Whet their detested knives against your throats, Spurn you like dogs, and like as if that God Owed not nor made not you, nor that the elements Were not all appropriate to your comforts But chartered unto them, what would you think To be thus used? This is the strangers' case, And this your mountainish inhumanity. (ONE) (to the others) Faith, a says true. Let's do as we may be done by. (ANOTHER) (to More) We'll be ruled by you, Master More, if you'll stand our friend to procure our pardon. MORE Submit you to these noble gentlemen, Entreat their mediation to the King, Give up yourself to form, obey the magistrate, And there's no doubt but mercy may be found, If you so seek it. 2.0 Add.III =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Enter Sir Thomas More MORE It is in heaven that I am thus and thus, And that which we profanely term our fortunes Is the provision of the power above, Fitted and shaped just to that strength of nature Which we are born withal. Good God, good God, That I from such an humble bench of birth Should step as 'twere up to my country's head And give the law out there; ay, in my father's life To take prerogative and tithe of knees From elder kinsmen, and him bind by my place To give the smooth and dexter way to me That owe it him by nature! Sure these things, Not physicked by respect, might turn our blood To much corruption. But More, the more thou hast Either of honour, office, wealth and calling, Which might accite thee to embrace and hug them, The more do thou e'en serpents' natures think them: Fear their gay skins, with thought of their sharp stings, And let this be thy maxim: to be great Is, when the thread of hazard is once spun, A bottom great wound up, greatly undone. 3.0 Dramatis Personae =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ALL BETTS DOLL LINCOLN LINCOLN AND BETTS MAYOR MORE OTHER OTHERS SERJEANT SHREWSBURY SOME SURREY (ANOTHER) (ONE) (OTHERS) (SHERIFF) (SHERWIN) (SOME) GLOSSARY Glossary =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ЪДДДї і A і АДДДЩ a. (as pronoun) familiar, unstressed form of 'he' abode. delay, stay; to foretell accite. summon addition. mark of distinction, title advantage. opportunity, interest on money; to profit against. in expectation of, in preparation for the time when, in time for an. if, though, whether, as if ЪДДДї і B і АДДДЩ bench. raise to authority, sit as judge bottom. ship, valley, bobbin; to wind on a bobbin brawl. French dance; quarrel broker. agent, go-between ЪДДДї і C і АДДДЩ can. to know, be skilled in case. vagina credit. credibility, reputation, report cry. pack of hounds; yelp in following scent cut. docked or gelded horse; vulva ЪДДДї і D і АДДДЩ dexter. right do. copulate (with) doubt. suspicion, fear; to suspect, fear ЪДДДї і E і АДДДЩ entreat. treat, negotiate, intercede ЪДДДї і F і АДДДЩ feed. pasture forbid. cursed friend. lover, mistress ЪДДДї і G і АДДДЩ go. walk good. financially sound, rich groat. fourpenny piece grow. be or become due ЪДДДї і H і АДДДЩ hazard. game at dice, chance, venture head. headland, topic, army him. male (dog) honour. chastity housekeeper. householder, watch-dog, stay-at-home ЪДДДї і I і АДДДЩ infect. affect with some feeling ЪДДДї і J і АДДДЩ just. true, honourable, exact ЪДДДї і L і АДДДЩ let. hindrance; to hinder, forbear, cause like. please, be in good condition list. limit, bound, barriers enclosing tilting ground, desire; to please, choose luggage. baggage of an army ЪДДДї і M і АДДДЩ make. mate, husband or wife marry. (as an exclamation) by (the Virgin) Mary meal. spot, stain merely. simply, entirely ЪДДДї і N і АДДДЩ noise. rumour, music, band of musicians; clamour, spread by rumour ЪДДДї і O і АДДДЩ offend. harm, hurt office. function, service owe. own, possess ЪДДДї і P і АДДДЩ palmer. pilgrim pattern. precedent, model; to give an example, be a pattern or precedent for possess. inform, acquaint power. army prerogative. precedence, preeminence present. immediate, instant; ready money, to show, represent, bring a charge against press. crowd, crowding, printing-press, cupboard, authority to enlist men compulsorily; to crowd, oppress, force into military service ЪДДДї і Q і АДДДЩ qualify. moderate, mitigate, appease, control, dilute ЪДДДї і R і АДДДЩ removed. remote, secluded, separated by time or space respect. relationship, discrimination, consideration, esteem; to regard, care for, esteem riot. loose living, debauchery ЪДДДї і S і АДДДЩ safe. make safe say. finely woven cloth, taste, saying self. one's own, same shark. gather hastily together simple. medicinal herb, single ingredient in a compound smooth. flatter, gloss over sore. buck, deer, in its fourth year sound. utter, proclaim, keep sound spurn. kick, insult, blow; to kick, oppose scornfully stand. place where one stands in ambush or in hiding; confront, oppose, stand firm; stand at a guard with, be fully protected against; stand on, upon, insist on, persist in, depend on, rely on, concern, be the duty or interest of; stand to, have an erection, support, maintain, be firm in, persist in; stand to it, maintain a cause, take a stand state. condition, condition of health or prosperity, rank, dignity, chair of state throne, nobles, ruling body, government still. always, continually stone. mirror, thunderbolt, testicle; turn to stone strange. foreign, new, not knowing, unfriendly, cold, shy strength. authority, legal power, body troops style. title supposition. doubt sure. safe, beyond power of doing harm, reliable, united ЪДДДї і T і АДДДЩ take. strike, strike with disease or enchantment, catch, take effect, reckon, measure, write down, accept as true, catch fire, perceive, understand, esteem, take away, conclude; take head, deviate, run off its course; take in, capture; take me with you, speak so that I can understand you; take it on, assume authority; take on, rage, show great distress, pretend; take out, make a copy of; take up lift, enlist, arrest, buy on credit, rebuke, reprimand, oppose, encounter, make up (a quarrel) tell. count temper. disposition, temperament, mental balance, hardness and elasticity imparted to steel; to compound, mix, persuade thing. sexual organ think. seem thought. anxiety, sorrow tis. this (dialectal) tithe. tenth; to take the tenth part to. in addition to, against, appropriate to, in comparison with, in respect of, as to trade. coming and going, path, habit, business trash. check, hold in leash ЪДДДї і U і АДДДЩ up. in arms, in rebellion, in prison; up and down, completely, exactly upon. because of, in consequence of ЪДДДї і V і АДДДЩ voice. speech, words, common talk, rumour, report, expressed opinion, judgement, vote, approval, authority to be heard; to acclaim, vote ЪДДДї і W і АДДДЩ will. sexual desire, sexual organ (male or female) withal. with this, with it, as well, at the same time, with worship. dignity, honour, authority; to honour |