English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600; Greene, Robert, 1558-1592
_Enter the_ EARL OF KENDAL; _with him_ LORD BONFIELD, SIR GILBERT
ARMSTRONG, SIR NICHOLAS MANNERING, _and_ JOHN.
_Ken._ Welcome to Bradford, martial gentlemen,
Lord Bonfield, and Sir Gilbert Armstrong both;
And all my troops, even to my basest groom,
Courage and welcome! for the day is ours.
Our cause is good, 'tis for the land's avail:
Then let us fight, and die for England's good.
_All._ We will, my lord.
_Ken._ As I am Henry Momford, Kendal's earl,
You honour me with this assent of yours;
And here upon my sword I make protest
For to relieve the poor or die myself.
And know, my lords, that James, the King of Scots,
Wars hard upon the borders of this land:
Here is his post.--Say, John Taylor, what news with King James?
_John._ War, my lord, [I] tell, and good news, I trow; for King Jamy
vows to meet you the twenty-sixth of this month, God willing; marry,
doth he, sir.
_Ken._ My friends, you see what we have to win.--
Well, John, commend me to King James, and tell him,
I will meet him the twenty-sixth of this month,
And all the rest; and so, farewell. [_Exit_ JOHN.
Bonfield, why stand'st thou as a man in dumps?
Courage! for, if I win, I'll make thee duke:
I, Henry Momford will be king myself;
And I will make thee Duke of Lancaster,
And Gilbert Armstrong Lord of Doncaster.
_Bon._ Nothing, my lord, makes me amaz'd at all,
But that our soldiers find our victuals scant.
We must make havoc of those country-swains;
For so will the rest tremble and be afraid,
And humbly send provision to your camp.
_Arm._ My Lord Bonfield gives good advice:
They make a scorn, and stand upon the king;
So what is brought is sent from them perforce;
Ask Mannering else.
_Ken._ What say'st thou, Mannering?
_Man._ Whenas I show'd your high commission,
They made this answer,
Only to send provision for your horses.
_Ken._ Well, hie thee to Wakefield, bid the town
To send me all provision that I want,
Lest I, like martial Tamburlaine, lay waste
Their bordering countries, and leaving none alive
That contradicts my commission.
_Man._ Let me alone;
My lord, I'll make them vail[300] their plumes;
For whatsoe'er he be, the proudest knight,
Justice, or other, that gainsay'th your word,
I'll clap him fast, to make the rest to fear.
_Ken._ Do so, Nick: hie thee thither presently,
And let us hear of thee again to-morrow.
_Man._ Will you not remove, my lord?
_Ken._ No, I will lie at Bradford all this night
And all the next.--Come, Bonfield, let us go,
And listen out some bonny lasses here. [_Exeunt._
SCENE II.--_At Wakefield._
_Enter the_ Justice, Townsmen, GEORGE-A-GREENE, _and_ SIR NICHOLAS
MANNERING _with his commission._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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