Shakespeare's handwriting: Hand D in The Booke of Sir Thomas More

[Transcription from W.W. Greg, The Book of Sir Thomas More: The Malone Society reprints, 73-78.]

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Lincolne                       Peace heare me, he that will not see <a red> hearing a<t> a harry

                                    grote, butter at a levenp<enc>e a p<ounde meale at> nyne shillings a

                                    Bushell and Beeff at fower <nobles a stone lyst> to <me>

[other] GEO BETT       yt will Come to that passe yf stra<ingers be su>fferd marke him

      Linco                      our Countrie is a great eating Country, argo they eate more in

                                    our Countrey then they do in their owne__

[other] BETTS CLOW   by half penny loff a day troy waight______

      Linc                                    they bring in straing rootes, which is meerly to the vndoing of poor

                                    prentizes, for whatʃ [ a watrie] or sorry ᵽsnyp to a good hart

[oth]     WILLIAN          trash trash ; they breed sore eyes and tis enough to infect the

                                    Cytty w^t the palsey__________

Lin                               nay yt has infected yt w^t the palsey, for theise basterdʃ of dung

                                    as you knowe they growe in Dvng haue infected vs, and yt is our

                                    infeccion will make the Cytty shake which ᵽtly Coms through

                                    the eating of ᵽsnyps________

[o] CLOWN. BETTS      trewe and pumpions togeather_________

      ENTER Seriant       what say <ye to the> mercy of the king  do yo^u refuse y^t

                               Lin yo^u <would haue vs> vppon thipp woold yo^u no marry do we not, we

                                    accept of the kingʃ mercy but wee will showe no mercy vppõ

                                    the st<raungers>________________________________

     seriaunt                  yo^u ar the <simplest> thingʃ that eu' stood in such a question

         Lin       how say yo^u now prenti prentisses symple downe w^th him_____

                                 all prentisses symple prentisses symple.

                                                            Enter the L. maier Surrey

                                                            Shrewsbury

   [Sher] MAIOR           hold in the kingʃ name hold

   Surrey                       frendʃ masters Countreymen

   mayer                       peace how peace I [sh] Charg yo^u keep the peace

   Shro.                         my maisters Countreymen__

   WILLIAMSON           The noble Earle of Shrowsbury lettʃ hear him

GE      bettʃ                  weele heare the earle of Surrey__________

   Linc                           the earle of Shrowsbury__________

   bettʃ                          weele heare both____

   all                             both both both both____

   Linc                           Peace I say peace ar yo^u men of Wisdome [ar] or

                                    what ar yo^u_________

   Surr                          [But] what yo^u will haue them but not men of Wisdome

   all                             weele not heare my L of Surrey, [  ] no no no no no

                                    _______________________________Shrewsbury shr

   moor                                    whiles they ar ore the banck of their obedyenc

                                    thus will they bere downe all th<ings>_________

   Linc                           Shreiff moor speakes shall we heare shreef moor speake

   Doll                           Lettʃ heare him <a> keepes a plentyfull shrevaltry, and a made my

                                    Brother Arther watch<ins> Seriant S<af>es yeoman letʃ heare

                                    shreeve moore

   all                             Shreiue moor moor more Shreue moore

 

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   moor                                    <even> by the rule yo^u haue among yo^r sealues

                                    <comand sti>ll audience______________________

   all                             <Surrey S>ury

   all                             <moor moor>_

Lincolne bettʃ              peace peace scilens peace.________

   moor                                    Yo^u that haue voyce and Credyt w^t the [Mv] nvmber

                                    Comaund them to a silnes______

   Lincolne                    a plaigue on them they will not hold their peace the deule

                                    Cannot rule them_____________

   Moor                                    Then what a rough and ryotous charge haue yo^u

                                    to Leade those that the deule Cannot rule

                                    good masters heare me speake__

   Doll                           I byth mas will we moor thart a good howskeeper and I

                                    thanck thy good worship for my Brother Arthur watchins

   all                             peace peace

   moor                                    look what yo^u do offend yo^u Cry vppõ

                                    that is the peace, not <            of yo^u heare> present

                                    had there such fellowes, lyv<d w>hen yo^u wer babes

                                    that coold haue topt the p<eace> as nowe yo^u woold

                                    the peace wherin yo^u haue till nowe growne vp

                                    had bin tane from yo^u, and the bloody tymes

                                    coold not haue brought yo^u to [          ] the state of men

                                    alas poor thingʃ what is yt yo^u haue gott

                                    although we graunt yo^u geat the thing yo^u seeke___________

   [D] Bett                    marry the removing of the straingers w^ch cannot choose but

                                    much [helpe] advauntage the poor handycraftes of the Cytty

   moor                                    graunt them remoued and graunt that this yo^r [y] noyce

                                    hath Chidd downe all the matie of Ingland

                                    ymagin that yo^u see the wretched straingers

                                    their babyes al their backʃ, and their poor lugage

                                    plodding tooth portʃ and costʃ for transportacion

                                    and that yo^u sytt as kingʃ in your desyres

                                    aucthoryty quyte sylenct by yo^r braule

                                    and yo^u in ruff of yo^r [yo] opynions clothd

                                    what had yo^u gott, I'le tell yo^u, yo^u had taught

                                    how insolenc and strong hand shoold prevayle

                                    how ordere shoold be quelld, and by this patterne

                                    not on of yo^u shoold lyve an aged man

                                    for other ruffians as their fancies wrought

                                    with sealf same hand sealf reasons and sealf right

                                    woold shark on yo^u and men lyke ravenous fishes

                                    woold feed on on another___________

   Doll                           before god thatʃ as trewe as the gospell_

[Bettʃ] LINCOLN          nay this a sound fellowe I tell yo^u lets mark him__

   MOOR                      Lett me sett vp before yo^r thoughts good freindʃ

                                    on supposytion which if yo^u will marke

                                    yo^u shall ᵽceaue howe horrible a shape

                                    yo^r ynnovation beres, first tis a sinn

                                    which oft thappostle did forwarne vs of vrging obedienc to aucthory<ty

                                    and twere [   ] no error yf I told yo^u all   yo^u wer in armes gainst g<

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   all                             marry god forbid that___

   moo                          nay certainly yo^u ar

                                    for to the king god hath his offyce lent

                                    of dread of Iustyce, power and Comaund

                                    hath bid him rule, and willd yo^u to obay

                                    and to add ampler mat̃ie. to this

                                he [god] hath not [le] only lent the king his figure

                                    his throne [his] sword, but gyven him his owne name

                                    calls him a god on earth, what do yo^u then

                                    rysing gainst him that god himsealf enstalls

                                    but ryse gainst god, what do yo^u to yo^r sowles

                                    in doing this o desperat [ar] as you are.

                                    wash your foule mynds w^t teares and those same handʃ

                                    that yo^u lyke rebells lyft against the peace

                                    lift vp for peace, and your vnreuerent knees

                                    [that] make them your feet to kneele to be forgyven

                                    [is safer warrs, than euer yo^u can make]

                                    [whose discipline id ryot ; why euen yo^r [warrs] hurly] [in in to yo^r obedienc.]                               

                                    [cannot proceed but by obedienc] TELL ME BUT THIS what rebell captaine

                                    as mutynes ar incident, by his name

                                    can still the rout who will obay [th] a traytor

                                    or howe can well that proclamation sounde

                                    when ther is no adicion but a rebell

                                    to quallyfy a rebell, youle put downe straingers

                                    kill them cutt their throts possesse their howses

                                    and leade the matie of lawe in liom

                                    to slipp him lyke a hound ; [saying] [alas alas] say nowe the king

                                    as he is clement, yf thoffendor moorne

                                    shoold so much com to short of your great trespas

                                    as but to banysh yo^u, whether woold yo^u go.

                                    what Country by the nature of yo^r error

                                    shoold gyve you harber go yo^u to ffraunc or flanders

                                    to any Iarman province, [to] spane or portigall

                                    nay any where [why yo^u] that not adheres to Ingland

                                    why yo^u must needʃ be straingers. woold yo^u be pleasd

                                    to find a nation of such barbarous temper

                                    that breaking out in hiddious violence

                                    woold not afoord yo^u, an abode on earth

                                    whett their detested knyves against yo^r throtes

                                    spurne yo^u lyke doggʃ, and lyke as yf that god

                                    owed not nor made not yo^u, nor that the elamentʃ

                                    wer not all appropriat to [ther] yo^r Comfortʃ.

                                    but Charterd vnto them, what woold yo^u thinck

                                    to be thus vsd, this is the straingers case

   all                             and this your momtanish inhumanyty__________

                                    fayth a saies trewe letts vs do as we may be doon by

   [all] LINCO               weele be ruld by yo^u master moor yf youle stand our

                                    freind to procure our ᵽdon_________

   moor                                    Submyt yo^u to theise noble gentlemen

                                    entreate their mediation to the kinge

                                    gyve vp yo^r sealf to forme obay the maiestrate

                                    and thers no doubt, but mercy may be found. yf yo^u so seek it

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