Is not this a lamentable thing, that of the skin of an innocent lamb should be made parchment? that parchment, being scribbled o'er, should undo a man? Some say the bee stings: but I say, 'tis the bee's wax; for I did but seal once to a thing, and I was never mine own man since.
Isn't it a sad thing that the skin of an innocent lamb is turned into parchment? That parchment, once written on, can ruin a man? Some say the bee stings: but I say it's the bee's wax; because I only sealed something once, and I haven't been myself since.
Jack Cade · Act 4, Scene 2
Cade articulates a philosophy of rebellion centered on hatred of the written word and its capacity to bind men. His monologue shows that the play's core anxiety—about language, authority, and writing—is shared by the rebel as well as the noble. Writing has power to undo, to trap, to silence freedom.
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.
The first thing we should do is kill all the lawyers.
Dick the Butcher · Act 4, Scene 2
Jack Cade's rebellion declares war on the literate and the lawful, and Dick the Butcher speaks the play's most famous line. The line crystallizes the rebellion's hatred of writing, parchment, and the educated class that uses them to control power. Yet the line is also dangerous irony—by attacking literacy and law, the rebels ensure their own defeat.
Rebellious hinds, the filth and scum of Kent, Mark’d for the gallows, lay your weapons down; Home to your cottages, forsake this groom: The king is merciful, if you revolt.
Rebels, the scum and trash of Kent, Marked for the gallows, drop your weapons; Go back to your homes, leave this man alone: The king will show mercy if you surrender.
Sir Humphrey Stafford · Act 4, Scene 2
Sir Humphrey Stafford stands before Cade's rebel army and demands they lay down their weapons, offering the king's pardon. The speech matters because it is the last moment when authority can still speak from a position of strength—after this, the only language left will be violence. It shows that mercy and order are fragile things, easily trampled by a mob that has tasted its own power.
