TRUE STORY OF JACK CADE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7827, 21 June 1909, Page 4

TRUE STORY OF JACK CADE.

Mr A. R. Barclay spoke, to the Socialist party m the Trades Hall on "The True Story of Jack Cade," and the hall was packed to overflowing. Mr Barclay said that m dipping into history and literature now and again nothing filled one with more indignation than the infamous distortion and gross misstatements to be frequently found m respect to the persons and characters of many who m their time fought so strenuously for high ideals, for magnificent reforms, and for ,'th.c emancipation of their fellow beings from iniquitous wrongs and glaring injustice. Mostly, when they did not succeed, these men were represented as bad, vulgar, illiterate, feather-brained rascals, only worthy of the contempt of the respectable portion of mankind. Mostly these representations were absolutely untrue. Take, for instance, this passage from one historian m respect to Wat Tyler and his coritpanions: " The gentlemen of England neglected them (the peasants) at first, and a parcel of needy, debauched rascals immersed m debts, and criminals of all kinds flocking to them, were made their chieftains, under the names of Thomas Miller, Hobb Carter, Jack Straw, Wat Tyler, and the like, which they assumed to express their base, original, and mean employments. . . . They, the j needy rascals, delivered to him (the King) a paper of demands, very prejudicial to the. Crown, the Church, and the nobility of England." "The needy rascals" were, as a matter of i'ace, the bulk of the mankind of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. The gates of London were opened to them, and all London and its wealth lay at their mercy. Yet these "needy, debauched rascals immersed m debts, and criminals of all kinds," strange to say, declared that they were "seekers of truth and justice, not thieves and robbers," and a plunderer found carrying off a silver vessel was thrown with his spoil into the flames of the Savoy Palace. Their demands so prejudicial to "the Crown, the Church, and the inability of England" were very simple. They wanted—(l) Abolition of the form of serfdom known as villeinage; (2) that rent should not exceed 4d an acre —at that time a good rent; (3) freedom to buy and sell m all markets: (4) abolition of the game laws—an important matter to them as they depmuiod much on game for food; (5) a generisl pardon. Although Tyler was assassinated by Walworth, the Lord Mayor, his followers remained, and the King promised them all they demanded, including pardons and emancipation from serfdom. In less than a fortnight, after all the people had gone home, the King revoked all his promises, and ultimately some 8000 were executed. Yet Wat Tyler and his followers were the men who, m spite of their apparent failure and defeat at the moment, as a niatter of fact broke the back of the villeinage form of serfdom m England. From that day forward it never dared to do the things it did before, and though it was generations before it finally disappeared, it was no other than Wat Tyler that gave it its death wound, and as such he was one of the most remarkable men m English history, Somewhat similar was the story of Jack Cade. Shakespeare represented him at declaring that "the three-hoop-ed pot shall have 10 hoops"; that he would "make it folony to drink small beer"; and that education should be totally abolished, and every clerk (i.e.', person who could read or write) should be hanged. According to the divine M^illiam, who dearly loved a lord, he was a vulgar, illiterate, brutal mountebank. As a matter of fact, he was a singularly talented man of good education himself, a member of the. county squirearchy, not qvgii an artisan or workman,, an absolutely first-class soldier with high training and considerable experience, and a diplomatist of extraordinary skill. Even his enemies at the time credited him with "princely bearing, commanding figure, and pregnant wit." As a matter of fact, the rising was of almost the whole of Kent, stirred by unquestionable grievances. Amongst them were the Abbot of Battle, the Prior of Lewes, Sir John 'Cjieyne, Knight, 18. esquires, fi gentlemen, and many yeomen. The towns af Canter-1 bury, Chatham, Maidstone, Rochester, and Sandwich, m their corporate official capacity, sided with the movement; ( and of all this pretty distinguished company Cade, Shakespeare's vulgar, j illiterate, brutal rascal, was chosten as the head and leader. Thpy presented the complaints of the commons of Kent, and were denied redress. They retired to Sevenoaks, and were attacked by a portion of the royal army, which, owing to Cade's military skill, they utterly defeated. Then the complaints were reconsidered, and the roya] promise of redress given. Also, all were pardoned, and a special pardon was given to Cade. Nevertheless it was subsequently revoked, apparently on technical grounds, and a price set upon his head. Ultimately he was killed m an attempt to capture him.— Otago Daily Times,