Jack Cade himself lines up for his piece of paper and is publicly forgiven for leading an army against the king, killing a noble lord, and invading London. Some men see this as the king’s weakness, but the greatest number of them think themselves lucky to get off scot-free, and they go back to their poor homes, where they cannot pay their taxes, where they cannot get justice, where the great lords ride roughshod over them—and hope for better times. They are just as they were before, but more bitter—and still the good times have not come.
