Statute of Labourers enacted
The Statute of Labourers is being enacted in Westminster Palace, a law designed to cap wages and restrict the movement of laborers in the aftermath of the Black Death. The Royal Magistrate reads the d
Setting
Westminster Palace, London, England. The Great Hall, with its towering stone walls and high wooden-beamed ceiling. Sunlight streams through narrow stained-glass windows, casting colored patterns on the floor. The air is thick with the smell of parchment, sweat, and the faint hint of rosemary from nearby gardens.
Characters
Royal Magistrate
primary
A tall, imposing man in his late 40s with a sharp, angular face, deep-set grey eyes, and a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. His posture is rigid, and his broad shoulders convey authority. His hands are well-manicured but strong, holding the parchment with practiced ease.
Bailiff
secondary
A middle-aged man of sturdy build, with a ruddy complexion from years spent outdoors enforcing laws. His thick brown beard is streaked with gray, and his sharp eyes scan the crowd with practiced vigilance. A jagged scar runs from his left temple to his jawline, a mark of past conflicts.
Weaver
secondary
A burly man in his late 30s with calloused hands and a square jaw. His dark brown hair is cropped short, and his beard is neatly trimmed. A deep scar runs across his left eyebrow, a mark from a childhood accident. His arms are muscular from years of working the loom, and his stance is tense, like a coiled spring.
Farmer
background
A weather-beaten peasant man in his late thirties, with sun-browned skin and calloused hands. His wiry frame shows the toll of years of hard labor, with a slight stoop from bending over crops. Dark, unkempt hair frames a face lined with premature wrinkles, and his beard is roughly trimmed. His eyes are narrowed with quiet fury.
Dialog
Royal Magistrate
By decree of His Majesty, King Edward III, all laborers and artificers shall henceforth accept wages not exceeding those customary before the pestilence, under pain of imprisonment.
Weaver
Customary wages? Aye, customary to starve on!
Bailiff
Mind your tongue, weaver. These are the king's laws, and you'll abide by them.
Royal Magistrate
Further, any laborer who leaves his lord's service before the term of his contract is fulfilled shall be branded as a fugitive and subject to arrest.
Weaver
Branded like cattle, are we? What next — collars 'round our necks?
Bailiff
One more word and you'll feel the stocks, not just hear of them.
Royal Magistrate
Let this proclamation be read in every market town between here and York. Any who defy it shall learn the weight of royal justice.