The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (155 page)

How chance thou art not with the prince thy brother?

He loves thee, and thou dost neglect him, Thomas;

Thou hast a better place in his affection

Than all thy brothers: cherish it, my boy,

And noble offices thou mayst effect

Of mediation, after I am dead,

Between his greatness and thy other brethren:

Therefore omit him not; blunt not his love,

Nor lose the good advantage of his grace

By seeming cold or careless of his will;

For he is gracious, if he be observed.

He hath a tear for pity and a hand

Open as day for melting charity:

Yet notwithstanding, being incensed, he 's flint;

As humorous as winter and as sudden

As flaws congealed in the spring of day.

His temper, therefore, must be well observed:

Chide him for faults, and do it reverently,

When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth;

But, being moody, give him line and scope,

Till that his passions, like a whale on ground,

Confound themselves with working. Learn this, Thomas,

And thou shalt prove a shelter to thy friends,

A hoop of gold to bind thy brothers in,

That the united vessel of their blood,

Mingled with venom of suggestion--

As, force perforce, the age will pour it in--

Shall never leak, though it do work as strong

As aconitum or rash gunpowder.

Only good for you, Thomas of Clarence.

Why are you not with your brother the Prince?

He loves you, and you neglect him, Thomas.

He prefers you to

all your brothers: be glad of it, my boy,

and after I'm dead you may be able

to mediate between him as king and your other brothers.

So do not neglect him, do not make him love you less,

or lose the advantages of being in his good books

by seeming to be cold, or not paying attention to his desires;

for he is gracious, if he is given proper respect,

he can show pity, and is very

generous in giving out charity:

but that notwithstanding, when he's angered, he's like flint,

as cold as winter, and as sudden

as an icy shower at daybreak.

So you must watch out for his temper.

Criticise him for his faults, and do it respectfully,

when you see that he is in a good mood;

but if he is in a bad mood, give him time and space,

until his passions exhaust themselves,

like a beached whale. Learn this, Thomas,

and you will become a shelter for your friends,

a hoop of gold to tie your brothers together,

so that all their blood mixed together,

even when provoked to do evil–

as inevitably the times we live in will do–

it shall never leak out, even if it works

as strongly as wolfsbane or violent gunpowder.

CLARENCE.

I shall observe him with all care and love.

I shall watch over him with all care and love.

KING.

Why art thou not at Windsor with him, Thomas?

Why aren't you at Windsor with him, Thomas?

CLARENCE.

He is not there to-day; he dines in London.

He's not there today; he’s dining in London.

KING.

And how accompanied? canst thou tell that?

And who is with him? Can you tell me that?

CLARENCE.

With Poins, and other his continual followers.

He is with Poins, and his other usual companions.

KING.

Most subject is the fattest soil to weeds;

And he, the noble image of my youth,

Is overspread with them:  therefore my grief

Stretches itself beyond the hour of death:

The blood weeps from my heart when I do shape

In forms imaginary the unguided days

And rotten times that you shall look upon

When I am sleeping with my ancestors.

For when his headstrong riot hath no curb,

When rage and hot blood are his counsellors,

When means and lavish manners meet together,

O, with what wings shall his affections fly

Towards fronting peril and opposed decay!

The most fertile soil breeds the most weeds:

and he, the noble image of my youth,

is covered with them: and so my grief

will last beyond my death:

I cry tears of blood when I think

of the leaderless days

and rotten times you shall experience

when I am sleeping with my ancestors.

For when his chaotic rioting is not checked,

when he is advised by anger and his hot blood,

when his extravagance has matching wealth,

how quickly his inclinations will fly

towards the danger and downfall that confront him.

WARWICK.

My gracious lord, you look beyond him quite:

The prince but studies his companions

Like a strange tongue, wherein, to gain the language,

'Tis needful that the most immodest word

Be look'd upon and learn'd; which once attain'd,

Your highness knows, comes to no further use

But to be known and hated. So, like gross terms,

The prince will in the perfectness of time

Cast off his followers; and their memory

Shall as a pattern or a measure live,

By which his grace must mete the lives of other,

Turning past evils to advantages.

My gracious Lord, you go too far in judging him like this.

The Prince is only studying his companions

as you would a foreign tongue, when it is necessary

to learn even the rudest words to become

a master of the language; once you have it,

your Highness knows that the only use they have

is to know them and avoid them. So, like foul words,

the Prince will, in the fullness of time,

throw off his followers, and the memory of them

will be a pattern or a measure

through which his grace will judge the lives of others,

turning previous bad behaviour to good.

KING.

'Tis seldom when the bee doth leave her comb

In the dead carrion.

[Enter Westmoreland.]

Who's here? Westmoreland?

Bees don't often make honey

in dead corpses.

Who's that? Westmorland?

WESTMORELAND.

Health to my sovereign, and new happiness

Added to that that I am to deliver!

Prince John your son doth kiss your grace's hand:

Mowbray, the Bishop Scroop, Hastings and all

Are brought to the correction of your law;

There is not now a rebel's sword unsheathed,

But Peace puts forth her olive every where.

The manner how this action hath been borne

Here at more leisure may your highness read,

With every course in his particular.

Good health to my king, may new happiness

be added to the happiness I'm about to deliver!

Your son Prince John sends your grace his greetings:

Mowbray, the Bishop Scroop, Hastings and all

have been punished according to your law;

there is not a rebel still in arms,

peace has spread everywhere.

The way this was accomplished can be read

at more leisure in this document,

with all the details of every action.

KING.

O Westmoreland, thou art a summer bird,

Which ever in the haunch of winter sings

The lifting up of day.

[Enter Harcourt.]

Look, here 's more news.

Oh Westmorland, you are like a summer bird,

which brings tidings of spring at the

end of winter.

Look, here comes more news.

HARCOURT.

From enemies heaven keep your majesty;

And, when they stand against you, may they fall

As those that I am come to tell you of!

The Earl Northumberland and the Lord Bardolph,

With a great power of English and of Scots,

Are by the sheriff of Yorkshire overthrown:

The manner and true order of the fight

This packet, please it you, contains at large.

May Heaven keep enemies away from your Majesty;

and, when they stand against you, may they fall

like the ones I have come to tell you about!

The Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Bardolph,

with a great force of English and Scots,

have been overthrown by the Sheriff of Yorkshire:

the way in which this was done is detailed

in this packet.

KING.

And wherefore should these good news make me sick?

Will Fortune never come with both hands full,

But write her fair words still in foulest letters?

She either gives a stomach and no food;

Such are the poor, in health; or else a feast

And takes away the stomach; such are the rich,

That have abundance and enjoy it not.

I should rejoice now at this happy news;

And now my sight fails, and my brain is giddy:

O me! come near me; now I am much ill.

And why should I become sick at this good news?

Can fortune never come with unmitigated good,

does she always have to bring something foul as well?

She either makes you hungry, and gives you no food;

that's the position of the poor, when they are well; or else gives you a feast

and takes away your appetite; that's the position of the rich,

who have wealth and cannot enjoy it.

I should now be rejoicing at this happy news;

and now my sight is failing, and I am dizzy,

alas! Come near me; now I am very ill.

GLOUCESTER.

Comfort, your majesty!

Be easy, your Majesty!

CLARENCE.

O my royal father!

O my royal father!

WESTMORELAND.

My sovereign lord, cheer up yourself, look up.

My royal lord, cheer yourself up, look up.

WARWICK.

Be patient, princes; you do know, these fits

Are with his highness very ordinary.

Stand from him, give him air; he'll straight be well.

Be calm, princes; you should know that these fits

are very common with his Highness.

Stand away from him, give him air; he'll be alright shortly.

CLARENCE.

No, no, he cannot long hold out these pangs:

The incessant care and labour of his mind

Hath wrought the mure that should confine it in

So thin that life looks through and will break out.

No, no, he won't be able to survive this pain for long:

the continuous care and toil of his mind

has made the wall that should keep life in

so thin that it sees through it and will escape.

GLOUCESTER.

The people fear me; for they do observe