The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (940 page)

they will never get his pardon; my position

requires me to act, not to think.

Alarum within. Enter, with drum and colours, KING LEAR, CORDELIA, and Soldiers, over the stage; and exeunt

Enter EDGAR and GLOUCESTER

EDGAR

Here, father, take the shadow of this tree

For your good host; pray that the right may thrive:

If ever I return to you again,

I'll bring you comfort.

Here, father, sit in the shadow of this tree

for your shelter; pray that right will triumph:

if I ever come back to again,

I will look after you.

GLOUCESTER

Grace go with you, sir!

Exit EDGAR

May God go with you, sir!

Alarum and retreat within. Re-enter EDGAR

EDGAR

Away, old man; give me thy hand; away!

King Lear hath lost, he and his daughter ta'en:

Give me thy hand; come on.

Run, old man; give me your hand; run!

King Lear has lost, he and his daughter  are captured:

give me your hand; come on.

GLOUCESTER

No farther, sir; a man may rot even here.

I will go no farther, sir; a man can stop here to rot.

EDGAR

What, in ill thoughts again? Men must endure

Their going hence, even as their coming hither;

Ripeness is all: come on.

What, having bad thoughts again? Men must suffer

their going, just as they suffered their coming here;

being ready for it is what's important: come on.

GLOUCESTER

And that's true too.

Exeunt

And that's true too.

Enter, in conquest, with drum and colours, EDMUND, KING LEAR and CORDELIA, prisoners; Captain, Soldiers, & c

EDMUND

Some officers take them away: good guard,

Until their greater pleasures first be known

That are to censure them.

Let some of the officers take them away: guard them well,

until we know the wishes of the higher ones

who will pass judgement on them.

CORDELIA

We are not the first

Who, with best meaning, have incurr'd the worst.

For thee, oppressed king, am I cast down;

Myself could else out-frown false fortune's frown.

Shall we not see these daughters and these sisters?

We're not the first people

to have meant the best and got the worst.

I am distraught for you, oppressed king;

otherwise, for myself, I could face down this ill fortune.

Will we not see these daughters and these sisters?

KING LEAR

No, no, no, no! Come, let's away to prison:

We two alone will sing like birds i' the cage:

When thou dost ask me blessing, I'll kneel down,

And ask of thee forgiveness: so we'll live,

And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh

At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues

Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too,

Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out;

And take upon's the mystery of things,

As if we were God's spies: and we'll wear out,

In a wall'd prison, packs and sects of great ones,

That ebb and flow by the moon.

No, no, no, no! Come on, let's go to prison:

we two on our own will sing like caged birds:

when you ask me for my blessings, I'll kneel down

and ask you for forgiveness: that's how we'll live,

we'll pray, and sing, and tell old stories, and laugh

at vain fops, and hear poor scoundrels

indulging in court gossip; we'll talk with them too,

finding out who has lost and who has won; who's in, who's out;

and we'll undertake to explain the mystery of things

as if we were spies from God: and we'll outlive,

in our walled prison, the cliques and parties of the great ones

that rise and fall with the moon.

EDMUND

Take them away.

Take them away.

KING LEAR

Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,

The gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught thee?

He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven,

And fire us hence like foxes. Wipe thine eyes;

The good-years shall devour them, flesh and fell,

Ere they shall make us weep: we'll see 'em starve

first. Come.

Exeunt KING LEAR and CORDELIA, guarded

My Cordelia, the gods themselves will bless

sacrifices like this. Do you understand?

We will never be parted except by someone bringing the fire of heaven

and smoking us out like foxes. Wipe your eyes;

time will consume them, flesh and skin,

before they weep again: until then, no tears.

Come on.

EDMUND

Come hither, captain; hark.

Take thou this note;

Giving a paper

go follow them to prison:

One step I have advanced thee; if thou dost

As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way

To noble fortunes: know thou this, that men

Are as the time is: to be tender-minded

Does not become a sword: thy great employment

Will not bear question; either say thou'lt do 't,

Or thrive by other means.

Come here, captain; listen.

Take this note;

Go and follow them to prison:

I have promoted you once; if you do

as this note orders, you will go on

to great things: you should know this, that men

have to act in a way that suits the times: to be softhearted

does not fit with the sword: this great task

is not open to debate; you say you'll do it,

or find some other way to get on.

Captain

I'll do 't, my lord.

I'll do it, my lord.

EDMUND

About it; and write happy when thou hast done.

Mark, I say, instantly; and carry it so

As I have set it down.

Get going, and be happy when you have finished.

Remember, I want it done at once; and make sure you do it

just as I have instructed.

Captain

I cannot draw a cart, nor eat dried oats;

If it be man's work, I'll do 't.

Exit

Flourish. Enter ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, another Captain, and Soldiers

I cannot pull a cart, or eat dried oats;

if it's work a man can do, I'll do it.

ALBANY

Sir, you have shown to-day your valiant strain,

And fortune led you well: you have the captives

That were the opposites of this day's strife:

We do require them of you, so to use them

As we shall find their merits and our safety

May equally determine.

Sir, you have shown your bravery today,

and you had good fortune; you have our opponents

in this day's battle as your prisoners;

I want them from you, so they can be treated

in such a way as their merits and our safety

are suited.

EDMUND

Sir, I thought it fit

To send the old and miserable king

To some retention and appointed guard;

Whose age has charms in it, whose title more,

To pluck the common bosom on his side,

An turn our impress'd lances in our eyes

Which do command them. With him I sent the queen;

My reason all the same; and they are ready

To-morrow, or at further space, to appear

Where you shall hold your session. At this time

We sweat and bleed: the friend hath lost his friend;

And the best quarrels, in the heat, are cursed

By those that feel their sharpness:

The question of Cordelia and her father

Requires a fitter place.

Sir, I thought it appropriate

to send the old and miserable king

into confinement with a guard watching over him;

his age has an appeal to it, and his title even more so,

which could turn the common people to his cause,

and make our conscripts turn against

us, their commanders. I sent the Queen with him;

the same reason applied to her; now they are ready

to appear before you tomorrow, or at a later time,

wherever you hold your court. At the moment

we are sweating and bloody; friends have lost friends,

and the most justified causes, in the heat of battle, are cursed

by those that suffer for them;

the question of Cordelia and her father

needs peaceful reflection.

ALBANY

Sir, by your patience,

I hold you but a subject of this war,

Not as a brother.

Sir, with all due respect,

 you are just a soldier in this war,

not my equal.

REGAN

That's as we list to grace him.

Methinks our pleasure might have been demanded,

Ere you had spoke so far. He led our powers;

Bore the commission of my place and person;

The which immediacy may well stand up,

And call itself your brother.

That depends how we want to honour him.