The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (104 page)

That you a world of curses undergo,

Being the agents, or base second means,

The cords, the ladder, or the hangman rather?--

O, pardon me, that I descend so low,

To show the line and the predicament

Wherein you range under this subtle King;--

Shall it, for shame, be spoken in these days,

Or fill up chronicles in time to come,

That men of your nobility and power

Did gage them both in an unjust behalf,--

As both of you, God pardon it! have done,--

To put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,

And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolingbroke?

And shall it, in more shame, be further spoken,

That you are fool'd, discarded, and shook off

By him for whom these shames ye underwent?

No! yet time serves, wherein you may redeem

Your banish'd honours, and restore yourselves

Into the good thoughts of the world again;

Revenge the jeering and disdain'd contempt

Of this proud King, who studies day and night

To answer all the debt he owes to you

Even with the bloody payment of your deaths:

Therefore, I say,--

No, then I cannot blame his cousin the King,

for wanting him to starve on the barren mountains.

But it may be that you who put the crown

on the head of this forgetful man,

and who for his sake wear the revolting stain

of murderous disobedience–is it the case

that you suffer a world of curses,

being the agents, or the low seconders,

the rope, the ladder, or are you the hangman?

Oh, pardon me, that I speak so basely

to show you the position and danger

you are in under the rule of this cunning King!

Will it be spoken of with shame now,

or in the histories of times to come,

that men of your own ability and power

both fought for an unjust cause

(as both of you, God forgive you, have done)

to throw down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,

and plant this thorn bush, this rotten Bolingbroke?

And shall it be further said, more shamefully,

that you were tricked, ignored, rejected

by the one for whom you undertook such a shame?

No, there is still time for you to recover

your lost honour, and put yourselves

back into the good thoughts of the world:

revenge the jeering and disdainful contempt

of this proud king, who is thinking day and night

of how to repay the debt he owes you,

which he shall repay with your bloody deaths:

therefore, I say–

WOR.

Peace, cousin, say no more:

And now I will unclasp a secret book,

And to your quick-conceiving discontent

I'll read you matter deep and dangerous;

As full of peril and adventurous spirit

As to o'er-walk a current roaring loud

On the unsteadfast footing of a spear.

Peace, cousin, say no more:

I will now reveal a secret matter,

and to your hasty discontent

I'll tell you about deep and dangerous things;

as full of danger and adventure

as trying to walk over roaring torrent

just balancing on an unsteady spear.

HOT.

If we fall in, good night, or sink or swim!

Send danger from the east unto the west,

So honour cross it from the north to south,

And let them grapple. O, the blood more stirs

To rouse a lion than to start a hare!

If we fall in, good night, sink or swim!

Send danger from the East to the West,

so that honour can cross it from the North to South,

and let them fight: it's more exciting

to hunt a lion than a hare.

NORTH.

Imagination of some great exploit

Drives him beyond the bounds of patience.

Imagining some great exploit

is making him hotheaded.

HOT.

By Heaven, methinks it were an easy leap,

To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced Moon;

Or dive into the bottom of the deep,

Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,

And pluck up drowned honour by the locks;

So he that doth redeem her thence might wear

Without corrival all her dignities:

But out upon this half-faced fellowship!

By heaven, I think it would be an easy task

to go and steal the light of honour from the pale faced moon;

or to dive to the bottom of the ocean,

were thedepths could never be measured,

and pull up ground on by its hair;

so that the one who saved her could then

lay claim to the badge of honour:

but I'm dammed if I'll share it!

WOR.

He apprehends a world of figures here,

But not the form of what he should attend.--

Good cousin, give me audience for a while.

It's all very well him talking,

but he doesn't understand the substance–

good cousin, listen to me for a while.

HOT.

I cry you mercy.

Please excuse me.

WOR.

Those same noble Scots

That are your prisoners,--

Those noble Scots

who are your prisoners–

HOT.

I'll keep them all;

By God, he shall not have a Scot of them;

No, if a Scot would save his soul, he shall not:

I'll keep them, by this hand.

I'll keep them all;

by God, he shall not have one of them,

not if he needed one to save his soul, he will not:

I swear that I will keep them.

WOR.

You start away,

And lend no ear unto my purposes.

Those prisoners you shall keep;--

You're rushing off,

and not listening to my point.

You will keep those prisoners–

HOT.

Nay, I will; that's flat.

He said he would not ransom Mortimer;

Forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer;

But I will find him when he lies asleep,

And in his ear I'll holla Mortimer!

Nay,I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak

Nothing but Mortimer, and give it him,

To keep his anger still in motion.

No, I will, that's flat.

He said he would not ransom Mortimer;

he forbade me from talking of Mortimer;

but I will find him when he's lying asleep,

and in his ear I'll shout “Mortimer!”

No, I'll get a starling and train him to say

nothing but Mortimer, and give it to him,

to make him permanently angry.

WOR.

Hear you, cousin; a word.

Listen, cousin; word.

HOT.

All studies here I solemnly defy,

Save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke:

And that same sword-and-buckler Prince of Wales,

But that I think his father loves him not,

And would be glad he met with some mischance,

I'd have him poison'd with a pot of ale.

I solemnly swear I will study nothing else

except how I can annoy and pinch this Bolingbroke:

and that identical swaggerer the Prince of Wales,

except for the fact I think his father doesn't love him,

and would be glad if he met with some accident,

I'd have someone give him some poisoned beer.

WOR.

Farewell, kinsman:I will talk to you

When you are better temper'd to attend.

Farewell, kinsman: I will talk to you

when you are in a more listening mood.

NORTH.

Why, what a wasp-stung and impatient fool

Art thou, to break into this woman's mood,

Tying thine ear to no tongue but thine own!

Why, what a hotheaded and impatient fool

you are, to screech like a woman,

listening to nobody but yourself!

HOT.

Why, look you, I am whipp'd and scourged with rods,

Nettled, and stung with pismires, when I hear

Of this vile politician, Bolingbroke.

In Richard's time,--what do you call the place?--

A plague upon't!--it is in Gioucestershire;--

'Twas where the madcap Duke his uncle kept,

His uncle York;--where I first bow'd my knee

Unto this king of smiles, this Bolingbroke;--

When you and he came back from Ravenspurg.

Well, look, I am beaten and cut with rods,

stung with nettles and ants, when I hear

about this vile politician Bolingbroke.

In Richard's time–what do you call the place?

Damn it, it's in Gloucestershire–

where the crazy duke kept his uncle,

his uncle York–that was where I first knelt

to this smiling King, this Bolingbroke,

by God, when you and he came back from Ravenspurgh.

NORTH.

At Berkeley-castle.

At Berkeley Castle.

HOT.

You say true:--

Why, what a candy deal of courtesy

This fawning greyhound then did proffer me!

Look, when his infant fortune came to age,

And, Gentle Harry Percy, and kind cousin,--

O, the Devil take such cozeners!--God forgive me!--

Good uncle, tell your tale; for I have done.

That's right:

well, what a sugary quantity of courtesy

this grovelling dog offered me then!

"See, when his infant fortune comes of age",

and, "gentle Harry Percy", and "kind cousin"–

O, the devil take such deceivers! God forgive me!

Good uncle, tell your tale; I'm finished.

WOR.

Nay, if you have not, to't again;

We'll stay your leisure.

Well, if you haven't, carry on;

we'll wait for you.

HOT.

I have done, i'faith.

I swear, I'm finished.

WOR.

Then once more to your Scottish prisoners.

Deliver them up without their ransom straight,

And make the Douglas' son your only mean

For powers in Scotland; which, for divers reasons

Which I shall send you written, be assured,

Will easily be granted.--

[To Northumberland.] You, my lord,

Your son in Scotland being thus employ'd,

Shall secretly into the bosom creep

Of that same noble prelate, well beloved,

Th' Archbishop.

Then go back to your Scottish prisoners.

Hand them over at once without their ransom,

and make the son of Douglas your only

agent of power in Scotland; for various reasons,

which I shall write to you about, I can assure you,

that will definitely be granted–