The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (176 page)

Constable

This becomes the great.


Sorry am I his numbers are so few,


His soldiers sick and famish'd in their march;


For I am sure, when he shall see our army,


He'll drop his heart into the sink of fear


And for achievement offer us his ransom.

We will be great in number and he will be so few with his soldiers suffering with sickness and starvation. I am sure when he sees our army his heart will be filled with fear and he will give up.

French King

Therefore, Lord Constable, haste on Montjoy,

And let him say to England that we send


To know what willing ransom he will give.


Prince Dauphin, you shall stay with us in Rouen.

Therefore, Lord Constable, hurry up Montjoy. Let him ask England what they will give us for the King’s ransom. Prince Dauphin, you will stay with us here in Rouen.

Dauphin

Not so, I do beseech your Majesty.

No, please, your majesty.

French King

Be patient, for you shall remain with us.


Now forth, Lord Constable and princes all,


And quickly bring us word of England's fall.

Be patient. You will stay with us. Now, Lord Constable and princes, quickly bring us the news of England’s downfall.

Exit.

Enter Gower and Fluellen, meeting.

Gower

How now, Captain Fluellen! come you from the bridge?

How is it going, Captain Fluellen? Are you coming from the bridge?

Fluellen

I assure you, there is very excellent services committed at the bridge.

Yes, and I can assure you they are well committed at the bridge.

Gower

Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

Fluellen

The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamemnon; and a


man that I love and honour with my soul, and my heart, and my duty, and my live, and my living, and my uttermost power. He is not--God be praised and blessed!--any hurt in the world; but keeps the bridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline. There is an aunchient lieutenant there at the pridge, I think in my very conscience he is as valiant a man as Mark Antony; and he is a man of no estimation in the world, but I did see him do as gallant service.

The Duke of Exeter is well and unhurt. He keeps the bridge courageously and with excellent discipline. There is an old lieutenant at the bridge who is as brave as Mark Antony. He is a nobody, but he is performing a great service.

Gower

What do you call him?

What is his name?

Fluellen

He is call'd Aunchient Pistol.

He is called Pistol.

Gower

I know him not.

I don’t know him.

Enter Pistol.

Fluellen

Here is the man.

Here he is.

Pistol

Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours.


The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

Captain, I need to ask you for a favor. The Duke of Exeter loves you.

Fluellen

Ay, I praise God; and I have merited some love at his hands.

Praise God, I have earned his love.

Pistol

Bardolph, a soldier, firm and sound of heart,


And of buxom valour, hath by cruel fate


And giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheel,


That goddess blind,


That stands upon the rolling restless stone--

Bardolph, a good and valiant soldier, has encountered the cruel fate of blind Fortune’s fickle wheel…

Fluellen

By your patience, Aunchient Pistol. Fortune is painted


blind, with a muffler afore his eyes, to signify to you that Fortune is blind; and she is painted also with a wheel, to


signify to you, which is the moral of it, that she is turning, and inconstant, and mutability, and variation; and her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone, which rolls, and rolls, and rolls. In good truth, the poet makes a most excellent description of it. Fortune is an excellent moral.

Pistol, Fortune is blind and holds a wheel of chance to show you the inconstancy of fate. She stands upon a rolling stone to show you the variability of luck. The poet who describes Fortune does an excellent job at explaining the moral.

Pistol

Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him;


For he hath stolen a pax, and hanged must 'a be,--


A damned death!


Let gallows gape for dog; let man go free,


And let not hemp his windpipe suffocate.


But Exeter hath given the doom of death


For pax of little price.


Therefore, go speak; the Duke will hear thy voice;


And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut


With edge of penny cord and vile reproach.

Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite.

Fortune is Bardolph’s foe and frowns on him. He stole a picture from church and must be hanged. A terrible death! A death for dogs. Let him go free and not suffocate on the end of a rope. Please, go talk to the duke. He will listen to you. Don’t let Bardolph’s life be ended this way. I will pay you back, if you will talk to him.

Fluellen

Aunchient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning.

Lieutenant Pistol, I partly understand what you want.

Pistol

Why then, rejoice therefore.

Good.

Fluellen

Certainly, aunchient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; for if, look you, he were my brother, I would desire the Duke


to use his good pleasure, and put him to execution; for


discipline ought to be used.

Lieutenant, it’s not good. Look, if he were my brother, I would want the duke to use his discretion and discipline him with execution, if necessary.

Pistol

Die and be damn'd! and figo for thy friendship!

Well, then die and go to hell! Forget our friendship!

Fluellen

It is well.

Oh, it’s just as well.

Pistol

The fig of Spain.

Forget you!

Exit.

Fluellen

Very good.

Very good.

Gower

Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal. I remember


him now; a bawd, a cutpurse.

Why, I remember that fellow. He is a fake rascal and a thief.

Fluellen

I'll assure you, 'a uttered as prave words at the pridge as you shall see in a summer's day. But it is very well; what he has spoke to me, that is well, I warrant you, when time is serve.

You should have heard him at the bridge, speaking as bravely as anyone. But it’s all well. I promise you when the time is right.

Gower

Why, 't is a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and then goes to the wars, to grace himself at his return into London under the form of a soldier. And such fellows are perfect in the great commanders' names; and they will learn you by rote where services were done; at such and such a sconce, at such a breach, at such a convoy; who came off bravely, who was shot, who disgrac'd, what terms the enemy stood on; and this they con perfectly in the phrase of war, which they trick up with new-tuned oaths: and what a beard of the general's cut and a horrid suit of the camp will do among foaming bottles and ale-wash'd wits, is wonderful to be thought on. But you must learn to know such slanders of the age, or else you may be marvellously mistook.

It is a fool, a rogue, who goes to wars now and then just to call himself a soldier. They can remember great commanders’ names and talk about this breach or convoy or who was brave, or disgraced, or shot. They turn their experience into a means to trick others. You must beware of soldiers like these or be taken by them.

Fluellen

I tell you what, Captain Gower; I do perceive he is not the man that he would gladly make show to the world he is. If I find a hole in his coat, I will tell him my mind. [Drum heard.] Hark you, the King is coming, and I must speak with him from the pridge.

I know, Captain Gower, he is not the man he’d like for people to think he is. And, given a chance, I will tell him what I think.

Drum heard.

Listen, the king is coming and I must speak with him from the bridge.

Drum and colors. Enter King Henry, Gloucester, and Soldiers.

God bless your Majesty!

God bless your majesty!

King

How now, Fluellen! cam'st thou from the bridge?

How are you, Fluellen? Are you coming from the bridge?

Fluellen

Ay, so please your Majesty. The Duke of Exeter has very


gallantly maintain'd the pridge. The French is gone off, look you; and there is gallant and most prave passages. Marry, th' athversary was have possession of the pridge; but he is enforced to retire, and the Duke of Exeter is master of the pridge. I can tell your Majesty, the Duke is a prave man.

Yes, your majesty. The Duke of Exeter has maintained the bridge. The French are gone. The Duke is a master and he ran them off. He is a brave man.

King

What men have you lost, Fluellen?

What men have you lost, Fluellen?  

Fluellen

The perdition of the athversary hath been very great, reasonable great. Marry, for my part, I think the Duke hath lost never a man, but one that is like to be executed for robbing a church, one Bardolph, if your Majesty know the man. His face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames o' fire; and his lips blows at his nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes plue and sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire's out.

The enemy lost many, but I don’t think the duke lost a man, but one, who will be executed for robbing a church. His name is Bardolph, if you know him. His face is red and filled with whelps. He blows his nose making it red, but I guess he won’t be blowing it anymore.

King

We would have all such offenders so cut off; and we give express charge, that in our marches through the country, there be nothing compell'd from the villages, nothing taken but paid for, none of the French upbraided or abused in disdainful language; for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner.

We want all such offenders cut off. No one is to take anything while we march, unless it is paid for. None of the French are to be abused or mistreated, because the gentlest player for a kingdom always wins.