The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (19 page)

Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

So, to be given a double ceremony,

to add to a title that was rich before,

to gild refined gold, to paint the lily,

to put perfume on a violet,

to polish ice, or add another colour

to the rainbow, or try to add to

the sunlight with the light of a candle,

is wasteful and foolishly excessive.

PEMBROKE.

But that your royal pleasure must be done,

This act is as an ancient tale new told

And, in the last repeating, troublesome,

Being urged at a time unseasonable.

Except for your royal insistence,

this act is like an old story retold

and, in this retelling, it is troublesome,

because this is the wrong time for it.

SALISBURY.

In this the antique and well-noted face

Of plain old form is much disfigured;

And like a shifted wind unto a sail

It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about,

Startles and frights consideration,

Makes sound opinion sick, and truth suspected,

For putting on so new a fashion'd robe.

This is disfiguring the ancient and well-known

face of the simple old rules;

like a changing wind with a sail

it makes the course of thoughts change,

it disturbs and worries contemplation,

makes good opinions seem bad, makes truth seem like lies,

putting on such a newly made robe.

PEMBROKE.

When workmen strive to do better than well,

They do confound their skill in covetousness;

And oftentimes excusing of a fault

Doth make the fault the worse by th' excuse,

As patches set upon a little breach

Discredit more in hiding of the fault

Than did the fault before it was so patch'd.

When workmen try to do better than well,

they defeat their own skill in doing so;

often trying to repair a fault

makes the fault worse when repairing it,

like patches put on a little damage

which look worse in trying to hide it

than the damage did before it was patched.

SALISBURY.

To this effect, before you were new-crown'd,

We breath'd our counsel; but it pleas'd your Highness

To overbear it; and we are all well pleas'd,

Since all and every part of what we would

Doth make a stand at what your Highness will.

This is what we advised you before

you were crowned for the second time; but your Highness

decided to overrule us; and we were all well pleased,

since everything that we want and believe

must be matched with what your Highness decides.

KING JOHN.

Some reasons of this double coronation

I have possess'd you with, and think them strong;

And more, more strong, when lesser is my fear,

I shall indue you with. Meantime but ask

What you would have reform'd that is not well,

And well shall you perceive how willingly

I will both hear and grant you your requests.

I have given you some reasons for this

second coronation, and I think they are good ones;

and when my fear is lessened I will give you more,

stronger ones. Meanwhile just say

what you think is not good and want changed,

and you will see clearly how willing I am

both to hear and to grant your requests.

PEMBROKE.

Then I, as one that am the tongue of these,

To sound the purposes of all their hearts,

Both for myself and them- but, chief of all,

Your safety, for the which myself and them

Bend their best studies, heartily request

Th' enfranchisement of Arthur, whose restraint

Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent

To break into this dangerous argument:

If what in rest you have in right you hold,

Why then your fears-which, as they say, attend

The steps of wrong-should move you to mew up

Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days

With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth

The rich advantage of good exercise?

That the time's enemies may not have this

To grace occasions, let it be our suit

That you have bid us ask his liberty;

Which for our goods we do no further ask

Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,

Counts it your weal he have his liberty.

Then, as I'm the spokesman for all of these,

and know what they think in their hearts,

both for myself and for them, but chiefly

for your safety, which myself and them

do everything they can for, heartily request

that Arthur should be freed: his imprisonment

is making the whispers of discontent

erupt into a dangerous argument:

if you have a right to all your possessions,

then why are you so afraid, which they say is

a sign of wrong doing, that you imprison

your young kinsman, and suffocate him

with a lack of education, and refuse his youth

the great benefits of good exercise?

So that your enemies at this time cannot have

this to use as an excuse, let the request you told us

to make be that you give him his freedom;

we only ask this for our own good insofar as

our good depends on your good,

and it will do you good to set him free.

KING JOHN.

Let it be so. I do commit his youth

To your direction.

Let it be so. I entrust this youth

to your guardianship.

Enter HUBERT

[Aside]Hubert, what news with you?

Hubert, what's the news?

PEMBROKE.

This is the man should do the bloody deed:

He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine;

The image of a wicked heinous fault

Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his

Doth show the mood of a much troubled breast,

And I do fearfully believe 'tis done

What we so fear'd he had a charge to do.

This is the man who should have done the bloody deed:

he showed his warrant to a friend of mine;

the look in his eye shows that he has committed some

terrible wicked sin; that stern face of his

reveals the mood of a very troubled heart,

and I fear that he has performed the thing

which we were so afraid he had been ordered to do.

SALISBURY.

The colour of the King doth come and go

Between his purpose and his conscience,

Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set.

His passion is so ripe it needs must break.

The King's face goes red and pale, alternating

between his desires and his conscience,

like heralds running between two terrible armies.

He's so full of passion he must explode.

PEMBROKE.

And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence

The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.

And when he does, I fear that out of him will come

the revolting stench of the death of a sweet child.

KING JOHN.

We cannot hold mortality's strong hand.

Good lords, although my will to give is living,

The suit which you demand is gone and dead:

He tells us Arthur is deceas'd to-night.

We cannot stop the strong hand of death.

Good lords, although I still want to give you what you want,

what you asked for is dead and gone:

he has told me that Arthur died tonight.

SALISBURY.

Indeed, we fear'd his sickness was past cure.

Indeed, we were afraid his illness was incurable.

PEMBROKE.

Indeed, we heard how near his death he was,

Before the child himself felt he was sick.

This must be answer'd either here or hence.

Indeed, we heard how near death he was,

before the child even thought he was ill.

This must be answered for either here or in future.

KING JOHN.

Why do you bend such solemn brows on me?

Think you I bear the shears of destiny?

Have I commandment on the pulse of life?

Why are you frowning at me like that?

Do think that I have influence over destiny?

Do I control the pulse of life?

SALISBURY.

It is apparent foul-play; and 'tis shame

That greatness should so grossly offer it.

So thrive it in your game! and so, farewell.

It is obvious foul play; and it's shameful

that one of the great should do such a horrible thing.

May you get what you deserve! And so, farewell.

PEMBROKE.

Stay yet, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with thee

And find th' inheritance of this poor child,

His little kingdom of a forced grave.

That blood which ow'd the breadth of all this isle

Three foot of it doth hold-bad world the while!

This must not be thus borne: this will break out

To all our sorrows, and ere long I doubt.

Wait, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with you

and find the inheritance of this poor child,

his little kingdom of his early grave.

The lad who had a right to this whole island

has just three feet of it
–
what a wicked world!

This must not be tolerated: it will be revealed

to all our detriment, and before long I'm sure.

Exeunt LORDS

KING JOHN.

They burn in indignation. I repent.

There is no sure foundation set on blood,

No certain life achiev'd by others' death.

Enter a MESSENGER

A fearful eye thou hast; where is that blood

That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks?

So foul a sky clears not without a storm.

Pour down thy weather-how goes all in France?

They burn with indignation. I repent.

There is no solid foundation to be found in blood,

no certainty of life to be found in the death of others.

[Enter a messenger]

You look scared; where is the blood

that I have seen filling those cheeks?

A foul sky like this won't clear without a storm,

let it all pour out–what's happening in France?

MESSENGER.

From France to England. Never such a pow'r

For any foreign preparation

Was levied in the body of a land.

The copy of your speed is learn'd by them,

For when you should be told they do prepare,

The tidings comes that they are all arriv'd.

France is coming to England. No country

ever raised such a force

for a foreign expedition.

They have learned from copying your speed,