The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (210 page)

arguing with the Duke of York;

he used other rude and disgraceful language:

in order to pay him back for his rudeness,

and to defend the reputation of my lord,

I begged to be allowed a duel.

VERNON.

And that is my petition, noble lord:

For though he seem with forged quaint conceit

To set a gloss upon his bold intent,

Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him;

And he first took exceptions at this badge,

Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower

Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.

That is what I ask also, noble lord:

for although he has made up a nice story

to cover up his transgression,

you should know, my lord, that I was provoked by him;

he was the first one to mock my badge,

saying that the paleness of this flower

represented the faintness of my master's heart.

YORK.

Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?

Can't you drop this argument, Somerset?

SOMERSET.

Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,

Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it.

Your secret grudge, my Lord of York, always appears,

however cunningly you try to hide it.

KING.

Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men,

When for so slight and frivolous a cause

Such factious emulations shall arise!

Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,

Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.

Good Lord, what madness is ruling you foolish men,

when for such a small and trivial reason

you start such great arguments!

My good cousins, York and Somerset,

calm down, please, and be at peace.

YORK.

Let this dissension first be tried by fight,

And then your highness shall command a peace.

Let this argument be tested in combat first,

and then your Highness can order peace.

SOMERSET.

The quarrel toucheth none but us alone;

Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

This quarrel affects nobody but ourselves;

let us decide it between us.

YORK.

There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset.

There is my challenge; accept it, Somerset.

VERNON.

Nay, let it rest where it began at first.

No, let it stay where it first began.

BASSET.

Confirm it so, mine honorable lord.

Say you will, my honourable lord.

GLOUCESTER.

Confirm it so! Confounded be your strife!

And perish ye, with your audacious prate!

Presumptuous vassals, are you not ashamed

With this immodest clamorous outrage

To trouble and disturb the king and us?

And you, my lords, methinks you do not well

To bear with their perverse objections;

Much less to take occasion from their mouths

To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves:

Let me persuade you take a better course.

Say I will! Be damned to your arguments!

May you die, with your arrogant chatter!

You presumptuous servants, aren't you ashamed

to trouble and disturb the King and us

with these rude noisy outbursts?

And you, my lords, I don't think it's right

for you to support their stupid quarrel;

even less so to use their argument

to start a fight between yourselves:

let me persuade you of a better way of doing things.

EXETER.

It grieves his highness:  good my lords, be friends.

You're upsetting his Highness: my good lords, be friends.

KING.

Come hither, you that would be combatants:

Henceforth I charge you, as you love our favor,

Quite to forget this quarrel and the cause.

And you, my lords, remember where we are:

In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation;

If they perceive dissension in our looks

And that within ourselves we disagree,

How will their grudging stomachs be provoked

To willful disobedience, and rebel!

Beside, what infamy will there arise

When foreign princes shall be certified

That for a toy, a thing of no regard,

King Henry's peers and chief nobility

Destroy'd themselves and lost the realm of France

O, think upon the conquest of my father,

My tender years; and let us not forgo

That for a trifle that was bought with blood!

Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife.

I see no reason, if I wear this rose,

[Putting on a red rose.]

That any one should therefore be suspicious

I more incline to Somerset than York:

Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both:

As well they may upbraid me with my crown,

Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown'd.

But your discretions better can persuade

Than I am able to instruct or teach;

And, therefore, as we hither came in peace,

So let us still continue peace and love.

Cousin of York, we institute your grace

To be our Regent in these parts of France:

And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite

Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot;

And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,

Go cheerfully together and digest

Your angry choler on your enemies.

Ourself, my lord protector and the rest

After some respite will return to Calais;

From thence to England; where I hope ere long

To be presented, by your victories,

With Charles, Alencon, and that traitorous rout.

Come here, you who want to fight.

 From now on I order you, if you want to serve me,

to completely forget this quarrel and the reasons for it.

And you, my lord; remember where we are–

in France, which is a fickle and changeable country.

If they see that we are arguing,

and that we have disagreements amongst ourselves,

how much that will provoke their disgruntled spirits

to be wilfully disobedient and rebel!

Besides, what a bad reputation we will get,

when foreign princes are notified that

for a trifle, something of no importance,

King Henry's peers and his greatest noblemen

destroyed themselves and lost France!

Think of the victory of my father,

my youth, and do not let us lose something

that we paid for with blood over a trifle.

[Takes the red rose from Basset]

I see no reason, if I wear this rose,

for anybody to think

that I am more favourable to Somerset than York:

they are both kinsmen of mine, and I love them both.

Someone might as well criticise my having a crown

because the king of Scotland has one also.

But you can see the difference better

than I can teach it to you:

and so, as we came here in peace,

let us continue with peace and love.

My cousin York, I choose your Grace

to be my regent in these parts of France:

and you, my good lord of Somerset, I want you

to join your cavalry with his infantry,

and like true subjects, sons of your ancestors,

go out together happily and take out

your anger on your enemies.

I, my lord protector and the rest,

will after a little rest return to Calais,

and from there go to England–where I hope to see

before long, due to your victories,

Charles, Alencon and all that traitorous rabble.

[Flourish. Exeunt all but York, Warwick, Exeter and  Vernon.]

WARWICK.

My Lord of York, I promise you, the king

Prettily, methought, did play the orator.

My Lord of York, I tell you truly, I thought

the King spoke very well there.

YORK.

And so he did; but yet I like it not,

In that he wears the badge of Somerset.

He certainly did; but I don't like the fact

that he is wearing the badge of Somerset.

WARWICK.

Tush, that was but his fancy, blame him not;

I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm.

Come now, that was just an example, don't blame him;

I daresay the sweet prince meant no harm.

YORK.

An if I wist he did,--but let it rest;

Other affairs must now be managed.

If I thought he did–but let it go;

there is other business on hand now.

[Exeunt all but Exeter.]

EXETER.

Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice;

For, had the passions of thy heart burst out,

I fear we should have seen decipher'd there

More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,

Than yet can be imagined or supposed.

But howsoe'er, no simple man that sees

This jarring discord of nobility,

This shouldering of each other in the court,

This factious bandying of their favorites,

But that it doth presage some ill event.

Tis much when scepters are in children's hands;

But more when envy breeds unkind division;

There comes the ruin, there begins confusion.

You did well, Richard, not to speak out;

for if you had let what was in your heart escape,

I feel we should have seen revealed there

more angry spite, more furious arguments,

than anyone can presently imagine.

However that may be, no straightforward man who sees

these noblemen clashing with each other,

shouldering each other aside in the court,

these rows between their favourites,

could doubt that it foretells some unpleasant events.

It's dangerous when children have control of the sceptre;

more so when jealousy breeds aggressive divisions;

then ruin and chaos are not far away.

[Exit.]