The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (22 page)

This is the prison. Who is this lying here?

PEMBROKE.

O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty!

The earth had not a hole to hide this deed.

Oh death, made so proud by destroying this pure princely beauty!

There is no grave to hide this action.

SALISBURY.

Murder, as hating what himself hath done,

Doth lay it open to urge on revenge.

It's as if murder hates what he himself has done,

and leaves it out in the open to encourage revenge.

BIGOT.

Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave,

Found it too precious-princely for a grave.

Or, when he sentenced this beauty to a grave,

decided that it was too precious for the grave.

SALISBURY.

Sir Richard, what think you? Have you beheld,

Or have you read or heard, or could you think?

Or do you almost think, although you see,

That you do see? Could thought, without this object,

Form such another? This is the very top,

The height, the crest, or crest unto the crest,

Of murder's arms; this is the bloodiest shame,

The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke,

That ever wall-ey'd wrath or staring rage

Presented to the tears of soft remorse.

Sir Richard, what do you think? Have you seen,

or have you read or heard, or could you think?

Or do you almost think, even though you see,

that you see? Could you possibly have these thoughts

without this evidence? This is the very top,

the very highest point of

murder; this is the bloodiest shame,

the wildest savagery, the most evil stroke,

that blind anger or staring rage

ever did to cause tears of soft regret.

PEMBROKE.

All murders past do stand excus'd in this;

And this, so sole and so unmatchable,

Shall give a holiness, a purity,

To the yet unbegotten sin of times,

And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest,

Exampled by this heinous spectacle.

This murder will excuse all the ones in the past;

this one, so unique and inimitable,

will make sins yet to be committed

seem holy and pure,

and make deadly bloodshed just a joke,

when compared to this horrible sight.

BASTARD.

It is a damned and a bloody work;

The graceless action of a heavy hand,

If that it be the work of any hand.

It is a damnable and bloody deed;

the graceless action of a vicious man,

if it is in fact the work of a man.

SALISBURY.

If that it be the work of any hand!

We had a kind of light what would ensue.

It is the shameful work of Hubert's hand;

The practice and the purpose of the King;

From whose obedience I forbid my soul

Kneeling before this ruin of sweet life,

And breathing to his breathless excellence

The incense of a vow, a holy vow,

Never to taste the pleasures of the world,

Never to be infected with delight,

Nor conversant with ease and idleness,

Till I have set a glory to this hand

By giving it the worship of revenge.

If it was the work of a man!

We had a hint as to what would happen.

This is the shameful work of Hubert;

the orders come from the King;

I forbid my soul to obey him,

kneeling before this ruin of sweet life,

and in front of his dead excellence

I take a holy vow

that I will never indulge myself in any pleasure,

never enjoy anything,

never know rest or leisure,

until I have given this hand back its glory

by worshipping it with revenge.

PEMBROKE. and BIGOT.

Our souls religiously confirm thy words.

We religiously swear the same.

Enter HUBERT

HUBERT.

Lords, I am hot with haste in seeking you.

Arthur doth live; the King hath sent for you.

Lords, I have rushed as fast as I can to find you.

Arthur is alive; the King has sentfor you.

SALISBURY.

O, he is bold, and blushes not at death!

Avaunt, thou hateful villain, get thee gone!

Oh, he is bold, he doesn't blush at death!

Get out of here, you horrible villain, begone!

HUBERT.

I am no villain.

I am no villain.

SALISBURY.

Must I rob the law?[Drawing his

sword]

Must I steal the executioner's job?

BASTARD.

Your sword is bright, sir; put it up again.

Your sword is bright, sir; put it away.

SALISBURY.

Not till I sheathe it in a murderer's skin.

Not until I put it inside a murderer.

HUBERT.

Stand back, Lord Salisbury, stand back, I say;

By heaven, I think my sword's as sharp as yours.

I would not have you, lord, forget yourself,

Nor tempt the danger of my true defence;

Lest I, by marking of your rage, forget

Your worth, your greatness and nobility.

Stand back, Lord Salisbury, stand back, I say;

by heaven, I think my sword is a sharp as yours.

I don't want you, Lord, to forget yourself,

and to risk taking on my strong skills;

in case I, seeing your rage, forget

your worthiness, your greatness and your nobility.

BIGOT.

Out, dunghill! Dar'st thou brave a nobleman?

Damn you, dunghill! Do you dare to challenge a nobleman?

HUBERT.

Not for my life; but yet I dare defend

My innocent life against an emperor.

Not on my life; but I still would dare to defend

my innocent life against an emperor.

SALISBURY.

Thou art a murderer.

You are a murderer.

HUBERT.

Do not prove me so.

Yet I am none. Whose tongue soe'er speaks false,

Not truly speaks; who speaks not truly, lies.

Do not make me be one.

But I am not one. Whoever says that speaks falsely,

not truthfully; someone who does not speak truthfully is lying.

PEMBROKE.

Cut him to pieces.

Cut him to pieces.

BASTARD.

Keep the peace, I say.

Keep the peace, I say.

SALISBURY.

Stand by, or I shall gall you, Faulconbridge.

Stand aside, or I will hurt you, Faulconbridge.

BASTARD.

Thou wert better gall the devil, Salisbury.

If thou but frown on me, or stir thy foot,

Or teach thy hasty spleen to do me shame,

I'll strike thee dead. Put up thy sword betime;

Or I'll so maul you and your toasting-iron

That you shall think the devil is come from hell.

You would be better off hurting the devil, Salisbury.

If you just frown on me, or move towards me,

or try to shame me in your rash anger,

I'll strike you dead. Put away your sword at once;

or I will give you and your toasting iron such a thrashing

that you'll think the devil has come from hell.

BIGOT.

What wilt thou do, renowned Faulconbridge?

Second a villain and a murderer?

What are you going to do, renowned Faulconbridge?

Support a villain and a murderer?

HUBERT.

Lord Bigot, I am none.

Lord Bigot, I am not one.

BIGOT.

Who kill'd this prince?

Who killed this prince?

HUBERT.

'Tis not an hour since I left him well.

I honour'd him, I lov'd him, and will weep

My date of life out for his sweet life's loss.

I left him in good health not an hour ago.

I respected him, I loved him, and will weep

for the rest of my days over the loss of his sweet life.

SALISBURY.

Trust not those cunning waters of his eyes,

For villainy is not without such rheum;

And he, long traded in it, makes it seem

Like rivers of remorse and innocency.

Away with me, all you whose souls abhor

Th' uncleanly savours of a slaughter-house;

For I am stifled with this smell of sin.

Don't trust those cunning tears of his,

for villainy can always summon them up;

and he, who has had lots of practice, makes it look

as if they are rivers of remorse and innocence.

Come away with me, all of you whose souls despise

the unclean reek of the slaughterhouse;

I am choking on this smell of sin.

BIGOT.

Away toward Bury, to the Dauphin there!

Let's go to Bury, to the Dauphin!

PEMBROKE.

There tell the King he may inquire us out.

Tell the King he can find us there.

Exeunt LORDS

BASTARD.

Here's a good world! Knew you of this fair work?

Beyond the infinite and boundless reach

Of mercy, if thou didst this deed of death,

Art thou damn'd, Hubert.

Here's a fine thing! Did you know about this job?

If you did this murder, Hubert, you are dammed

beyond the infinite reach of mercy.

HUBERT.

Do but hear me, sir.

Just listen to me, sir.

BASTARD.

Ha! I'll tell thee what:

Thou'rt damn'd as black-nay, nothing is so black-

Thou art more deep damn'd than Prince Lucifer;

There is not yet so ugly a fiend of hell

As thou shalt be, if thou didst kill this child.

Ha! I'll tell you what:

you are damned as black–no, there is nothing as black–

you are more deeply damned than Prince Lucifer;

there isn't a devil in hell as ugly as you

will be, if you killed this child.

HUBERT.

Upon my soul-

I swear on my soul–

BASTARD.

If thou didst but consent

To this most cruel act, do but despair;

And if thou want'st a cord, the smallest thread

That ever spider twisted from her womb

Will serve to strangle thee; a rush will be a beam

To hang thee on; or wouldst thou drown thyself,

Put but a little water in a spoon

And it shall be as all the ocean,