The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (230 page)

Well, sir, we must find your legs for you.

Mr Constable, whip him until he jumps over that stool.

BEADLE.

I will, my lord.--Come on, sirrah; off with your doublet

quickly.

I will, my lord.–come on, sir; off with your shirt

at once.

SIMPCOX.

Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to stand.

Alas, master, what shall I do? I cannot stand.

[After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps over

the stool and runs away; and they follow and cry,

'A miracle!']

KING.

O God, seest Thou this, and bearest so long?

Oh God, can you see this, and endure it?

QUEEN.

It made me laugh to see the villain run.

It made me laugh to see the scoundrel run.

GLOSTER.

Follow the knave, and take this drab away.

Follow the rascal, and take this slut away.

WIFE.

Alas, sir, we did it for pure need!

Alas, so, we did it out of pure need!

GLOSTER.

Let them be whipped through every market-town

till they come to Berwick, from whence they came.

Whip them through every market town from

here to Berwick, where they came from.

[Exeunt Wife, Beadle, Mayor, etc.]

CARDINAL.

Duke Humphrey has done a miracle to-day.

Duke Humphrey has performed a miracle today.

SUFFOLK.

True; made the lame to leap and fly away.

It's true, he's made the lame jump up and run away.

GLOSTER.

But you have done more miracles than I;

You made in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly.

But you have done more miracles than me;

you made whole towns disappear, my lord, in a day.

[Enter BUCKINGHAM.]

KING.

What tidings with our cousin Buckingham?

What news does our cousin Buckingham have?

BUCKINGHAM.

Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold.

A sort of naughty persons, lewdly bent,

Under the countenance and confederacy

Of Lady Eleanor, the protector's wife,

The ringleader and head of all this rout,

Have practis'd dangerously against your state,

Dealing with witches and with conjurers,

Whom we have apprehended in the fact,

Raising up wicked spirits from underground,

Demanding of King Henry's life and death,

And other of your highness' privy-council,

As more at large your Grace shall understand.

News which my heart trembles to reveal.

A group of wicked people, with bad intentions,

with the protection and agreement

of Lady Eleanor, the wife of the protector,

the ringleader and instigator of all this business,

has been indulging in dangerous practices against your country,

working with witches and magicians,

whom we caught in the act,

summoning wicked spirits from hell,

asking about the life and death of King Henry,

and other members of your Highness' privy council,

as your Grace shall find out in more detail soon.

CARDINAL.

[Aside to Gloster.] And so, my lord protector,

by this means

Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.

This news, I think, hath turn'd your weapon's edge;

'T is like, my lord, you will not keep your hour.

And so, my lord protector, I think this means

that your lady will be appearing in London.

This news, I think, will stop you from fighting;

I don't think, my lord, that you will keep your appointment.

GLOSTER.

Ambitious churchman, leave to afflict my heart.

Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers;

And, vanquish'd as I am, I yield to thee,

Or to the meanest groom.

Ambitious churchman, let me nurse my heart.

Sorrow and grief have taken away all my strength;

defeated as I am, I surrender to you,

or to the lowest groom.

KING.

O God, what mischiefs work the wicked ones,

Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby!

Oh God, what evils wicked people do,

bringing disaster down on their own heads by doing it!

QUEEN.

Gloster, see here the tainture of thy nest;

And look thyself be faultless, thou wert best.

Gloucester, you see how your house has been tainted;

I hope for your sake you can prove your innocence.

GLOSTER.

Madam, for myself, to heaven I do appeal,

How I have lov'd my king and commonweal;

And, for my wife, I know not how it stands.

Sorry I am to hear what I have heard;

Noble she is; but if she have forgot

Honour and virtue, and convers'd with such

As like to pitch defile nobility,

I banish her my bed and company,

And give her as a prey to law and shame,

That hath dishonoured Gloster's honest name.

Madam, for myself, I swear before heaven,

I have always loved my King and country;

as for my wife, I don't know what's happened.

I am sorry to hear what I have heard;

she is noble; but if she has forgotten

honour and goodness, and associated with those

likely to stain nobility like tar,

I dismiss her from my bed and my presence,

and hand her over to her shame and to the law,

one who has dishonoured the good name of Gloucester.

KING.

Well, for this night we will repose us here;

To-morrow toward London back again,

To look into this business thoroughly,

And call these foul offenders to their answers,

And poise the cause in justice' equal scales,

Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause prevails.

Well, for tonight we will rest here;

tomorrow we will go back to London,

to investigate this business thoroughly,

and make these evil criminals answer for their crimes,

and weigh the case on the equal scales of justice,

whose balance is always right, always fair.

[Flourish. Exeunt.]

[Enter YORK, SALISBURY, and WARWICK.]

YORK.

Now, my good Lords of Salisbury and Warwick,

Our simple supper ended, give me leave

In this close walk to satisfy myself,

In craving your opinion of my title,

Which is infallible, to England's crown.

Now, my good lords of Salisbury and Warwick,

that we have finished our simple supper, allow me

in this private walk to satisfy my curiosity

as to what you think of my claim,

which cannot be denied, to the crown of England.

SALISBURY.

My lord, I long to hear it at full.

My Lord, I long to hear it fully explained.

WARWICK.

Sweet York, begin; and if thy claim be good,

The Nevils are thy subjects to command.

Sweet York, begin; if your claim is true,

then the Nevils will be at your command.

YORK.

Then thus:

Edward the Third, my lords, had seven sons:

The first, Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales;

The second, William of Hatfield; and the third,

Lionel Duke of Clarence; next to whom

Was John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster;

The fifth was Edmund Langley, Duke of York;

The sixth was Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloster;

William of Windsor was the seventh and last.

Edward the Black Prince died before his father

And left behind him Richard, his only son,

Who after Edward the Third's death reign'd as king;

Till Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster,

The eldest son and heir of John of Gaunt,

Crown'd by the name of Henry the Fourth,

Seiz'd on the realm, depos'd the rightful king,

Sent his poor queen to France, from whence she came,

And him to Pomfret, where, as all you know,

Harmless Richard was murther'd traitorously.

So this is it:

Edward the Third, my lords, had seven sons:

the first was Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales;

the second, William of Hatfield; and the third,

Lionel Duke of Clarence; after him

came John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster;

the fifth was Edmund Langley, Duke of York;

the sixth was Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester;

William of Windsor was the seventh and last.

Edward the Black Prince died before his father,

and left behind him Richard, his only son,

who reigned as King after the death of Edward the Third;

until Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster,

the eldest son and heir of John of Gaunt,

crowned under the name of Henry the Fourth,

seized the country, overthrew the rightful king,

sent his poor queen back to her home country of France,

and sent him to Pomfret, where, as you all know,

harmless Richard was treacherously murdered.

WARWICK.

Father, the duke hath told the truth;

Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown.

Father, the Duke is telling the truth;

this is how the house of Lancaster got the crown.

YORK.

Which now they hold by force and not by right;

For Richard, the first son's heir, being dead,

The issue of the next son should have reign'd.

Which they now hold by force and not by right;

for when Richard, the heir of the first son died,

the children of the next son should have ruled.

SALISBURY.

But William of Hatfield died without an heir.

But William of Hatfield died childless.

YORK.

The third son, Duke of Clarence, from whose line