The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (234 page)

[Sound a sennet. Enter the KING, the QUEEN, CARDINAL

BEAUFORT, SUFFOLK, YORK, BUCKINGHAM, SALISBURY,

and WARWICK to the Parliament.]

KING.

I muse my Lord of Gloster is not come;

'Tis not his wont to be the hindmost man,

Whate'er occasion keeps him from us now.

I'm wondering why my Lord Gloucester has not come;

it's not like him to be the last,

I wonder what's keeping him away.

QUEEN.

Can you not see? or will ye not observe

The strangeness of his alter'd countenance?

With what a majesty he bears himself,

How insolent of late he is become,

How proud, how peremptory, and unlike himself?

We know the time since he was mild and affable,

And if we did but glance a far-off look,

Immediately he was upon his knee,

That all the court admir'd him for submission;

But meet him now, and be it in the morn

When every one will give the time of day,

He knits his brow, and shows an angry eye,

And passeth by with stiff unbowed knee,

Disdaining duty that to us belongs.

Small curs are not regarded when they grin,

But great men tremble when the lion roars;

And Humphrey is no little man in England.

First note that he is near you in descent,

And should you fall, he is the next will mount.

Me seemeth then it is no policy,

Respecting what a rancorous mind he bears

And his advantage following your decease,

That he should come about your royal person

Or be admitted to your highness' council.

By flattery hath he won the commons' hearts,

And when he please to make commotion

'T is to be fear'd they all will follow him.

Now 't is the spring and weeds are shallow-rooted;

Suffer them now, and they'll o'ergrow the garden

And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.

The reverent care I bear unto my lord

Made me collect these dangers in the duke.

If it be fond, can it a woman's fear;

Which fear if better reasons can supplant,

I will subscribe and say I wrong'd the duke.--

My Lord of Suffolk, Buckingham, and York,

Reprove my allegation if you can,

Or else conclude my words effectual.

Can't you see? Can you not observe

the strange way he looks now?

With what royal airs he carries himself,

how insolent who has recently become,

how arrogant, how bullying, and unlike himself?

We can remember when he was mild and agreeable,

and if we just glanced at him from distance,

he was immediately on his knees,

so that all the court admired him for his humility;

but if you meet him now, and it's the morning

when everyone will say hello to each other,

he frowns, and glares angrily,

and passes by without bending his knee at all,

refusing to pay his proper respects to us.

Nobody takes notice of little mongrels when they snarl,

but great men tremble when the lion roars;

and Humphrey is not the lowest man in England.

Firstly remember that he is closely related to you,

and if you fall, he is next in line.

So to me it seems foolish,

thinking what a grudge he bears against you,

and how well he would do if you died,

that he should be around your royal person

or be allowed into your Highness' council.

He has won the hearts of the common people through flattery,

and if he decides to start a disturbance

we must worry that they will follow him.

It's spring now and the weeds only have shallow roots;

if you put up with them now, they'll grow over the whole garden

and kill all the herbs for lack of care.

The worshipful care I have for my lord

makes me remember these dangers the Duke poses.

If this is foolishness, call it a woman's fear;

if evidence can show those fears groundless,

I shall back down and admit that I wrong the Duke.

My Lord Suffolk, Buckingham, and York,

disprove my allegation if you can,

or otherwise agree that I'm right.

SUFFOLK.

Well hath your highness seen into this duke;

And, had I first been put to speak my mind,

I think I should have told your grace's tale.

The duchess by his subornation,

Upon my life, began her devilish practices;

Or, if he were not privy to those faults,

Yet, by reputing of his high descent,

As next the king he was successive heir,

And such high vaunts of his nobility,

Did instigate the bedlam brain-sick duchess

By wicked means to frame our sovereign's fall.

Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep,

And in his simple show he harbours treason.

The fox barks not when he would steal the lamb.--

No, no, my sovereign; Gloster is a man

Unsounded yet and full of deep deceit.

Your Highness has seen the danger of this duke well;

and, if I'd been the first one to speak my mind,

I would have said the same as you.

I swear that it was with his encouragement that

the Duchess began her satanic practices;

or, if he did not know about it,

still, it was the thought of his great ancestry,

as being the next in line to the throne,

and having such a great opinion of his nobility,

which made the mad Duchess

plot to bring down our King by wicked means.

Still waters run deep,

and his show of simplicity hides his treachery.

The fox doesn't reveal himself when he's sneaking up on the lamb.

No, no, my sovereign; Gloucester is a man

we haven't got to the bottom of, he's full of treachery.

CARDINAL.

Did he not, contrary to form of law,

Devise strange deaths for small offences done?

Didn't he, against the rule of law,

order unusual executions for small offences?

YORK.

And did he not, in his protectorship,

Levy great sums of money through the realm

For soldiers' pay in France, and never sent it?

By means whereof the towns each day revolted.

And didn't he, when he was Regent,

raise great sums of money from the kingdom

to pay the soldiers in France, but never sent it?

That was the reason the towns were in daily rebellion.

BUCKINGHAM.

Tut, these are petty faults to faults unknown,

Which time will bring to light in smooth Duke Humphrey.

Tut, these are just petty faults compared to the ones we don't know about,

which time will show us in smooth Duke Humphrey.

KING.

My lords, at once: the care you have of us,

To mow down thorns that would annoy our foot,

Is worthy praise; but, shall I speak my conscience,

Our kinsman Gloster is as innocent

From meaning treason to our royal person

As is the sucking lamb or harmless dove.

The duke is virtuous, mild, and too well given

To dream on evil or to work my downfall.

My lords, calm down: your concern for me,

wanting to protect me from any harm,

deserves praise; but, speaking from the heart,

my relative Gloucester is as innocent

of intending treason against me

as the nursing lamb or harmless dove.

The Duke is good, gentle and has far too good a character

to think evil thoughts or to plot my downfall.

QUEEN.

Ah, what's more dangerous than this fond affiance!

Seems he a dove? his feathers are but borrow'd,

For he's disposed as the hateful raven;

Is he a lamb? his skin is surely lent him,

For he's inclin'd as is the ravenous wolf.

Who cannot steal a shape that means deceit?

Take heed, my lord; the welfare of us all

Hangs on the cutting short that fraudful man.

Ah, what's more dangerous than this foolish perfection!

Does he look like a dove? His feathers are borrowed disguise,

for his attitude is that of the hateful raven;

is he a lamb? He surely borrowed his skin from somewhere else,

for his inclinations are that of the starving wolf.

Who is there who wants to be deceitful who cannot disguise himself?

Be careful, my lord; that fraudulent man needs to be

disposed of before he harms us all.

[Enter SOMERSET.]

SOMERSET.

All health unto my gracious sovereign!

All health to my gracious king!

KING.

Welcome, Lord Somerset. What news from France?

Welcome, Lord Somerset. What's the news from France?

SOMERSET.

That all your interest in those territories

Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.

That all your holdings in that land

have been totally removed; you've lost everything.

KING.

Cold news, Lord Somerset; but God's will be done!

Bad news, Lord Somerset; but God's will be done!

YORK.

[Aside.] Cold news for me, for I had hope of France

As firmly as I hope for fertile England.

Thus are my blossoms blasted in the bud,

And caterpillars eat my leaves away;

But I will remedy this gear ere long

Or sell my title for a glorious grave.

Bad news for me, for I hoped to get France

just as much as I hope to get England.

So all my flowers wither in the bud,

and caterpillars eat away at my leaves;

but I will change this situation before long

or exchange my title for a glorious grave.

[Enter GLOSTER.]

GLOSTER.

All happiness unto my lord the king!

Pardon, my liege, that I have staid so long.

All happiness to my Lord King!

Excuse me, my Lord, for keeping you waiting so long.

SUFFOLK.

Nay, Gloster, know that thou art come too soon,

Unless thou wert more loyal than thou art.

I do arrest thee of high treason here.

No, Gloucester, you should know that you've come too soon,

unless you  were more loyal than you are.

I now arrest you for high treason.

GLOSTER.

Well, Suffolk, thou shalt not see me blush,

Nor change my countenance for this arrest;

A heart unspotted is not easily daunted.

The purest spring is not so free from mud

As I am clear from treason to my sovereign.

Who can accuse me? wherein am I guilty?

Well, Suffolk, you won't see me blush,

not shall my expression change at this arrest;

you can't intimidate an innocent heart.

The clearest stream is not as free of mud