The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (256 page)

You rebellious Duke of York, get off my throne,

and beg for grace and mercy at my feet;

I am your ruler.

YORK.

I am thine.

I am yours.

EXETER.

For shame, come down; he made thee Duke of York.

Get down, for shame; he created you Duke of York.

YORK.

'T was my inheritance, as thy earldom was.

That was my inheritance, like your earldom.

EXETER.

Thy father was a traitor to the crown.

Your father was a traitor to the crown.

WARWICK.

Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown

In following this usurping Henry.

Exeter, you are a traitor to the crown

by following this false king Henry.

CLIFFORD.

Whom should he follow, but his natural king?

Whom should he follow apart from his true king?

WARWICK.

True, Clifford; and that 's Richard, Duke of York.

Quite right, Clifford; and the true king is Richard, Duke of York.

KING HENRY.

And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?

And I have to stand, while you sit in my throne?

YORK.

It must and shall be so.

Content thyself.

This is how it must be, how it will be.

You must get used to it.

WARWICK.

Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be king.

You be Duke of Lancaster; let him be King.

WESTMORELAND.

He is both king and Duke of Lancaster;

And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

He is both King and Duke of Lancaster;

the Lord of Westmorland will support this.

WARWICK.

And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget

That we are those which chas'd you from the field,

And slew your fathers, and with colours spread

March'd through the city to the palace gates.

And Warwick shall prove it wrong. You've forgotten

that we are the ones who chased you off the battlefield,

and killed your fathers, and with our flags flying

marched through the city up to the gates of the palace.

NORTHUMBERLAND.

Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;

And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.

 Yes, Warwick, I remember it with sorrow;

and on the soul of my father, you and your family will live to regret it.

WESTMORELAND.

Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy sons,

Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives

Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.

Plantagenet, I shall take more lives from you, and

your sons here, your kinsmen and your friends,

than there were drops of blood in my father's veins.

CLIFFORD.

Urge it no more; lest that instead of words

I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger

As shall revenge his death before I stir.

Don't keep speaking of it, in case instead of words

I will send a messenger to you, Warwick,

he will take revenge for his death before I've even moved.

WARWICK.

Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!

Poor Clifford! How little respect I have for his worthless threats!

YORK.

Will you we show our title to the crown?

If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.

Shall we show you why we have a right to the crown?

If not, we shall show you on the battlefield with our swords.

KING HENRY.

What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;

Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.

I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,

And seiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

What right have you got, traitor, to the crown?

Your father was Duke of York, as you are;

your grandfather was Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.

I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

who made the Dauphin and the French bow down,

and seized their towns and provinces.

WARWICK.

Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all.

Is no good talking about France, seeing as you have lost it all.

KING HENRY.

The lord protector lost it, and not I;

When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.

The lord protector lost it, not me;

when I was crowned I was only nine months old.

RICHARD.

You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you lose.--

Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head.

You're now quite old enough, and yet I think you'll still lose.

Father, tear the crown of the head of this false king.

EDWARD.

Sweet father, do so; set it on your head.

Do it, sweet father; put it on your head.

MONTAGUE.

Good brother, as thou lov'st and honourest arms,

Let's fight it out and not stand cavilling thus.

Good brother, you love military things,

let's fight it out instead of standing here bickering.

RICHARD.

Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.

Sound  the drums and trumpets, and King will run away.

YORK.

Sons, peace!

Peace, my sons!

KING HENRY.

Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to speak.

You be quiet, and give King Henry permission to speak.

WARWICK.

Plantagenet shall speak first; hear him, lords,

And be you silent and attentive too,

For he that interrupts him shall not live.

Plantagenet will speak first; listen to him, lords,

and be silent and pay attention,

for anyone who interrupts him will not live.

KING HENRY.

Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?

No! first shall war unpeople this my realm;

Ay, and their colours--often borne in France,

And now in England, to our heart's great sorrow--

Shall be my winding sheet.--Why faint you, lords?

My title's good, and better far than his.

Do you think that I will leave my royal throne,

on which my grandfather and my father sat?

No! War would have to kill all the people in my kingdom first;

yes, and their banners–often carried in France,

and now in England, which wounds me to my heart–

will be my shroud.–Why do you hold back, Lords?

I have far more right to the throne than him.

WARWICK.

Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

Prove it, Henry, and you shall be king.

KING HENRY.

Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.

Henry the Fourth got the crown through conquest.

YORK.

'T was by rebellion against his king.

He got it by rebelling against his king.

KING HENRY.

[Aside.] I know not what to say; my title's weak.--

Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

I don't know what to say, I'm on shaky ground–

tell me, may a king not adopt an heir?

YORK.

What then?

Well?

KING HENRY.

An if he may, then am I lawful king;

For Richard, in the view of many lords,

Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth,

Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

If he can, then I am legally king;

for Richard, in the sight of many lords,

gave over the crown to Henry the Fourth,

and my father inherited it from him, and I from my father.

YORK.

He rose against him, being his sovereign,

And made him to resign his crown perforce.

He rebelled against him, against his own king,

and forced him to resign his crown.

WARWICK.

Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,

Think you 't were prejudicial to his crown?

What if, my lords, he did it without being forced,

do you think that would make difference?

EXETER.

No; for he could not so resign his crown

But that the next heir should succeed and reign.

No; the only way he could resign his crown

would be by handing it on to the next in line.

KING HENRY.

Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?

Are you against me, Duke of Exeter?

EXETER.

His is the right, and therefore pardon me.

You must excuse me, but he has right on his side.

YORK.

Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?

Why are you whispering, my lords, and not answering?

EXETER.

My conscience tells me he is lawful king.

I know in my heart that he is the lawful king.

KING HENRY.

[Aside.] All will revolt from me and turn to him.

They will all rebel against me and turn to him.

NORTHUMBERLAND.

Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st,

Think not that Henry shall be so depos'd.

Plantagenet, you can lay as many claims as you like,

don't think the Henry will be overthrown by them.

WARWICK.

Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all.

Whatever you say, he will be overthrown.

NORTHUMBERLAND.

Thou art deceiv'd; 't is not thy southern power,

Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,

Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,

Can set the duke up in despite of me.

You are fooling yourself; your southern powers,

Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent,

which make you so arrogant and confident,

won't be enough to install the Duke against my wishes.

CLIFFORD.

King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,

Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence.

May that ground gape and swallow me alive,

Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father!

King Henry, whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue,

Lord Clifford swears that he will fight in your defence.

May the ground open up and swallow me alive,

if I kneel to the one who killed my father!

KING HENRY.