The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (26 page)

England. The field of battle

Alarums. Enter KING JOHN and HUBERT

KING JOHN.

How goes the day with us? O, tell me, Hubert.

How is the battle going with us? Oh, tell me, Hubert.

HUBERT.

Badly, I fear. How fares your Majesty?

Badly, I'm afraid. How is your Majesty doing?

KING JOHN.

This fever that hath troubled me so long

Lies heavy on me. O, my heart is sick!

This fever that has bothered me for so long

it is very strong. Oh, I am sick to my heart!

Enter a MESSENGER

MESSENGER.

My lord, your valiant kinsman, Faulconbridge,

Desires your Majesty to leave the field

And send him word by me which way you go.

My lord, your brave kinsman, Faulconbridge,

request that your Majesty leaves the battlefield

and send him a message via me as to where you go.

KING JOHN.

Tell him, toward Swinstead, to the abbey there.

Tell him I'll go towards Swinstead, to the abbey there.

MESSENGER.

Be of good comfort; for the great supply

That was expected by the Dauphin here

Are wreck'd three nights ago on Goodwin Sands;

This news was brought to Richard but even now.

The French fight coldly, and retire themselves.

Be consoled; for the great force

that the Dauphin was expecting here

was wrecked three nights ago on Goodwin Sands;

Richard has just received the news.

The French are fighting defensively, and retreating.

KING JOHN.

Ay me, this tyrant fever burns me up

And will not let me welcome this good news.

Set on toward Swinstead; to my litter straight;

Weakness possesseth me, and I am faint.

Alas, this overbearing fever burns me up

and won't let me celebrate this good news.

Go towards Swinstead; put me on my litter;

weakness overcomes me, and I am faint.

Exeunt

England. Another part of the battlefield

Enter SALISBURY, PEMBROKE, and BIGOT

SALISBURY.

I did not think the King so stor'd with friends.

I didn't think that the King had such support.

PEMBROKE.

Up once again; put spirit in the French;

If they miscarry, we miscarry too.

Back into battle; put courage into the French;

if they fail, we fail too.

SALISBURY.

That misbegotten devil, Faulconbridge,

In spite of spite, alone upholds the day.

That devilish bastard Faulconbridge,

against all the odds, is keeping his side afloat.

PEMBROKE.

They say King John, sore sick, hath left the field.

They say that King John has left the battlefield, very sick.

Enter MELUN, wounded

MELUN.

Lead me to the revolts of England here.

Take me to the English rebels.

SALISBURY.

When we were happy we had other names.

When things were going well we were called differently.

PEMBROKE.

It is the Count Melun.

It is the Count Melun.

SALISBURY.

Wounded to death.

Fatally wounded.

MELUN.

Fly, noble English, you are bought and sold;

Unthread the rude eye of rebellion,

And welcome home again discarded faith.

Seek out King John, and fall before his feet;

For if the French be lords of this loud day,

He means to recompense the pains you take

By cutting off your heads. Thus hath he sworn,

And I with him, and many moe with me,

Upon the altar at Saint Edmundsbury;

Even on that altar where we swore to you

Dear amity and everlasting love.

Flee, noble Englishmen, you have been sold out;

unpick your rude rebellion,

and resume the loyalty you had before.

Look for King John and fall at his feet;

for if the French win this great battle,

we intend to pay you back for your efforts

by cutting off your heads. This is what the King of France

has sworn, along with me and many others,

on the altar at St Edmundsbury;

on the same altar where we swore to you

dear friendship and everlasting love.

SALISBURY.

May this be possible? May this be true?

Can this be possible? Can it be true?

MELUN.

Have I not hideous death within my view,

Retaining but a quantity of life,

Which bleeds away even as a form of wax

Resolveth from his figure 'gainst the fire?

What in the world should make me now deceive,

Since I must lose the use of all deceit?

Why should I then be false, since it is true

That I must die here, and live hence by truth?

I say again, if Lewis do will the day,

He is forsworn if e'er those eyes of yours

Behold another day break in the east;

But even this night, whose black contagious breath

Already smokes about the burning crest

Of the old, feeble, and day-wearied sun,

Even this ill night, your breathing shall expire,

Paying the fine of rated treachery

Even with a treacherous fine of all your lives.

If Lewis by your assistance win the day.

Commend me to one Hubert, with your King;

The love of him-and this respect besides,

For that my grandsire was an Englishman-

Awakes my conscience to confess all this.

In lieu whereof, I pray you, bear me hence

From forth the noise and rumour of the field,

Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts

In peace, and part this body and my soul

With contemplation and devout desires.

Do I not have horrible death within my sight,

only just hanging on to life

which is bleeding away, like a waxwork

dissolving in the fire?

What in the world would make me now lie to you,

when I will soon be unable to lie at all?

Why should I be false, since it is true

that I must die here and go and live where there is only truth?

I say again, if Louis wins the battle,

he has promised that those eyes of yours

will never see another sunrise:

this very night, his black poisonous breath

is already curling around the burning top

of the old, feeble sun, worn out by the day,

on this evil night, you shall cease to breathe,

paying the price for what is seen as treachery

with the terrible fine of all your lives,

if Louis wins the battle with your help.

Give my greetings to a man called Hubert who's with your king:

my love for him, and also the fact that

my grandfather was an Englishman,

provokes my conscience to say all this.

In payment for that, I pray you, carry me away

from the noise and clamour of the battlefield,

where I can think what's left of my thoughts

in peace, and separate my body from my soul

with contemplation and prayer.

SALISBURY.

We do believe thee; and beshrew my soul

But I do love the favour and the form

Of this most fair occasion, by the which

We will untread the steps of damned flight,

And like a bated and retired flood,

Leaving our rankness and irregular course,

Stoop low within those bounds we have o'erlook'd,

And calmly run on in obedience

Even to our ocean, to great King John.

My arm shall give thee help to bear thee hence;

For I do see the cruel pangs of death

Right in thine eye. Away, my friends! New flight,

And happy newness, that intends old right.

We believe you; and curse me

if I don't love the way

things are turning out, which means

we can undo our cursed retreat,

and like a flood which has abated

we can leave our foulness and unusual course,

bow down within the frontiers we overcame,

and run obediently and calmly on

to our ocean, our great King John.

I shall help to carry you away from here;

for I can see the cruel agony of death

right in your eyes. Let's go, my friends! A new escape;

a happy newness, taking us back to our old position!

Exeunt, leading off MELUN

England. The French camp

Enter LEWIS and his train

LEWIS.

The sun of heaven, methought, was loath to set,

But stay'd and made the western welkin blush,

When English measure backward their own ground

In faint retire. O, bravely came we off,

When with a volley of our needless shot,

After such bloody toil, we bid good night;

And wound our tott'ring colours clearly up,

Last in the field and almost lords of it!

It seemed to me that the sun in heaven didn't want to set,

but stayed to make the western sky blush,

when the English meekly