The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (299 page)

The court of Rome commanding, you, my lord

Cardinal of York, are join'd with me their servant

In the unpartial judging of this business.

Your Grace deserves the love of all foreigners,

you are so noble. I hand over my orders

to your Highness' hand; they demand in the name

of the court of Rome that you, my lord

Cardinal of York, should join with me, their servant,

in an impartial judging of this business.

KING HENRY VIII

Two equal men. The queen shall be acquainted

Forthwith for what you come. Where's Gardiner?

Two equally great men. The Queen shall be told

at once why you have come. Where's Gardiner?

CARDINAL WOLSEY

I know your majesty has always loved her

So dear in heart, not to deny her that

A woman of less place might ask by law:

Scholars allow'd freely to argue for her.

I know your Majesty has always loved her

so very dearly that you will not deny her

what a less favoured woman might lawfully ask for:

scholars allowed to put forward their arguments for her freely.

KING HENRY VIII

Ay, and the best she shall have; and my favour

To him that does best: God forbid else. Cardinal,

Prithee, call Gardiner to me, my new secretary:

I find him a fit fellow.

Yes, and she shall have the best; and I shall treat

the one who does best well: God forbid otherwise. Cardinal,

please, call Gardiner, my new secretary, to me:

I find him a good man.

Exit CARDINAL WOLSEY

Re-enter CARDINAL WOLSEY, with GARDINER

CARDINAL WOLSEY

[Aside to GARDINER] Give me your hand: much joy and

favour to you;

You are the king's now.

Give me your hand: much joy and good fortune to you;

you now work for the King.

GARDINER

[Aside to CARDINAL WOLSEY]

But to be commanded

For ever by your grace, whose hand has raised me.

But I will always be at the orders

of your grace, who gave me this position.

KING HENRY VIII

Come hither, Gardiner.

Come here, Gardiner.

Walks and whispers

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

My Lord of York, was not one Doctor Pace

In this man's place before him?

My Lord of York, wasn't there someone called Doctor Pace

in this man's position before?

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Yes, he was.

Yes, there was.

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

Was he not held a learned man?

Wasn't he thought of as a learned man?

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Yes, surely.

He certainly was.

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then

Even of yourself, lord cardinal.

Then believe me, there is malicious gossip

about yourself, Lord Cardinal.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

How! of me?

What! About me?

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

They will not stick to say you envied him,

And fearing he would rise, he was so virtuous,

Kept him a foreign man still; which so grieved him,

That he ran mad and died.

They won't stop saying that you envied him,

and because you feared he would be promoted, as he was so good,

you kept him away from the court; and that made him so sad

that he went mad and died.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Heaven's peace be with him!

That's Christian care enough: for living murmurers

There's places of rebuke. He was a fool;

For he would needs be virtuous: that good fellow,

If I command him, follows my appointment:

I will have none so near else. Learn this, brother,

We live not to be grip'd by meaner persons.

May he rest in peace!

That's enough Christian care: for living gossips

there are ways of punishing them. He was a fool;

he insisted on being good: that good fellow,

if I command him, does as I say:

I won't have anyone else this close. Remember this, brother,

we're not here for low people to be familiar with.

KING HENRY VIII

Deliver this with modesty to the queen.

Exit GARDINER

The most convenient place that I can think of

For such receipt of learning is Black-Friars;

There ye shall meet about this weighty business.

My Wolsey, see it furnish'd. O, my lord,

Would it not grieve an able man to leave

So sweet a bedfellow? But, conscience, conscience!

O, 'tis a tender place; and I must leave her.

Convey this politely to the Queen.

The best place I can think of

to discuss such learning is Blackfriars;

that's where you shall meet to discuss this weighty matter.

My Wolsey, see that it is furnished. Oh, my lord,

wouldn't it make an able man sorrowful to have to leave

such a sweet bedmate? But, there is conscience!

It is tender, and I must leave her.

Exeunt

Enter ANNE and an Old Lady

ANNE

Not for that neither: here's the pang that pinches:

His highness having lived so long with her, and she

So good a lady that no tongue could ever

Pronounce dishonour of her; by my life,

She never knew harm-doing: O, now, after

So many courses of the sun enthroned,

Still growing in a majesty and pomp, the which

To leave a thousand-fold more bitter than

'Tis sweet at first to acquire,--after this process,

To give her the avaunt! it is a pity

Would move a monster.

Not for that reason either: here's the thing which hurts:

as her Highness has lived so long with her, and she

is such a good lady that nobody ever

had a bad word to say of her; I swear,

she never did any wrong: oh, now, having been

Queen for so many years,

still growing in majesty and dignity, leaving which

is a thousand times more bitter than the

sweetness of getting it–to send her away

after all that! It's so pitiful,

a monster would be moved by it.

Old Lady

Hearts of most hard temper

Melt and lament for her.

The hardest hearts

melt and weep for her.

ANNE

O, God's will! much better

She ne'er had known pomp: though't be temporal,

Yet, if that quarrel, fortune, do divorce

It from the bearer, 'tis a sufferance panging

As soul and body's severing.

Oh, God's will! It would be much better

if she had never had a position: although it is earthly,

if the blows of Fortune take it away

from one who has it feels as bad

as the separation of the soul and the body.

Old Lady

Alas, poor lady!

She's a stranger now again.

Alas, poor lady!

She is now a foreigner again.

ANNE

So much the more

Must pity drop upon her. Verily,

I swear, 'tis better to be lowly born,

And range with humble livers in content,

Than to be perk'd up in a glistering grief,

And wear a golden sorrow.

All the more reason

to give her  pity. I swear

truly, it's better to be born low

and live happily and humbly

than to be decked out with glistening grief,

and wear a golden sorrow.

Old Lady

Our content

Is our best having.

Our happiness

is the greatest thing we have.

ANNE

By my troth and maidenhead,

I would not be a queen.

I swear on my maidenhood,

I don't want to be a queen.

Old Lady

Beshrew me, I would,

And venture maidenhead for't; and so would you,

For all this spice of your hypocrisy:

You, that have so fair parts of woman on you,

Have too a woman's heart; which ever yet

Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty;

Which, to say sooth, are blessings; and which gifts,

Saving your mincing, the capacity

Of your soft cheveril conscience would receive,

If you might please to stretch it.

Believe me, I would,

and I would give my maidenhood for it; and so would you,

for all this hypocrisy you're showing:

with all your beauty and fine womanly qualities,

you also have a woman's heart; which has always

wanted power, wealth and rule;

which, to tell the truth, are blessings; and such gifts,

with all respect to your affectation, it would be within

the capability of your flexible conscience to accept,

if you were prepared to stretch the point.

ANNE

Nay, good troth.

No, I swear.

Old Lady

Yes, troth, and troth; you would not be a queen?

Yes, you swear, and swear; you don't want to be a queen?

ANNE

No, not for all the riches under heaven.

No, not for all the riches on earth.

Old Lady

'Tis strange: a three-pence bow'd would hire me,

Old as I am, to queen it: but, I pray you,

What think you of a duchess? have you limbs

To bear that load of title?

That's strange: a threepenny madam would hire me,

old as I am, to be a queen: but, may I ask,

what do you think of being a duchess? Are your limbs

strong enough to bear the load of that title?

ANNE

No, in truth.