The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (302 page)

is crammed with arrogance, anger and pride.

You have, by luck and the goodwill of his Highness,

leapt easily over the low rungs and have now climbed

up where great men do your bidding, and your words,

servants to you, make them do whatever

you order. I must tell you,

your personal position is more important to you than

your great spiritual profession: that once again

I refuse to let you be my judge; and here,

in front of you all, I appeal to the Pope,

I ask for my whole case to be brought before his holiness,

and to be judged by him.

She curtsies to KING HENRY VIII, and offers to depart

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

The queen is obstinate,

Stubborn to justice, apt to accuse it, and

Disdainful to be tried by't: 'tis not well.

She's going away.

The Queen is obstinate,

opposed to justice, inclined to accuse it

and unwilling to be tried by it: this is not good.

She's going away.

KING HENRY VIII

Call her again.

Call her back.

Crier

Katharine Queen of England, come into the court.

Katherine Queen of England, come into the court.

GRIFFITH

Madam, you are call'd back.

Madam, you have been called back.

QUEEN KATHARINE

What need you note it? pray you, keep your way:

When you are call'd, return. Now, the Lord help,

They vex me past my patience! Pray you, pass on:

I will not tarry; no, nor ever more

Upon this business my appearance make

In any of their courts.

Why do you need to say it? Please, keep going:

when you are called, come back. Now, Lord help me,

they are vexing me beyond endurance! Please, move on:

I will not stay; no, nor will I ever

appear again in any of their courts

on this business.

Exeunt QUEEN KATHARINE and her Attendants

KING HENRY VIII

Go thy ways, Kate:

That man i' the world who shall report he has

A better wife, let him in nought be trusted,

For speaking false in that: thou art, alone,

If thy rare qualities, sweet gentleness,

Thy meekness saint-like, wife-like government,

Obeying in commanding, and thy parts

Sovereign and pious else, could speak thee out,

The queen of earthly queens: she's noble born;

And, like her true nobility, she has

Carried herself towards me.

Go where you like, Kate:

if any man in the world says he has

a better wife, don't trust him,

he's lying: no one compares to you,

if your unique qualities, sweet gentleness,

your saintly meekness, your wifely rule,

your obedience and all your other

royal and holy qualities could speak out loud for you

they would name you the Queen of all queens on earth:

she is nobly born; and she has behaved towards me

with true nobility.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Most gracious sir,

In humblest manner I require your highness,

That it shall please you to declare, in hearing

Of all these ears,--for where I am robb'd and bound,

There must I be unloosed, although not there

At once and fully satisfied,--whether ever I

Did broach this business to your highness; or

Laid any scruple in your way, which might

Induce you to the question on't? or ever

Have to you, but with thanks to God for such

A royal lady, spake one the least word that might

Be to the prejudice of her present state,

Or touch of her good person?

Most gracious Sir,

I must ask your Highness in the most humble way

 that you should declare for everyone

to hear–for I must be cleared

of these accusations, they cannot

be left for a moment–whether I ever

spoke of this business to your Highness; or

gave you any reason to doubt, which might

have made you question it? Or have you

ever said anything about the Royal lady,

apart from giving your thanks to God for her,

which might in any way cast doubt upon her character

or place her in a difficult position?

KING HENRY VIII

My lord cardinal,

I do excuse you; yea, upon mine honour,

I free you from't. You are not to be taught

That you have many enemies, that know not

Why they are so, but, like to village-curs,

Bark when their fellows do: by some of these

The queen is put in anger. You're excused:

But will you be more justified? You ever

Have wish'd the sleeping of this business; never desired

It to be stirr'd; but oft have hinder'd, oft,

The passages made toward it: on my honour,

I speak my good lord cardinal to this point,

And thus far clear him. Now, what moved me to't,

I will be bold with time and your attention:

Then mark the inducement. Thus it came; give heed to't:

My conscience first received a tenderness,

Scruple, and prick, on certain speeches utter'd

By the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador;

Who had been hither sent on the debating

A marriage 'twixt the Duke of Orleans and

Our daughter Mary: i' the progress of this business,

Ere a determinate resolution, he,

I mean the bishop, did require a respite;

Wherein he might the king his lord advertise

Whether our daughter were legitimate,

Respecting this our marriage with the dowager,

Sometimes our brother's wife. This respite shook

The bosom of my conscience, enter'd me,

Yea, with a splitting power, and made to tremble

The region of my breast; which forced such way,

That many mazed considerings did throng

And press'd in with this caution. First, methought

I stood not in the smile of heaven; who had

Commanded nature, that my lady's womb,

If it conceived a male child by me, should

Do no more offices of life to't than

The grave does to the dead; for her male issue

Or died where they were made, or shortly after

This world had air'd them: hence I took a thought,

This was a judgment on me; that my kingdom,

Well worthy the best heir o' the world, should not

Be gladded in't by me: then follows, that

I weigh'd the danger which my realms stood in

By this my issue's fail; and that gave to me

Many a groaning throe. Thus hulling in

The wild sea of my conscience, I did steer

Toward this remedy, whereupon we are

Now present here together: that's to say,

I meant to rectify my conscience,--which

I then did feel full sick, and yet not well,--

By all the reverend fathers of the land

And doctors learn'd: first I began in private

With you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember

How under my oppression I did reek,

When I first moved you.

My Lord Cardinal,

I exonerate you; I excuse you

upon my honour; you do not have to be told

that you have many enemies who do not know

why they hate you, but like village dogs

bark when their friends do. The Queen has been

made angry by people like that; you are excused:

but shall I say more in your defence? You always

wanted this business to be left alone, you never

wanted it to be stirred up, you have often blocked me

when I have try to instigate proceedings; I swear,

I can speak for my good lord cardinal on this point,

and so clear him. As for what motivated me,

I will take up some time and your attention:

take note of my reasons, this is what happened, listen:

my conscience was first pricked

with doubt because of certain speeches made

by the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador,

who had been sent here to debate the issue

of a marriage between the Duke of Orleans and

my daughter Mary: as this business went on,

before they reached a decision, he

–I mean the Bishop–wanted a pause,

so that he could inform his lord the king

whether my daughter was legitimate

as I was married to the woman

who was once my brother's wife. This request shook

the heart of my conscience, got into my mind,

it transfixed me, and made me tremble

in my heart, and gave birth to

such perplexed thoughts that it created

these worries. Firstly, I thought

that I was out of favour with God, who had

commanded nature that if my lady conceived

a male child by me then her womb would no more

give it life than a grave gives life to the dead:

her male children either died as they were born or

shortly afterwards. So I thought that

this was a judgement on me, that my kingdom

–which well deserves the best heir in the world–would not

be made happy through me. In consequence

I thought of the danger my kingdom was in

if I did not produce an heir, and that gave me

many great pains: so drifting across

the wild sea of my conscience, I steered towards

this solution, which is why we are

all here today: I mean to say,

I wanted to pacify my conscience,

which was then making me feel quite sick,

and I couldn't be cured by all the holy fathers of the land

and all the learned doctors. I first spoke privately

to you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember

how I sweated under the weight of my distress

when I first confessed it to you.

LINCOLN

Very well, my liege.

I remember very well, my lord.

KING HENRY VIII

I have spoke long: be pleased yourself to say

How far you satisfied me.

I have spoken for a long time; please say yourself

how far you managed to reassure me.

LINCOLN

So please your highness,

The question did at first so stagger me,

Bearing a state of mighty moment in't

And consequence of dread, that I committed

The daring'st counsel which I had to doubt;

And did entreat your highness to this course

Which you are running here.

If it pleases your Highness,

the question at first was so staggering,

being so important for the country

and with the risk of such dreadful consequences,

that I did not trust the most daring solution

which occurred to me, and I told your Highness to follow

the course which you are now taking.

KING HENRY VIII

I then moved you,