The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (307 page)

To keep your earthly audit: sure, in that

I deem you an ill husband, and am glad

To have you therein my companion.

My good lord,

you are full of the material of heaven, and have

a great store of the greatest virtues; that's what

you would have been thinking about: you hardly have time

to spare from your spiritual affairs

to keep inventory of things on earth: I must say that

makes you a bad manager, and makes me glad

to have you as my companion.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Sir,

For holy offices I have a time; a time

To think upon the part of business which

I bear i' the state; and nature does require

Her times of preservation, which perforce

I, her frail son, amongst my brethren mortal,

Must give my tendence to.

Sir,

I have the time set aside for holy offices; a time

to think of the business which I undertake

for the state; and nature requires time

for rest, and as I am her frail son amongst

my mortal brothers I must obey her.

KING HENRY VIII

You have said well.

You have spoken well.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

And ever may your highness yoke together,

As I will lend you cause, my doing well

With my well saying!

And may your Highness always see,

as I give you reason to, that I back up

my good words with good deeds!

KING HENRY VIII

'Tis well said again;

And 'tis a kind of good deed to say well:

And yet words are no deeds. My father loved you:

He said he did; and with his deed did crown

His word upon you. Since I had my office,

I have kept you next my heart; have not alone

Employ'd you where high profits might come home,

But pared my present havings, to bestow

My bounties upon you.

You spoken well again;

and it's kind of a good deed to speak well:

but words are not deeds. My father loved you:

he said he did; and with his deeds he

confirmed his words. Since I have been king,

I have kept you close to my heart; I haven't only

used you in enterprises where there could be great profit

but reduced my own income in order to

be generous towards you.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

[Aside] What should this mean?

What does this mean?

SURREY

[Aside] The Lord increase this business!

May the Lord encourage this!

KING HENRY VIII

Have I not made you,

The prime man of the state? I pray you, tell me,

If what I now pronounce you have found true:

And, if you may confess it, say withal,

If you are bound to us or no. What say you?

Didn't I make you

the most important statesman in the country? Please, tell me,

if what I now tell you is true:

and, if you say it is, also say

if you are my servant or not. What do you say?

CARDINAL WOLSEY

My sovereign, I confess your royal graces,

Shower'd on me daily, have been more than could

My studied purposes requite; which went

Beyond all man's endeavours: my endeavours

Have ever come too short of my desires,

Yet filed with my abilities: mine own ends

Have been mine so that evermore they pointed

To the good of your most sacred person and

The profit of the state. For your great graces

Heap'd upon me, poor undeserver, I

Can nothing render but allegiant thanks,

My prayers to heaven for you, my loyalty,

Which ever has and ever shall be growing,

Till death, that winter, kill it.

My Lord, I confess that your royal favours,

showered upon me daily, have been more than

I could possibly repay; no man could

do enough to repay them: what I have done

has always been less than I wish to,

but the best I could do: all of my

endeavours have been geared towards

the best for your most sacred person and

the profit of the state. For the great favours

you have heaped on me, poor undeserving man, I

can only offer my loyal thanks,

my prayers to heaven for you, my loyalty,

which has always been and always will be growing

until the winter of death kills it.

KING HENRY VIII

Fairly answer'd;

A loyal and obedient subject is

Therein illustrated: the honour of it

Does pay the act of it; as, i' the contrary,

The foulness is the punishment. I presume

That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,

My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more

On you than any; so your hand and heart,

Your brain, and every function of your power,

Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty,

As 'twere in love's particular, be more

To me, your friend, than any.

A good answer;

which shows you as

a loyal and obedient subject: the reward of loyalty

is the honour of being loyal; and, equally,

being disloyal is punishment in itself. I assume

that, as I have been generous with you

with goods, love, and honour, more to you

than any other, that your hand and heart,

your brain, and every part of your power

should, in spite of your duty to the Pope,

should, due to your intimate regard for me,

make me a greater friend  of you than any other.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

I do profess

That for your highness' good I ever labour'd

More than mine own; that am, have, and will be--

Though all the world should crack their duty to you,

And throw it from their soul; though perils did

Abound, as thick as thought could make 'em, and

Appear in forms more horrid,--yet my duty,

As doth a rock against the chiding flood,

Should the approach of this wild river break,

And stand unshaken yours.

I swear

that I have always worked more for the good

of your Highness than for me; that is and always shall be

(however much the rest of the world breaks its promises to you,

and rejects it from their soul; although danger could

surround me, as thick as thought could make it, and

in more horrible ways) my duty,

like a rock standing against the punishing flood,

if the wild river crashes against it,

I will remain steadfastly yours.

KING HENRY VIII

'Tis nobly spoken:

Take notice, lords, he has a loyal breast,

For you have seen him open't. Read o'er this;

Giving him papers

And after, this: and then to breakfast with

What appetite you have.

That's nobly spoken:

take note, Lords, that he has a loyal heart,

you have heard what he said. Read this;

[gives him papers]

and afterwards, this: and then go to breakfast with

whatever appetite you have.

Exit KING HENRY VIII, frowning upon CARDINAL WOLSEY: the Nobles throng after him, smiling and whispering

CARDINAL WOLSEY

What should this mean?

What sudden anger's this? how have I reap'd it?

He parted frowning from me, as if ruin

Leap'd from his eyes: so looks the chafed lion

Upon the daring huntsman that has gall'd him;

Then makes him nothing. I must read this paper;

I fear, the story of his anger. 'Tis so;

This paper has undone me: 'tis the account

Of all that world of wealth I have drawn together

For mine own ends; indeed, to gain the popedom,

And fee my friends in Rome. O negligence!

Fit for a fool to fall by: what cross devil

Made me put this main secret in the packet

I sent the king? Is there no way to cure this?

No new device to beat this from his brains?

I know 'twill stir him strongly; yet I know

A way, if it take right, in spite of fortune

Will bring me off again. What's this? 'To the Pope!'

The letter, as I live, with all the business

I writ to's holiness. Nay then, farewell!

I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness;

And, from that full meridian of my glory,

I haste now to my setting: I shall fall

Like a bright exhalation in the evening,

And no man see me more.

What does this mean?

What is this sudden anger? What have I done to deserve it?

He left me frowning, as if destruction

was leaping from his eyes: that's how the wounded lion

looks upon the daring huntsman who has injured him;

then destroys him. I must read this paper;

I'm afraid it will show why he is angry. I'm right,

this paper is my downfall: it's the account

of all the great wealth I have amassed

for my own purposes; in fact, to gain the title of Pope,

and to pay off my friends in Rome. What carelessness!

This is the way a fool would slip up: what angry devil

made me put this great secret in the packet

I sent to the King? Is there no way out of this?

No new trick to drive  this out of his mind?

I know it will make him very angry; but I know

a way, if it works, that can get me back in his

good books despite this. What's this? ‘To the Pope’?

By heaven, it's the letter with everything that I wrote

to his Holiness. No then, farewell:

I have reached the highest point of my greatness,

and from that great height of glory

I am now falling fast. I shall plummet

like a falling star in the evening,

and no one shall ever see me again.

Re-enter to CARDINAL WOLSEY, NORFOLK and SUFFOLK, SURREY, and the Chamberlain

NORFOLK

Hear the king's pleasure, cardinal: who commands you

To render up the great seal presently

Into our hands; and to confine yourself

To Asher House, my Lord of Winchester's,

Till you hear further from his highness.

Listen to the king's orders, cardinal: he orders you

to hand over the great seal at once

to me; and to remain at

Asher House, Lord Winchester’s residence,

until you hear more from his Highness.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Stay:

Where's your commission, lords? words cannot carry

Authority so weighty.

Wait:

where are your orders, lords? Words alone

cannot assume such authority.

SUFFOLK

Who dare cross 'em,

Bearing the king's will from his mouth expressly?