The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (310 page)

With what a sorrow Cromwell leaves his lord.

The king shall have my service: but my prayers

For ever and for ever shall be yours.

O my Lord,

then must I leave you? Do I need to abandon

such a good, noble and true master?

All who do not have hearts of iron please witness

how sadly Cromwell leaves his Lord.

I shall serve the King: but my prayers

will be yours for ever.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear

In all my miseries; but thou hast forced me,

Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman.

Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell;

And, when I am forgotten, as I shall be,

And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention

Of me more must be heard of, say, I taught thee,

Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory,

And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour,

Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in;

A sure and safe one, though thy master miss'd it.

Mark but my fall, and that that ruin'd me.

Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition:

By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then,

The image of his Maker, hope to win by it?

Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee;

Corruption wins not more than honesty.

Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,

To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:

Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,

Thy God's, and truth's; then if thou fall'st,

O Cromwell,

Thou fall'st a blessed martyr! Serve the king;

And,--prithee, lead me in:

There take an inventory of all I have,

To the last penny; 'tis the king's: my robe,

And my integrity to heaven, is all

I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell!

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, he would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Cromwell, I did not think I would cry

in all my misery; but you have made me,

through your honest truth, act like a woman.

Let's dry our eyes; and at least listen to this,

and when I am forgotten, as I will be,

and sleeping in my tomb, when I shall

never be mentioned again, say I taught you;

say Wolsey, who once trod the paths of glory,

and sailed across all the oceans of honour,

found a way when he was shipwrecked for you to rise,

a sure and safe way, although your master missed it.

Just take note of my fall, and what ruined me:

Cromwell, I order you, throw away ambition,

the sin that made the Angels fall; so how can man,

the image of his maker, hope to profit by it?

Love yourself last of all, love those who hate you;

honesty does better than corruption.

Always carry gentle peace with you

to silence jealous tongues. Be just, and don't be afraid;

let everything you do be for the good of the country,

God and truth: and if you fall, O Cromwell,

you will fall as a blessed martyr.

Serve the King: and please take me in:

take an inventory of all my possessions,

to the last penny, it belongs to the king. My robe,

and my loyalty to heaven, is all

I can now call my own. Oh, Cromwell, Cromwell.

If I had served my God with half the enthusiasm

with which I served my king, he would not have left me

naked to my enemies in my old age.

CROMWELL

Good sir, have patience.

Good sir, have patience.

CARDINAL WOLSEY

So I have. Farewell

The hopes of court! my hopes in heaven do dwell.

I have. Farewell

to the ambitions of court! My hope lives in heaven.

Exeunt

Enter two Gentlemen, meeting one another

First Gentleman

You're well met once again.

Good to see you again.

Second Gentleman

So are you.

The same to you.

First Gentleman

You come to take your stand here, and behold

The Lady Anne pass from her coronation?

Have you come to stand here and watch

Lady Anne on her way from her coronation?

Second Gentleman

'Tis all my business. At our last encounter,

The Duke of Buckingham came from his trial.

That's what I'm here for. Last time we met,

the Duke of Buckingham was coming from his trial.

First Gentleman

'Tis very true: but that time offer'd sorrow;

This, general joy.

That's very true, but that was a sorrowful time;

this is a time of general happiness.

Second Gentleman

'Tis well: the citizens,

I am sure, have shown at full their royal minds--

As, let 'em have their rights, they are ever forward--

In celebration of this day with shows,

Pageants and sights of honour.

It's good: the citizens

have certainly shown their fondness for royalty–

as, to give them their due, they always do–

by celebrating this day with shows,

pageants and great displays.

First Gentleman

Never greater,

Nor, I'll assure you, better taken, sir.

There never have been greater,

nor, I can assure you, more welcome, sir.

Second Gentleman

May I be bold to ask at what that contains,

That paper in your hand?

Might I be so bold as to enquire what

that paper in your hand says?

First Gentleman

Yes; 'tis the list

Of those that claim their offices this day

By custom of the coronation.

The Duke of Suffolk is the first, and claims

To be high-steward; next, the Duke of Norfolk,

He to be earl marshal: you may read the rest.

Yes, it is the list

of those who claim their titles today

as is customary at the coronation.

The Duke of Suffolk is the first, he claims

the right of being high Steward; next comes the Duke of Norfolk,

he shall be Earl Marshall: you may read the rest.

Second Gentleman

I thank you, sir: had I not known those customs,

I should have been beholding to your paper.

But, I beseech you, what's become of Katharine,

The princess dowager? how goes her business?

Thank you, Sir: if I didn't know these customs,

your paper would have been very useful.

But, I must ask you, what happened to Katherine,

the Princess Dowager? How goes it with her?

First Gentleman

That I can tell you too. The Archbishop

Of Canterbury, accompanied with other

Learned and reverend fathers of his order,

Held a late court at Dunstable, six miles off

From Ampthill where the princess lay; to which

She was often cited by them, but appear'd not:

And, to be short, for not appearance and

The king's late scruple, by the main assent

Of all these learned men she was divorced,

And the late marriage made of none effect

Since which she was removed to Kimbolton,

Where she remains now sick.

I can tell you that too. The Archbishop

of Canterbury, accompanied by other

learned and reverend fathers of his order,

recently held a court at Dunstable, six miles away

from Ampthill where the Princess was staying;

they often summoned her, but she did not come:

and, to cut a long story short, because she didn't appear

and because of the King's recent doubts, she was

divorced by a unanimous vote of all these learned men,

and her previous marriage was declared invalid.

Since then she has gone to Kimbolton,

where she is now lying ill.

Second Gentleman

Alas, good lady!

Alas, good lady!

Trumpets

The trumpets sound: stand close, the queen is coming.

The trumpets are sounding: stand close to me, the Queen is coming.

Hautboys

THE ORDER OF THE CORONATION

1. A lively flourish of Trumpets.

2. Then, two Judges.

3. Lord Chancellor, with the purse and mace

before him.

4. Choristers, singing.

Music

5. Mayor of London, bearing the mace. Then

Garter, in his coat of arms, and on his

head a gilt copper crown.

6. Marquess Dorset, bearing a sceptre of gold,

on his head a demi-coronal of gold. With

him, SURREY, bearing the rod of silver with

the dove, crowned with an earl's coronet.

Collars of SS.

7. SUFFOLK, in his robe of estate, his coronet

on his head, bearing a long white wand, as

high-steward. With him, NORFOLK, with the

rod of marshalship, a coronet on his head.

Collars of SS.

8. A canopy borne by four of the Cinque-ports;

under it, QUEEN ANNE in her robe; in her hair