The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (42 page)

And these and all are all amiss employ'd.

What would you have me do? I am a subject,

And I challenge law-attorneys are denied me;

And therefore personally I lay my claim

To my inheritance of free descent.

I was exiled as Hereford; I have returned as Lancaster.

And, noble uncle, I beg your Grace

to consider my complaints impartially.

You are my father, for I think that I can see

old Gaunt alive in you. Oh then my father,

do you agree that I should be condemned to be

a wandering vagabond, that my rights and property

should be torn out of my arms by force, and given away

to vulgar wastrels? Why was I born?

If my cousin the king is king of England,

it must be granted that I am the Duke of Lancaster.

You have a son, Aumerle, my noble cousin;

if you had died first, and he had been crushed like this,

his uncle Gaunt would have been a father to him,

discovering his wrongs and hunting them down.

I have been forbidden the rights to my title,

but my official documents prove I should have them.

My father's property has all been confiscated and sold,

and all the profits from that are being misused.

What do you think I should do? I am a subject,

and I am challenging the law; I am not allowed an attorney,

and so I am putting my claim for my

rightful inheritance in person.

NORTHUMBERLAND.

The noble Duke hath been too much abused.

The noble duke has suffered too much injustice.

ROSS.

It stands your Grace upon to do him right.

Your Grace is obliged to do right by him.

WILLOUGHBY.

Base men by his endowments are made great.

Low men have been given his inheritance.

YORK.

My lords of England, let me tell you this:

I have had feeling of my cousin's wrongs,

And labour'd all I could to do him right;

But in this kind to come, in braving arms,

Be his own carver and cut out his way,

To find out right with wrong-it may not be;

And you that do abet him in this kind

Cherish rebellion, and are rebels all.

My Lords of England, let me tell you this:

I have appreciated the wrongs my cousin has suffered,

and done all I could to put them right;

but to come like this, carrying weapons,

to be his own carver and cut out his path,

to set things right by doing wrong–that cannot be;

and anybody who helps him with this

loves rebellion, and is a rebel.

NORTHUMBERLAND.

The noble Duke hath sworn his coming is

But for his own; and for the right of that

We all have strongly sworn to give him aid;

And let him never see joy that breaks that oath!

The noble duke has sworn he’s only here

to get what is his; and we have solemnly sworn

to help him regain his rights;

and may anyone who breaks that oath never be forgiven!

YORK.

Well, well, I see the issue of these arms.

I cannot mend it, I must needs confess,

Because my power is weak and all ill left;

But if I could, by Him that gave me life,

I would attach you all and make you stoop

Unto the sovereign mercy of the King;

But since I cannot, be it known unto you

I do remain as neuter. So, fare you well;

Unless you please to enter in the castle,

And there repose you for this night.

Well, well, I can see where this war will end.

I cannot stop it, I must admit,

because my forces are weak and inadequate;

but if I could, I swear by God,

I would arrest you all and make you bow

to the royal mercy of the King;

but since I cannot, I shall tell you

that I will remain neutral. So, farewell;

unless you wish to come into the castle,

and stay there for tonight.

BOLINGBROKE.

An offer, uncle, that we will accept.

But we must win your Grace to go with us

To Bristow Castle, which they say is held

By Bushy, Bagot, and their complices,

The caterpillars of the commonwealth,

Which I have sworn to weed and pluck away.

We will accept that offer, uncle.

But we must persuade your Grace to come with us

to Bristow Castle, which they say is held

by Bushy, Bagot and their accomplices,

the parasites of this society,

whom I have sworn to weed out and throw away.

YORK.

It may be I will go with you; but yet I'll pause,

For I am loath to break our country's laws.

Nor friends nor foes, to me welcome you are.

Things past redress are now with me past care.

I might possibly go with you; but I will think about it,

because I'm very reluctant to break the laws of our country.

You are neither friends nor foes, but you are welcome.

I no longer care about things which I can't change.

Exeunt

A camp in Wales

Enter EARL OF SALISBURY and a WELSH CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN.

My Lord of Salisbury, we have stay'd ten days

And hardly kept our countrymen together,

And yet we hear no tidings from the King;

Therefore we will disperse ourselves. Farewell.

My Lord of Salisbury, we have waited ten days,

and valiantly kept our countrymen together,

and yet we have heard no news from the King;

therefore we shall leave. Farewell.

SALISBURY.

Stay yet another day, thou trusty Welshman;

The King reposeth all his confidence in thee.

Stay just another day, you trusty Welshman;

the King puts all his trust in you.

CAPTAIN.

'Tis thought the King is dead; we will not stay.

The bay trees in our country are all wither'd,

And meteors fright the fixed stars of heaven;

The pale-fac'd moon looks bloody on the earth,

And lean-look'd prophets whisper fearful change;

Rich men look sad, and ruffians dance and leap-

The one in fear to lose what they enjoy,

The other to enjoy by rage and war.

These signs forerun the death or fall of kings.

Farewell. Our countrymen are gone and fled,

As well assur'd Richard their King is dead.

It's thought the King is dead; we won't stay.

The bay trees in our country are all shrivelled,

and meteors terrify the fixed stars of heaven;

the pale faced moon looks bloodily on the earth,

and haggard looking prophets whisper of terrible changes;

rich men look sad, and scoundrels dance and leap–

one in fear of losing what they have,

the other to have those things through riot and war.

These signs are omens of the death of all of kings.

Farewell. My countrymen have gone and fled,

certain that Richard their king is dead.

Exit

SALISBURY.

Ah, Richard, with the eyes of heavy mind,

I see thy glory like a shooting star

Fall to the base earth from the firmament!

The sun sets weeping in the lowly west,

Witnessing storms to come, woe, and unrest;

Thy friends are fled, to wait upon thy foes;

And crossly to thy good all fortune goes.

Ah, Richard, with the eyes of sorrow,

I can see your glory like a shooting star

falling from the heavens onto the low earth!

The sun is setting weeping in the West,

showing the storms to come, sorrow and unrest;

your friends have fled to serve your enemies;

and everything is going against you.

Exit

BOLINGBROKE'S camp at Bristol

Enter BOLINGBROKE, YORK, NORTHUMBERLAND, PERCY, ROSS, WILLOUGHBY,

BUSHY and GREEN, prisoners

BOLINGBROKE.

Bring forth these men.

Bushy and Green, I will not vex your souls-

Since presently your souls must part your bodies-

With too much urging your pernicious lives,

For 'twere no charity; yet, to wash your blood

From off my hands, here in the view of men

I will unfold some causes of your deaths:

You have misled a prince, a royal king,

A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments,

By you unhappied and disfigured clean;

You have in manner with your sinful hours

Made a divorce betwixt his queen and him;