The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (49 page)

Westminster Hall

Enter, as to the Parliament, BOLINGBROKE, AUMERLE,

NORTHUMBERLAND, PERCY,

FITZWATER, SURREY, the BISHOP OF CARLISLE, the ABBOT OF

WESTMINSTER,

and others; HERALD, OFFICERS, and BAGOT

BOLINGBROKE.

Call forth Bagot.

Now, Bagot, freely speak thy mind-

What thou dost know of noble Gloucester's death;

Who wrought it with the King, and who perform'd

The bloody office of his timeless end.

Summon Bagot.

Now, Bagot, speak openly–

what do you know about noble Gloucester's death;

who planned it with the king, and who carried out

the bloody job of his untimely murder?

BAGOT.

Then set before my face the Lord Aumerle.

Then bring out Lord Aumerle.

BOLINGBROKE.

Cousin, stand forth, and look upon that man.

Cousin, come out, and look at that man.

BAGOT.

My Lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue

Scorns to unsay what once it hath deliver'd.

In that dead time when Gloucester's death was plotted

I heard you say 'Is not my arm of length,

That reacheth from the restful English Court

As far as Calais, to mine uncle's head?'

Amongst much other talk that very time

I heard you say that you had rather refuse

The offer of an hundred thousand crowns

Than Bolingbroke's return to England;

Adding withal, how blest this land would be

In this your cousin's death.

My Lord Aumerle, I know your bold tongue

doesn't like to take back its words.

In that deadly time when Gloucester's death was planned

I heard you say ‘Haven't I a long arm,

that can reach from the peaceful English court

as far as Calais, to kill my uncle?’

Amongst many other things said at that time

I heard you say that you would turn down

an offer of hundred thousand crowns rather

than see Bolingbroke return to England;

you also added how good the death of your

cousin would be for the country.

AUMERLE.

Princes, and noble lords,

What answer shall I make to this base man?

Shall I so much dishonour my fair stars

On equal terms to give him chastisement?

Either I must, or have mine honour soil'd

With the attainder of his slanderous lips.

There is my gage, the manual seal of death

That marks thee out for hell. I say thou liest,

And will maintain what thou hast said is false

In thy heart-blood, through being all too base

To stain the temper of my knightly sword.

Princes, and noble lords,

how shall I answer this low man?

Shall I dishonour my noble birth so much

as to answer him back in his own terms?

I must either do that or have my honour stained

by the accusations of his slanderous lips.

There is my glove, that seals your death

that will send you to hell. I say you are lying,

and will prove this by taking your

lifeblood, although it's far too low

to stain the shining steel of my knight's sword.

BOLINGBROKE.

Bagot, forbear; thou shalt not take it up.

Bagot, hold back; you won't accept the challenge.

AUMERLE.

Excepting one, I would he were the best

In all this presence that hath mov'd me so.

I wish it was the best knight in this gathering–

apart from one–who had made me so angry.

FITZWATER.

If that thy valour stand on sympathy,

There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine.

By that fair sun which shows me where thou stand'st,

I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spak'st it,

That thou wert cause of noble Gloucester's death.

If thou deniest it twenty times, thou liest;

And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart,

Where it was forged, with my rapier's point.

If your bravery depends on rank,

there is my glove, Aumerle, to match yours.

I swear by the fair sun which lights you now,

I heard you say, and say boastingly,

that you were the cause of the death of noble Gloucester.

If you deny it twenty times, you are lying;

and I will stick the lie back into your heart,

where it was made, with the point of my sword.

AUMERLE.

Thou dar'st not, coward, live to see that day.

Coward, you wouldn't dare.

FITZWATER.

Now, by my soul, I would it were this hour.

I swear, I wish we could do it now.

AUMERLE.

Fitzwater, thou art damn'd to hell for this.

Fitzwater, you are damned to hell for this.

PERCY.

Aumerle, thou liest; his honour is as true

In this appeal as thou art an unjust;

And that thou art so, there I throw my gage,

To prove it on thee to the extremest point

Of mortal breathing. Seize it, if thou dar'st.

Aumerle, you are lying; he is being as honourable

in this challenge as you are being unfair;

and to prove that you are here is my glove,

I shall make you answer for it with your death.

Pick it up, if you dare.

AUMERLE.

An if I do not, may my hands rot off

And never brandish more revengeful steel

Over the glittering helmet of my foe!

And if I don't, may my hands rot off

and never again wave my revengeful sword

over the glittering helmet of my enemy!

ANOTHER LORD.

I task the earth to the like, forsworn Aumerle;

And spur thee on with full as many lies

As may be halloa'd in thy treacherous ear

From sun to sun. There is my honour's pawn;

Engage it to the trial, if thou darest.

I lay down the same challenge, damned Aumerle;

and encourage you with as many lies

as can be shouted in your treacherous ear

in the course of the day. There is my challenge;

take it up, if you dare.

AUMERLE.

Who sets me else? By heaven, I'll throw at all!

I have a thousand spirits in one breast

To answer twenty thousand such as you.

Who else attacks me? By heaven, I'll have at you all!

There's a thousand times more bravery in my heart

than there is in twenty thousand of you.

SURREY.

My Lord Fitzwater, I do remember well

The very time Aumerle and you did talk.

My Lord Fitzwater, I remember well

the exact time you and Aumerle spoke.

FITZWATER.

'Tis very true; you were in presence then,

And you can witness with me this is true.

It's very true, you were there then,

and you can confirm the truth of what I say.

SURREY.

As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true.

You are as false, by heaven, as heaven is true.

FITZWATER.

Surrey, thou liest.

Surrey, you are lying.

SURREY.

Dishonourable boy!

That lie shall lie so heavy on my sword

That it shall render vengeance and revenge

Till thou the lie-giver and that lie do lie

In earth as quiet as thy father's skull.

In proof whereof, there is my honour's pawn;

Engage it to the trial, if thou dar'st.

Dishonourable boy!

My sword will give such heavy punishment for that lie

that it shall hand out vengeance and revenge

until you, the liar, and the lie both lie

in the earth as quietly as your father's skull.

As proof of that, there's my challenge;

take it on, if you dare.

FITZWATER.

How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse!

If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live,

I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness,

And spit upon him whilst I say he lies,

And lies, and lies. There is my bond of faith,

To tie thee to my strong correction.

As I intend to thrive in this new world,

Aumerle is guilty of my true appeal.

Besides, I heard the banish'd Norfolk say

That thou, Aumerle, didst send two of thy men

To execute the noble Duke at Calais.

How foolishly you spur on an already running horse!

If I dare to eat, or drink, or breathe, or live,

I will dare to meet Surrey in a wild place

and spit on him whilst saying he's a liar,

a liar, a liar. There is my glove,

to hold you to my violent punishment.

As I mean to thrive in this new order,

Aumerle is as guilty as I say.

Besides, I heard the exiled Norfolk say

and that you, Aumerle, sent two of your men

to execute the noble duke at Calais.

AUMERLE.

Some honest Christian trust me with a gage

That Norfolk lies. Here do I throw down this,

If he may be repeal'd to try his honour.

Some honest Christian lend me a glove

so I can prove that Norfolk lies. I make my challenge,

if he can be called back to accept it.

BOLINGBROKE.

These differences shall all rest under gage

Till Norfolk be repeal'd-repeal'd he shall be

And, though mine enemy, restor'd again

To all his lands and signories. When he is return'd,

Against Aumerle we will enforce his trial.

These arguments will all wait under the challenge

until Norfolk is recalled–he shall be recalled

and, although he is my enemy, he shall be given back

all his lands and estates. When he comes back,

he shall take up this challenge of Aumerle's.

CARLISLE.

That honourable day shall never be seen.

Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought

For Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field,

Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross

Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens;

And, toil'd with works of war, retir'd himself

To Italy; and there, at Venice, gave

His body to that pleasant country's earth,

And his pure soul unto his captain, Christ,

Under whose colours he had fought so long.

That honourable day will never be seen.

Many times the exiled Norfolk fought

for Jesus Christ in glorious Christian battles,

carrying the sign of the Christian cross

against black pagans, Turks and Saracens;

and, exhausted with battle, he retired

to Italy; and there, at Venice, he gave

his body to the pleasant earth of that country