The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (5 page)

Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides

And coops from other lands her islanders-

Even till that England, hedg'd in with the main,

That water-walled bulwark, still secure

And confident from foreign purposes-

Even till that utmost corner of the west

Salute thee for her king. Till then, fair boy,

Will I not think of home, but follow arms.

I put this kiss of worship on your cheek

to seal what I contract to do for you out of love:

I shall not return to my home

until Angiers and everything else you have rights to in France,

together with that pale, white cliffed land,

which stands against the roaring tides of the ocean

and protects her islanders against attack from outside–

until that England, surrounded by the sea,

that watery defensive wall, still safe

and secure against foreign attack–

until such time as that far corner of the west

acknowledges you as her king. Until then, sweet boy,

I shall fight, and I shall not think of my home.

CONSTANCE.

O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks,

Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength

To make a more requital to your love!

Oh, take the thanks of his mother, the thanks of a widow,

until your strong hand has given him the strength

to be able to give you better thanks for your love!

AUSTRIA.

The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords

In such a just and charitable war.

The reward of those who help to fight in such a

justified war is the peace of heaven.

KING PHILIP.

Well then, to work! Our cannon shall be bent

Against the brows of this resisting town;

Call for our chiefest men of discipline,

To cull the plots of best advantages.

We'll lay before this town our royal bones,

Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood,

But we will make it subject to this boy.

Well then, let's get to work! Our cannon will be aimed

at the defences of this resistant town;

summon our chief strategists,

so that they can decide the best way to attack.

If we have to die in front of this town,

or wade through the blood of Frenchmen to get to the centre,

we will make this boy their ruler.

CONSTANCE.

Stay for an answer to your embassy,

Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood;

My Lord Chatillon may from England bring

That right in peace which here we urge in war,

And then we shall repent each drop of blood

That hot rash haste so indirectly shed.

Wait until they answer your message,

to avoid any needless bloodshed;

my Lord Chatillon might bring from England

a message peacefully resigning what we were going to fight for,

and then we shall regret every drop of blood

that we spent so unnecessarily in anger.

Enter CHATILLON

KING PHILIP.

A wonder, lady! Lo, upon thy wish,

Our messenger Chatillon is arriv'd.

What England says, say briefly, gentle lord;

We coldly pause for thee. Chatillon, speak.

A miracle, lady! Look, as you said it,

our messenger Chatillon has come.

Tell us quickly, kind lord, what the English stage;

we are holding back our battle for you. Speak, Chatillon.

CHATILLON.

Then turn your forces from this paltry siege

And stir them up against a mightier task.

England, impatient of your just demands,

Hath put himself in arms. The adverse winds,

Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time

To land his legions all as soon as I;

His marches are expedient to this town,

His forces strong, his soldiers confident.

With him along is come the mother-queen,

An Ate, stirring him to blood and strife;

With her the Lady Blanch of Spain;

With them a bastard of the king's deceas'd;

And all th' unsettled humours of the land-

Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,

With ladies' faces and fierce dragons' spleens-

Have sold their fortunes at their native homes,

Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs,

To make a hazard of new fortunes here.

In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits

Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er

Did never float upon the swelling tide

To do offence and scathe in Christendom.

[Drum beats]

The interruption of their churlish drums

Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand;

To parley or to fight, therefore prepare.

Then turn your forces away from this insignificant siege

and get them ready for a greater task.

England, unsympathetic to your justified requests,

has raised an army: the opposing winds,

which kept me waiting, have given him time

to land his armies at the same time as me;

he is marching swiftly towards this town,

his army is strong, his soldiers are confident.

Along with him has come his mother the Queen,

an Ate, urging him onto bloodshed and warfare;

with her is her granddaughter, the Lady Blanche of Spain;

with them also is a bastard of the dead king,

and all the restless men of the country;

hasty, reckless and fiery volunteers,

with the faces of ladies and the temper of dragons,

who have sold their property in their native land,

and are carrying all their possessions on their backs,

to see if they can win a new fortune here:

briefly, there was never such an army of

brave spirits ever riding across the sea

to commit crimes and harm in Christendom

as this one the English ships have carried over.

The interruption of their miserable drums

stops me saying more: they are close by,

to negotiate or to fight; so get ready.

KING PHILIP.

How much unlook'd for is this expedition!

How unexpected this invasion is!

AUSTRIA.

By how much unexpected, by so much

We must awake endeavour for defence,

For courage mounteth with occasion.

Let them be welcome then; we are prepar'd.

We must match how unexpected it is with our

efforts to defend ourselves,

for courage grows as it is needed.

So let's give them a welcome; we are ready.

Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the BASTARD,PEMBROKE, and others

KING JOHN.

Peace be to France, if France in peace permit

Our just and lineal entrance to our own!

If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven,

Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct

Their proud contempt that beats His peace to heaven!

Peaceful greetings to France, if France will peacefully allow

the justified entrance of we who are claiming our birthright!

If not, let France bleed and peace go up to heaven,

while we, the agent of God's anger, punish

their arrogant contempt that has sent peace away!

KING PHILIP.

Peace be to England, if that war return

From France to England, there to live in peace!

England we love, and for that England's sake

With burden of our armour here we sweat.

This toil of ours should be a work of thine;

But thou from loving England art so far

That thou hast under-wrought his lawful king,

Cut off the sequence of posterity,

Outfaced infant state, and done a rape

Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.

Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face:

These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his;

This little abstract doth contain that large

Which died in Geffrey, and the hand of time

Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.

That Geffrey was thy elder brother born,

And this his son; England was Geffrey's right,

And this is Geffrey's. In the name of God,

How comes it then that thou art call'd a king,

When living blood doth in these temples beat

Which owe the crown that thou o'er-masterest?

Peaceful greetings to England, if they take back their army

from France to England, to live peacefully there.

We love England; it is for the sake of England

that we are sweating here in our armour.

This work we're doing you should be doing yourselves;

but you have so little love for England

that you have undermined its lawful King,

cut off the rightful succession,

defied the infant majesty, and raped

the maidenly virtue of the Crown.

You can see your brother Geoffrey's face here;

these eyes, this forehead, were copied from his:

this little sketch contains everything

which Geoffrey had: in time it will

become a picture as great as him.

That Geoffrey was born your elder brother,

and this is his son; England was his by right,

and this belongs to Geoffrey; how in the name of God

do you come to be called the King,

when living blood still runs through the head

of the one who should be wearing the crown which you have stolen.

KING JOHN.

From whom hast thou this great commission, France,

To draw my answer from thy articles?

Where do you get this great authority, France,

to demand that I answer your accusations?

KING PHILIP.

From that supernal judge that stirs good thoughts

In any breast of strong authority

To look into the blots and stains of right.

That judge hath made me guardian to this boy,

Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,

And by whose help I mean to chastise it.

From the celestial judge which inspires good thoughts

in anyone who holds authority, making them

look into injustices.

That judge made me guardian of this boy,

and with his authority I bring charges against you,

and with his help I mean to punish you for them
.

KING JOHN.

Alack, thou dost usurp authority.

Alas, you are exceeding your authority.

KING PHILIP.

Excuse it is to beat usurping down.

It's justified to revenge a theft.

ELINOR.

Who is it thou dost call usurper, France?

Who are you calling a thief, France?

CONSTANCE.

Let me make answer: thy usurping son.

Let me answer you: your thieving son.

ELINOR.

Out, insolent! Thy bastard shall be king,

That thou mayst be a queen and check the world!