The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
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is wasteful and foolishly excessive.
PEMBROKE.
But that your royal pleasure must be done,
This act is as an ancient tale new told
And, in the last repeating, troublesome,
Being urged at a time unseasonable.
Except for your royal insistence,
this act is like an old story retold
and, in this retelling, it is troublesome,
because this is the wrong time for it.
SALISBURY.
In this the antique and well-noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured;
And like a shifted wind unto a sail
It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about,
Startles and frights consideration,
Makes sound opinion sick, and truth suspected,
For putting on so new a fashion'd robe.
This is disfiguring the ancient and well-known
face of the simple old rules;
like a changing wind with a sail
it makes the course of thoughts change,
it disturbs and worries contemplation,
makes good opinions seem bad, makes truth seem like lies,
putting on such a newly made robe.
PEMBROKE.
When workmen strive to do better than well,
They do confound their skill in covetousness;
And oftentimes excusing of a fault
Doth make the fault the worse by th' excuse,
As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault
Than did the fault before it was so patch'd.
When workmen try to do better than well,
they defeat their own skill in doing so;
often trying to repair a fault
makes the fault worse when repairing it,
like patches put on a little damage
which look worse in trying to hide it
than the damage did before it was patched.
SALISBURY.
To this effect, before you were new-crown'd,
We breath'd our counsel; but it pleas'd your Highness
To overbear it; and we are all well pleas'd,
Since all and every part of what we would
Doth make a stand at what your Highness will.
This is what we advised you before
you were crowned for the second time; but your Highness
decided to overrule us; and we were all well pleased,
since everything that we want and believe
must be matched with what your Highness decides.
KING JOHN.
Some reasons of this double coronation
I have possess'd you with, and think them strong;
And more, more strong, when lesser is my fear,
I shall indue you with. Meantime but ask
What you would have reform'd that is not well,
And well shall you perceive how willingly
I will both hear and grant you your requests.
I have given you some reasons for this
second coronation, and I think they are good ones;
and when my fear is lessened I will give you more,
stronger ones. Meanwhile just say
what you think is not good and want changed,
and you will see clearly how willing I am
both to hear and to grant your requests.
PEMBROKE.
Then I, as one that am the tongue of these,
To sound the purposes of all their hearts,
Both for myself and them- but, chief of all,
Your safety, for the which myself and them
Bend their best studies, heartily request
Th' enfranchisement of Arthur, whose restraint
Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent
To break into this dangerous argument:
If what in rest you have in right you hold,
Why then your fears-which, as they say, attend
The steps of wrong-should move you to mew up
Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days
With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercise?
That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occasions, let it be our suit
That you have bid us ask his liberty;
Which for our goods we do no further ask
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal he have his liberty.
Then, as I'm the spokesman for all of these,
and know what they think in their hearts,
both for myself and for them, but chiefly
for your safety, which myself and them
do everything they can for, heartily request
that Arthur should be freed: his imprisonment
is making the whispers of discontent
erupt into a dangerous argument:
if you have a right to all your possessions,
then why are you so afraid, which they say is
a sign of wrong doing, that you imprison
your young kinsman, and suffocate him
with a lack of education, and refuse his youth
the great benefits of good exercise?
So that your enemies at this time cannot have
this to use as an excuse, let the request you told us
to make be that you give him his freedom;
we only ask this for our own good insofar as
our good depends on your good,
and it will do you good to set him free.
KING JOHN.
Let it be so. I do commit his youth
To your direction.
Let it be so. I entrust this youth
to your guardianship.
Enter HUBERT
[Aside]Hubert, what news with you?
Hubert, what's the news?
PEMBROKE.
This is the man should do the bloody deed:
He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine;
The image of a wicked heinous fault
Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his
Doth show the mood of a much troubled breast,
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done
What we so fear'd he had a charge to do.
This is the man who should have done the bloody deed:
he showed his warrant to a friend of mine;
the look in his eye shows that he has committed some
terrible wicked sin; that stern face of his
reveals the mood of a very troubled heart,
and I fear that he has performed the thing
which we were so afraid he had been ordered to do.
SALISBURY.
The colour of the King doth come and go
Between his purpose and his conscience,
Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set.
His passion is so ripe it needs must break.
The King's face goes red and pale, alternating
between his desires and his conscience,
like heralds running between two terrible armies.
He's so full of passion he must explode.
PEMBROKE.
And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence
The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.
And when he does, I fear that out of him will come
the revolting stench of the death of a sweet child.
KING JOHN.
We cannot hold mortality's strong hand.
Good lords, although my will to give is living,
The suit which you demand is gone and dead:
He tells us Arthur is deceas'd to-night.
We cannot stop the strong hand of death.
Good lords, although I still want to give you what you want,
what you asked for is dead and gone:
he has told me that Arthur died tonight.
SALI
SBURY.
Indeed, we fear'd his sickness was past cure.
Indeed, we were afraid his illness was incurable.
PEMBROKE.
Indeed, we heard how near his death he was,
Before the child himself felt he was sick.
This must be answer'd either here or hence.
Indeed, we heard how near death he was,
before the child even thought he was ill.
This must be answered for either here or in future.
KING JOHN.
Why do you bend such solemn brows on me?
Think you I bear the shears of destiny?
Have I commandment on the pulse of life?
Why are you frowning at me like that?
Do think that I have influence over destiny?
Do I control the pulse of life?
SALISBURY.
It is apparent foul-play; and 'tis shame
That greatness should so grossly offer it.
So thrive it in your game! and so, farewell.
It is obvious foul play; and it's shameful
that one of the great should do such a horrible thing.
May you get what you deserve! And so, farewell.
PEMBROKE.
Stay yet, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with thee
And find th' inheritance of this poor child,
His little kingdom of a forced grave.
That blood which ow'd the breadth of all this isle
Three foot of it doth hold-bad world the while!
This must not be thus borne: this will break out
To all our sorrows, and ere long I doubt.
Wait, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with you
and find the inheritance of this poor child,
his little kingdom of his early grave.
The lad who had a right to this whole island
has just three feet of it –what a wicked world!
This must not be tolerated: it will be revealed
to all our detriment, and before long I'm sure.
Exeunt LORDS
KING JOHN.
They burn in indignation. I repent.
There is no sure foundation set on blood,
No certain life achiev'd by others' death.
Enter a MESSENGER
A fearful eye thou hast; where is that blood
That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks?
So foul a sky clears not without a storm.
Pour down thy weather-how goes all in France?
They burn with indignation. I repent.
There is no solid foundation to be found in blood,
no certainty of life to be found in the death of others.
[Enter a messenger]
You look scared; where is the blood
that I have seen filling those cheeks?
A foul sky like this won't clear without a storm,
let it all pour out–what's happening in France?
MESSENGER.
From France to England. Never such a pow'r
For any foreign preparation
Was levied in the body of a land.
The copy of your speed is learn'd by them,
For when you should be told they do prepare,
The tidings comes that they are all arriv'd.
France is coming to England. No country
ever raised such a force
for a foreign expedition.
They have learned from copying your speed,
so that when you are told that they are preparing
you will get the news that they have arrived.
KING JOHN.
O, where hath our intelligence been drunk?
Where hath it slept? Where is my mother's care,
That such an army could be drawn in France,
And she not hear of it?
Oh, where have our spies been drunk?
Where did they sleep? How careless has my mother been,
that such an army could be raised in France,
and her not hear of it?
MESSENGER.
My liege, her ear
Is stopp'd with dust: the first of April died
Your noble mother; and as I hear, my lord,
The Lady Constance in a frenzy died
Three days before; but this from rumour's tongue
I idly heard-if true or false I know not.
My lord, her ears
are blocked with dust: your noble mother died
on the first of April; and I have heard, my lord,
the Lady Constance died in a fit
three days before; but I heard this from
idle gossip–I don't know if it's true or false.
KING JOHN.
Withhold thy speed, dreadful occasion!
O, make a league with me, till I have pleas'd
My discontented peers! What! mother dead!
How wildly then walks my estate in France!
Under whose conduct came those pow'rs of France
That thou for truth giv'st out are landed here?
Disaster, don't rush on so quickly!
Make peace with me, until I have pacified
my unhappy peers! What! Mother dead!
How unruly then my lands in France are!
Who is leading those French forces
that you tell me have landed here?
MESSENGER.
Under the Dauphin.
They are led by the Dauphin.
KING JOHN.
Thou hast made me giddy
With these ill tidings.
Enter the BASTARD and PETER OF POMFRET
Now! What says the world
To your proceedings? Do not seek to stuff
My head with more ill news, for it is full.
You have made me dizzy
with all this bad news.
[Enter the Bastard and Peter of Pomfret]
Now! What news do you have
of your business? Don't try and put
more bad news in my head, because it's full.
BASTARD.
But if you be afear'd to hear the worst,
Then let the worst, unheard, fall on your head.
But if you're afraid to hear the worst,
then let the worst, unheard, fall on your head.
KING JOHN.
Bear with me, cousin, for I was amaz'd
Under the tide; but now I breathe again
Aloft the flood, and can give audience
To any tongue, speak it of what it will.
Bear with me cousin, I was overwhelmed
by the tide of bad news; but now I can breathe again
above the flood, and can hear
what anyone has to say, whatever it is.
BASTARD.
How I have sped among the clergymen
The sums I have collected shall express.
But as I travell'd hither through the land,
I find the people strangely fantasied;
Possess'd with rumours, full of idle dreams.
Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear;
And here's a prophet that I brought with me
From forth the streets of Pomfret, whom I found
With many hundreds treading on his heels;
To whom he sung, in rude harsh-sounding rhymes,
That, ere the next Ascension-day at noon,
Your Highness should deliver up your crown.
The business I have done amongst the clergymen
will be shown by the sums I have collected.
But as I travelled around the country,
I find that the people are in a strange mood;
they are full of rumours and idle dreams,
they don't know what they're afraid of, but they are very afraid;
and here's a prophet that I brought with me
from out of the streets of Pomfret, whom I found
with many hundreds following him;
and he was singing to them, in coarse vulgar rhymes,
&nbs
p; that before noon on the next Ascension Day
your Highness would give up his crown.
KING JOHN.
Thou idle dreamer, wherefore didst thou so?
You idle dreamer, why were you doing that?
PETER.
Foreknowing that the truth will fall out so.
Because I know that that is what will happen.
KING JOHN.
Hubert, away with him; imprison him;
And on that day at noon whereon he says
I shall yield up my crown let him be hang'd.
Deliver him to safety; and return,
For I must use thee.
Exit HUBERT with PETER
O my gentle cousin,
Hear'st thou the news abroad, who are arriv'd?
Hubert, take him away; put him in prison;
and at noon on that day on which he says
I shall give up my crown let him be hanged.
Put him in prison; then come back,
for I need you.
Oh my gentle cousin,
have you heard the latest news about who has come?
BASTARD.
The French, my lord; men's mouths are full of it;
Besides, I met Lord Bigot and Lord Salisbury,
With eyes as red as new-enkindled fire,
And others more, going to seek the grave
Of Arthur, whom they say is kill'd to-night
On your suggestion.
The French, my lord; everyone is talking about it;
besides, I met Lord Bigot and Lord Salisbury,
with their eyes as red as a newly lit fire,
and others besides, going to look for the grave
of Arthur, whom they say was killed tonight
on your orders.
KING JOHN.
Gentle kinsman, go
And thrust thyself into their companies.
I have a way to win their loves again;
Bring them before me.
Sweet kinsman, go