The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
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and join their company.
I have a way to win back their love;
bring them to me.
BASTARD.
I will seek them out.
I will go and find them.
KING JOHN.
Nay, but make haste; the better foot before.
O, let me have no subject enemies
When adverse foreigners affright my towns
With dreadful pomp of stout invasion!
Be Mercury, set feathers to thy heels,
And fly like thought from them to me again.
No, but hurry; put your best foot forward.
Oh, don't let me have any native enemies
while opposing foreigners frighten my towns
with dreadful displays of harsh invasion!
Be like Mercury, have winged feet,
and go from them back to me as quickly as thought.
BASTARD.
The spirit of the time shall teach me speed.
The spirit of the time shall show me how to be quick.
KING JOHN.
Spoke like a sprightful noble gentleman.
Said like a spirited noble gentleman.
Exit BASTARD
Go after him; for he perhaps shall need
Some messenger betwixt me and the peers;
And be thou he.
Follow him; he may need
some messenger between me and the peers;
let that be you.
MESSENGER.
With all my heart, my liege.
With all my heart, my lord.
Exit
KING JOHN.
My mother dead!
My mother dead!
Re-enter HUBERT
HUBERT.
My lord, they say five moons were seen to-night;
Four fixed, and the fifth did whirl about
The other four in wondrous motion.
My Lord, they say that five moons were seen tonight;
four were still, and the fifth span around
the other four in an astonishing way.
KING JOHN.
Five moons!
Five moons!
HUBERT.
Old men and beldams in the streets
Do prophesy upon it dangerously;
Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths;
And when they talk of him, they shake their heads,
And whisper one another in the ear;
And he that speaks doth gripe the hearer's wrist,
Whilst he that hears makes fearful action
With wrinkled brows, with nods, with rolling eyes.
I saw a smith stand with his hammer, thus,
The whilst his iron did on the anvil cool,
With open mouth swallowing a tailor's news;
Who, with his shears and measure in his hand,
Standing on slippers, which his nimble haste
Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet,
Told of a many thousand warlike French
That were embattailed and rank'd in Kent.
Another lean unwash'd artificer
Cuts off his tale, and talks of Arthur's death.
Old men and witches in the streets
prophesy danger from it;
they are all talking about the death of young Arthur;
and when they talk of him, they shake their heads,
and whisper to each other;
and the one who's talking grabs the wrist of his listener,
and the listener works his face
with frowns, nods, rolling eyes.
I saw a smith standing like this with his hammer,
whilst his iron cooled on the anvil,
open mouthed while he listened to the news of a tailor;
he stood with his shears and tape measure in his hand,
wearing slippers which in his hurry he had
wrongly put on the opposite feet,
telling a tale of many thousands of warlike French
who were lined up and ready for battle in Kent.
Another skinny unwashed workman
interrupted him and spoke about Arthur's death.
KING JOHN.
Why seek'st thou to possess me with these fears?
Why urgest thou so oft young Arthur's death?
Thy hand hath murd'red him. I had a mighty cause
To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him.
Why are you trying to worry me like this?
Why do you speak so often about the death of young Arthur?
It was you who murdered him. I had a great reason
for wanting him dead, but you had no reason to kill him.
HUBERT.
No had, my lord! Why, did you not provoke me?
I had no reason, my lord! Why, did you not order me?
KING JOHN.
It is the curse of kings to be attended
By slaves that take their humours for a warrant
To break within the bloody house of life,
And on the winking of authority
To understand a law; to know the meaning
Of dangerous majesty, when perchance it frowns
More upon humour than advis'd respect.
It is the curse of kings that they are surrounded
by slaves who think that their moods are orders
to attack the bodies of others,
and that the wink of a person in authority
is the same as a law; they think they know what
a dangerous king means, when he might be frowning
just because of his mood rather than what he wants.
HUBERT.
Here is your hand and seal for what I did.
Here are your sealed written orders for what I did.
KING JOHN.
O, when the last account 'twixt heaven and earth
Is to be made, then shall this hand and seal
Witness against us to damnation!
How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Make deeds ill done! Hadst not thou been by,
A fellow by the hand of nature mark'd,
Quoted and sign'd to do a deed of shame,
This murder had not come into my mind;
But, taking note of thy abhorr'd aspect,
Finding thee fit for bloody villainy,
Apt, liable to be employ'd in danger,
I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death;
And thou, to be endeared to a king,
Made it no conscience to destroy a prince.
Oh, when Judgement Day comes,
this writing and this seal
will be the evidence which sends me to hell!
How often the presence of the means to do wrong
encourages one to do wrong! If you hadn't been standing by,
a fellow marked out by the hand of nature
as one designed to do shameful deeds,
I would not have thought of this murder;
but, observing your horrible face,
seeing that you were suited to bloody villainy,
good to be used for dangerous purposes,
I faintly mentioned Arthur's death to you;
and you, to get the favour of a king,
didn't care about killing a prince.
HUBERT.
My lord-
My lord–
KING JOHN.
Hadst thou but shook thy head or made pause,
When I spake darkly what I purposed,
Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face,
As bid me tell my tale in express words,
Deep shame had struck me dumb, made me break off,
And those thy fears might have wrought fears in me.
But thou didst understand me by my signs,
And didst in signs again parley with sin;
Yea, without stop, didst let thy heart consent,
And consequently thy rude hand to act
The deed which both our tongues held vile to name
.
Out of my sight, and never see me more!
My nobles leave me; and my state is braved,
Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign pow'rs;
Nay, in the body of the fleshly land,
This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath,
Hostility and civil tumult reigns
Between my conscience and my cousin's death.
If you had just shaken your head or paused,
when I hinted at what I planned,
or turned a doubtful eye to my face,
telling me to say what I meant outright,
deep shame would have struck me down, made me stop,
and your worries might have created worries in me.
But you understood what I was hinting at,
and you hinted that you were ready to do this sin;
without a pause you let your heart agree to,
and after that your rough hand to do,
the deed which both of us dared not speak aloud.
Get out of my sight, I don't want to see you again!
My nobles have left me; my country is under attack
even at my gates with foreign armies;
and within my body,
this prison of blood and breath,
there is a civil war going on
between my conscience and the death of my cousin.
HUBERT.
Arm you against your other enemies,
I'll make a peace between your soul and you.
Young Arthur is alive. This hand of mine
Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand,
Not painted with the crimson spots of blood.
Within this bosom never ent'red yet
The dreadful motion of a murderous thought
And you have slander'd nature in my form,
Which, howsoever rude exteriorly,
Is yet the cover of a fairer mind
Than to be butcher of an innocent child.
Arm yourself against your other enemies,
I will make peace between you and your soul.
Young Arthur is alive. This hand of mine
is still unsullied and innocent,
not covered in blood.
My heart has never entertained
the dreadful notion of committing murder
and you have wronged my nature,
for however rough the outside looks
it covers a mind that is too good
to become the butcher of an innocent child.
KING JOHN.
Doth Arthur live? O, haste thee to the peers,
Throw this report on their incensed rage
And make them tame to their obedience!
Forgive the comment that my passion made
Upon thy feature; for my rage was blind,
And foul imaginary eyes of blood
Presented thee more hideous than thou art.
O, answer not; but to my closet bring
The angry lords with all expedient haste.
I conjure thee but slowly; run more fast.
Is Arthur alive? Oh, hurry to the peers,
confront their anger with this news
and make them obedient again!
Forgive the comments that I made in anger
against your appearance; my anger made me blind,
and imagining the bloodshed I thought you had done
made you look more hideous than you are.
Oh, do not answer me; but bring the angry lords
to my room as quick as you can.
I am wasting time with my request; run faster than I ask you.
Exeunt
England. Before the castle
Enter ARTHUR, on the walls
ARTHUR.
The wall is high, and yet will I leap down.
Good ground, be pitiful and hurt me not!
There's few or none do know me; if they did,
This ship-boy's semblance hath disguis'd me quite.
I am afraid; and yet I'll venture it.
If I get down and do not break my limbs,
I'll find a thousand shifts to get away.
As good to die and go, as die and stay.
[Leaps down]
O me! my uncle's spirit is in these stones.
Heaven take my soul, and England keep my bones!
[Dies]
The wall is high, but I will still jump down.
Good ground, pity me and don't hurt me!
Hardly anyone knows me; if they did
this sailor boy's disguise makes me unknowable.
I am afraid; and yet I'll risk it.
If I get down and don't break my limbs,
there are a thousand ways for me to escape.
I might just as well die escaping as die staying.
[Leaps down]
Alas! The spirit of my uncle is in the stones.
Heaven receive my soul, and England keep my bones!
Enter PEMBROKE, SALISBURY, and BIGOT
SALISBURY.
Lords, I will meet him at Saint Edmundsbury;
It is our safety, and we must embrace
This gentle offer of the perilous time.
Lords, I will meet him at St Edmundsbury;
this will make us safe, and we must accept
this kind offer in this dangerous time.
PEMBROKE.
Who brought that letter from the Cardinal?
Who brought that letter from the cardinal?
SALISBURY.
The Count Melun, a noble lord of France,
Whose private with me of the Dauphin's love
Is much more general than these lines import.
Count Melun, a noble lord of France,
who privately told me that the Dauphin's love
is much more comprehensive than is written down.
BIGOT.
To-morrow morning let us meet him then.
Then let us meet him tomorrow morning.
SALISBURY.
Or rather then set forward; for 'twill be
Two long days' journey, lords, or ere we meet.
Or rather let us set out then; it will be
a journey of two long days, lords, before we meet.
Enter the BASTARD
BASTARD.
Once more to-day well met, distemper'd lords!
The King by me requests your presence straight.
Good to see you once again today, upset lords!
Through me the king asks you to go and see him at once.
SALISBURY.
The King hath dispossess'd himself of us.
We will not line his thin bestained cloak
With our pure honours, nor attend the foot
That leaves the print of blood where'er it walks.
Return and tell him so. We know the worst.
The King has lost us.
We will not line his thin stained cloak
with our honour, nor shall we wait on the foot
that leaves a bloody footprint wherever it walks.
Go back and tell him so. We know the worst.
BASTARD.
Whate'er you think, good words, I think, were best.
Whatever you think, I think that good words are the best.
SALISBURY.
Our griefs, and not our manners, reason now.
We are being guided by our sorrows, not our manners.
BASTARD.
But there is little reason in your grief;
Therefore 'twere reason you had manners now.
But there is no reason for your sorrow;
therefore you should be showing some manners now.
PEMBROKE.
Sir, sir, impatience hath his privilege.
Sir, allowances can be made for anger.
BASTARD.
'Tis true-to hurt his master, no man else.
That's true–allowing it to hurt his master, and no one else.
SALISBURY.
This is the prison. What is he lies here?
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This is the prison. Who is this lying here?
PEMBROKE.
O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty!
The earth had not a hole to hide this deed.
Oh death, made so proud by destroying this pure princely beauty!
There is no grave to hide this action.
SALISBURY.
Murder, as hating what himself hath done,
Doth lay it open to urge on revenge.
It's as if murder hates what he himself has done,
and leaves it out in the open to encourage revenge.
BIGOT.
Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave,
Found it too precious-princely for a grave.
Or, when he sentenced this beauty to a grave,
decided that it was too precious for the grave.
SALISBURY.
Sir Richard, what think you? Have you beheld,
Or have you read or heard, or could you think?
Or do you almost think, although you see,
That you do see? Could thought, without this object,
Form such another? This is the very top,
The height, the crest, or crest unto the crest,
Of murder's arms; this is the bloodiest shame,
The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke,
That ever wall-ey'd wrath or staring rage
Presented to the tears of soft remorse.
Sir Richard, what do you think? Have you seen,
or have you read or heard, or could you think?
Or do you almost think, even though you see,
that you see? Could you possibly have these thoughts
without this evidence? This is the very top,
the very highest point of
murder; this is the bloodiest shame,
the wildest savagery, the most evil stroke,