The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 60
And if I die no soul will pity me:
And wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?
Methought the souls of all that I had murder'd
Came to my tent, and every one did threat
To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.
Give me another horse! Bandage my wounds!
Have mercy, Jesus!–Wait, I was just dreaming.
You cowardly conscience, how you make me suffer!
The light is burning blue; it is now the stroke of midnight.
Cold sweat stands on my trembling skin.
What do I fear? Myself? There's no one else here;
Richard loves Richard, I am with me.
Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am!
Then run. What, from myself? Why should I,
unless I'm taking revenge? What, revenge on myself?
Alas, I love myself. Why? Have I done
myself any good?
Oh no, alas, I actually hate myself
for the hateful things I have done.
I am a villain–I'm lying, I am not!
Fool, speak well of yourself! Fool, do not flatter.
My conscience has several thousand voices,
and every voice has several stories,
and every story shows me to be a villain:
perjury, perjury of the highest order;
murder, terrible murder, of the worst type;
many sins, all explored to the fullest,
bear witness against me, all crying, ‘Guilty, guilty!’
I shall despair. There is no creature who loves me,
and if I die, no soul will pity me–
and why should they, since I can find
nothing in myself to pity?
I thought that the souls of all whom I had murdered
came to my tent, and every one threatened
that tomorrow Richard would suffer their revenge.
Enter RATCLIFF
RATCLIFF.
My lord!
My Lord!
KING RICHARD.
Zounds, who is there?
By God, who is there?
RATCLIFF.
Ratcliff, my lord; 'tis I. The early village-cock
Hath twice done salutation to the morn;
Your friends are up and buckle on their armour.
It is I, my lord, Ratcliffe. The early cockerel
has greeted the morning twice;
your friends are up and arming themselves.
KING RICHARD.
O Ratcliff, I have dream'd a fearful dream!
What think'st thou-will our friends prove all true?
Oh Ratcliff, I had a terrible dream!
What do you think–will our friends all be loyal?
RATCLIFF.
No doubt, my lord.
There is no doubt, my lord.
KING RICHARD.
O Ratcliff, I fear, I fear.
Ratcliffe, I am afraid.
RATCLIFF.
Nay, good my lord, be not afraid of shadows.
No, my good lord, do not be afraid of shadows.
KING RICHARD.
By the apostle Paul, shadows to-night
Have stuck more terror to the soul of Richard
Than can the substance of ten thousand soldiers
Armed in proof and led by shallow Richmond.
'Tis not yet near day. Come, go with me;
Under our tents I'll play the eaves-dropper,
To see if any mean to shrink from me.
By the apostle Paul, tonight the shadows
have given the soul of Richard more terror
than the reality of ten thousand soldiers
armed to the teeth and led by pathetic Richmond.
It's not close to daylight yet. Come with me;
I shall listen in around our tents,
to see if anyone intends to fail me.
Exeunt
Enter the LORDS to RICHMOND sitting in his tent
LORDS.
Good morrow, Richmond!
Good day, Richmond!
RICHMOND.
Cry mercy, lords and watchful gentlemen,
That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.
Forgive me, lords and watchful gentlemen,
you are following a lazy man.
LORDS.
How have you slept, my lord?
How did you sleep, my lord?
RICHMOND.
The sweetest sleep and fairest-boding dreams
That ever ent'red in a drowsy head
Have I since your departure had, my lords.
Methought their souls whose bodies Richard murder'd
Came to my tent and cried on victory.
I promise you my soul is very jocund
In the remembrance of so fair a dream.
How far into the morning is it, lords?
Since you left me, my lords, I have had
the sweetest sleep and the most propitious dreams
that ever came into a sleepy head.
I thought the souls of those whom Richard had murdered
came to my tent and urged me on to victory.
I promise you my soul is very cheerful
remembering such a good dream.
How far are we into the morning, lords?
LORDS.
Upon the stroke of four.
It's exactly four.
RICHMOND.
Why, then 'tis time to arm and give direction.
His ORATION to his SOLDIERS
More than I have said, loving countrymen,
The leisure and enforcement of the time
Forbids to dwell upon; yet remember this:
God and our good cause fight upon our side;
The prayers of holy saints and wronged souls,
Like high-rear'd bulwarks, stand before our faces;
Richard except, those whom we fight against
Had rather have us win than him they follow.
For what is he they follow? Truly, gentlemen,
A bloody tyrant and a homicide;
One rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd;
One that made means to come by what he hath,
And slaughtered those that were the means to help him;
A base foul stone, made precious by the foil
Of England's chair, where he is falsely set;
One that hath ever been God's enemy.
Then if you fight against God's enemy,
God will in justice ward you as his soldiers;
If you do sweat to put a tyrant down,
You sleep in peace, the tyrant being slain;
If you do fight against your country's foes,
Your country's foes shall pay your pains the hire;
If you do fight in safeguard of your wives,
Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors;
If you do free your children from the sword,
Your children's children quits it in your age.
Then, in the name of God and all these rights,
Advance your standards, draw your willing swords.
For me, the ransom of my bold attempt
Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold face;
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully;
God and Saint George! Richmond and victory!
Why then, it's time to arm and give orders.
There is not time, loving countrymen
to say more than I have said.
But remember this:
God, and our justified cause, fight on our side;
the prayers of holy saints and wronged souls
rise up before us like battlements.
Apart from Richard, those whom we fight
would rather that we won than him.
For who is he that they follow? Truly, gent
lemen,
a bloody tyrant and a murderer;
one advanced through bloody deeds, and put in his position by them;
one who made plans to win what he has,
and murdered those who helped him with his plans;
he is a foul pebble, whose only value is the setting
of England's throne, where he has been falsely placed;
someone who has always been an enemy to God.
So, if you fight against the enemy of God,
God will, in his justice, reward you as his soldiers;
if you work hard to destroy a tyrant,
you will sleep in peace, when the tyrant is slain;
if you fight against the enemies of your country,
the wealth of your country shall reward you;
if you fight to protect your wives,
your wives shall welcome home the conquerors;
if you release your children from the threat of the sword,
your grandchildren will pay you back for it when you are old.
So, in the name of God and all these things,
advance your banners, draw your winning swords!
If I fail in my bold attempt
I shall pay for it with my death;
but if I succeed, you shall share in the
proceeds of victory.
Ring out, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheerfully!
For God and St George! Richmond and victory!
Exeunt
Re-enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFF, attendants,
and forces
KING RICHARD.
What said Northumberland as touching
Richmond?
What did Northumberland say about Richmond?
RATCLIFF.
That he was never trained up in arms.
That he was never trained as a soldier.
KING RICHARD.
He said the truth; and what said Surrey
then?
He was speaking the truth; and what did Surrey reply?
RATCLIFF.
He smil'd, and said 'The better for our purpose.'
He smiled, and said, ‘All the better for us.'
KING.
He was in the right; and so indeed it is.
[Clock strikes]
Tell the clock there. Give me a calendar.
Who saw the sun to-day?
He was right; it certainly is.
Count the strokes of the clock. Give me a calendar.
Who saw the sun today?
RATCLIFF.
Not I, my lord.
Not me, my lord.
KING RICHARD.
Then he disdains to shine; for by the book
He should have brav'd the east an hour ago.
A black day will it be to somebody.
Ratcliff!
Then he's refusing to shine; for the book says
he should have risen in the east an hour ago.
It will be a black day for somebody.
Ratcliffe!
RATCLIFF.
My lord?
My lord?
KING RICHARD.
The sun will not be seen to-day;
The sky doth frown and lour upon our army.
I would these dewy tears were from the ground.
Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me
More than to Richmond? For the selfsame heaven
That frowns on me looks sadly upon him.
The sun will not be seen today;
the sky is frowning and bearing down on our army.
I wish this dew would rise from the ground.
Not shine today! Why, why should that mean more to me
than it does to Richmond? The very same heaven
that frowns on me is looking sadly on him.
Enter NORFOLK
NORFOLK.
Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the field.
Arm yourself, my lord; the enemy is in the field.
KING RICHARD.
Come, bustle, bustle; caparison my horse;
Call up Lord Stanley, bid him bring his power.
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,
And thus my battle shall be ordered:
My foreward shall be drawn out all in length,
Consisting equally of horse and foot;
Our archers shall be placed in the midst.
John Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Earl of Surrey,
Shall have the leading of this foot and horse.
They thus directed, we will follow
In the main battle, whose puissance on either side
Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse.
This, and Saint George to boot! What think'st thou,
Norfolk?
Come, hurry, hurry; dress my horse;
call up Lord Stanley, tell him to bring his forces.
I will lead my soldiers onto the battlefield,
and this is how we shall fight:
my front line shall be stretched out,
comprised of equal numbers of cavalry and infantry;
our archers shall be placed in the middle.
John, Duke of Norfolk, and Thomas, Earl of Surrey,
shall lead the cavalry and infantry;
with them doing that, I shall follow
with the main force, whose strength shall be
well enforced on either side with our best cavalry.
This, and St George as well! What do you think, Norfolk?
NORFOLK.
A good direction, warlike sovereign.
This found I on my tent this morning.
A good plan, soldierly King.
I found this on my tent this morning.
[He sheweth him a paper]
KING RICHARD.
[Reads]
'Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold,
For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.'
A thing devised by the enemy.
Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge.
Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls;
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe.
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us to it pell-mell;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.
His ORATION to his ARMY
What shall I say more than I have inferr'd?
Remember whom you are to cope withal-
A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and runaways,
A scum of Britaines, and base lackey peasants,
Whom their o'er-cloyed country vomits forth
To desperate adventures and assur'd destruction.
You sleeping safe, they bring to you unrest;
You having lands, and bless'd with beauteous wives,
They would restrain the one, distain the other.
And who doth lead them but a paltry fellow,
Long kept in Britaine at our mother's cost?
A milk-sop, one that never in his life
Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow?
Let's whip these stragglers o'er the seas again;
Lash hence these over-weening rags of France,
These famish'd beggars, weary of their lives;
Who, but for dreaming on this fond exploit,
For want of means, poor rats, had hang'd themselves.
If we be conquered, let men conquer us,
And not these bastard Britaines, whom our fathers
Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd,
And, in record, left them the heirs of shame.
Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our wives,
Ravish our daughters?[Drum afar off]Hark! I hear their
drum.
Fight, gentlemen of England! Fight, bold yeomen!
Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head!
Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood;
Amaze the welkin with your broken sta
ves!
Enter a MESSENGER
What says Lord Stanley? Will he bring his power?
‘Jockey of Norfolk, don't be so brave:
Dick your master is accounted for.’
Something invented by the enemy.
Go, gentlemen: everyone take your command!
Don't let our foolish dreams worry our souls;
conscience is just a word that cowards use,
invented to control the strong.
Our strong arms are our conscience, our swords are our law.
March on! Fight bravely. Let us go fiercely–
if not to heaven, then hand-in-hand to hell!
What can I say, more than I have already suggested?
Remember whom you are fighting:
vagabonds, rascals and runaways;
a scum of Frenchmen and lowdown peasants,
whom their packed country has vomited out
on desperate adventures and certain destruction.
As you were sleeping safe they brought you disturbances;
as you have lands and beautiful wives,
they want to seize one and dishonour the other.
And who is leading them but some weak fellow,
who has lived long in Brittany at my brother's expense?
A milksop! One who has never suffered the
slightest hardship in his life.
Let's drive the stragglers back over the sea,
whip these arrogant beggars of France back there,
these hungry beggars who are tired of life–
if they didn't have this stupid adventure to dream of
they would have hung themselves for lack of money.
If we are to be conquered, let us be conquered by men!
And not these bastard Frenchman, whom our fathers
thrashed in their own country,
and shamed them throughout history.
Shall these people have our lands? Sleep with our wives?
Rape our daughters?
Listen, I can hear their drum.