The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 64
can reasonably be forgotten, and never used
against him, or to charge him in any way
for what he said, as he retracts it now.
KING.
Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners,
But with proviso and exception,
That we at our own charge shall ransom straight
His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
Who, on my soul, hath wilfully betray'd
The lives of those that he did lead to fight
Against that great magician, damn'd Glendower,
Whose daughter, as we hear, the Earl of March
Hath lately married. Shall our coffers, then,
Be emptied to redeem a traitor home?
Shall we buy treason? and indent with fears
When they have lost and forfeited themselves?
No, on the barren mountains let him starve;
For I shall never hold that man my friend
Whose tongue shall ask me for one penny cost
To ransom home revolted Mortimer.
Yes, but he still withholds the prisoners,
laying down the condition that
I should at my own expense ransom at once
his brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
someone who, I swear, willfully betrayed
the lives of the oneshe led in battle
against that great magician, damned Glendower,
whose daughter, we're told, the Earl of March
has recently married. So should I empty my
treasure chests to bring home a traitor?
Should I pay for treason? And make an agreement
for those who have lost and forfeited themselves?
No, let him starve on the barren mountains;
I won't think of any man as my friend
if he asks me to pay one penny
in ransom for the rebel Mortimer.
HOT.
Revolted Mortimer!
He never did fall off, my sovereign liege,
But by the chance of war:to prove that true
Needs no more but one tongue for all those wounds,
Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took,
When on the gentle Severn's sedgy bank,
In single opposition, hand to hand,
He did confound the best part of an hour
In changing hardiment with great Glendower.
Three times they breathed, and three times did they drink,
Upon agreement, of swift Severn's flood;
Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid his crisp head in the hollow bank
Blood-stained with these valiant combatants.
Never did base and rotten policy
Colour her working with such deadly wounds;
Nor never could the noble Mortimer
Receive so many, and all willingly:
Then let not him be slander'd with revolt.
The rebel Mortimer!
He never let you down, my royal lord,
except through thechances of war: that can be proved
just by hearing about all those wounds,
those gaping wounds, which he bravely took,
when on the grassy banks of the sweet Severn
he rebuffed great Glendower
for the best part of an hour, matching
his bravery in single combat.
They paused for breath three times, and to drink
by agreement from the waters of the Severn,
which was so frightened by their bloody appearance,
that it ran fearfully amongst its trembling reeds,
and hid its rippling head under the hollow banks,
stained with the blood of these brave fighters.
No wretched or rotten cunning
ever risked receiving such deadly wounds,
and the noble Mortimer could not
have taken so many, and all of them willingly:
so don't let him be accused of rebellion.
King.
Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost belie him;
He never did encounter with Glendower:
I tell thee,
He durst as well have met the Devil alone
As Owen Glendower for an enemy.
Art not ashamed? But, sirrah, henceforth
Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer:
Send me your prisoners with the speediest means,
Or you shall hear in such a kind from me
As will displease you.--My Lord Northumberland,
We license your departure with your son.--
Send us your prisoners, or you'll hear of it.
You are lying for him, Percy, lying,
he never fought Glendower:
I tell you, he might as well have met the devil in single combat
as to fight with Owen Glendower.
Are you not ashamed? But Sir, from now on
don't let me hear you speak of Mortimer:
send me your prisoners by the quickest way possible,
or you shall hear from me in such a way
that you won't like it. My Lord Northumberland:
I give you permission to leave with your son.
Send us your prisoners, or you will hear of it.
[Exeunt King Henry, Blunt, and train.]
HOT.
An if the Devil come and roar for them,
I will not send them:I will after straight,
And tell him so; for I will ease my heart,
Although it be with hazard of my head.
And if the devil came and asked for them,
I wouldn't send them: I'll follow after him,
and tell him so; for I will ease my heart,
even though it's at the risk of my head.
NORTH.
What, drunk with choler? stay, and pause awhile:
Here comes your uncle.
What, are you drunk with anger? Wait, pause awhile:
here comes your uncle.
[Re-enter Worcester.]
HOT.
Speak of Mortimer!
Zounds, I will speak of him; and let my soul
Want mercy, if I do not join with him:
Yea, on his part I'll empty all these veins,
And shed my dear blood drop by drop i' the dust,
But I will lift the down-trod Mortimer
As high i' the air as this unthankful King,
As this ingrate and canker'd Bolingbroke.
Speak of Mortimer!
By God, I will speak of him; and may my soul
not find mercy, if I do not help him:
for him I will empty all these veins,
and let my dear blood run drop by drop into the dust,
but I will lift the downtrodden Mortimer
as high in the air as this thankless King
as this ungrateful and rotten Bolingbroke.
NORTH.
[To Worcester.]
Brother, the King hath made your nephew mad.
Brother, the King has made your nephew mad.
WOR.
Who struck this heat up after I was gone?
Who stirred up this anger after I was gone?
HOT.
He will, forsooth, have all my prisoners;
And when I urged the ransom once again
Of my wife's brother, then his cheek look'd pale,
And on my face he turn'd an eye of death,
Trembling even at the name of Mortimer.
By God, he wants all my prisoners;
and when I once again asked him to ransom
my wife's brother, then he went pale,
and he turned a deathly look on me,
trembling even at the name of Mortimer.
WOR.
I cannot blame him:was not he proclaim'd
By Richard that dead is the next of blood?
I can't blame him: wasn't he announc
ed
by dead Richard as the next in line?
NORTH.
He was; I heard the proclamation:
And then it was when the unhappy King--
Whose wrongs in us God pardon!--did set forth
Upon his Irish expedition;
From whence he intercepted did return
To be deposed, and shortly murdered.
He was; I heard the announcement:
and it was then that the unhappy king–
May God forgive us for his sins!–Set out
on his Irish expedition;
from which he was intercepted and returned
to be overthrown, and quickly murdered.
WOR.
And for whose death we in the world's wide mouth
Live scandalized and foully spoken of.
And for the death of whom we are widely
condemned and foully spoken of.
HOT.
But, soft! I pray you; did King Richard then
Proclaim my brother Edmund Mortimer
Heir to the crown?
But, wait! Tell me please; did King Richard
proclaim that my brother Edmund Mortimer
was the heir to the crown?
NORTH.
He did; myself did hear it.
He did; I heard it myself.
HOT.
Nay, then I cannot blame his cousin King,
That wish'd him on the barren mountains starve.
But shall it be, that you, that set the crown
Upon the head of this forgetful man,
And for his sake wear the detested blot
Of murderous subornation,--shall it be,
That you a world of curses undergo,
Being the agents, or base second means,
The cords, the ladder, or the hangman rather?--
O, pardon me, that I descend so low,
To show the line and the predicament
Wherein you range under this subtle King;--
Shall it, for shame, be spoken in these days,
Or fill up chronicles in time to come,
That men of your nobility and power
Did gage them both in an unjust behalf,--
As both of you, God pardon it! have done,--
To put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,
And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolingbroke?
And shall it, in more shame, be further spoken,
That you are fool'd, discarded, and shook off
By him for whom these shames ye underwent?
No! yet time serves, wherein you may redeem
Your banish'd honours, and restore yourselves
Into the good thoughts of the world again;
Revenge the jeering and disdain'd contempt
Of this proud King, who studies day and night
To answer all the debt he owes to you
Even with the bloody payment of your deaths:
Therefore, I say,--
No, then I cannot blame his cousin the King,
for wanting him to starve on the barren mountains.
But it may be that you who put the crown
on the head of this forgetful man,
and who for his sake wear the revolting stain
of murderous disobedience–is it the case
that you suffer a world of curses,
being the agents, or the low seconders,
the rope, the ladder, or are you the hangman?
Oh, pardon me, that I speak so basely
to show you the position and danger
you are in under the rule of this cunning King!
Will it be spoken of with shame now,
or in the histories of times to come,
that men of your own ability and power
both fought for an unjust cause
(as both of you, God forgive you, have done)
to throw down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,
and plant this thorn bush, this rotten Bolingbroke?
And shall it be further said, more shamefully,
that you were tricked, ignored, rejected
by the one for whom you undertook such a shame?
No, there is still time for you to recover
your lost honour, and put yourselves
back into the good thoughts of the world:
revenge the jeering and disdainful contempt
of this proud king, who is thinking day and night
of how to repay the debt he owes you,
which he shall repay with your bloody deaths:
therefore, I say–
WOR.
Peace, cousin, say no more:
And now I will unclasp a secret book,
And to your quick-conceiving discontent
I'll read you matter deep and dangerous;
As full of peril and adventurous spirit
As to o'er-walk a current roaring loud
On the unsteadfast footing of a spear.
Peace, cousin, say no more:
I will now reveal a secret matter,
and to your hasty discontent
I'll tell you about deep and dangerous things;
as full of danger and adventure
as trying to walk over roaring torrent
just balancing on an unsteady spear.
HOT.
If we fall in, good night, or sink or swim!
Send danger from the east unto the west,
So honour cross it from the north to south,
And let them grapple. O, the blood more stirs
To rouse a lion than to start a hare!
If we fall in, good night, sink or swim!
Send danger from the East to the West,
so that honour can cross it from the North to South,
and let them fight: it's more exciting
to hunt a lion than a hare.
NORTH.
Imagination of some great exploit
Drives him beyond the bounds of patience.
Imagining some great exploit
is making him hotheaded.
HOT.
By Heaven, methinks it were an easy leap,
To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced Moon;
Or dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honour by the locks;
So he that doth redeem her thence might wear
Without corrival all her dignities:
But out upon this half-faced fellowship!
By heaven, I think it would be an easy task
to go and steal the light of honour from the pale faced moon;
or to dive to the bottom of the ocean,
were thedepths could never be measured,
and pull up ground on by its hair;
so that the one who saved her could then
lay claim to the badge of honour:
but I'm dammed if I'll share it!
WOR.
He apprehends a world of figures here,
But not the form of what he should attend.--
Good cousin, give me audience for a while.
It's all very well him talking,
but he doesn't understand the substance–
good cousin, listen to me for a while.
HOT.
I cry you mercy.
Please excuse me.
WOR.
Those same noble Scots
That are your prisoners,--
Those noble Scots
who are your prisoners–
HOT.
I'll keep them all;
By God, he shall not have a Scot of them;
No, if a Scot would save his soul, he shall not:
I'll keep them, by this hand.
I'll keep them all;
by God, he shall not have one of them,
not if he needed one to save his soul, he will not:
I swear that I will keep them.
WOR.
You start
away,
And lend no ear unto my purposes.
Those prisoners you shall keep;--
You're rushing off,
and not listening to my point.
You will keep those prisoners–
HOT.
Nay, I will; that's flat.
He said he would not ransom Mortimer;
Forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer;
But I will find him when he lies asleep,
And in his ear I'll holla Mortimer!
Nay,I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak
Nothing but Mortimer, and give it him,
To keep his anger still in motion.
No, I will, that's flat.
He said he would not ransom Mortimer;
he forbade me from talking of Mortimer;
but I will find him when he's lying asleep,
and in his ear I'll shout “Mortimer!”
No, I'll get a starling and train him to say
nothing but Mortimer, and give it to him,
to make him permanently angry.
WOR.
Hear you, cousin; a word.
Listen, cousin; word.
HOT.
All studies here I solemnly defy,
Save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke:
And that same sword-and-buckler Prince of Wales,
But that I think his father loves him not,
And would be glad he met with some mischance,
I'd have him poison'd with a pot of ale.
I solemnly swear I will study nothing else
except how I can annoy and pinch this Bolingbroke:
and that identical swaggerer the Prince of Wales,
except for the fact I think his father doesn't love him,
and would be glad if he met with some accident,
I'd have someone give him some poisoned beer.
WOR.
Farewell, kinsman:I will talk to you
When you are better temper'd to attend.
Farewell, kinsman: I will talk to you
when you are in a more listening mood.
NORTH.
Why, what a wasp-stung and impatient fool
Art thou, to break into this woman's mood,