The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 124
MORTIMER.
Richard Plantagenet, my friend, is he come?
Has Richard Plantagenet, my friend, come?
PLANTAGENET.
Aye, noble uncle, thus ignobly used,
Your nephew, late despised Richard, comes.
Yes, noble uncle, who has been so poorly treated,
your nephew, the recently despised Richard, has come.
MORTIMER.
Direct mine arms I may embrace his neck,
And in his bosom spend my latter gasp:
O, tell me when my lips do touch his cheeks,
That I may kindly give one fainting kiss.
And now declare, sweet stem from York's great stock,
Why didst thou say of late thou wert despised?
Move my arms so that I may embrace him,
and die with my head on his chest:
oh, tell me when my lips touch his cheeks,
so that I can give him one last weak family kiss.
Now tell me, sweet offshoot of the great tree of York,
why did you say that you were despised at the moment?
PLANTAGENET.
First, lean thine aged back against mine arm;
And, in that case, I'll tell thee my disease.
This day, in argument upon a case,
Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me;
Among which terms he used his lavish tongue
And did upbraid me with my father's death:
Which obloquy set bars before my tongue,
Else with the like I had requited him.
Therefore, good uncle, for my father's sake,
In honor of a true Plantagenet
And for alliance sake, declare the cause
My father, Earl of Cambridge, lost his head.
Firstly, lean your old back against my arm;
and, when you've done that, I'll tell you my problem.
Today, arguing over a legal case,
there was an exchange of words between myself and Somerset;
during this he used his extravagant tongue
to make remarks about my father's death:
this slander rendered me speechless,
otherwise I would have paid him back in the same kind.
Therefore, good uncle, for my father's sake,
for the honour of a true Plantagenet,
and for the sake of family loyalty, tell me the reason
my father, Earl of Cambridge, was beheaded.
MORTIMER.
That cause, fair nephew, that imprison'd me
And hath detain'd me all my flowering youth
Within a loathsome dungeon, there to pine,
Was cursed instrument of his decease.
The same reason, fair nephew, that I have been imprisoned,
and have spent my entire youth
inside a horrid dungeon, to pine away,
that is what killed him.
PLANTAGENET.
Discover more at large what cause that was,
For I am ignorant and cannot guess.
Give me more details as to the reason,
for I do not know and I cannot guess.
MORTIMER.
I will, if that my fading breath permit,
And death approach not ere my tale be done.
Henry the Fourth, grandfather to this king,
Deposed his nephew Richard, Edward's son,
The first-begotten and the lawful heir
Of Edward king, the third of that descent;
During whose reign the Percies of the north,
Finding his usurpation most unjust,
Endeavour'd my advancement to the throne.
The reason moved these warlike lords to this
Was, for that--young King Richard thus removed,
Leaving no heir begotten of his body--
I was the next by birth and parentage;
For by my mother I derived am
From Lionel Duke of Clarence, third son
To King Edward the Third; whereas he
From John of Gaunt doth bring his pedigree,
Being but fourth of that heroic line.
But mark: as in this haughty great attempt
They labored to plant the rightful heir,
I lost my liberty and they their lives.
Long after this, when Henry the Fifth,
Succeeding his father Bolingbroke, did reign,
Thy father, Earl of Cambridge, then derived
From famous Edmund Langley, Duke of York,
Marrying my sister that thy mother was,
Again in pity of my hard distress.
Levied an army, weening to redeem
And have install'd me in the diadem:
But, as the rest, so fell that noble earl
And was beheaded. Thus the Mortimers,
In whom the title rested, were suppress'd.
I will, if my failing breath allows me,
and death does not take me before my story is finished.
Henry the Fourth, grandfather of the current king,
overthrew his nephew Richard, the son of Edward,
the firstborn and the lawful heir
of Edward, the third King in that line,
and during his reign the Percys of the North,
thinking his overthrow extremely unjust,
attempted to place me on the throne.
The reason these warlike lords had for this was
that–with young Richard dead,
leaving no direct heir–
I was next in line through birth and ancestry:
for on my mother's side I am descended
from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son
of King Edward the Third, whereas he
is descended from John of Gaunt,
only fourth in that heroic genealogy.
But you can see that in this noble great attempt
at installing the rightful heir on the throne
I lost my freedom and they lost their lives.
Long after this, when Henry the Fifth,
succeeding his father Bolingbroke, ruled,
your father, then Earl of Cambridge–descended
from famous Edmund Langley, Duke of York–
married my sister, your mother,
and again, out of pity at my horrid predicament,
raised an army, intending to free me
and give me the Crown.
But that noble Earl failed like the rest,
and was beheaded. So the Mortimers,
who have the right to the title, were suppressed.
PLANTAGENET.
Of which, my lord, your honor is the last.
And you are the last of them, my lord.
MORTIMER.
True; and thou seest that I no issue have,
And that my fainting words do warrant death:
Thou art my heir; the rest I wish thee gather:
But yet be wary in thy studious care.
True, and you see I have no children,
and that my halting words show I am dying:
you are my heir; I want you to think about what that means:
but be careful what you do with your discoveries.
PLANTAGENET.
Thy grave admonishments prevail with me:
But yet, methinks, my father's execution
Was nothing less than bloody tyranny.
Your grave warnings will be noted:
but still, I think that my father's execution
was nothing less than the act of a bloody tyrant.
MORTIMER.
With silence, nephew, be thou politic:
Strong-fixed is the house of Lancaster,
And like a mountain not to be removed.
But now thy uncle is removing hence;
As princes do their courts, when they are cloy'd
With long continuance in a settled place.
Make sure you keep a diplomatic silence, nephew:
the house of
Lancaster is firmly fixed,
and you might as well try to move a mountain.
But now your uncle is moving from here;
in the same way that Princes move their courts, when they are bored
by staying too long in one place.
PLANTAGENET.
O, uncle, would some part of my young years
Might but redeem the passage of your age!
Oh, uncle, if only I could give some of my youth
to take away some of your age!
MORTIMER.
Thou dost then wrong me, as that slaughterer doth
Which giveth many wounds when one will kill.
Mourn not, except thou sorrow for my good;
Only give order for my funeral:
And so farewell, and fair be all thy hopes,
And prosperous be thy life in peace and war!
Then you would be harming me, like a slaughterer who
gives many wounds when one would do for killing.
Do not mourn, except for sorrow at any good in me;
just arrange my funeral.
And so farewell, and may you be successful
and prosperous in peace and in war!
[Dies.]
PLANTAGENET.
And peace, no war, befall thy parting soul!
In prison hast thou spent a pilgrimage,
And like a hermit overpass'd thy days.
Well, I will lock his counsel in my breast;
And what I do imagine let that rest.
Keepers, convey him hence; and I myself
Will see his burial better than his life.
[Exeunt Jailers, bearing out the body of Mortimer.]
Here dies the dusky torch of Mortimer,
Choked with ambition of the meaner sort:
And for those wrongs, those bitter injuries,
Which Somerset hath offer'd to my house,
I doubt not but with honour to redress;
And therefore haste I to the parliament,
Either to be restored to my blood,
Or make my will the advantage of my good.
And may peace, not war, come to your departing soul!
You have spent the time of a pilgrimage in prison,
and like a hermit you have lived beyond your time.
Well, I shall lock his advice away in my heart;
and let my imagination rest for the moment.
Jailers, take him away; I myself
will make sure he is treated better in death than he was in life.
Here dies the failing torch of Mortimer,
extinguished by the ambition of lower men:
and for those wrongs, those bitter insults,
which Somerset offered to my family,
I do not doubt I shall honourably punish them;
and therefore I hurry to the Parliament,
either to be given back my rightful place,
or to assert my will to get what I deserve.
[Exit.]
[Flourish. Enter King, Exeter, Gloucester, Warwick, Somerset,
and Suffolk; the Bishop of Winchester, Richard Plantagenet, and
others. Gloucester offers to put up a bill; Winchester snatches
it, tears it.]
WINCHESTER.
Comest thou with deep premeditated lines,
With written pamphlets studiously devised,
Humphrey of Gloucester? If thou canst accuse,
Or aught intend'st to lay unto my charge.
Do it without invention, suddenly;
As I with sudden and extemporal speech
Purpose to answer what thou canst object.
Have you come with a preplanned text,
carefully written long thought out pamphlets,
Humphrey of Gloucester? If you have accusations,
or intend to charge me with anything,
do it at once, don't use your rhetorical style;
I intend to answer your accusations
immediately, off-the-cuff.
GLOUCESTER.
Presumptuous priest! this place commands my patience,
Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonor'd me.
Think not, although in writing I preferr'd
The manner of thy vile outrageous crimes,
That therefore I have forged, or am not able
Verbatim to rehearse the method of my pen:
No, prelate; such is thy audacious wickedness,
Thy lewd, pestiferous and dissentious pranks,
As very infants prattle of thy pride.
Thou art a most pernicious usurer,
Froward by nature, enemy to peace;
Lascivious, wanton, more than well beseems
A man of thy profession and degree;
And for thy treachery, what's more manifest
In that thou laid'st a trap to take my life,
As well at London-bridge as at the Tower.
Beside, I fear me, if thy thoughts are sifted
The king, thy sovereign, is not quite exempt
From envious malice of thy swelling heart.
Arrogant priest, this place demands I keep calm,
or you would be punished for your insult.
Do not think that just because I wrote down
the details of your revolting terrible crimes
that I have made anything up or cannot
repeat orally what I have written.
No, bishop, such is your blatant wickedness,
your lecherous, dirty and disloyal goings on,
that even children talk about your arrogance.
You are an evil moneylender,
perverse by nature, an enemy to peace,
lusty and profligate–more than suits
a man of your calling and rank.
As for your treachery, what could be more obvious
than that you laid traps to take my life,
at London Bridge as well as at the Tower?
Also, I'm afraid, if your thoughts could be read,
the King, your sovereign, does not quite escape
the envious malice in your puffed up heart.
WINCHESTER.
Gloucester, I do defy thee. Lords, vouchsafe
To give me hearing what I shall reply.
If I were covetous, ambitious, or perverse,
As he will have me, how am I so poor?
Or how haps it I seek not to advance
Or raise myself, but keep my wonted calling?
And for dissension, who preferreth peace
More than I do?--except I be provoked.
No, my good lords, it is not that offends;
It is not that that hath incensed the duke:
It is, because no one should sway but he;
No one but he should be about the king;
And that engenders thunder in his breast,
And makes him roar these accusations forth.
But he shall know I am as good--
Gloucester, I spurn you. Lords, do me the honour
of listening to my reply.
If I were covetous, ambitious or perverse,
as he accuses, why am I so poor?
Why have I not tried to advance
or promote myself, but kept to my usual vocation?
As for dissent, who prefers peace
more than I do?–Unless I am provoked.
No, my good lords, it is not that that has caused offence;
it is not that that has angered the Duke:
it is, because he wants no want to have power but him;
no one but him should be around the King;
and that makes the thunder brew up in his breast,
and makes him shout out these accusations.
But he will know that I am as good–
GLOUCESTER.
As good!
Thou bastard of my grandfather!
As good!
You bastard of my grandfather!
WINCHESTER.
Aye, lordly sir; fo
r what are you, I pray,
But one imperious in another's throne?
Yes, lordly sir; and what are you, tell me,
but someone who plays the King on another's throne?
GLOUCESTER.
Am I not protector, saucy priest?
Am I not the Regent, cheeky priest?
WINCHESTER.
And am not I a prelate of the church?
And am I not a Bishop of the church?
GLOUCESTER.
Yes, as an outlaw in a castle keeps
And useth it to patronage his theft.
Yes, like an outlaw who stays in a castle
and uses it to help his thievery.
WINCHESTER.
Unreverent Gloster!
Irreverent Gloucester!
GLOUCESTER.
Thou art reverent
Touching thy spiritual function, not thy life.
You are reverent
when doing your spiritual job, not in your life.
WINCHESTER.
Rome shall remedy this.
Rome shall make you pay for this.
WARWICK.
Roam thither, then.
Go there then.
SOMERSET.
My lord, it were your duty to forbear.
My lord, you really must stop this.
WARWICK.
Ay, see the bishop be not overborne.
Yes, make sure the Bishop is not oppressed.
SOMERSET.
Methinks my lord should be religious,
And know the office that belongs to such.
I think my lord should be religious,
and show the respect religious men deserve.
WARWICK.
Methinks his lordship should be humbler;
It fitteth not a prelate so to plead.
I think his Lordship should be more humble:
it's not right for a Bishop to be accused like this.
SOMERSET.
Yes, when his holy state is touch'd so near.