The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 131
Where is my other life? I have lost mine;
oh where is young Talbot? Where is brave John?
Triumphant death, who has me in your grasp,
young Talbot's bravery makes me smile at you:
when he saw me drop down onto my knees,
he waved his bloody sword over me,
and, like a hungry lion, began
great deeds of rage and stern defiance.
But when my angry protector stood alone,
taking care of my downfall and attacked by none,
wild eyed anger and a great rage in his heart
made him suddenly run from my side
into the gathering group of French soldiers,
and in that sea of blood my boy drowned
his overwhelming spirit, and there he died,
my Icarus, my offspring, in his pride.
SERVANT.
O my dear lord, lo where your son is borne!
O my dear lord, look, they are carrying your son!
[Enter soldiers, with the body of young Talbot.]
TALBOT.
Thou antic Death, which laugh'st us here to scorn,
Anon, from thy insulting tyranny,
Coupled in bonds of perpetuity,
Two Talbots, winged through the lither sky,
In thy despite shall 'scape mortality.
O thou, whose wounds become hard-favor'd death,
Speak to thy father ere thou yield thy breath!
Brave death by speaking, whether he will or no;
Imagine him a Frenchman and thy foe.
Poor boy! he smiles, methinks, as who should say,
Had death been French, then death had died to-day.
Come, come and lay him in his father's arms:
My spirit can no longer bear these harms.
Soldiers, adieu! I have what I would have,
Now my old arms are young John Talbot's grave.
You jester death, who mocks us with his laughter,
soon, two Talbots shall fly through the yielding sky,
joined together forever, flying away from your insulting tyranny,
escaping mortality in spite of you.
Oh you, whose wounds are certainly mortal,
speak to your father before you stop breathing!
Out face death by speaking, whether he wants you to or not;
imagine he's a Frenchman, and your enemy.
Poor boy! He smiles, I think, as if he's saying,
if death had been French, then death would have died today. Come, come and put him in his father's arms:
my spirit can no longer tolerate this misery.
Soldiers, farewell! I have everything I want,
now that my old arms make a grave for young John Talbot.
[Dies.]
[Enter Charles, Alencon, Burgundy, Bastard,
La Pucelle, and forces.]
CHARLES.
Had York and Somerset brought rescue in,
We should have found a bloody day of this.
If York and Somerset had come to the rescue,
we should have had a bloody time of it.
BASTARD.
How the young whelp of Talbot's, raging-wood,
Did flesh his puny sword in Frenchmen's blood!
How that young puppy of Talbot's, raging mad,
covered his little sword with the blood of Frenchmen.
PUCELLE.
Once I encounter'd him, and thus I said:
'Thou maiden youth, be vanquish'd by a maid.'
But, with a proud majestical high scorn,
He answer'd thus: 'Young Talbot was not born
To be the pillage of a giglot wench:'
So, rushing in the bowels of the French,
He left me proudly, as unworthy fight.
I came across him once, and I said to him,
“You virgin youth, be beaten by a virgin."
But, with a proud majestic haughty arrogance,
he answered me thus: “Young Talbot wasn't born
to be the victim of a lower class slut."
So, rushing into the heart of the French forces,
he left me proudly, as an unworthy opponent.
BURGUNDY.
Doubtless he would have made a noble knight:
See, where he lies inhearsed in the arms
Of the most bloody nurser of his harms!
No doubt he would have made a noble knight:
look, where he is lying dead in the arms
of the one who caused all this bloodshed!
BASTARD.
Hew them to pieces, hack their bones asunder,
Whose life was England's glory, Gallia's wonder.
Hack them to pieces, tear their bones apart,
their life was the glory of England, the amazement of France.
CHARLES.
O, no, forbear! for that which we have fled
During the life, let us not wrong it dead.
Oh no, hold off! Let's not insult when dead
what we fled in life.
[Enter Sir William Lucy, attended; Herald of the French
preceding.]
LUCY.
Herald, conduct me to the Dauphin's tent,
To know who hath obtain'd the glory of the day.
Herald, take me to the tent of the Dauphin,
to find out what has happened today.
CHARLES.
On what submissive message art thou sent?
What humble message have you been sent with?
LUCY.
Submission, Dauphin! 'tis a mere French word;
We English warriors wot not what it means.
I come to know what prisoners thou hast ta'en,
And to survey the bodies of the dead.
Humble, Dauphin! That's just a French word;
we English warriors don't know what it means.
I have come to ask what prisoners you have captured,
and to count the bodies of the dead.
CHARLES.
For prisoners ask'st thou? hell our prison is.
But tell me whom thou seek'st.
You're asking for prisoners? We send our prisoners to hell.
But tell me who you are looking for.
LUCY.
But where's the great Alcides of the field,
Valiant Lord Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury,
Created for his rare success in arms,
Great Earl of Washford, Waterford, and Valence;
Lord Talbot of Goodrig and Urchinfield,
Lord Strange of Blackmere, Lord Verdun of Alton,
Lord Cromwell of Wingfield, Lord Furnival of Sheffield,
The thrice-victorious Lord of Falconbridge;
Knight of the noble order of Saint George,
Worthy Saint Michael, and the Golden Fleece;
Great marshal to Henry the Sixth
Of all his wars within the realm of France?
I want to know where the great Hercules of the battlefield is,
Brave Lord Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury,
ennobled for his great success in battle,
Great Earl of Washford, Waterford, and Valence;
Lord Talbot of Goodrig and Urchinfield,
Lord Strange of Blackmere, Lord Verdun of Alton,
Lord Cromwell of Wingfield, Lord Furnival of Sheffield,
The thrice-victorious Lord of Falconbridge;
Knight of the noble order of Saint George,
Worthy Saint Michael, and the Golden Fleece;
Great marshal to Henry the Sixth
in all his wars within the great realm of France?
PUCELLE.
Here's a silly stately style indeed!
The Turk, that two and fifty kingdoms hath,
Writes not so tedious a style as this.
Him that thou magnifiest with all these titles
Stinking and fly-blown lies here at our feet.
Here's a stupid stately way of talking!
The T
urk, who has fifty two kingdoms,
doesn't write in such a tedious style as this.
The person that you enlarge with all those titles
is lying here stinking and covered in flies at our feet.
LUCY.
Is Talbot slain, the Frenchman's only scourge,
Your kingdom's terror and black Nemesis?
O, were mine eye-balls into bullets turn'd,
That I in rage might shoot them at your faces!
O, that I could but call these dead to life!
It were enough to fright the realm of France:
Were but his picture left amongst you here,
It would amaze the proudest of you all.
Give me their bodies, that I may bear them hence
And give them burial as beseems their worth.
Has Talbot been killed, the great punisher of the French,
the terror of your kingdom and your black nemesis?
Oh, I wish my eyeballs would turn into bullets,
so in my anger I could shoot them in your faces!
Oh, if I could only call these dead back to life!
It would be enough to terrify the country of France
if we just left his picture amongst you,
it would confuse the most arrogant of you.
Give me their bodies, so I can take them away
and give them the burial they deserve.
PUCELLE.
I think this upstart is old Talbot's ghost,
He speaks with such a proud commanding spirit,
For God's sake, let him have 'em; to keep them here,
They would but stink, and putrify the air.
I think this upstart is the ghost of old Talbot,
he has such a bossy arrogant way of speaking.
For God's sake, let him take them; if we keep them here
they will just stink and spread infection.
CHARLES.
Go, take their bodies hence.
Go, take their bodies away.
LUCY.
I 'll bear them hence; but from their ashes shall be
rear'd
A phoenix that shall make all France afeard.
I'll take them away; but a Phoenix shall rise from their ashes
that will terrify all of France.
CHARLES.
So we be rid of them, do with 'em what thou wilt.
And now to Paris, in this conquering vein:
All will be ours, now bloody Talbot's slain.
As long as we are rid of them, do what you want with them.
And now we shall go to Paris, to continue our conquest:
we shall have everything, now that bloody Talbot is dead.
[Exeunt.]
[Sennet. Enter King, Gloucester, and Exeter.]
KING.
Have you perused the letters from the pope,
The emperor, and the Earl of Armagnac?
Have you read letters from the Pope,
the Emperor and the Earl of Armagnac?
GLOUCESTER.
I have, my lord: and their intent is this:
They humbly sue unto your excellence
To have a godly peace concluded of
Between the realms of England and of France.
I have, my lord: and this is what they say:
they humbly entreat your Majesty
to arrange a godly peace
between the kingdoms of England and France.
KING.
How doth your grace affect their motion?
And what does your grace think of their request?
GLOUCESTER.
Well, my good lord; and as the only means
To stop effusion of our Christian blood
And stablish quietness on every side.
I like it, my good lord, as the only way
to stop more Christian blood being spilled
and to settle calm on each side.
KING.
Aye, marry, uncle; for I always thought
It was both impious and unnatural
That such immanity and bloody strife
Should reign among professors of one faith.
Yes indeed, uncle; I have always thought
it was both unnatural and impious
that such enmity and bloody strife
should rule amongst people from the same faith.
GLOUCESTER.
Beside, my lord, the sooner to effect
And surer bind this knot of amity,
The Earl of Armagnac, near knit to Charles,
A man of great authority in France,
Proffers his only daughter to your grace
In marriage, with a large and sumptuous dowry.
Besides, my lord, in order to speed up
and make firmer this bond of friendship,
the Earl of Armagnac, closely related to Charles,
a man of very high position in France,
offers his only daughter to your Grace
in marriage, with a large and rich dowry.
KING.
Marriage, uncle! alas, my years are young!
And fitter is my study and my books
Than wanton dalliance with a paramour.
Yet call the ambassadors; and, as you please,
So let them have their answers every one:
I shall be well content with any choice
Tends to God's glory and my country's weal.
Marriage, uncle! Alas, I am still young!
I'm more suited to schoolwork and my books
than to loose carrying on with a lover.
But call in the ambassadors and give them
the answers you think appropriate:
I will be happy with any choice
that enhances the glory of God and my country's fortunes.
[Enter Winchester in Cardinal's habit, a Legate
and two Ambassadors.]
EXETER.
What! is my Lord of Winchester install'd
And call'd unto a cardinal's degree?
Then I perceive that will be verified
Henry the Fifth did sometime prophesy,
'If once he come to be a cardinal,
He'll make his cap co-equal with the crown.'
What! Has my Lord of Winchester been
appointed as a cardinal?
Then I see that what Henry the Fifth
once prophesied will come true:
“If he ever becomes a cardinal,
he'll make his position equal with the Crown."
KING.
My lords ambassadors, your several suits
Have been consider'd and debated on.
Your purpose is both good and reasonable;
And therefore are we certainly resolved
To draw conditions of a friendly peace;
Which by my Lord of Winchester we mean
Shall be transported presently to France.
My lords ambassadors, your different requests
have been considered and debated.
What you ask is both good and reasonable;
so we have certainly decided
that we will draw up a peace treaty;
I intend my Lord of Winchester
to take it to France at once.
GLOUCESTER.
And for the proffer of my lord your master,
I have inform'd his highness so at large,
As liking of the lady's virtuous gifts,
Her beauty and the value of her dower,
He doth intend she shall be England's Queen.
As for the offer to my Lord from your master,
I have informed his Highness of it,
and admiring the lady's goodness and accomplishments,
her beauty and the value of her dowry,
he has decided that she shall be England's Queen.
KING.
In argument and proof of which contract,
Bear her this jewel, pledge of my affection.
And so, my lord protecto
r, see them guarded
And safely brought to Dover; where inshipp'd,
Commit them to the fortune of the sea.
And to seal and give proof of this decision,
take this jewel as a token of my affection.
And so, my lord protector, make sure they are escorted
safely to Dover, get them on their ship
and give them to the fortune of the sea.
[Exeunt all but Winchester and Legate.]
WINCHESTER.
Stay my lord legate: you shall first receive
The sum of money which I promised
Should be deliver'd to his holiness
For clothing me in these grave ornaments.
Wait my lord legate: you must have
the sum of money which I promised
would be given to the Pope
for appointing me cardinal.
LEGATE.
I will attend upon your lordship's leisure.
I shall be ready whenever your lordship is.
WINCHESTER.
[Aside] Now Winchester will not submit, I trow,
Or be inferior to the proudest peer.
Humphrey of Gloucester, thou shalt well perceive
That neither in birth or for authority,
The bishop will be overborne by thee:
I 'll either make thee stoop and bend thy knee,
Or sack this country with a mutiny.
Now I don't believe that Winchester will agree
to be inferior to any of the peers.
Humphrey of Gloucester, you shall see
that the bishop will not be below you,
in position or power:
I'll either make you bow down to me,
or start a civil war in this country.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter Charles, Burgundy, Alencon, Bastard,