The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 147
But may imagine how the bird was dead,
Although the kite soar with unbloodied beak?
Even so suspicious is this tragedy.
Who can find a calf dead and freshly bleeding,
with a butcher standing close by with an axe,
and not think that it was he who did the slaughter?
Who sees a partridge in a kite's nest
without being able to imagine how the bird died,
even if the kite is soaring above with no blood on its beak?
That is how suspicious this tragedy is.
QUEEN.
Are you the butcher, Suffolk? Where's your knife?
Is Beaufort term'd a kite? Where are his talons?
Are you the butcher, Suffolk? Where's your knife?
Are you calling Beaufort a kite? Where are his claws?
SUFFOLK.
I wear no knife to slaughter sleeping men;
But here's a vengeful sword, rusted with ease,
That shall be scoured in his rancorous heart
That slanders me with murther's crimson badge.--
Say, if thou dar'st, proud Lord of Warwickshire,
That I am faulty in Duke Humphrey's death.
I don't carry a knife to slaughter sleeping men;
but here's a revenging sword, rusted through lack of use,
that will be cleaned in the spiteful heart of anyone
who dares to accuse me of murder.
Say, proud Lord of Warwickshire, if you dare,
that I am guilty of Duke Humphrey's death.
[Exeunt Cardinal, Somerset, and others.]
WARWICK.
What dares not Warwick, if false Suffolk dare him?
What wouldn't Warwick dare, if false Suffolk dares him?
QUEEN.
He dares not calm his contumelious spirit,
Nor cease to be an arrogant controller,
Though Suffolk dare him twenty thousand times.
He wouldn't dare to quash his arrogant spirit,
or cease to be an arrogant plotter,
if Suffolk dared him twenty thousand times.
WARWICK.
Madam, be still,--with reverence may I say;
For every word you speak in his behalf
Is slander to your royal dignity.
Madam, calm yourself. I say with respect;
every word you speak on his behalf
is an insult to your royal dignity.
SUFFOLK.
Blunt-witted lord, ignoble in demeanour!
If ever lady wrong'd her lord so much,
Thy mother took into her blameful bed
Some stern untutor'd churl, and noble stock
Was graft with crab-tree slip, whose fruit thou art,
And never of the Nevils' noble race.
Stupid and ignoble lord!
If a lady ever wronged her lord so much,
your mother took some harsh uneducated peasant
into her sinful bed, and a noble plant
was crafted with a twig of the crab apple tree, and you are
the fruit of it, you never came from the noble line of the Nevils.
WARWICK.
But that the guilt of murther bucklers thee
And I should rob the deathsman of his fee,
Quitting thee thereby of ten thousand shames,
And that my sovereign's presence makes me mild,
I would, false murtherous coward, on thy knee
Make thee beg pardon for thy passed speech
And say it was thy mother that thou meant'st,
That thou thyself was born in bastardy;
And after all this fearful homage done,
Give thee thy hire and send thy soul to hell,
Pernicious blood-sucker of sleeping men!
If it wasn't for the fact that you are guilty of murder,
and I would be robbing the executioner of his fee,
and letting you escape ten thousand shames,
and that I must behave in the presence of my sovereign,
I would, false murdering coward, make you
beg for my pardon on your knees for what you've said,
and make you admit that you were talking about your own mother,
that you were born a bastard yourself;
and after you had done all this,
I'd give you your deserts and send your soul to hell,
you evil bloodsucker of sleeping men!
SUFFOLK.
Thou shalt be waking while I shed thy blood,
If from this presence thou dar'st go with me.
You'll still be awake when I take your blood,
if you dare to step outside with me.
WARWICK.
Away even now, or I will drag thee hence.
Unworthy though thou art, I'll cope with thee
And do some service to Duke Humphrey's ghost.
Let's go now, or I'll drag you out.
Although you're not worthy, I'll deal with you
to do some kindness to Duke Humphrey's ghost.
[Exeunt Suffolk and Warwick.]
KING.
What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted!
Thrice is he arm'd that hath his quarrel just,
And he but naked, though lock'd up in steel,
Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.
What stronger armour is there than an unstained heart!
He whose quarrel is just is thrice armed,
and a man whose conscience is troubled by injustice
is always naked, even if he's wearing steel armour.
[A noise within.]
QUEEN.
What noise is this?
What's this noise?
[Re-enter Suffolk and Warwick, with their weapons drawn.]
KING.
Why, how now, lords! your wrathful weapons drawn
Here in our presence! dare you be so bold?
Why, what tumultuous clamour have we here?
Why, what's this, lords! You've drawn your angry weapons
in my presence! How can you be so bold?
Why, what is all this terrible racket?
SUFFOLK.
The traitorous Warwick with the men of Bury
Set all upon me, mighty sovereign.
The traitorous Warwick and the men of Bury
all attacked me, great sovereign.
SALISBURY.
[To the Commons, entering.] Sirs, stand apart;
the king shall know your mind.--
Dread lord, the commons send you word by me,
Unless false Suffolk straight be done to death,
Or banished fair England's territories,
They will by violence tear him from your palace
And torture him with grievous lingering death.
They say, by him the good Duke Humphrey died;
They say, in him they fear your highness' death;
And mere instinct of love and loyalty,
Free from a stubborn opposite intent,
As being thought to contradict your liking,
Makes them thus forward in his banishment.
They say, in care of your most royal person,
That if your highness should intend to sleep
And charge that no man should disturb your rest
In pain of your dislike or pain of death,
Yet, notwithstanding such a strait edict,
Were there a serpent seen, with forked tongue,
That slily glided towards your majesty,
It were but necessary you were wak'd,
Lest, being suffer'd in that harmful slumber,
The mortal worm might make the sleep eternal;
And therefore do they cry, though you forbid,
That they will guard you, whether you will or no,
From such fell serpents as false Suffolk is,
With whose envenomed and fatal sting,
Your loving uncle, twenty times his worth,
They say, is shamefully bereft of life.
Gentlemen, stand over there;
I shall tell the king what you want.
Great Lord, the common people send you word through me,
that unless false Suffolk is executed at once,
or exiled from the fair country of England,
they will drag him out of your palace by force
and torture him to a horrible slow death.
They say that he killed good Duke Humphrey;
they say that they fear he will kill your Highness;
and it is their feelings of love and loyalty,
without in any way being against you,
which makes them request that you exile him.
They say, out of care for your most royal person,
that if your Highness said he was going to sleep
and ordered that no man should disturb your rest
on pain of your displeasure or of death,
even if you had given such strict orders,
if the snake was seen, with a forked tongue,
slyly gliding towards your Majesty,
it would be necessary for you to be woken,
in case, being allowed to continue your harmful sleep,
the evil serpent might make your sleep eternal;
and so they shout that even if you forbid them,
they will guard you, whether you want it or not,
from such evil serpents as false Suffolk,
who they say has taken the life of your
loving uncle, who was worth twenty of him,
with his poisonous fatal sting.
COMMONS.
[Within.] An answer from the king, my Lord of Salisbury!
My Lord Salisbury, we want an answer from the King!
SUFFOLK.
'T is like the commons, rude unpolish'd hinds,
Could send such message to their sovereign;
But you, my lord, were glad to be employ'd,
To show how quaint an orator you are.
But all the honour Salisbury hath won
Is that he was the lord ambassador
Sent from a sort of tinkers to the king.
It is like the common people, coarse vulgar animals,
to send a message like that to their sovereign;
but you, my lord, were happy to be used by them,
to show what a great orator you are.
But all the honour Salisbury has won
from this is to say that he was the Lord Ambassador
sent from a set of tramps to the King.
COMMONS.
[Within.] An answer from the king, or we will all break in!
Give us an answer from the King, or we shall break in!
KING.
Go, Salisbury, and tell them all from me,
I thank them for their tender loving care,
And had I not been cited so by them,
Yet did I purpose as they do entreat,
For, sure, my thoughts do hourly prophesy
Mischance unto my state by Suffolk's means;
And therefore, by His majesty I swear,
Whose far unworthy deputy I am,
He shall not breathe infection in this air
But three days longer, on the pain of death.
Go, Salisbury, and tell them all from me
that I thank them for their tender loving care,
and had they not encouraged me to do so,
I still was going to do as they ask,
for I certainly now believe that
Suffolk has plans against me;
and therefore, I swear by God above,
whose greatly unworthy representative I am,
he shan't breathe his poison out into the air
of this country for more than three days, on pain of death.
[Exit Salisbury.]
QUEEN.
O Henry, let me plead for gentle Suffolk!
O Henry, let me plead for kind of Suffolk!
KING.
Ungentle queen, to call him gentle Suffolk!
No more, I say; if thou dost plead for him,
Thou wilt but add increase unto my wrath.
Had I but said, I would have kept my word,
But when I swear, it is irrevocable.--
If, after three days' space, thou here be'st found
On any ground that I am ruler of,
The world shall not be ransom for thy life.--
Come, Warwick, come, good Warwick, go with me;
I have great matters to impart to thee.
Unkind Queen, calling him kind Suffolk!
That's enough, I say; if you plead for him,
all you'll do is make me more angry.
If I'd only said it, I would have kept my word,
but when I swear, it cannot be taken back.
If, after three days from now, you are discovered
on any land that I am ruler of,
the whole world couldn't pay for you to escape execution.
Come, Warwick, come, good Warwick, come with me;
I have great business to discuss with you.
[Exeunt all but Queen and Suffolk.]
QUEEN.
Mischance and sorrow go along with you!
Heart's discontent and sour affliction
Be playfellows to keep you company!
There's two of you; the devil make a third!
And threefold vengeance tend upon your steps!
May bad luck and sorrow follow you!
May unhappiness and horrible illness
be your playmates to keep you company!
There are two of you; may the devil be the third!
And may a triple vengeance follow you!
SUFFOLK.
Cease, gentle queen, these execrations,
And let thy Suffolk take his heavy leave.
Stop these curses, my sweet Queen,
and let your Suffolk take his sorrowful leave.
QUEEN.
Fie, coward woman and soft-hearted wretch,
Has thou not spirit to curse thine enemy?
Why, you cowardly woman and softhearted wretch,
haven't you got enough spirit to curse your enemies?
SUFFOLK.
A plague upon them! wherefore should I curse them?
Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan,
I would invent as bitter-searching terms,
As curst, as harsh and horrible to hear,
Deliver'd strongly through my fixed teeth,
With full as many signs of deadly hate,
As lean-fac'd Envy in her loathsome cave.
My tongue should stumble in mine earnest words;
Mine eyes should sparkle like the beaten flint;
Mine hair be fix'd an end, as one distract;
Ay, every joint should seem to curse and ban;
And even now my burthen'd heart would break,
Should I not curse them. Poison be their drink!
Gall, worse than gall, the daintiest that they taste!
Their sweetest shade a grove of cypress-trees!
Their chiefest prospect murthering basilisks!
Their softest touch as smart as lizards' stings!
Their music frightful as the serpent's hiss,
And boding screech-owls make the consort full!
All the foul terrors in dark-seated hell--
A plague upon them! Why should I curse them?
If curses could kill them, like the shriek of the mandrake,
I would invent the most bitter curses ever
uttered, as harsh and horrible to hear,
spat through my gritted teeth,
with as many indicators of deadly hate
as hollow cheeked envy in her horrible cave.
My tongue would stumble over the strength of my words;
my eyes would sparkle like kindled flints;
my hair would stand on end, like a madman;
yes, every joint would se
em to curse them;
and my heavy heart would break in two
if I did not curse them. May they drink poison!
May everything they taste be the bitterest thing imaginable!
May their only shade be a grove of cypress trees!
May all they see be murdering basilisks!
May the softest thing that touches them sting like a lizard!
May their music be as terrible as the hiss of a serpent,
and foreboding screech owls make up the orchestra!
All the foul terrors in the depths of hell–
QUEEN.
Enough, sweet Suffolk; thou torment'st thyself;
And these dread curses, like the sun 'gainst glass,
Or like an overcharged gun, recoil
And turns the force of them upon thyself.
Enough, sweet Suffolk; you're torturing yourself;
and these terrible curses, like the sun on glass,
or like an overloaded gun, recoil
and turns the force of them back on yourself.
SUFFOLK.
You bade me ban, and will you bid me leave?
Now, by the ground that I am banish'd from,
Well could I curse away a winter's night,
Though standing naked on a mountain top
Where biting cold would never let grass grow,
And think it but a minute spent in sport.
You told me to curse, and now you're telling me to stop?
Now, by the country that I am banished from,
I could spend a whole winter's night cursing,
even if I was standing naked on a mountaintop
where biting cold never lets the grass grow,
and think that it was just a minute of fun.
QUEEN.
O, let me entreat thee cease. Give me thy hand,
That I may dew it with my mournful tears;
Nor let the rain of heaven wet this place,
To wash away my woeful monuments.
O, could this kiss be printed in thy hand,
That thou mightest think upon these by the seal,
Through whom a thousand sighs are breath'd for thee!