Follow me, soldiers; we'll find a way
to reconcile you all with the king.
[Exeunt.]
[Sound trumpets. Enter KING, QUEEN, and SOMERSET, on the
terrace.]
KING.
Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne,
And could command no more content than I?
No sooner was I crept out of my cradle
But I was made a king at nine months old.
Was never subject long'd to be a king
As I do long and wish to be a subject.
Was there ever a king who had an earthly throne
who was as unhappy as I am?
I had no sooner crept out of my cradle
when I was made a king at nine months old.
There was no subject who ever longed to be a king
as much as I long to be a subject.
[Enter BUCKINGHAM and old CLIFFORD.]
BUCKINGHAM.
Health and glad tidings to your majesty!
Health and good news for your Majesty!
KING.
Why, Buckingham, is the traitor Cade surpris'd?
Or is he but retir'd to make him strong?
Why, Buckingham, has the traitor Cade been overthrown?
Or has he just retreated to regroup?
[Enter, below, multitudes with halters about their necks.]
CLIFFORD.
He is fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield,
And humbly thus, with halters on their necks,
Expect your highness' doom, of life or death.
He has fled, my lord, and all his forces surrender,
humbly like this, with ropes round their necks,
and they await your Highness' sentence of life or death.
KING.
Then, heaven, set ope thy everlasting gates,
To entertain my vows of thanks and praise!--
Soldiers, this day have you redeem'd your lives
And show'd how well you love your prince and country.
Continue still in this so good a mind,
And Henry, though he be infortunate,
Assure yourselves, will never be unkind.
And so, with thanks and pardon to you all,
I do dismiss you to your several countries.
Then, heaven, open your eternal gates,
to welcome my vows of thanks and praise!
Soldiers, today you have saved your lives
by showing how much you love your prince and country.
Carry on doing this with such a good attitude,
and Henry, although he may be unlucky,
I can promise you, will never be unkind.
And so, I give you all my thanks and pardon,
and dismiss you to go back to your different regions.
ALL.
God save the king! God save the king!
God save the King! God save the King!
[Enter a Messenger.]
MESSENGER.
Please it your grace to be advertised
The Duke of York is newly come from Ireland,
And with a puissant and a mighty power
Of gallowglasses and stout kerns
Is marching hitherward in proud array,
And still proclaimeth, as he comes along,
His arms are only to remove from thee
The Duke of Somerset, whom he terms a traitor.
Please be advised your Grace that
the Duke of York has recently come from Ireland,
with a strong and numerous force
of very hardy Irish soldiers
and is marching here in full battle order,
and he is announcing, as he comes,
that his forces are only here to take from you
the Duke of Somerset, whom he says is a traitor.
KING.
Thus stands my state, 'twixt Cade and York distress'd,
Like to a ship that, having scap'd a tempest,
Is straightway calm'd and boarded with a pirate;
But now is Cade driven back, his men dispers'd,
And now is York in arms to second him.--
I pray thee, Buckingham, go and meet him,
And ask him wha t's the reason of these arms.
Tell him I'll send Duke Edmund to the Tower;--
And, Somerset, we will commit thee thither,
Until his army be dismiss'd from him.
This is how my country stands, caught between Cade and York,
like a ship that, having escaped a storm,
is immediately boarded by pirates in the calm;
but now Cade has been driven back, his men scattered,
and now York comes with his forces to back him up.
Please, Buckingham, go and meet him,
and ask him why he's brought these forces.
Tell him I'll send Duke Edmund to the Tower;
and, Somerset, I'll send you there,
until he has dismissed his army.
SOMERSET.
My lord,
I'll yield myself to prison willingly,
Or unto death, to do my country good.
My Lord,
I'll willingly go to prison,
or die, for the good of my country.
KING.
In any case, be not too rough in terms,
For he is fierce and cannot brook hard language.
Whatever happens, do not talk to him too harshly,
for he is proud and will not tolerate being roughly spoken to.
BUCKINGHAM.
I will, my lord, and doubt not so to deal
As all things shall redound unto your good.
I shall, my lord, and I don't doubt that I can arrange
everything for the best for you.
KING.
Come, wife, let's in, and learn to govern better;
For yet may England curse my wretched reign.
Come, wife, let's go in, and learn to be better rulers;
England may still curse my wretched reign.
[Flourish. Exeunt.]
[Enter CADE.]
CADE.
Fie on ambitions! fie on myself, that have a sword
and yet am ready to famish! These five days have I hid me in
these woods and durst not peep out, for all the country is laid
for me; but now am I so hungry that if I might have a lease of
my life for a thousand years I could stay no longer. Wherefore,
on a brick wall have I climb'd into this garden, to see if I can
eat grass, or pick a sallet another while, which is not amiss to
cool
a man's stomach this hot weather. And I think this word 'sallet'
was born to do me good; for many a time, but for a sallet, my
brain-pain had been cleft with a brown bill; and many a time,
when I have been dry and bravely marching, it hath served me
instead of a quart pot to drink in; and now the word 'sallet'
must serve me to feed on.
Damn ambition! Damn myself, who has a sword
but is almost starving! I have hidden in the woods
for the last five days and have not dared look out, for the whole country
is looking for me; but now I am so hungry that I couldn't
stay here any longer if I was told I could live for a thousand years. So,
I've climbed over a brick wall into this garden, to see if I can
eat some grass, or gather a little salad, which isn't bad for
settling a man's stomach in this hot weather. And I think this word
“sallet” is a good word for me; for many times, without a sallet,
my head would have been split open by a pike; and many times,
when I have been thirsty and on the march, it has served instead
of a quart pot to drink with; and now I must feed on the word
salad.
[Enter IDEN.]
&nbs
p; IDEN.
Lord, who would live turmoiled in the court,
And may enjoy such quiet walks as these?
This small inheritance my father left me
Contenteth me, and worth a monarchy.
I seek not to wax great by others' waning,
Or gather wealth, I care not with what envy;
Sufficeth that I have maintains my state
And sends the poor well pleased from my gate.
Lord, who would live in the hurly-burly of the court,
when he can enjoy a quiet garden like this?
The small inheritance my father left me
is plenty for me, and as good as a Kingdom.
I don't want to become great through the fall of others,
or to accumulate wealth, without caring about the means;
it's enough that I have sufficient for the upkeep of my place,
and to send poor people away contented from my gate.
CADE.
Here's the lord of the soil come to seize me for a
stray, for entering his fee-simple without leave.--Ah, villain,
thou wilt betray me, and get a thousand crowns of the king
by carrying my head to him; but I'll make thee eat iron like
an ostrich, and swallow my sword like a great pin, ere thou
and I part.
Here's the owner of the place come to grab me as a
trespasser, for coming into his domain without permission.–
Ah, villain, you will betray me, and get a thousand crowns from the King
by taking my head to him; but I will make you eat iron like
an ostrich, and swallow my sword like a huge pin, before you
and I part.
IDEN.
Why, rude companion, whatsoe'er thou be, I know
thee not! why, then, should I betray thee?
Is 't not enough to break into my garden,
And, like a thief, to come to rob my grounds,
Climbing my walls in spite of me the owner,
But thou wilt brave me with these saucy terms?
Why, my rude friend, whoever you are, I don't
know you! So why should I betray you?
Isn't it bad enough to break into my garden,
come to rob my produce like a thief,
climbing my walls in spite of me, the owner,
do you also have to insult me with these cheeky names?
CADE.
Brave thee? ay, by the best blood that ever was
broached, and beard thee too. Look on me well: I have eat
no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men,
and if I do not leave you all as dead as a door-nail, I pray
God I may never eat grass more.
Insult you? I'll insult you in the name of the best blood
that was ever spilt, and defy you as well. Look closely at me:
I haven't had any meat for five days; but, if you and five
of your men attack me and I do not leave you all dead as door nails,
I pray to God that I will never eat grass again.
IDEN.
Nay, it shall ne'er be said, while England stands,
That Alexander Iden, an esquire of Kent,
Took odds to combat a poor famish'd man.
Oppose thy steadfast-gazing eyes to mine,
See if thou canst outface me with thy looks.
Set limb to limb and thou art far the lesser;
Thy hand is but a finger to my fist,
Thy leg a stick compared with this truncheon;
My foot shall fight with all the strength thou hast;
And if mine arm be heaved in the air,
Thy grave is digg'd already in the earth.
As for words, whose greatness answers words,
Let this my sword report what speech forbears.
No, it will never be said, while England exists,
that Alexander Iden, a squire of Kent,
needed help to fight a poor hungry man.
Look straight into my eyes with yours,
see if you can beat me down with your looks.
Compared limb to limb you are far smaller;
your hand is just a finger compared to my fist,
your leg is like a stick compared to my truncheon;
and if I lifted my arm against you
you would be as good as dead.
As for words, which can be answered with words,
I'll let my sword say what words cannot.
CADE.
By my valour, the most complete champion that
ever I heard!--Steel, if thou turn the edge, or cut not out
the burly-boned clown in chines of beef ere thou sleep in
thy sheath, I beseech God on my knees thou mayst be turn'd
to hobnails.--[Here they fight. Cade falls.] O, I am slain!
famine and no other hath slain me; let ten thousand devils
come against me, and give me but the ten meals I have lost,
and I'd defy them all.--Wither, garden; and be henceforth a
burying place to all that do dwell in this house, because
the unconquered soul of Cade is fled.
I swear, you're the greatest champion
I've ever heard! Steel, if you turn aside, or don't cut
this big boned clown into joints of beef before you
go back in your scabbard, I beg God on my knees that
you be turned into hob nails.
[Here they fight. Cade falls.]
Oh, I'm dead! It's only hunger that killed me:
if I could just have back the ten meals that I've missed
I could defeat ten thousand devils.
Wither, garden; from now on be a cemetery
for everyone who lives in this house, because the unbeaten
soul of Cade has gone.
IDEN.
Is't Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor?--
Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed,
And hang thee o'er my tomb when I am dead;
Ne'er shall this blood be wiped from thy point,
But thou shalt wear it as a herald's coat,
To emblaze the honour that thy master got.
Is it Cade that I've killed, that horrible traitor?
Sword, I will worship you for this deed,
and hang you over my tomb when I am dead;
I shall never wipe this blood off your point,
you shall wear it like a herald's uniform,
as a sign of the honour your master won.
CADE.
Iden, farewell; and be proud of thy victory. Tell Kent from
me, she hath lost her best man, and exhort all the world to be
cowards; for I, that never feared any, am vanquished by famine,
not by valour.
Iden, farewell; be proud of your victory. Tell Kent from
me that she has lost her best man, and tell all the world they should be
cowards; for I, who was never scared of any man, have been defeated by hunger,
not by bravery.
[Dies.]
IDEN.
How much thou wrong'st me, heaven be my judge.
Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bare thee;
And as I thrust thy body in with my sword,
So wish I I might thrust thy soul to hell.
Hence will I drag thee headlong by the heels
Unto a dunghill which shall be thy grave,
And there cut off thy most ungracious head,
Which I will bear in triumph to the king,
Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon.
Let heaven judge how much you are wronging me.
Die, dammed wretch, the shame of your mother;
and as I thrust through your body with my sword,
I wish I could thrust your soul into hell.
From here I shall drag you by the heels
to a dunghill, which will be
your grave,
and there I will cut off your revolting head;
I shall take it away in triumph to the king,
and leave your body for the crows to eat.
[Exit.]
[Enter YORK, and his army of Irish, with drum and colours.]
YORK.
From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right,
And pluck the crown from feeble Henry's head.
Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and bright,
To entertain great England's lawful king.
Ah! sancta majestas! who would not buy thee dear?
Let them obey that knows not how to rule;
This hand was made to handle nought but gold.
I cannot give due action to my words
Except a sword or sceptre balance it.
A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul,
On which I'll toss the flower-de-luce of France.--
[Enter BUCKINGHAM.]
Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me?
The king hath sent him, sure: I must dissemble.
So York has come from Ireland to claim his rights,
and take the crown off the head of feeble Henry.
Let the bells ring out; let the bonfires burn clear and bright
to welcome the true king of great England.
Ah! The holiness of majesty! Who wouldn't pay a high price for you?
Let those who don't know how to rule be subjects;
this hand was just made to handle gold.
I can't make good on my promises
unless I have a sword or a sceptre in my hand.
If I have a soul then I shall have a sceptre,
which I'll use to regain our French kingdoms–
whom have we here? Buckingham, come to upset me?
The King has sent him, that's certain: I must fake.
BUCKINGHAM.
York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.
York, if you have good intentions, I give you warm greetings.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 153