The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

  and what I shall do in future, is ordered

  by the college of cardinals,

  the whole college of Rome. You charge me

  with fanning the flames: I deny it;

  the King is here; if he knows

  that I have done it and now deny it, he can

  expose my lies, and rightly so, as much

  as you have exposed my truth. If he knows

  that I am innocent of what you say, he knows

  I am not here to do you harm. So it is

  down to him to acquit me, and the way to do that

  is to stop you thinking this way: and so before

  his Highness speaks, I beg you,

  gracious madam, to stop thinking this way

  and to stop saying these things.

  QUEEN KATHARINE

  My lord, my lord,

  I am a simple woman, much too weak

  To oppose your cunning. You're meek and

  humble-mouth'd;

  You sign your place and calling, in full seeming,

  With meekness and humility; but your heart

  Is cramm'd with arrogancy, spleen, and pride.

  You have, by fortune and his highness' favours,

  Gone slightly o'er low steps and now are mounted

  Where powers are your retainers, and your words,

  Domestics to you, serve your will as't please

  Yourself pronounce their office. I must tell you,

  You tender more your person's honour than

  Your high profession spiritual: that again

  I do refuse you for my judge; and here,

  Before you all, appeal unto the pope,

  To bring my whole cause 'fore his holiness,

  And to be judged by him.

  My lord, my lord,

  I am a simple woman, much too weak

  to fight your cunning. You are meek and speak humbly;

  you show your position and your calling, it seems,

  with meekness and humility; but your heart

  is crammed with arrogance, anger and pride.

  You have, by luck and the goodwill of his Highness,

  leapt easily over the low rungs and have now climbed

  up where great men do your bidding, and your words,

  servants to you, make them do whatever

  you order. I must tell you,

  your personal position is more important to you than

  your great spiritual profession: that once again

  I refuse to let you be my judge; and here,

  in front of you all, I appeal to the Pope,

  I ask for my whole case to be brought before his holiness,

  and to be judged by him.

  She curtsies to KING HENRY VIII, and offers to depart

  CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

  The queen is obstinate,

  Stubborn to justice, apt to accuse it, and

  Disdainful to be tried by't: 'tis not well.

  She's going away.

  The Queen is obstinate,

  opposed to justice, inclined to accuse it

  and unwilling to be tried by it: this is not good.

  She's going away.

  KING HENRY VIII

  Call her again.

  Call her back.

  Crier

  Katharine Queen of England, come into the court.

  Katherine Queen of England, come into the court.

  GRIFFITH

  Madam, you are call'd back.

  Madam, you have been called back.

  QUEEN KATHARINE

  What need you note it? pray you, keep your way:

  When you are call'd, return. Now, the Lord help,

  They vex me past my patience! Pray you, pass on:

  I will not tarry; no, nor ever more

  Upon this business my appearance make

  In any of their courts.

  Why do you need to say it? Please, keep going:

  when you are called, come back. Now, Lord help me,

  they are vexing me beyond endurance! Please, move on:

  I will not stay; no, nor will I ever

  appear again in any of their courts

  on this business.

  Exeunt QUEEN KATHARINE and her Attendants

  KING HENRY VIII

  Go thy ways, Kate:

  That man i' the world who shall report he has

  A better wife, let him in nought be trusted,

  For speaking false in that: thou art, alone,

  If thy rare qualities, sweet gentleness,

  Thy meekness saint-like, wife-like government,

  Obeying in commanding, and thy parts

  Sovereign and pious else, could speak thee out,

  The queen of earthly queens: she's noble born;

  And, like her true nobility, she has

  Carried herself towards me.

  Go where you like, Kate:

  if any man in the world says he has

  a better wife, don't trust him,

  he's lying: no one compares to you,

  if your unique qualities, sweet gentleness,

  your saintly meekness, your wifely rule,

  your obedience and all your other

  royal and holy qualities could speak out loud for you

  they would name you the Queen of all queens on earth:

  she is nobly born; and she has behaved towards me

  with true nobility.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  Most gracious sir,

  In humblest manner I require your highness,

  That it shall please you to declare, in hearing

  Of all these ears,--for where I am robb'd and bound,

  There must I be unloosed, although not there

  At once and fully satisfied,--whether ever I

  Did broach this business to your highness; or

  Laid any scruple in your way, which might

  Induce you to the question on't? or ever

  Have to you, but with thanks to God for such

  A royal lady, spake one the least word that might

  Be to the prejudice of her present state,

  Or touch of her good person?

  Most gracious Sir,

  I must ask your Highness in the most humble way

  that you should declare for everyone

  to hear–for I must be cleared

  of these accusations, they cannot

  be left for a moment–whether I ever

  spoke of this business to your Highness; or

  gave you any reason to doubt, which might

  have made you question it? Or have you

  ever said anything about the Royal lady,

  apart from giving your thanks to God for her,

  which might in any way cast doubt upon her character

  or place her in a difficult position?

  KING HENRY VIII

  My lord cardinal,

  I do excuse you; yea, upon mine honour,

  I free you from't. You are not to be taught

  That you have many enemies, that know not

  Why they are so, but, like to village-curs,

  Bark when their fellows do: by some of these

  The queen is put in anger. You're excused:

  But will you be more justified? You ever

  Have wish'd the sleeping of this business; never desired

  It to be stirr'd; but oft have hinder'd, oft,

  The passages made toward it: on my honour,

  I speak my good lord cardinal to this point,

  And thus far clear him. Now, what moved me to't,

  I will be bold with time and your attention:

  Then mark the inducement. Thus it came; give heed to't:

  My conscience first received a tenderness,

  Scruple, and prick, on certain speeches utter'd

  By the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador;

  Who had been hither sent on the debating

  A marriage 'twixt the Duke of Orleans and

  Our d
aughter Mary: i' the progress of this business,

  Ere a determinate resolution, he,

  I mean the bishop, did require a respite;

  Wherein he might the king his lord advertise

  Whether our daughter were legitimate,

  Respecting this our marriage with the dowager,

  Sometimes our brother's wife. This respite shook

  The bosom of my conscience, enter'd me,

  Yea, with a splitting power, and made to tremble

  The region of my breast; which forced such way,

  That many mazed considerings did throng

  And press'd in with this caution. First, methought

  I stood not in the smile of heaven; who had

  Commanded nature, that my lady's womb,

  If it conceived a male child by me, should

  Do no more offices of life to't than

  The grave does to the dead; for her male issue

  Or died where they were made, or shortly after

  This world had air'd them: hence I took a thought,

  This was a judgment on me; that my kingdom,

  Well worthy the best heir o' the world, should not

  Be gladded in't by me: then follows, that

  I weigh'd the danger which my realms stood in

  By this my issue's fail; and that gave to me

  Many a groaning throe. Thus hulling in

  The wild sea of my conscience, I did steer

  Toward this remedy, whereupon we are

  Now present here together: that's to say,

  I meant to rectify my conscience,--which

  I then did feel full sick, and yet not well,--

  By all the reverend fathers of the land

  And doctors learn'd: first I began in private

  With you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember

  How under my oppression I did reek,

  When I first moved you.

  My Lord Cardinal,

  I exonerate you; I excuse you

  upon my honour; you do not have to be told

  that you have many enemies who do not know

  why they hate you, but like village dogs

  bark when their friends do. The Queen has been

  made angry by people like that; you are excused:

  but shall I say more in your defence? You always

  wanted this business to be left alone, you never

  wanted it to be stirred up, you have often blocked me

  when I have try to instigate proceedings; I swear,

  I can speak for my good lord cardinal on this point,

  and so clear him. As for what motivated me,

  I will take up some time and your attention:

  take note of my reasons, this is what happened, listen:

  my conscience was first pricked

  with doubt because of certain speeches made

  by the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador,

  who had been sent here to debate the issue

  of a marriage between the Duke of Orleans and

  my daughter Mary: as this business went on,

  before they reached a decision, he

  –I mean the Bishop–wanted a pause,

  so that he could inform his lord the king

  whether my daughter was legitimate

  as I was married to the woman

  who was once my brother's wife. This request shook

  the heart of my conscience, got into my mind,

  it transfixed me, and made me tremble

  in my heart, and gave birth to

  such perplexed thoughts that it created

  these worries. Firstly, I thought

  that I was out of favour with God, who had

  commanded nature that if my lady conceived

  a male child by me then her womb would no more

  give it life than a grave gives life to the dead:

  her male children either died as they were born or

  shortly afterwards. So I thought that

  this was a judgement on me, that my kingdom

  –which well deserves the best heir in the world–would not

  be made happy through me. In consequence

  I thought of the danger my kingdom was in

  if I did not produce an heir, and that gave me

  many great pains: so drifting across

  the wild sea of my conscience, I steered towards

  this solution, which is why we are

  all here today: I mean to say,

  I wanted to pacify my conscience,

  which was then making me feel quite sick,

  and I couldn't be cured by all the holy fathers of the land

  and all the learned doctors. I first spoke privately

  to you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember

  how I sweated under the weight of my distress

  when I first confessed it to you.

  LINCOLN

  Very well, my liege.

  I remember very well, my lord.

  KING HENRY VIII

  I have spoke long: be pleased yourself to say

  How far you satisfied me.

  I have spoken for a long time; please say yourself

  how far you managed to reassure me.

  LINCOLN

  So please your highness,

  The question did at first so stagger me,

  Bearing a state of mighty moment in't

  And consequence of dread, that I committed

  The daring'st counsel which I had to doubt;

  And did entreat your highness to this course

  Which you are running here.

  If it pleases your Highness,

  the question at first was so staggering,

  being so important for the country

  and with the risk of such dreadful consequences,

  that I did not trust the most daring solution

  which occurred to me, and I told your Highness to follow

  the course which you are now taking.

  KING HENRY VIII

  I then moved you,

  My Lord of Canterbury; and got your leave

  To make this present summons: unsolicited

  I left no reverend person in this court;

  But by particular consent proceeded

  Under your hands and seals: therefore, go on:

  For no dislike i' the world against the person

  Of the good queen, but the sharp thorny points

  Of my alleged reasons, drive this forward:

  Prove but our marriage lawful, by my life

  And kingly dignity, we are contented

  To wear our mortal state to come with her,

  Katharine our queen, before the primest creature

  That's paragon'd o' the world.

  I then asked you,

  my Lord of Canterbury; and I got your permission

  to begin these current proceedings: I did not

  fail to ask any holy person in this Court;

  I moved forward with your specific agreement,

  signed and sealed: so, proceed:

  there is no dislike in any way of

  the good Queen motivating this,

  it's only the sharp pricks of the

  reasons I have put forward:

  if you can prove that our marriage is lawful, I swear on my life

  and my dignity as a king, I shall be happy

  to spend the rest of my life with her,

  Katherine my Queen, ahead of anyone

  who is put forward as the finest creature in the world.

  CARDINAL CAMPEIUS

  So please your highness,

  The queen being absent, 'tis a needful fitness

  That we adjourn this court till further day:

  Meanwhile must be an earnest motion

  Made to the queen, to call back her appeal

  She intends unto his holiness.

  If it pleases your Highness,

  with the Queen being absent, it is necessary

  for
us to adjourn this court until another day:

  in the meantime earnest efforts must be made

  to persuade the Queen not to make the appeal

  to the Pope which she intends.

  KING HENRY VIII

  [Aside] I may perceive

  These cardinals trifle with me: I abhor

  This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.

  My learn'd and well-beloved servant, Cranmer,

  Prithee, return: with thy approach, I know,

  My comfort comes along. Break up the court:

  I say, set on.

  I can see

  that these cardinals are trifling with me: I hate

  this lazy slowness and tricks of Rome.

  My learned and much loved servant, Cranmer,

  I pray for your return: I know that when you come

  you will help me. Break up the court:

  I say, move along.

  Exeunt in manner as they entered

  Enter QUEEN KATHARINE and her Women, as at work

  QUEEN KATHARINE

  Take thy lute, wench: my soul grows sad with troubles;

  Sing, and disperse 'em, if thou canst: leave working.

  Pick up your lute, girl: all these troubles have made me sad;

  sing, and blow them away, if you can: leave your work.

  SONG

  Orpheus with his lute made trees,

  And the mountain tops that freeze,

  Bow themselves when he did sing:

  To his music plants and flowers

  Ever sprung; as sun and showers

  There had made a lasting spring.

  Every thing that heard him play,

  Even the billows of the sea,

  Hung their heads, and then lay by.

  In sweet music is such art,

  Killing care and grief of heart

  Fall asleep, or hearing, die.

  With his lute Orpheus made the trees,

  and the frozen mountaintops,

  bow down to him when he sang:

  plants and flowers always sprung up

  at his music; as if the sun and showers

  had made an eternal spring there.

  Everything that heard him play,

  even the waves of the sea,

  hung their heads, and then lay around him.

  There is such art in sweet music

  that it can kill troubles and the sadness of the heart

  falls asleep or, hearing, dies.