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

by William Shakespeare

  Thou art a proud traitor, priest.

  You are an arrogant traitor, priest.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  Proud lord, thou liest:

  Within these forty hours Surrey durst better

  Have burnt that tongue than said so.

  Arrogant lord, you are lying:

  within the last forty hours you would have wished you had

  burnt your tongue out rather than said that.

  SURREY

  Thy ambition,

  Thou scarlet sin, robb'd this bewailing land

  Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:

  The heads of all thy brother cardinals,

  With thee and all thy best parts bound together,

  Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague of your policy!

  You sent me deputy for Ireland;

  Far from his succor, from the king, from all

  That might have mercy on the fault thou gavest him;

  Whilst your great goodness, out of holy pity,

  Absolved him with an axe.

  Your ambition,

  you scarlet sinner, robbed this unhappy land

  of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:

  the heads of all your brother cardinals,

  added together with you and all your best qualities

  don't add up to a hair of his head. Damn your politics!

  You sent me to be governor of Ireland,

  where I couldn't help him, far from the King, from

  anything that might have gained mercy for the sin you accused him of;

  whilst in your great goodness, with your holy pity,

  you forgave him with an axe.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  This, and all else

  This talking lord can lay upon my credit,

  I answer is most false. The duke by law

  Found his deserts: how innocent I was

  From any private malice in his end,

  His noble jury and foul cause can witness.

  If I loved many words, lord, I should tell you

  You have as little honesty as honour,

  That in the way of loyalty and truth

  Toward the king, my ever royal master,

  Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be,

  And all that love his follies.

  This, and anything else

  this chattering lord blames on me,

  I say is most false. The Duke got his

  lawful punishment: his noble jury

  and his foul behaviour are witness to

  how innocent I was of any private malice.

  If I loved talking, oh lord, I should tell you

  that you are as dishonest as you are dishonourable,

  and that in terms of loyalty and truth

  towards the King, my always royal master,

  I am a much better man than Surrey can be,

  or any followers of his foolishness.

  SURREY

  By my soul,

  Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou

  shouldst feel

  My sword i' the life-blood of thee else. My lords,

  Can ye endure to hear this arrogance?

  And from this fellow? if we live thus tamely,

  To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,

  Farewell nobility; let his grace go forward,

  And dare us with his cap like larks.

  Upon my soul,

  your priestly robes protect you; otherwise you would feel

  my sword inside you. My lords,

  can you tolerate listening to this arrogance?

  And from this fellow? If we live so meekly

  that we can be cowed by a piece of scarlet cloth,

  farewell to nobility; let his Grace carry on

  and frighten us with his cap, like larks.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  All goodness

  Is poison to thy stomach.

  All goodness

  is poisonous to you.

  SURREY

  Yes, that goodness

  Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,

  Into your own hands, cardinal, by extortion;

  The goodness of your intercepted packets

  You writ to the pope against the king: your goodness,

  Since you provoke me, shall be most notorious.

  My Lord of Norfolk, as you are truly noble,

  As you respect the common good, the state

  Of our despised nobility, our issues,

  Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen,

  Produce the grand sum of his sins, the articles

  Collected from his life. I'll startle you

  Worse than the scaring bell, when the brown wench

  Lay kissing in your arms, lord cardinal.

  Yes, the goodness

  of gathering the wealth of the whole land into one pile,

  into your own hands, cardinal, through extortion;

  the goodness of your intercepted letters

  in which you wrote to the Pope against your king: your goodness,

  since you have angered me, shall be notorious.

  My Lord of Norfolk, as you are truly noble,

  as you respect the common good, the state

  of our despised nobility, our children,

  who, if he lives, will hardly be even gentlemen,

  take out the indictment, the charges

  gathered from his life. I'll make you jump

  more than the bell for morning service did, when you were lying

  kissing a slut in your arms, lord cardinal.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  How much, methinks, I could despise this man,

  But that I am bound in charity against it!

  How much I could despise this man,

  if I wasn't bound by charity not to!

  NORFOLK

  Those articles, my lord, are in the king's hand:

  But, thus much, they are foul ones.

  The charges, my lord, are held by the King:

  but I can tell you this much, they are filthy ones.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  So much fairer

  And spotless shall mine innocence arise,

  When the king knows my truth.

  So by contrast my innocence will appear

  much fairer and more spotless

  when the King knows the truth.

  SURREY

  This cannot save you:

  I thank my memory, I yet remember

  Some of these articles; and out they shall.

  Now, if you can blush and cry 'guilty,' cardinal,

  You'll show a little honesty.

  This cannot save you:

  thanks to my memory I can still remember

  some of the charges; and they shall be revealed.

  Now, cardinal, you could show a little honesty

  by blushing and crying out ‘I am guilty.’

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  Speak on, sir;

  I dare your worst objections: if I blush,

  It is to see a nobleman want manners.

  Go on, sir;

  I can take your worst: if I blush,

  it is because I can see a nobleman lacking in manners.

  SURREY

  I had rather want those than my head. Have at you!

  First, that, without the king's assent or knowledge,

  You wrought to be a legate; by which power

  You maim'd the jurisdiction of all bishops.

  I'd rather lack those than lack my head. Damn you!

  Firstly you manoeuvred to become the Pope's representative

  without the agreement or knowledge of the King;

  and with that power you overthrew

  the powers of all the bishops.

  NORFOLK

  Then, that in all you writ to Rome, or else

  To foreign princes, 'Ego et Rex meus'

  Was still inscribed; in which you brought the king

  To be your servant.

  Then,
everything you wrote to Rome, or otherwise

  to foreign princes, had ‘my King and I’

  still written on it; so you pretended

  the King was your servant.

  SUFFOLK

  Then that, without the knowledge

  Either of king or council, when you went

  Ambassador to the emperor, you made bold

  To carry into Flanders the great seal.

  And also that without the knowledge

  of the King or the council, when you went

  as ambassador to the Emperor, you were so bold

  as to take the great seal into Flanders.

  SURREY

  Item, you sent a large commission

  To Gregory de Cassado, to conclude,

  Without the king's will or the state's allowance,

  A league between his highness and Ferrara.

  As well, you sent a large commission

  to Gregory de Cassado to arrange,

  without permission from the King or the State,

  an alliance between his Highness and Ferrara.

  SUFFOLK

  That, out of mere ambition, you have caused

  Your holy hat to be stamp'd on the king's coin.

  And, out of simple ambition, you issued coins

  with your image in place of the King's.

  SURREY

  Then that you have sent innumerable substance--

  By what means got, I leave to your own conscience--

  To furnish Rome, and to prepare the ways

  You have for dignities; to the mere undoing

  Of all the kingdom. Many more there are;

  Which, since they are of you, and odious,

  I will not taint my mouth with.

  And you have sent countless sums–

  how you got them is a matter for your conscience–

  to supply Rome and to help your plans

  for advancement; causing the utter ruin

  of the whole kingdom. There are many more charges;

  which, since they involve you, and are hateful,

  I will not sully my mouth with.

  Chamberlain

  O my lord,

  Press not a falling man too far! 'tis virtue:

  His faults lie open to the laws; let them,

  Not you, correct him. My heart weeps to see him

  So little of his great self.

  O my Lord,

  do not kick a man when he's down! It would be good:

  his crimes shall be punished by the law; let the law,

  not you, do that. My heart weeps to see him

  in such reduced circumstances.

  SURREY

  I forgive him.

  I forgive him.

  SUFFOLK

  Lord cardinal, the king's further pleasure is,

  Because all those things you have done of late,

  By your power legatine, within this kingdom,

  Fall into the compass of a praemunire,

  That therefore such a writ be sued against you;

  To forfeit all your goods, lands, tenements,

  Chattels, and whatsoever, and to be

  Out of the king's protection. This is my charge.

  Lord cardinal, the king further desires

  that because all those things you have done recently

  through your power from Rome, within this kingdom,

  fall under the law against exercising Rome's power in England,

  that a writ shall be issued against you,

  to make you forfeit all your goods, lands, buildings,

  movable property and anything else, and you shall

  lose the protection of the King. These are my orders.

  NORFOLK

  And so we'll leave you to your meditations

  How to live better. For your stubborn answer

  About the giving back the great seal to us,

  The king shall know it, and, no doubt, shall thank you.

  So fare you well, my little good lord cardinal.

  And now we’ll leave you to think how you should

  live a better life. The King shall be told

  of your stubborn refusal to return the great seal to us,

  and no doubt he will thank you for it.

  So farewell, my good little lord cardinal.

  Exeunt all but CARDINAL WOLSEY

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  So farewell to the little good you bear me.

  Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!

  This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth

  The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,

  And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;

  The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,

  And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely

  His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,

  And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,

  Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,

  This many summers in a sea of glory,

  But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride

  At length broke under me and now has left me,

  Weary and old with service, to the mercy

  Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.

  Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:

  I feel my heart new open'd. O, how wretched

  Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!

  There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,

  That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,

  More pangs and fears than wars or women have:

  And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,

  Never to hope again.

  So farewell to the little good you wish me.

  Farewell! A long farewell, to all my greatness!

  This is the life of man: today he puts out

  the tender leaves of his hopes; tomorrow he flowers,

  and a multitude of honours decorate him;

  on the third day there is a frost, a killing frost,

  and just as he thinks, good gullible man, that his

  greatness is surely ripening, it nips at his roots,

  and then he falls, as I do. I have swum,

  like the little careless boys who swim on bladders,

  for many years in a sea of glory,

  but far out of my depth: eventually my great pride

  burst underneath me and has now left me,

  tired and old with service, to the mercy

  of a rough tide that will roll over me for ever.

  Vain pomp and the glory of this world, I hate you:

  I feel that my heart has been torn open. Oh, how wretched

  the poor man who relies on the favours of Princes is!

  Between the sweet smile of Princes which we hope for

  and their anger lie more pain and anguish than

  war or women can ever suffer:

  and when a man falls, he falls like Lucifer,

  and can never hope again.

  Enter CROMWELL, and stands amazed

  Why, how now, Cromwell!

  Why, what is it, Cromwell!

  CROMWELL

  I have no power to speak, sir.

  I've lost my power of speech, sir.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  What, amazed

  At my misfortunes? can thy spirit wonder

  A great man should decline? Nay, an you weep,

  I am fall'n indeed.

  What, astonished

  by my misfortunes? Are you really amazed

  that a great man can fall? No, if you weep,

  I am truly fallen.

  CROMWELL

  How does your grace?

  How is your Grace?

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  Why, well;

  Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell.

  I know myself now; and I feel within me

  A peace above all earthly dignities,

  A still and quiet conscience. The king has cured
me,

  I humbly thank his grace; and from these shoulders,

  These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken

  A load would sink a navy, too much honour:

  O, 'tis a burthen, Cromwell, 'tis a burthen

  Too heavy for a man that hopes for heaven!

  Why, I am well;

  I have never been so truly happy, good Cromwell.

  I know who I am now; and I feel inside me

  a peace greater than all earthly honours,

  an easy and quiet conscience. The King has cured me,

  I humbly thank his grace; out of pity he has taken

  away from these shoulders, these ruined pillars,

  a weight that could sink a Navy, too much honour:

  oh, it's a burden, Cromwell, it's a burden

  too heavy for a man who hopes to go to heaven!

  CROMWELL

  I am glad your grace has made that right use of it.

  I'm glad to see your Grace looking at it that way.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  I hope I have: I am able now, methinks,

  Out of a fortitude of soul I feel,

  To endure more miseries and greater far

  Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer.

  What news abroad?

  I hope I am: I think that I am now able

  through the strength of soul that I feel

  to endure far greater misery, and more of it,

  and my weak hearted enemies can offer me.

  What news is going round?

  CROMWELL

  The heaviest and the worst

  Is your displeasure with the king.

  The worst and most serious

  is your trouble with the king.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY

  God bless him!

  God bless him!

  CROMWELL

  The next is, that Sir Thomas More is chosen

  Lord chancellor in your place.

  The next is, that Sir Thomas More has been chosen

  as Lord Chancellor in your place.

  CARDINAL WOLSEY