The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 193
To-morrow morning to the council-board
He be convented. He's a rank weed, Sir Thomas,
And we must root him out. From your affairs
I hinder you too long: good night, Sir Thomas.
Yes, yes, Sir Thomas,
there are those who dare; and I myself have risked
speaking my mind about him: and indeed today,
Sir, I can tell you, I think I have
convinced the lords of the Council that he is,
as I know he is, and they know he is,
a terrible heretic, a disease
who infects the country: they have shared
their anger with the King; he has listened
to our complaint to the extent that, with his great grace
and princely care observing the evil mischief
which we told him was coming, has ordered
the board of the council to meet tomorrow morning
to summon him. He's a dirty weed, Sir Thomas,
and we must root out. I'm keeping you too long
from your business: good night, Sir Thomas.
LOVELL
Many good nights, my lord: I rest your servant.
Many good nights, my lord: I remain your servant.
Exeunt GARDINER and Page
Enter KING HENRY VIII and SUFFOLK
KING HENRY VIII
Charles, I will play no more tonight;
My mind's not on't; you are too hard for me.
Charles, I won't play any more tonight;
my mind is not on it; you are too much for me to handle.
SUFFOLK
Sir, I did never win of you before.
Sir, I never won from you before.
KING HENRY VIII
But little, Charles;
Nor shall not, when my fancy's on my play.
Now, Lovell, from the queen what is the news?
It was only a little, Charles;
and you shan't again, when my mind is on the game.
Now, Lovell, what news from the queen?
LOVELL
I could not personally deliver to her
What you commanded me, but by her woman
I sent your message; who return'd her thanks
In the great'st humbleness, and desired your highness
Most heartily to pray for her.
I couldn't personally give her
the message you ordered me to take, but
one of her women passed it along; she returned
her most humble thanks, and asked your Highness
to pray for her most heartily.
KING HENRY VIII
What say'st thou, ha?
To pray for her? what, is she crying out?
What are you saying, hey?
To pray for her? What, is she screaming?
LOVELL
So said her woman; and that her sufferance made
Almost each pang a death.
That's what her woman said; and the pain made
every contraction like death.
KING HENRY VIII
Alas, good lady!
Alas, good lady!
SUFFOLK
God safely quit her of her burthen, and
With gentle travail, to the gladding of
Your highness with an heir!
May God take her burden from her safely
and gently, to please your
Highness with an heir!
KING HENRY VIII
'Tis midnight, Charles;
Prithee, to bed; and in thy prayers remember
The estate of my poor queen. Leave me alone;
For I must think of that which company
Would not be friendly to.
It's midnight, Charles;
please, go to bed; and remember the condition
of my poor Queen in your prayers. Leave me alone;
for I must think of things which
are not suitable for company.
SUFFOLK
I wish your highness
A quiet night; and my good mistress will
Remember in my prayers.
I wish your highness
a restful night; and I shall remember my
good mistress in my prayers.
KING HENRY VIII
Charles, good night.
Charles, good night.
Exit SUFFOLK
Enter DENNY
Well, sir, what follows?
Well, Sir, what's going on?
DENNY
Sir, I have brought my lord the archbishop,
As you commanded me.
So, I have brought my lord the Archbishop,
as you ordered me.
KING HENRY VIII
Ha! Canterbury?
Ha! Canterbury?
DENNY
Ay, my good lord.
Yes, my good lord.
KING HENRY VIII
'Tis true: where is he, Denny?
That's good: where is he, Denny?
DENNY
He attends your highness' pleasure.
He is awaiting your Highness' pleasure.
Exit DENNY
LOVELL
[Aside] This is about that which the bishop spake:
I am happily come hither.
This concerns the matter which the bishop spoke of:
it's lucky I'm here.
Re-enter DENNY, with CRANMER
KING HENRY VIII
Avoid the gallery.
LOVELL seems to stay
Ha! I have said. Be gone. What?
Leave the gallery.
Ha! I've told you. Go. What?
Exeunt LOVELL and DENNY
CRANMER
[Aside]
I am fearful: wherefore frowns he thus?
'Tis his aspect of terror. All's not well.
I'm afraid: why is he frowning like that?
That’s his terrifying expression. Something is wrong.
KING HENRY VIII
How now, my lord! you desire to know
Wherefore I sent for you.
Hello there, my lord! You want to know
why I sent for you.
CRANMER
[Kneeling] It is my duty
To attend your highness' pleasure.
It is my duty
to come when your Highness calls.
KING HENRY VIII
Pray you, arise,
My good and gracious Lord of Canterbury.
Come, you and I must walk a turn together;
I have news to tell you: come, come, give me your hand.
Ah, my good lord, I grieve at what I speak,
And am right sorry to repeat what follows
I have, and most unwillingly, of late
Heard many grievous, I do say, my lord,
Grievous complaints of you; which, being consider'd,
Have moved us and our council, that you shall
This morning come before us; where, I know,
You cannot with such freedom purge yourself,
But that, till further trial in those charges
Which will require your answer, you must take
Your patience to you, and be well contented
To make your house our Tower: you a brother of us,
It fits we thus proceed, or else no witness
Would come against you.
Please, get up,
my good and gracious Lord of Canterbury.
Come, you and I must walk a little together;
I have news to tell you: come, give me your hand.
Ah, my good lord, I am sorry to have to say this,
truly sorry to have to repeat that I have
recently, most unwillingly, heard many grievous
complaints against you; having looked at them
I and my council have decided that you shall
appear before us in the morning; I know that
you will not be able to completely clear yourself there,
but you will
have to be patient until you can face
further trials on those charges which will demand
your answer, and you will have to be satisfied
with being confined to your house: this is
the appropriate way to proceed, as you are so close to me,
otherwise no witnesses would ever come forward.
CRANMER
[Kneeling]
I humbly thank your highness;
And am right glad to catch this good occasion
Most throughly to be winnow'd, where my chaff
And corn shall fly asunder: for, I know,
There's none stands under more calumnious tongues
Than I myself, poor man.
I humbly thank your Highness;
and I'm very glad to have this chance
to be thoroughly tested, and for all
the wheat to be separated from the chaff: for, I know,
there is nobody who is so unjustly gossiped about
as myself, poor man.
KING HENRY VIII
Stand up, good Canterbury:
Thy truth and thy integrity is rooted
In us, thy friend: give me thy hand, stand up:
Prithee, let's walk. Now, by my holidame.
What manner of man are you? My lord, I look'd
You would have given me your petition, that
I should have ta'en some pains to bring together
Yourself and your accusers; and to have heard you,
Without indurance, further.
Stand up, good Canterbury:
your truth and your integrity are not
doubted by me, your friend: give me your hand, stand up:
please, let's walk. Now, by our Lady,
what sort of man are you? My lord, I thought
you would have begged me to
arrange a meeting between yourself
and your accusers; and to have done this
without any further imprisonment.
CRANMER
Most dread liege,
The good I stand on is my truth and honesty:
If they shall fail, I, with mine enemies,
Will triumph o'er my person; which I weigh not,
Being of those virtues vacant. I fear nothing
What can be said against me.
My feared Lord,
I rely on my truth and honesty:
if they fail I will join with my enemies
in my downfall; I don't care about that,
if I don't have those virtues. I'm afraid of nothing
that can be said against me.
KING HENRY VIII
Know you not
How your state stands i' the world, with the whole world?
Your enemies are many, and not small; their practises
Must bear the same proportion; and not ever
The justice and the truth o' the question carries
The due o' the verdict with it: at what ease
Might corrupt minds procure knaves as corrupt
To swear against you? such things have been done.
You are potently opposed; and with a malice
Of as great size. Ween you of better luck,
I mean, in perjured witness, than your master,
Whose minister you are, whiles here he lived
Upon this naughty earth? Go to, go to;
You take a precipice for no leap of danger,
And woo your own destruction.
Do you not know
what your position is in the world, with the whole world?
Your enemies are numerous, and not lowborn; their plots
must be of a proportionate size; the justice
and truth of a case does not always match up with
the verdict; how easily might
corrupt minds hire scoundrels just as corrupt
to give evidence against you? These things have been done before.
You have powerful enemies; and their malice
matches their size. I hope you have better luck
in this matter of perjured witnesses than your master,
whose minister you are, when he lived here
on this wicked Earth. Come on, man;
you are walking along the edge of the precipice for no reason,
risking your own destruction.
CRANMER
God and your majesty
Protect mine innocence, or I fall into
The trap is laid for me!
May God and your Majesty
protect my innocence, or I shall fall into
the trap that has been set for me!
KING HENRY VIII
Be of good cheer;
They shall no more prevail than we give way to.
Keep comfort to you; and this morning see
You do appear before them: if they shall chance,
In charging you with matters, to commit you,
The best persuasions to the contrary
Fail not to use, and with what vehemency
The occasion shall instruct you: if entreaties
Will render you no remedy, this ring
Deliver them, and your appeal to us
There make before them. Look, the good man weeps!
He's honest, on mine honour. God's blest mother!
I swear he is true--hearted; and a soul
None better in my kingdom. Get you gone,
And do as I have bid you.
Exit CRANMER
He has strangled
His language in his tears.
Don't worry;
they shall have no more success than I allow.
Be comforted; and in the morning make sure
that you appear before them: if they happen
when putting charges against you to commit you to the Tower,
do not fail to use all the best arguments against it you have,
with whatever passion seems appropriate at the time:
if your pleading is unsuccessful, show them
this ring, and tell them you appealed to me.
Look, the good man is weeping:
I swear that he's honest. By the Blessed mother of God,
I swear he is true hearted, and that there isn't
a better soul in my kingdom. Off you go,
and do as I have told you.
He can't speak for tears.
Enter Old Lady, LOVELL following
Gentleman
[Within] Come back: what mean you?
Come back: what are you up to?
Old Lady
I'll not come back; the tidings that I bring
Will make my boldness manners. Now, good angels
Fly o'er thy royal head, and shade thy person
Under their blessed wings!
I shan't come back; the news that I bring
gives me licence to be bold. Now, may good angels
fly over your royal head, and shade your person
under their blessed wings!
KING HENRY VIII
Now, by thy looks
I guess thy message. Is the queen deliver'd?
Say, ay; and of a boy.
Now, I can guess your message
from your looks. Has the Queen given birth?
Say yes, and say it is a boy.
Old Lady
Ay, ay, my liege;
And of a lovely boy: the God of heaven
Both now and ever bless her! 'tis a girl,
Promises boys hereafter. Sir, your queen
Desires your visitation, and to be
Acquainted with this stranger 'tis as like you
As cherry is to cherry.
Yes, yes, my lord;
and a lovely boy: the God of heaven
bless her now and always! It's a girl,
which promises boys afterwards. Sir, your Queen
wants to see you, and to
introduce you to this stranger who is as like you
as one cherry to another.
K
ING HENRY VIII
Lovell!
Lovell!
LOVELL
Sir?
Sir?
KING HENRY VIII
Give her an hundred marks. I'll to the queen.
Give her a hundred marks. I'll go to the Queen.
Exit
Old Lady
An hundred marks! By this light, I'll ha' more.
An ordinary groom is for such payment.
I will have more, or scold it out of him.
Said I for this, the girl was like to him?
I will have more, or else unsay't; and now,
While it is hot, I'll put it to the issue.
A hundred marks! I swear I shall have more.
An ordinary groom would be paid this much.
I will have more, or I shall nag it out of him.
Is it for this that I said the girl was like him?
I'll have more, or I'll take it back; and now,
I'll strike while the iron is hot.
Exeunt
Enter CRANMER
CRANMER
I hope I am not too late; and yet the gentleman,
That was sent to me from the council, pray'd me
To make great haste. All fast? what means this? Ho!
Who waits there? Sure, you know me?
I hope I'm not too late; and yet the gentleman,
who was sent to me from the council, begged me
to hurry. All locked up? What does this mean? Hello!
Who's there? Surely, you know me?
Enter Keeper
Keeper
Yes, my lord;
But yet I cannot help you.
Yes, my lord;