The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (124 page)

(Who is, if every owner were well placed,

Indeed his king) to be engaged in Wales,

There without ransom to lie forfeited;

Disgraced me in my happy victories,

Sought to entrap me by intelligence;

Rated my uncle from the Council-board;

In rage dismiss'd my father from the Court;

Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong;

And, in conclusion, drove us to seek out

This head of safety; and withal to pry

Into his title, the which now we find

Too indirect for long continuance.

Then I'll get to the point:

a short time after, he overthrew the king;

soon after that, he took away his life;

and at once he began taxing the whole country:

to make it worse, he allowed his kinsman Mortimer

(who, if everyone were in their right place,

would be King) to be held as hostage in Wales,

to live there abandoned without ransom;

he put a disgraceful spin on my great victories,

and tried to trap me with his spies,

attacked my uncle in the council,

angrily dismissed my father from the court,

broke oath after oath, committed wrong after wrong,

and in the end forced us to raise

this army for our defence, and also to

question his right to be king, and we find

that his claim is too tenuous to be upheld.

BLUNT.

Shall I return this answer to the King?

Shall I take this answer back to the King?

HOT.

Not so, Sir Walter:we'll withdraw awhile.

Go to the King; and let there be impawn'd

Some surety for a safe return again,

And in the morning early shall my uncle

Bring him our purposes: and so, farewell.

No, Sir Walter: we'll withdraw for a while.

Go to the King; let him give guarantees

that anyone coming from me will be safe,

and early in the morning my uncle will

bring him news of our intentions: and so, farewell.

BLUNT.

I would you would accept of grace and love.

I wish you would accept grace and love.

HOT.

And may be so we shall.

Maybe we will.

BLUNT.

Pray God you do.

I pray to God that you do.

[Exeunt.]

[Enter the Archbishop of York and Sir Michael.]

ARCH.

Hie, good Sir Michael; bear this sealed brief

With winged haste to the Lord Marshal;

This to my cousin Scroop; and all the rest

To whom they are directed. If you knew

How much they do import, you would make haste.

Go, good sir Michael; take this sealed letter

as fast as you can to the Lord Marshall;

this one to my cousin Scroop; and all the rest

as they are addressed. If you knew

how important they are, you would hurry.

SIR M.

My good lord,

I guess their tenour.

My good lord,

I can guess their content.

ARCH.

Like enough you do.

To-morrow, good Sir Michael, is a day

Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men

Must bide the touch; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,

As I am truly given to understand,

The King, with mighty and quick-raised power,

Meets with Lord Harry:and, I fear, Sir Michael,

What with the sickness of Northumberland,

Whose power was in the first proportion,

And what with Owen Glendower's absence thence,

Who with them was a rated sinew too,

And comes not in, o'er-rul'd by prophecies,--

I fear the power of Percy is too weak

To wage an instant trial with the King.

I expect you can.

Tomorrow, good Sir Michael, is a day

when the fate of ten thousand men will be

put to the test; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,

I have been given to understand,

the King, with great and swiftly gathered forces,

meets with Lord Harry: and I fear, Sir Michael,

that with the sickness of Northumberland,

who had the greatest share of power,

and what with Owen Glendower's absence,

he was a great part of their strength as well,

and he has not arrived, believing in prophecies–

I fear the power of Percy is too weak

to take on a fight with the King at the moment.

SIR M.

Why, my good lord, you need not fear;

There's Douglas and Lord Mortimer.

Why, my good lord, you need not be afraid;

he has Douglas and Lord Mortimer.

ARCH.

No, Mortimer's not there.

No, Mortimer is not there.

SIR M.

But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,

And there's my Lord of Worcester; and a head

Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,

and my Lord of Worcester; and a force

of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

ARCH.

And so there is:but yet the King hath drawn

The special head of all the land together;

The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,

The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt;

And many more corrivals and dear men

Of estimation and command in arms.

That's true: but still the king has gathered

the greatest forces in the land together;

the Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,

the noble Westmorland, and warlike Blunt;

and many more associates and good men

of good reputation as fighters.

SIR M.

Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.

Do not think, my lord, that they won't be strongly opposed.

ARCH.

I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear;

And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed:

For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the King

Dismiss his power, he means to visit us,

For he hath heard of our confederacy;

And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him:

Therefore make haste. I must go write again

To other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael.

That's what I hope, but caution is necessary;

and, to prevent the worst happening, Sir Michael, hurry:

for if Lord Percy does not succeed, the King

intends to attack us before he dissolves his army,

for he has heard about our Alliance;

it's only sensible to prepare defences against him:

so hurry. I must go and write more

to other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael.

[Exeunt.]

[Enter King Henry, Prince Henry, Lancaster, Sir Walter Blunt,

and Sir John Falstaff.]

KING.

How bloodily the Sun begins to peer

Above yon bulky hill! the day looks pale

At his distemperature.

How bloody the sun looks peering

over that great hill! The day looks pale

at his illness.

PRINCE.

The southern wind

Doth play the trumpet to his purposes;

And by his hollow whistling in the leaves

Foretells a tempest and a blustering day.

The southern wind

is playing his own tune;

his hollow whistling through the leaves

predicts a storm and a windy day.

KING.

Then with the losers let it sympathize,

For nothing can seem foul to those that win.--

[The trumpet sounds. Enter Worcester and Vernon.]

How, now, my Lord of Worcester! 'tis not well

That you and I should meet upon such terms

As now we meet. You have deceived our trust;

And made us doff our easy robes of peace,

To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel:

This is not well, my lord, this is not well.

What say you to't? will you again unknit

This churlish knot of all-abhorred war,

And move in that obedient orb again

Where you did give a fair and natural light;

And be no more an exhaled meteor,

A prodigy of fear, and a portent

Of broached mischief to the unborn times?

Then let it suit the mood of the losers,

for nothing can look bad to those who win-

Hello, my lord of Worcester!It's not good

that you and I should meet on these terms.