The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (315 page)

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.

KING 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.