The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (43 page)

Broke the possession of a royal bed,

And stain'd the beauty of a fair queen's cheeks

With tears drawn from her eyes by your foul wrongs;

Myself-a prince by fortune of my birth,

Near to the King in blood, and near in love

Till you did make him misinterpret me-

Have stoop'd my neck under your injuries

And sigh'd my English breath in foreign clouds,

Eating the bitter bread of banishment,

Whilst you have fed upon my signories,

Dispark'd my parks and fell'd my forest woods,

From my own windows torn my household coat,

Raz'd out my imprese, leaving me no sign

Save men's opinions and my living blood

To show the world I am a gentleman.

This and much more, much more than twice all this,

Condemns you to the death. See them delivered over

To execution and the hand of death.

Bring out these men.

Bushy and Greene, I will not torment your souls,

since soon they will be leaving your bodies,

by dwelling too much on your evil lives,

that would be uncharitable; but, to wash your blood

from my hands, I will reveal in public

some of the reasons why you must die:

you led a Prince, a Royal King, astray,

the gentleman who was fortunate in his birth and body,

you made him unhappy and soiled him;

your sinful behaviour has created a sort

of divorce between his queen and him,

broken the covenant of the royal marriage,

and stained the beauty of a fair queen's cheeks

with tears, caused by your foul behaviour;

I myself–a prince by birth,

a close relation of the King, and loved by him,

until you persuaded him to misunderstand me–

have suffered from the wrongs you have done,

and breathed my English breath in foreign climates,

eating the bitter bread of exile,

while you grew fat on my estates,

vandalised my parks and cut down my forests,

smashed my windows with my coat of arms on them,

defaced my motto, leaving no sign,

apart from men's opinions and my physical presence,

to show the world that I am a gentleman.

This and much more, much more than double this,

condemns you to death. Take them away

to be executed and given to death.

BUSHY.

More welcome is the stroke of death to me

Than Bolingbroke to England. Lords, farewell.

My execution is more welcome to me

Than Bolingbroke is to England. Lords, farewell.

GREEN.

My comfort is that heaven will take our souls,

And plague injustice with the pains of hell.

I am comforted to think that heaven will take us in,

and torment those who do this injustice with the pains of hell.

BOLINGBROKE.

My Lord Northumberland, see them dispatch'd.

Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, and others, with the prisoners

Uncle, you say the Queen is at your house;

For God's sake, fairly let her be entreated.

Tell her I send to her my kind commends;

Take special care my greetings be delivered.

My Lord Northumberland, see to their execution.

Uncle, you say the Queen is at your house;

for God's sake make sure she is fairly treated.

Tell her I send her my kind greetings;

take special care that this message is delivered.

YORK.

A gentleman of mine I have dispatch'd

With letters of your love to her at large.

I have sent a gentleman of mine

with letters which fully explain your love for her.

BOLINGBROKE.

Thanks, gentle uncle. Come, lords, away,

To fight with Glendower and his complices.

Awhile to work, and after holiday.

Thanks, kind uncle. Come, lords, let's go,

to fight with Glendower and his accomplices.

And we must work for a while, and then we shall rest.

Exeunt

The coast of Wales. A castle in view

Drums. Flourish and colours. Enter the KING, the BISHOP OF

CARLISLE,

AUMERLE, and soldiers

KING RICHARD.

Barkloughly Castle call they this at hand?

Do they call this place Barkloughly Castle?

AUMERLE.

Yea, my lord. How brooks your Grace the air

After your late tossing on the breaking seas?

Yes, my lord. How does your Grace like the air

after your recent choppy journey on the sea?

KING RICHARD.

Needs must I like it well. I weep for joy

To stand upon my kingdom once again.

Dear earth, I do salute thee with my hand,

Though rebels wound thee with their horses' hoofs.

As a long-parted mother with her child

Plays fondly with her tears and smiles in meeting,

So weeping-smiling greet I thee, my earth,

And do thee favours with my royal hands.

Feed not thy sovereign's foe, my gentle earth,

Nor with thy sweets comfort his ravenous sense;

But let thy spiders, that suck up thy venom,

And heavy-gaited toads, lie in their way,

Doing annoyance to the treacherous feet

Which with usurping steps do trample thee;

Yield stinging nettles to mine enemies;

And when they from thy bosom pluck a flower,

Guard it, I pray thee, with a lurking adder,

Whose double tongue may with a mortal touch

Throw death upon thy sovereign's enemies.

Mock not my senseless conjuration, lords.

This earth shall have a feeling, and these stones

Prove armed soldiers, ere her native king

Shall falter under foul rebellion's arms.

Naturally I like it: I weep for joy

to stand again in my kingdom.

Dear earth, I salute you with my hand,

although rebels are insulting you with the hooves of their horses.

Like a mother who has been separated from her child for a long time

plays fondly with it with smiles and tears when she meets,

so weeping, smiling, I greet you, my earth,

and lay my royal hands upon you;

do not feed the enemy of your king, my gentle earth,

nor give them any of your bounty to feed them,

but let your spiders that suck up your poison

and heavy footed toads lie in their way,

damaging their treacherous feet,

which trample over you with rebellious steps;

give my enemies stinging nettles;

and when they pick a flower from your earth,

please let it be guarded with a hidden adder,

whose forked tongue could with its fateful touch

gift death to your king's enemies.

Don't laugh at my talking to senseless things, lords:

this earth will be capable of feeling, and the stones

will turn into armed soldiers before her native king

will fall under the assault of foul rebellion.

CARLISLE.

Fear not, my lord; that Power that made you king

Hath power to keep you king in spite of all.

The means that heaven yields must be embrac'd

And not neglected; else, if heaven would,

And we will not, heaven's offer we refuse,

The proffered means of succour and redress.

Don't worry, my lord; the power that made you King

has the power to keep you king in spite of everything.

We must embrace the opportunities heaven gives us,

not neglect them; otherwise, if heaven desires

something we don't do, we are refusing the offer of heaven,

refusing the means of help and revenge.

AUMERLE.

He means, my lord, that we are too remiss;

Whilst Bolingbroke, through our security,

Grows strong and great in substance and in power.

He means, my lord, that we are not doing enough;

meanwhile Bolingbroke, through our overconfidence,

is growing great and strong in wealth and power.

KING RICHARD.

Discomfortable cousin! know'st thou not

That when the searching eye of heaven is hid,

Behind the globe, that lights the lower world,

Then thieves and robbers range abroad unseen

In murders and in outrage boldly here;

But when from under this terrestrial ball

He fires the proud tops of the eastern pines

And darts his light through every guilty hole,

Then murders, treasons, and detested sins,

The cloak of night being pluck'd from off their backs,

Stand bare and naked, trembling at themselves?

So when this thief, this traitor, Bolingbroke,

Who all this while hath revell'd in the night,

Whilst we were wand'ring with the Antipodes,

Shall see us rising in our throne, the east,

His treasons will sit blushing in his face,

Not able to endure the sight of day,

But self-affrighted tremble at his sin.

Not all the water in the rough rude sea

Can wash the balm off from an anointed king;

The breath of worldly men cannot depose

The deputy elected by the Lord.

For every man that Bolingbroke hath press'd

To lift shrewd steel against our golden crown,

God for his Richard hath in heavenly pay

A glorious angel. Then, if angels fight,

Weak men must fall; for heaven still guards the right.

Enter SALISBURY

Welcome, my lord. How far off lies your power?

Discouraging cousin! Don't you know

that when the sun dips below the

horizon and lights the bottom of the world,

then the thieves and robbers roam about unseen

here, boldly committing murders and outrages;

but when the sun comes out from under the earth

he lights up the proud tops of the eastern pines,

and shines his light into every guilty hiding place,

then murder, treason and revolting sins,

having had the cloak of night plucked off their backs,

stand there naked, trembling at themselves?

So when this thief, this traitor, Bolingbroke,

who has enjoyed himself all through the night,

while we were wandering down below,