The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (64 page)

That fill his ears with such dissentious rumours.

Because I cannot flatter and look fair,

Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog,

Duck with French nods and apish courtesy,

I must be held a rancorous enemy.

Cannot a plain man live and think no harm

But thus his simple truth must be abus'd

With silken, sly, insinuating Jacks?

They have wronged me, and I will not tolerate it.

Who is it that complains to the King

that I, by God, am harsh and do not love them?

By holy Paul, those who fill the ears of his grace

with such disloyal rumours cannot love him much.

Because I do not flatter, and look sweet,

smile to men's faces, speak smoothly and deceptively,

grotesquely copy French manners,

this makes me an angry enemy.

Can't a simple man live, thinking no harm,

without his simple truth being abused

by these silky, cunning, ingratiating upstarts?

GREY.

To who in all this presence speaks your Grace?

Who of all the people here is your Grace speaking of?

RICHARD.

To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace.

When have I injur'd thee? when done thee wrong,

Or thee, or thee, or any of your faction?

A plague upon you all! His royal Grace-

Whom God preserve better than you would wish!-

Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing while

But you must trouble him with lewd complaints.

To you, who has neither honesty or grace.

When have I done you any harm? When I have I done you wrong,

you, or any of your party?

A plague on all of you! His royal Grace–

may God preserve him better than you would like!–

cannot lie quiet, hardly able to breathe, but

you must trouble him with your foolish complaints.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Brother of Gloucester, you mistake the

matter.

The King, on his own royal disposition

And not provok'd by any suitor else-

Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred

That in your outward action shows itself

Against my children, brothers, and myself-

Makes him to send that he may learn the ground.

Brother of Gloucester, you are mistaken.

The King, through his own royal inclination,

and not encouraged by anybody else–

probably intending to investigate your inner hatred

that shows itself in your outward actions

against my children, brothers and myself–

has sent for you so he can ask for your reasons.

RICHARD.

I cannot tell; the world is grown so bad

That wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.

Since every Jack became a gentleman,

There's many a gentle person made a Jack.

I can't tell; the world has become so bad

that wrens are hunting where eagles dare not perch.

Since every vulgar person became a gentleman,

there are many gentlemen who have become vulgar.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Come, come, we know your meaning,

brother Gloucester:

You envy my advancement and my friends';

God grant we never may have need of you!

Come now, we know what you're talking about, brother Gloucester:

you are envious of my promotion and that of my friends;

may God grant that we never need to look for you for anything!

RICHARD.

Meantime, God grants that I have need of you.

Our brother is imprison'd by your means,

Myself disgrac'd, and the nobility

Held in contempt; while great promotions

Are daily given to ennoble those

That scarce some two days since were worth a noble.

In the meantime, God has made it so that I need you.

My brother has been imprisonmened through your schemes,

I have been disgraced, and the nobility

held in contempt; while great promotions

are given daily to make nobles out of those

who two days ago were hardly worth a noble.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

By Him that rais'd me to this careful

height

From that contented hap which I enjoy'd,

I never did incense his Majesty

Against the Duke of Clarence, but have been

An earnest advocate to plead for him.

My lord, you do me shameful injury

Falsely to draw me in these vile suspects.

I swear by God who raised me to this onerous position

from the contented happiness I enjoyed,

I never turned his Majesty

against the Duke of Clarence, but have been

speaking on his behalf.

My Lord, these horrible suspicions of yours

do me a great injury.

RICHARD.

You may deny that you were not the mean

Of my Lord Hastings' late imprisonment.

So you will deny that you were not the reason

for the recent imprisonment of my Lord Hastings.

RIVERS.

She may, my lord; for-

She can, my lord; for–

RICHARD.

She may, Lord Rivers? Why, who knows

not so?

She may do more, sir, than denying that:

She may help you to many fair preferments

And then deny her aiding hand therein,

And lay those honours on your high desert.

What may she not? She may-ay, marry, may she-

She can, Lord Rivers? Why, everybody knows that.

She may do more than deny that, sir:

she may help you to get many fine promotions

and then deny that she gave you a helping hand,

and say that you earned all those honours yourself.

RIVERS.

What, marry, may she?

May she indeed?

RICHARD.

What, marry, may she? Marry with a king,

A bachelor, and a handsome stripling too.

Iwis your grandam had a worser match.

She may indeed. She can marry a King,

a bachelor, a handsome lad too.

I wish your grandmother had a lower match.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

My Lord of Gloucester, I have too long

borne

Your blunt upbraidings and your bitter scoffs.

By heaven, I will acquaint his Majesty

Of those gross taunts that oft I have endur'd.

I had rather be a country servant-maid

Than a great queen with this condition-

To be so baited, scorn'd, and stormed at.

Enter old QUEEN MARGARET, behind

Small joy have I in being England's Queen.

My Lord of Gloucester, for too long I have tolerated

your blunt criticism and your bitter contempt.

By heaven, I shall tell his Majesty

of all those horrible taunts I have had to put up with.

I would rather be a serving maid in the country

than a great Queen, if it means having to

be treated with such angry contempt.

QUEEN MARGARET.

And less'ned be that small, God, I

beseech Him!

Thy honour, state, and seat, is due to me.

And I pray to God that he will stop!

Your honour, royalty and position are all due to me.

RICHARD.

What! Threat you me with telling of the

King?

Tell him and spare not. Look what I have said

I will avouch't in presence of the King.

I dare adventure to be sent to th' Tow'r.

'Tis time to speak-my pains are quite forgot.

What! Are you threatening me by saying you will tell the King?

Tell him, don't spare him. Everything I have says

I will swear to in the presence of the King.

I will chance being sent to the tower.

It is time to speak–my labours have been quite forgotten.

QUEEN MARGARET.

Out, devil! I do remember them to

well:

Thou kill'dst my husband Henry in the Tower,

And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury.

Damn you, devil! I remember my labours all too well:

you killed my husband Henry in the Tower,

and Edward, my poor son, at Tewkesbury.

RICHARD.

Ere you were queen, ay, or your husband

King,

I was a pack-horse in his great affairs,

A weeder-out of his proud adversaries,

A liberal rewarder of his friends;

To royalize his blood I spent mine own.

Before you were ever Queen, or your husband King,

I was his dogsbody in his great affairs,

I weeded out his proud enemies,

liberally rewarded his friends;

to make his blood royal I spilled my own.

QUEEN MARGARET.

Ay, and much better blood than his or

thine.

Yes, and much better blood than his or yours.

RICHARD.

In all which time you and your husband Grey

Were factious for the house of Lancaster;

And, Rivers, so were you. Was not your husband

In Margaret's battle at Saint Albans slain?

Let me put in your minds, if you forget,

What you have been ere this, and what you are;

Withal, what I have been, and what I am.

And all that time you and your husband Grey

were on the side of the house of Lancaster;

and, Rivers, so were you. Wasn't your husband

killed fighting for Margaret at St Albans?

Let me remind you, if you've forgotten,

what you were before now, and what you are now;

also, what I have been, and what I am.

QUEEN MARGARET.

A murd'rous villain, and so still thou art.

A murderous villain, and that's what you still are.

RICHARD.

Poor Clarence did forsake his father, Warwick,

Ay, and forswore himself-which Jesu pardon!-

Poor Clarence abandoned his father, Warwick,

yes, and perjured himself–may Jesus pardon him!–

QUEEN MARGARET.

Which God revenge!

May God avenge him!

RICHARD.

To fight on Edward's party for the crown;

And for his meed, poor lord, he is mewed up.

I would to God my heart were flint like Edward's,

Or Edward's soft and pitiful like mine.

I am too childish-foolish for this world.

To fight on Edward's side for the Crown;

and for his reward he is imprisoned.

I wish to God my heart was made of flint like Edward's,

or that Edward's was as soft and full of pity as mine.

I am too innocent for this world.

QUEEN MARGARET.

Hie thee to hell for shame and leave this

world,

Thou cacodemon; there thy kingdom is.

Go to hell in shame and leave this world,