The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (70 page)

if your looks are not deceiving,

join my side and beg for me,

as you would beg if you were in my place.

What beggar does not pity a begging prince?

SECOND MURDERER.

Look behind you, my lord.

Look behind you, my lord.

FIRST MURDERER.

[Stabbing him]Take that, and that. If all

this will not do,

I'll drown you in the malmsey-butt within.

Exit with the body

Take that, and that. If this hasn't done the job,

I'll drown you in the barrel of malmsey in there.

SECOND MURDERER.

A bloody deed, and desperately

dispatch'd!

How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands

Of this most grievous murder!

A bloody deed, horribly done!

How I would like to be like Pilate and wash my hands

of this horrible murder!

Re-enter FIRST MURDERER

FIRST MURDERER.

How now, what mean'st thou that thou

help'st me not?

By heavens, the Duke shall know how slack you have

been!

What's this, what do you think you're doing, not helping me?

By heaven, the Duke shall know how slack you have been!

SECOND MURDERER.

I would he knew that I had sav'd his

brother!

Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say;

For I repent me that the Duke is slain.

I wish he could know that I had saved his brother!

You take the reward, and tell him what I say;

for I am sorry that the duke has been killed.

Exit

FIRST MURDERER.

So do not I. Go, coward as thou art.

Well, I'll go hide the body in some hole,

Till that the Duke give order for his burial;

And when I have my meed, I will away;

For this will out, and then I must not stay.

I don't. Go, you coward.

Well, I'll go and hide the body in some hole,

until the Duke gives orders for him to be buried;

and when I have my reward, I shall disappear;

this matter will come out, and I mustn't be around when it does.

Exit

London. The palace

Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD sick, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DORSET,

RIVERS,

HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM, GREY, and others

KING EDWARD.

Why, so. Now have I done a good day's

work.

You peers, continue this united league.

I every day expect an embassage

From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;

And more at peace my soul shall part to heaven,

Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.

Hastings and Rivers, take each other's hand;

Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love.

Well, there we are. Now I have done a good day's work.

You peers, maintain this unity.

I am expecting any day now to have a visitor

from my Saviour to take me from here;

and my soul shall leave for heaven with an easier mind,

having made peace between my friends on earth.

Hastings and Rivers, take each other's hands;

ignore your hatred: swear to your love for each other.

RIVERS.

By heaven, my soul is purg'd from grudging hate;

And with my hand I seal my true heart's love.

By heaven, there is no hate left in my soul;

and I give my hand as a sign of the true love of my heart.

HASTINGS.

So thrive I, as I truly swear the like!

I feel the same, and I swear the same truly!

KING EDWARD.

Take heed you dally not before your king;

Lest He that is the supreme King of kings

Confound your hidden falsehood and award

Either of you to be the other's end.

Make sure you really mean this;

otherwise the supreme King of Kings

might discover your hidden deceit and make

one of you be the death of the other.

HASTINGS.

So prosper I, as I swear perfect love!

All is well, I swear to my perfect love!

RIVERS.

And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!

As do I, as I love Hastings with all my heart!

KING EDWARD.

Madam, yourself is not exempt from this;

Nor you, son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you:

You have been factious one against the other.

Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand;

And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

Madam, you are not exempt from this;

nor you, my son Dorset; nor you, Buckingham;

you have all formed parties against each other.

Wife, show love to Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand;

and do this genuinely.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

There, Hastings; I will never more

remember

Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine!

There, Hastings; I will now forget

our former hatred, for as long as me and mine prosper!

KING EDWARD.

Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love Lord

Marquis.

Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love Lord Marquis.

DORSET.

This interchange of love, I here protest,

Upon my part shall be inviolable.

I swear here that this exchange of love,

for my part, cannot be broken.

HASTINGS.

And so swear I.

And I swear the same.

[They embrace]

KING EDWARD.

Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this

league

With thy embracements to my wife's allies,

And make me happy in your unity.

Now, princely Buckingham, confirm this alliance

by embracing my wife's confederates,

and make me happy with your unity.

BUCKINGHAM.

[To the QUEEN]Whenever Buckingham

doth turn his hate

Upon your Grace, but with all duteous love

Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me

With hate in those where I expect most love!

When I have most need to employ a friend

And most assured that he is a friend,

Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile,

Be he unto me! This do I beg of God

When I am cold in love to you or yours.

If Buckingham ever turns his hate

upon your Grace, if he does not cherish you

and yours with anything but loyal love, may God punish me

by making those who love me most hate me!

When I am in most need of a friend,

and certain that he is a friend, may he be

cunning, deceptive, treacherous and sly

to me! I beg that God will do this

if I am cold in my love for you and yours.

[They embrace]

KING EDWARD.

A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,

Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.

There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here

To make the blessed period of this peace.

This promise is good medicine, princely Buckingham,

for my sickly heart.

All we need now is my brother Gloucester to be here

to conclude this blessed peace.

BUCKINGHAM.

And, in good time,

Here comes Sir Richard Ratcliff and the Duke.

And, right on time,

here comes Sir Richard Ratcliffe and the Duke.

Enter RICHARD, and RATCLIFF

RICHARD.

Good morrow to my sovereign king and

Queen;

And, princely peers, a happy time of day!

Good day to my sovereign king and Queen;

and, princely peers, good day to you!

KING EDWARD.

Happy, indeed, as we have spent the day.

Gloucester, we have done deeds of charity,

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,

Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers.

It has indeed been a happy day.

Gloucester, we have done kind deeds,

made peace out of conflict, love from hate,

between these haughty wrongly angry peers.

RICHARD.

A blessed labour, my most sovereign lord.

Among this princely heap, if any here,

By false intelligence or wrong surmise,

Hold me a foe-

If I unwittingly, or in my rage,

Have aught committed that is hardly borne

To any in this presence, I desire

To reconcile me to his friendly peace:

'Tis death to me to be at enmity;

I hate it, and desire all good men's love.

First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,

Which I will purchase with my duteous service;

Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,

If ever any grudge were lodg'd between us;

Of you, and you, Lord Rivers, and of Dorset,

That all without desert have frown'd on me;

Of you, Lord Woodville, and, Lord Scales, of you;

Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen-indeed, of all.

I do not know that Englishman alive

With whom my soul is any jot at odds

More than the infant that is born to-night.