The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (121 page)

in such fast moving times?Who’s leading his forces?

Who is directing them as they come?

MESS.

His letters bears his mind, not I, my lord.

His letters say what he thinks, my lord, not me.

WOR.

I pr'ythee, tell me, doth he keep his bed?

Please tell me, is he bedridden?

MESS.

He did, my lord, four days ere I set forth,

And at the time of my departure thence

He was much fear'd by his physicians.

He was, my lord, for four days before I set out,

and when I left there

his doctors feared for his life.

WOR.

I would the state of time had first been whole

Ere he by sickness had been visited:

His health was never better worth than now.

I wish these matters has come to fruition

before he became ill:

he would have been very valuable to us.

HOT.

Sick now! droop now! this sickness doth infect

The very life-blood of our enterprise;

'Tis catching hither, even to our camp.

He writes me here, that inward sickness,--

And that his friends by deputation could not

So soon be drawn; no did he think it meet

To lay so dangerous and dear a trust

On any soul removed, but on his own.

Yet doth he give us bold advertisement,

That with our small conjunction we should on,

To see how fortune is disposed to us;

For, as he writes, there is no quailing now,

Because the King is certainly possess'd

Of all our purposes. What say you to it?

Ill now!Flagging now!This sickness infects

the very heart of our plans;

it will affect us even here in our camp.

He writes to me of his illness –

and that he couldn’t get any friends to stand in

for him at such short notice; nor did he think

it fitting to lay such a dangerous and important task

on anyone but himself.

but he gives us very strong advice

to proceed with our plans,

to see what fortune might bring;

for, as he writes, there is no going back now,

because the King certainly has information

about our intentions.What do you say?

WOR.

Your father's sickness is a maim to us.

Your father’s sickness is a setback.

HOT.

A perilous gash, a very limb lopp'd off:--

And yet, in faith, 'tis not; his present want

Seems more than we shall find it. Were it good

To set the exact wealth of all our states

All at one cast? to set so rich a main

On the nice hazard of one doubtful hour?

It were not good; for therein should we read

The very bottom and the soul of hope,

The very list, the very utmost bound

Of all our fortunes.

A great wound, like losing a limb-

but really, it isn’t; his absence seems worse

than it will turn out.Would it have been good

to risk all our forces with a single

throw of the dice?To take such a great gamble

on the chances of one doubtful hour?

It wouldn’t be good; for then we could face

absolute defeat, all our hopes

vanishing in one go.

DOUG.

Faith, and so we should;

Where now remains a sweet reversion;

And we may boldly spend upon the hope

Of what is to come in:

A comfort of retirement lives in this.

Indeed, that’s right;

now we have something in reserve,

and we can be bold with what we have

knowing we have reserves coming;

if we have to retreat we will have something to fall back on.

HOT.

A rendezvous, a home to fly unto,

If that the Devil and mischance look big

Upon the maidenhead of our affairs.

A meeting place, a place to escape,

if the Devil and bad luck work against

our first efforts.

WOR.

But yet I would your father had been here.

The quality and hair of our attempt

Brooks no division:it will be thought

By some, that know not why he is away,

That wisdom, loyalty, and mere dislike

Of our proceedings, kept the earl from hence:

And think how such an apprehension

May turn the tide of fearful faction,

And breed a kind of question in our cause;

For well you know we of the offering side

Must keep aloof from strict arbitrement,

And stop all sight-holes, every loop from whence

The eye of reason may pry in upon us.

This absence of your father's draws a curtain,

That shows the ignorant a kind of fear

Before not dreamt of.

But I still wish your father was here.

The sort of thing we are attempting

isn't suited to division: it will be thought

by some, who don't know why he is not here,

that wisdom, loyalty, and dislike for

our plans, keep the Earl away:

imagine how such thoughts

might make those who are afraid

run away, questioning our cause;

for you know that we who are attacking

must not think about making judgements,

and keep ourselves from every circumstance

where men can start to think about what they are doing.

Your father's absence draws back the curtain

to show the ignorant a kind of fear

they hadn't imagined before.

HOT.

Nay, you strain too far.

I, rather, of his absence make this use:

It lends a lustre and more great opinion,

A larger dare to our great enterprise,

Than if the earl were here; for men must think,

If we, without his help, can make a head

To push against the kingdom, with his help

We shall o'erturn it topsy-turvy down.

Yet all goes well, yet all our joints are whole.

No, you're making too much of it.

I take his absence to mean this:

it makes our great enterprise more daring,

polishes it, makes men think better of it,

than if the Earl were here; for people will think

that if we, without his help, can start

to unbalance his kingdom, with his help

we can turn the whole thing upside down.

Everything is still going well, we are still unwounded.

DOUG.

As heart can think:there is not such a word

Spoke in Scotland as this term of fear.

All is as well as can be: we don't know

the word fear in Scotland.

[Enter Sir Richard Vernon.]

HOT.

My cousin Vernon! welcome, by my soul.

My cousin Vernon! I give you my warmest welcome.

VER.

Pray God my news be worth a welcome, lord.

The Earl of Westmoreland, seven thousand strong,

Is marching hitherwards; with him Prince John.

I pray to God my news may deserve that welcome, Lord.

The Earl of Westmorland, with seven thousand soldiers,

is marching towards you; Prince John is with him.

HOT.

No harm:what more?

That's not a problem: what else?

VER.

And further, I have learn'd

The King himself in person is set forth,

Or hitherwards intended speedily,

With strong and mighty preparation.

And more, I have learned

that the King himself has set out,

or intends to do so soon,

with a very strong force.

HOT.

He shall be welcome too. Where is his son,

The nimble-footed madcap Prince of Wales,

And his comrades, that daff the world aside,

And bid it pass?

He shall be welcome too. Where is his son,

that swift lunatic Prince of Wales,

and his comrades that reject the world,

letting it pass by them?

VER.

All furnish'd, all in arms;

All plumed like estridges that with the wind

Bate it; like eagles having lately bathed;

Glittering in golden coats, like images;

As full of spirit as the month of May

And gorgeous as the Sun at midsummer;

Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls.

I saw young Harry--with his beaver on,

His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly arm'd--

Rise from the ground like feather'd Mercury,

And vault it with such ease into his seat,

As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds,

To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus,

And witch the world with noble horsemanship.

They are all ready, they have all taken up arms;

all plumed like ostriches beating their wings against

the wind; like newly bathed eagles;

glittering in golden coats, like statues;

as full of spirit as the month of May

and as gorgeous as the Midsummer sun;

as lusty as young goats, wild as young bulls.

I saw young Harry–with his helmet on,

his thigh armour, strongly armed–

leap from the ground like feathered Mercury,

jumping so easily into his saddle

as if an angel had dropped down from the clouds

to turn and wheel a fiery Pegasus,

and bewitch the whole world with his noble horsemanship.

HOT.

No more, no more:worse than the Sun in March,

This praise doth nourish agues. Let them come;

They come like sacrifices in their trim,

And to the fire-eyed maid of smoky war,

All hot and bleeding, will we offer them:

The mailed Mars shall on his altar sit

Up to the ears in blood. I am on fire

To hear this rich reprisal is so nigh,

And yet not ours.--Come, let me taste my horse,

Who is to bear me, like a thunderbolt,

Against the bosom of the Prince of Wales:

Harry and Harry shall, hot horse to horse,

Meet, and ne'er part till one drop down a corse.--

O, that Glendower were come!

That's enough: your praise causes shudders

worse than the March sun. Let them come;

they come dressed up like sacrifices,

and we shall offer them, hot and bleeding

to the fiery eyed goddess of smoky war:

Mars shall sit on his altar in his armour

up to the ears in blood. I am desperate,

hearing that such a rich prize is nearby

and we haven't taken it.–Come, let me get my horse,

who will carry me, like a thunderbolt,

face-to-face with the Prince of Wales:

Harry and Harry shall meet, horse to horse,

and they won't part until one of them drops down dead.

Oh, I wish Glendower were here!