The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (222 page)

Be full expir'd.--Thanks, uncle Winchester,

Gloster, York, Buckingham, Somerset,

Salisbury, and Warwick;

We thank you all for this great favour done

In entertainment to my princely queen.

Come, let us in, and with all speed provide

To see her coronation be perform'd.

I am happy with these conditions. Lord Marquis, kneel down.

I now create you the first Duke of Suffolk,

and touch you with my sword. Cousin of York,

I hereby relieve your grace of the duties of Regent

over the French territories, until eighteen months

are up. Thank you, uncle Winchester,

Gloucester, York, Buckingham, Somerset,

Salisbury, and Warwick;

I thank you all for the great kindness you have done me

in welcoming my princely Queen.

Come, let's go inside, and as quickly as possible prepare

for her coronation.

[Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk.]

GLOSTER.

Brave peers of England, pillars of the state,

To you Duke Humphrey must unload his grief,

Your grief, the common grief of all the land.

What! did my brother Henry spend his youth,

His valour, coin, and people, in the wars?

Did he so often lodge in open field,

In winter's cold and summer's parching heat,

To conquer France, his true inheritance?

And did my brother Bedford toil his wits

To keep by policy what Henry got?

Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham,

Brave York, Salisbury, and victorious Warwick,

Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy?

Or hath mine uncle Beaufort and myself,

With all the learned counsel of the realm,

Studied so long, sat in the council-house

Early and late, debating to and fro

How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe,

And had his highness in his infancy

Crowned in Paris in despite of foes?

And shall these labours and these honours die?

Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance,

Your deeds of war, and all our counsel die?

O peers of England, shameful is this league!

Fatal this marriage, cancelling your fame,

Blotting your names from books of memory,

Razing the characters of your renown,

Defacing monuments of conquer'd France,

Undoing all, as all had never been!

Brave peers of England, pillars of the state,

Duke  Humphrey must reveal his sorrow to you,

your sorrow, the shared sorrow of the whole country.

What! Did my brother Henry not spent his youth,

his bravery, money and people on wars?

Did he not spend so many days living in the fields,

in the cold of winter and the scorching heat of summer,

to conquer France, his true inheritance?

And did my brother Bedford not rack his brains

to keep through politics what Henry had won?

Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham,

brave York, Salisbury, and triumphant Warwick,

not suffered steep wounds fighting in France and Normandy?

Did my uncle Beaufort and myself not,

with all the most learned advisers in the country,

study for so long, sitting in the council chamber

from morning till night, debating amongst us

how France and the Frenchmen could be kept under control,

and did we not have his Highness as a child

crowned in Paris against the opposition of his enemies?

Will all this labour and brave behaviour be for nothing?

Shall Henry's victory, Bedford's careful stewardship,

your efforts in battle and all our debating be for nothing?

Oh peers of England, this is a shameful alliance!

A fatal marriage, which wipes out your fame,

erases your names from the books of history,

scratching out the letters which told of your great deeds,

tearing down the monuments to our victories in France,

taking away everything, as if it had never existed!

CARDINAL.

Nephew, what means this passionate discourse,

This peroration with such circumstance?

For France, 't is ours; and we will keep it still.

Nephew, what do you mean by this passionate speech,

this oratory which seems to be so full of foreboding?

France belongs to us; and we shall keep it.

GLOSTER.

Ay, uncle, we will keep it if we can,

But now it is impossible we should.

Suffolk, the new-made duke that rules the roost,

Hath given the duchy of Anjou and Maine

Unto the poor King Reignier, whose large style

Agrees not with the leanness of his purse.

Yes, uncle, we would keep it if we could,

but now that is impossible.

Suffolk, the newly created duke who now is favourite,

has given the Duchy of Anjou and Maine

to the poor King Reignier, whose great titles

are not matched by his wealth.

SALISBURY.

Now, by the death of Him that died for all,

These counties were the keys of Normandy!--

But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant son?

I swear, on the cross of Jesus,

those counties are the key to holding Normandy!

But why is my brave son Warwick weeping?

WARWICK.

For grief that they are past recovery;

For, were there hope to conquer them again,

My sword should shed hot blood, mine eyes no tears.

Anjou and Maine! myself did win them both,

Those provinces these arms of mine did conquer;

And are the cities that I got with wounds

Deliver'd up again with peaceful words?

Mort Dieu!

From grief that they cannot be recovered;

for, if there were any chance of re-conquering them,

my sword would be spilling blood, instead of my eyes spilling tears.

Anjou and Maine! I conquered them both,

I won those provinces with these arms of mine;

so are the cities that I received wounds to win

being returned with peaceful words?

My God!

YORK.

For Suffolk's duke, may he be suffocate,

That dims the honour of this warlike isle!

France should have torn and rent my very heart,

Before I would have yielded to this league.

I never read but England's kings have had

Large sums of gold and dowries with their wives;

And our King Henry gives away his own,

To match with her that brings no vantages.

May the Duke of Suffolk be suffocated

for tarnishing the honour of this military island!

France would have had to tell my heart

before I would have agreed to this alliance.

I have never read of any English king who did not have

large  payments of gold and goods as dowries for their wives;

our King Henry has given away what he owned,

to marry someone who brings nothing with her.

GLOSTER.

A proper jest, and never heard before,

That Suffolk should demand a whole fifteenth

For costs and charges in transporting her!

She should have staid in France, and starv'd in France,

Before--

It's a good joke, never seen before,

that Suffolk was allowed to raise a six percent tax

to pay for the expense of bringing her here!

She should have stayed in France, and starved in France,

before–

CARDINAL.

My Lord of Gloster, now ye grow too hot;

It was the pleasure of my lord the King.

My Lord of Gloucester, now you are getting too angry;

it was what my lord the king wished.

GLOSTER.

My Lord of Winchester, I know your mind;

'T is not my speeches that you do mislike,

But 't is my presence that doth trouble ye.

Rancour will out.

Proud prelate, in thy face

I see thy fury; if I longer stay,

We shall begin our ancient bickerings.--

Lordings, farewell; and say, when I am gone,

I prophesied France will be lost ere long.

My Lord of Winchester, I know what you're thinking;

it's not what I'm saying that you object to,

but my presence here.

Spite will show itself.

Arrogant Bishop, I can see your anger

in your face; if I stay here longer,

we will recommence our old arguments–

Lords, farewell; after I'm gone remember

that I predicted that France will be lost before long.

[Exit.]

CARDINAL.

So, there goes our protector in a rage.

'T is known to you he is mine enemy,

Nay, more, an enemy unto you all,

And no great friend, I fear me, to the king.

Consider, lords, he is the next of blood,

And heir apparent to the English crown.

Had Henry got an empire by his marriage,

And all the wealthy kingdoms of the west,

There's reason he should be displeas'd at it.

Look to it, lords.

Let not his smoothing words

Bewitch your hearts; be wise and circumspect.

What though the common people favour him,

Calling him 'Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloster,'

Clapping their hands, and crying with loud voice,

'Jesu maintain your royal excellence!'

With 'God preserve the good Duke Humphrey!'

I fear me, lords, for all this flattering gloss,

He will be found a dangerous protector.

So, off goes our protector in a rage.

You know that he is my enemy,

and more than that he is an enemy of all of you,

and, I'm afraid, no great friend of the king's.

Think about the fact, lords, that he is next in line,

the heir apparent of the English crown.

If Henry had been given an empire through his marriage,

containing all the wealthy kingdoms of the West,

he would still have a reason to be upset by it.

Think about it, lords.

Don't let his sweet words

win you over; be sensible and careful.

So what if the common people like him,

calling him “Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloucester,"

clapping their hands, and shouting out,

“may Jesus preserve your royal excellency!"

and, “God preserve good Duke Humphrey!"

I'm afraid, lords, for all his good appearance

we shall find him a dangerous Regent.

BUCKINGHAM.

Why should he, then, protect our sovereign,

He being of age to govern of himself?--

Cousin of Somerset, join you with me,

And all together, with the Duke of Suffolk,

We'll quickly hoise Duke Humphrey from his seat.

Why is he still Regent, when our King

is old enough to rule himself?

My cousin Somerset, work with me,

and together, with the Duke of Suffolk,

we'll quickly throw Duke Humphrey from his position.