The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (75 page)

London. A street

The trumpets sound. Enter the PRINCE OF WALES, RICHARD,

BUCKINGHAM,

CATESBY, CARDINAL BOURCHIER, and others

BUCKINGHAM.

Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your

chamber.

Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your capital.

RICHARD.

Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign.

The weary way hath made you melancholy.

Welcome, dear cousin, the ruler of my thoughts.

The tiring journey has made you depressed.

PRINCE.

No, uncle; but our crosses on the way

Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.

I want more uncles here to welcome me.

No, uncle; but the troubles we had on the way

have made it tedious, tiresome and dull.

There should be more uncles here to welcome me.

RICHARD.

Sweet Prince, the untainted virtue of your

years

Hath not yet div'd into the world's deceit;

Nor more can you distinguish of a man

Than of his outward show; which, God He knows,

Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.

Those uncles which you want were dangerous;

Your Grace attended to their sug'red words

But look'd not on the poison of their hearts.

God keep you from them and from such false friends!

Sweet Prince, your unblemished youthful innocence

hasn't yet plumb the depths of the world's deceit;

you can't tell anything about a man apart

from what he looks like; which, God knows,

hardly ever completely agrees with his heart.

Those uncles you are missing word dangerous;

your Grace listened to their sweet words

but didn't see the poison in their hearts.

May God save you from them and from other such false friends!

PRINCE.

God keep me from false friends! but they were

none.

God save me from false friends! But they were not.

RICHARD.

My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet

you.

My Lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.

Enter the LORD MAYOR and his train

MAYOR.

God bless your Grace with health and happy days!

May God bless your grace with health and happiness!

PRINCE.

I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.

I thought my mother and my brother York

Would long ere this have met us on the way.

Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not

To tell us whether they will come or no!

I thank you, my good lord, and thank you all.

I thought my mother and my brother York

would have met us on our journey long before this.

What a slug Hastings is, not coming

to tell us whether they are coming or not!

Enter LORD HASTINGS

BUCKINGHAM.

And, in good time, here comes the sweating

Lord.

And, right on cue, here comes the sweating Lord.

PRINCE.

Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?

Welcome, my lord. Is my mother coming?

HASTINGS.

On what occasion, God He knows, not I,

The Queen your mother and your brother York

Have taken sanctuary. The tender Prince

Would fain have come with me to meet your Grace,

But by his mother was perforce withheld.

For what reason God only knows, I don't,

your mother the Queen and your brother York

have gone into a sanctuary. The young Prince

intended to come with me to meet your grace,

but his mother forcefully kept him back.

BUCKINGHAM.

Fie, what an indirect and peevish course

Is this of hers? Lord Cardinal, will your Grace

Persuade the Queen to send the Duke of York

Unto his princely brother presently?

If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him

And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.

What deceitful and perverse course of action

is she taking? Lord Cardinal, will your Grace

persuade the Queen to send the Duke of York

to his princely brother at once?

Go with him, Lord Hastings, and if she refuses

take him by force from her jealous arms.

CARDINAL.

My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory

Can from his mother win the Duke of York,

Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate

To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid

We should infringe the holy privilege

Of blessed sanctuary! Not for all this land

Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.

My Lord Buckingham, if my poor speech

can persuaded his mother to give up the Duke of York,

expect him here soon; but if she is obstinate

in the face of our pleas, God in heaven forbid

that we would disobeyed the holy privilege

of blessed sanctuary! I would not commit

such a sin for the whole kingdom.

BUCKINGHAM.

You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord,

Too ceremonious and traditional.

Weigh it but with the grossness of this age,

You break not sanctuary in seizing him.

The benefit thereof is always granted

To those whose dealings have deserv'd the place

And those who have the wit to claim the place.

This Prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserv'd it,

And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.

Then, taking him from thence that is not there,

You break no privilege nor charter there.

Oft have I heard of sanctuary men;

But sanctuary children never till now.

You are too sucking always, my lord,

too ceremonial and traditional.

Think about the manners of this time,

you won't be breaking the sanctuary by seizing him.

The benefit of sanctuary is always granted

to those whose actions make them deserving of it,

and those who have the sense to ask for it.

The Prince has neither asked for it nor deserved it,

and so, in my opinion, cannot have it.

So, by taking him away from something that does not exist,

you are not breaking any laws all regulations.

I have often heard of men in sanctuary;

but never until now of sanctuary children.

CARDINAL.

My lord, you shall o'errule my mind for once.

Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?

My Lord, you shall govern my mind for once.

Come on, Lord Hastings, will you come with me?

HASTINGS.

I go, my lord.

I'm coming, my lord.

PRINCE.

Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.

Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS

Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,

Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?

Good lords, go as fast as you can.

Tell me, uncle Gloucester, if my brother is coming,

where shall we stay until my coronation?

RICHARD.

Where it seems best unto your royal self.

If I may counsel you, some day or two

Your Highness shall repose you at the Tower,

Then where you please and shall be thought most fit

For your best health and recreation.

Wherever your royal self thinks it best.

If I may advise you, I suggest you spend

a day or two at the Tower,

and then where you like and wherever you think best

for your health and amusement.

PRINCE.

I do not like the Tower, of any place.

Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?

I dislike the tower more than any place.

Was it built by Julius Caesar, my lord?

BUCKINGHAM.

He did, my gracious lord, begin that place,

Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.

My gracious lord, he did begin that place,

which has been rebuilt in The Times that followed.

PRINCE.

Is it upon record, or else reported

Successively from age to age, he built it?

Is it a matter of record, or has it been handed down

from age to age, that he built it?

BUCKINGHAM.

Upon record, my gracious lord.

It's on record, my gracious lord.

PRINCE.

But say, my lord, it were not regist'red,

Methinks the truth should live from age to age,

As 'twere retail'd to all posterity,

Even to the general all-ending day.

But, my lord, if it wasn't written down,

I think the truth would still survive from age to age,

handed down through posterity,

even to Judgement Day.

RICHARD.

[Aside]So wise so young, they say, do never

live long.

Those who are so wise when so young, they say, never live long.

PRINCE.

What say you, uncle?

What are you saying, uncle?

RICHARD.

I say, without characters, fame lives long.

[Aside]Thus, like the formal vice, Iniquity,