The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (80 page)

HASTINGS.

Woe, woe, for England! not a whit for me;

For I, too fond, might have prevented this.

 Stanley did dream the boar did raze our helms,

And I did scorn it and disdain to fly.

Three times to-day my foot-cloth horse did stumble,

And started when he look'd upon the Tower,

As loath to bear me to the slaughter-house.

O, now I need the priest that spake to me!

I now repent I told the pursuivant,

As too triumphing, how mine enemies

To-day at Pomfret bloodily were butcher'd,

And I myself secure in grace and favour.

O Margaret, Margaret, now thy heavy curse

Is lighted on poor Hastings' wretched head!

Woe, woe, for England! Not for me;

for I was too foolish, I could have stopped this.

Stanley dreams that the boar tore at our helmets,

and I mocked him and refused to flee.

three times today my decorated horse stumbled,

and started when he looked at the Tower,

as if he hated to carry me to the slaughterhouse.

Oh, now I need the priest who spoke to me!

Now I regret telling the herald,

to triumphantly, how my enemies

were to be bloodily butchered today at Pomfret,

and how I was safe in grace and favour.

Oh Margaret, Margaret, now your heavy curse

has landed on the wretched head of poor Hastings!

RATCLIFF.

Come, come, dispatch; the Duke would be at

dinner.

Make a short shrift; he longs to see your head.

Come, come, hurry up; the Duke wants his dinner.

Make a quick confession; he's longing to see your head.

HASTINGS.

O momentary grace of mortal men,

Which we more hunt for than the grace of God!

Who builds his hope in air of your good looks

Lives like a drunken sailor on a mast,

Ready with every nod to tumble down

Into the fatal bowels of the deep.

How fleeting the grace of mortal men is,

which we look for more than we do than the grace of God!

Someone who bases his hopes on it

lives his life like a drunken sailor on top of the mast,

living every second with the risk of falling down

into the fatal drowning ocean.

LOVEL.

Come, come, dispatch; 'tis bootless to exclaim.

Come on, hurry up; it's useless to complain.

HASTINGS.

O bloody Richard! Miserable England!

I prophesy the fearfull'st time to thee

That ever wretched age hath look'd upon.

Come, lead me to the block; bear him my head.

They smile at me who shortly shall be dead.

O bloody Richard! Miserable England!

I predict the worst time is coming to you

that any age has ever seen.

Come, take me to the block; take in my head.

These people who smile at me will shortly be dead.

Exeunt

London. The Tower-walls

Enter RICHARD and BUCKINGHAM in rotten armour, marvellous

ill-favoured

RICHARD.

Come, cousin, canst thou quake and change

thy colour,

Murder thy breath in middle of a word,

And then again begin, and stop again,

As if thou were distraught and mad with terror?

Come, cousin,can you shake and change colour,

cut off your breath in the middle of the word,

and then begin again, and stop again,

as if you were madly confused with terror?

BUCKINGHAM.

Tut, I can counterfeit the deep tragedian;

Speak and look back, and pry on every side,

Tremble and start at wagging of a straw,

Intending deep suspicion. Ghastly looks

Are at my service, like enforced smiles;

And both are ready in their offices

At any time to grace my stratagems.

But what, is Catesby gone?

Tut, I can play like a great tragic actor;

speak, look around, searching on every side,

trembling and jumping when a blade of grass moves,

pretending to be very suspicious. I can put on

ghastly looks, like Folsom I'll is;

and I have both prepared

to use in my plans at any time.

But what, has Catesbygone?

RICHARD.

He is; and, see, he brings the mayor along.

He has; and, look, he's bringing the mayor with him.

Enter the LORD MAYOR and CATESBY

BUCKINGHAM.

Lord Mayor-

Lord Mayor–

RICHARD.

Look to the drawbridge there!

Make sure that drawbridge is up!

BUCKINGHAM.

Hark! a drum.

Listen!A drum.

RICHARD.

Catesby, o'erlook the walls.

Catesby, look over the walls.

BUCKINGHAM.

Lord Mayor, the reason we have sent-

Lord Mayor, the reason we have sent–

RICHARD.

Look back, defend thee; here are enemies.

Look back, defend yourself; here are the enemies.

BUCKINGHAM.

God and our innocence defend and guard us!

May God and our innocence defend and guard us!

Enter LOVEL and RATCLIFF, with HASTINGS' head

RICHARD.

Be patient; they are friends-Ratcliff and Lovel.

Calm yourself; they are friends–Ratcliff and Lovel.

LOVEL.

Here is the head of that ignoble traitor,

The dangerous and unsuspected Hastings.

Here is the head of that despicable traitor,

the dangerous and unsuspected Hastings.

RICHARD.

So dear I lov'd the man that I must weep.

I took him for the plainest harmless creature

That breath'd upon the earth a Christian;

Made him my book, wherein my soul recorded

The history of all her secret thoughts.

So smooth he daub'd his vice with show of virtue

That, his apparent open guilt omitted,

I mean his conversation with Shore's wife-

He liv'd from all attainder of suspects.

I love that man so dearly that I must weep.

I thought he was the most simple harmless creature

out of all the Christians on earth;

he was my confidant, to whom I told all the

deepest secret thoughts of my soul.

He covered over his evil with a show of goodness so well

that, leaving aside the obvious evidence of his guilt,

I mean his conversation with Shore's wife–

he lived free of all taint of suspicion.

BUCKINGHAM.

Well, well, he was the covert'st shelt'red

traitor

That ever liv'd.

Would you imagine, or almost believe-

Were't not that by great preservation

We live to tell it-that the subtle traitor

This day had plotted, in the council-house,

To murder me and my good Lord of Gloucester.

Well, well, he was the most secret hidden traitor

that ever lived.

Could you imagine, could you even believe–

it's only through divine intervention

where alive to tell it–that the cunning traitor

was planning to murder myself and my good

Lord of Gloucester at today's meeting.

MAYOR.

Had he done so?

Would he have done it?

RICHARD.

What! think you we are Turks or Infidels?

Or that we would, against the form of law,

Proceed thus rashly in the villain's death

But that the extreme peril of the case,

The peace of England and our persons' safety,

Enforc'd us to this execution?

What! Do you think we are Turks or infidels?

Do you think we would illegally

rush this villain to his death

if it wasn't for the great danger of the matter,

the risk to the peace of England and ourselves,

which forced us to execute him?

MAYOR.

Now, fair befall you! He deserv'd his death;

And your good Graces both have well proceeded

To warn false traitors from the like attempts.

I never look'd for better at his hands

After he once fell in with Mistress Shore.

Now, may you have good luck! He deserved to die;

and your good graces have both done well

in warning. It is not to try the same thing.

I didn't expect any better from him

once he had fallen in with Mistress Shore.

BUCKINGHAM.

Yet had we not determin'd he should die

Until your lordship came to see his end-

Which now the loving haste of these our friends,

Something against our meanings, have prevented-

Because, my lord, I would have had you heard

The traitor speak, and timorously confess

The manner and the purpose of his treasons:

That you might well have signified the same

Unto the citizens, who haply may

Misconstrue us in him and wail his death.

But we had decided that he should not die

until your Lordship came to see him finished–

but the loving host of our friends here has

prevented that, somewhat against our intentions bash

because, my lord, I wanted you to hear

the traitors speak, and cringingly confess

the type and purpose of his treason:

then you could have reported the same

to the systems, who perhaps might

misunderstand the case and mourn for his death.

MAYOR.

But, my good lord, your Grace's words shall serve

As well as I had seen and heard him speak;

And do not doubt, right noble Princes both,

But I'll acquaint our duteous citizens

With all your just proceedings in this cause.

But, my good lord, your Grace's words will do

just as well as if I had seen and heard him speak;