Henry VI, Part Two In Plain and Simple English (Digital Download)

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PURCHASE A COPY OF HENRY VI, PART TWO IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE ENGLISH NOW! Do you need to understand Shakespeare and want something more interactive? Try our free app, SwipeSpeare! EXC ERT FROM HENRY VI: PART ONE MODERN ENGLISH Act ISCENE I. London. The palace [Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter the KING, GLOSTER,SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT, on theone side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK, YORK, SOMERSET, andBUCKINGHAM, on the other.]SUFFOLK.As by your high imperial MajestyI had in charge at my depart for France,As procurator to your excellence,To marry Princess Margaret for your grace,So, in the famous ancient city Tours,In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil,The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne, and Alencon,Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops,I have perform'd my task and was espous'd,And humbly now upon my bended knee,In sight of England and her lordly peers,Deliver up my title in the queenTo your most gracious hands, that are the substanceOf that great shadow I did represent:The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.Following the orders your most imperial majestygave me as I left for France,as agent for your excellency,to marry Princess Margaret on your behalf,so, in the famous ancient city of Tours,in the presence of the kings of France and Sicily,the Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Brittany and Alencon,seven earls, twelve barons and twenty holy bishops,I performed my task and was married as your representative,and now I kneel humbly before you,with the people and peers of England as my witness,and hand over my rights to the Queeninto your most gracious hands, the physical manifestationof the greatness that I represented:the best gift any Marquis ever gave,the most beautiful fair Queen that was ever welcomed by a King. KING.Suffolk, arise.--Welcome, Queen Margaret.I can express no kinder sign of loveThan this kind kiss.--O Lord, that lends me life,Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!For thou hast given me in this beauteous faceA world of earthly blessings to my soul,If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.Suffolk, stand up. Welcome, Queen Margaret.I can give you no sweeter sign of lovethan this sweet kiss. Oh God, who gave me life,make my heart be grateful!For you have given my soul a world fullof earthly blessings with this beautiful face,if we become united in our love.QUEEN.Great King of England and my gracious lord,The mutual conference that my mind hath had,By day, by night, waking and in my dreams,In courtly company or at my beads,With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign,Makes me the bolder to salute my kingWith ruder terms, such as my wit affordsAnd over-joy of heart doth minister.Great King of England and my gracious lord,by day, by night, waking and in my dreams,in noble company or doing my house work,the shared thoughts that I've had with youmy most beloved sovereign,emboldens me to greet my kingwith familiarity, as far as my wit can manageand my brimming heart allows.KING.Her sight did ravish, but her grace in speech,Her words yclad with wisdom's majesty,Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;Such is the fulness of my heart's content.--Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.Her looks are enchanting, but her grace in speech,with her words full of the majesty of wisdom,makes me change from amazement to weeping happiness;this is how overjoyed my heart is.Lords, be unanimous in happily welcoming my love.ALL.[Kneeling] Long live Queen Margaret, England'shappiness!Long live Queen Margaret, the joy of England!QUEEN.We thank you all.I thank you all.[Flourish.]SUFFOLK.My Lord Protector, so it please your grace,Here are the articles of contracted peaceBetween our sovereign and the French king Charles,For eighteen months concluded by consent.My Lord Protector, if you please,here is the peace treaty agreedbetween our king and the French King Charles,agreed to last the next eighteen monthsGLOSTER.[Reads] 'Imprimis, It is agreed between the French kingCharles and William de la Pole, Marquess of Suffolk, ambassadorfor Henry King of England, that the said Henry shall espouse theLady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier King of Naples, Sicilia,and Jerusalem, and crown her Queen of England ere the thirtiethof May next ensuing. Item, that the duchy of Anjou and thecounty of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king herfather'--“Firstly, it is agreed between the French kingCharles and William de la Pole Marquis of Suffolk, ambassadorfor Henry King of England, that the aforementioned Henry shall marryLady Margaret, daughter of Reignier King of Naples, Sicilyand Jerusalem, and crown her as Queen of England before nextMay the thirtieth. Next, the Duchy of Anjou and thecounty of Maine shall be freed and handed over to her father the King–"[Lets the paper fall.]KING.Uncle, how now!Uncle, what's this!GLOSTER.Pardon me, gracious lord;Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heartAnd dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no further.Excuse me, gracious lord;some sudden tremor affected my heartand clouded my eyes, so I can read no more.KING.Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.My uncle of Winchester, please carry on reading.CARDINAL.[Reads] 'Item, It is further agreed between them,that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released anddelivered over to the king her father, and she sent over of theKing ofEngland's own proper cost and charges, without having any dowry.'“Item, it is further agreed between themthat the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be freed andhanded over to her father the King, and she shall be sent overto be supported and maintained by King of England, without any dowry."KING.They please us well.--Lord marquess, kneel down.We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk,And girt thee with the sword.--Cousin of York,We here discharge your grace from being regentI' the parts of France, till term of eighteen monthsBe full expir'd.--Thanks, uncle Winchester,Gloster, York, Buckingham, Somerset,Salisbury, and Warwick;We thank you all for this great favour doneIn entertainment to my princely queen.Come, let us in, and with all speed provideTo 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 Regentover the French territories, until eighteen monthsare up. Thank you, uncle Winchester,Gloucester, York, Buckingham, Somerset,Salisbury, and Warwick;I thank you all for the great kindness you have done mein welcoming my princely Queen.Come, let's go inside, and as quickly as possible preparefor 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 witsTo 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-houseEarly and late, debating to and froHow France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe,And had his highness in his infancyCrowned 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 brainsto 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 chamberfrom morning till night, debating amongst ushow France and the Frenchmen could be kept under control,and did we not have his Highness as a childcrowned 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 MaineUnto the poor King Reignier, whose large styleAgrees 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 Maineto the poor King Reignier, whose great titlesare 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 woundsDeliver'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 winbeing 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 hadLarge 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 suffocatedfor tarnishing the honour of this military island!France would have had to tell my heartbefore I would have agreed to this alliance.I have never read of any English king who did not havelarge 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 fifteenthFor 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 taxto 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 faceI 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 angerin your face; if I stay here longer,we will recommence our old arguments–Lords, farewell; after I'm gone rememberthat I predicted that France will be lost before long. 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