King Richard the Second In Plain and Simple English (Digital Download)
PURCHASE A COPY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE ENGLISH NOW! Do you need to understand Shakespeare and want something more interactive? Try our free app, SwipeSpeare ! EXCERPT FROM KING RICHARD THE SECOND IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE ENGLISH SCENE I. London. The palaceEnter RICHARD, JOHN OF GAUNT, with other NOBLES and attendantsKING RICHARD.Old John of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster,Hast thou, according to thy oath and band,Brought hither Henry Hereford, thy bold son,Here to make good the boist'rous late appeal,Which then our leisure would not let us hear,Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?Old John of Gaunt, venerable Lancaster,have you, according to your promise and oath,brought Henry Hereford, your bold son, hereto confirm his recent strong accusations,which at the time we hadn’t time to listen to,against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray? GAUNT.I have, my liege.I have, my lord. KING RICHARD.Tell me, moreover, hast thou sounded himIf he appeal the Duke on ancient malice,Or worthily, as a good subject should,On some known ground of treachery in him?Tell me, furthermore, have you asked himif he's accusing the Duke due to an old grudge,or truly, like a good subject,on genuine grounds of treachery? GAUNT.As near as I could sift him on that argument,On some apparent danger seen in himAim'd at your Highness-no inveterate malice.As far as I could find out on that question,because he felt that there was some hatredin him towards your Highness–there is no grudge.KING RICHARD.Then call them to our presence: face to faceAnd frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hearThe accuser and the accused freely speak.High-stomach'd are they both and full of ire,In rage, deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.Then call them here: I shall hearthe accuser and the accused speak freely,face-to-face and frowning brow to brow.They are both high-spirited and full of anger,when they're raging they are as deaf as the sea, quick as fire.Enter BOLINGBROKE and MOWBRAYBOLINGBROKE.Many years of happy days befallMy gracious sovereign, my most loving liege!May my gracious king, my most loving lord,have many years of happy days ahead of him!MOWBRAY.Each day still better other's happinessUntil the heavens, envying earth's good hap,Add an immortal title to your crown!May you increase the happiness of others every day,until the heavens, jealous of Earth's good luck,call you to them.KING RICHARD.We thank you both; yet one but flatters us,As well appeareth by the cause you come;Namely, to appeal each other of high treason.Cousin of Hereford, what dost thou objectAgainst the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?I thank you both; but one of you is lying,you can see that from the reason you are here;that is, to accuse each other of high treason.My cousin Hereford, what is your accusationagainst the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?BOLINGBROKE.First-heaven be the record to my speech!In the devotion of a subject's love,Tend'ring the precious safety of my prince,And free from other misbegotten hate,Come I appellant to this princely presence.Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee,And mark my greeting well; for what I speakMy body shall make good upon this earth,Or my divine soul answer it in heaven-Thou art a traitor and a miscreant,Too good to be so, and too bad to live,Since the more fair and crystal is the sky,The uglier seem the clouds that in it fly.Once more, the more to aggravate the note,With a foul traitor's name stuff I thy throat;And wish-so please my sovereign-ere I move,What my tongue speaks, my right drawn sword may prove.Firstly, may Heaven witness what I say!I come into your royal presence as a witness,caring about the precious safety of my prince,free of any other illegitimate grudge.Now, Thomas Mowbray, I turn to you,and take good note of my greeting; for what I sayI will answer for with my body upon this earth,or my immortal soul will answer for it in heaven–you are a traitor and a villain,too nobly born to be so, and too bad to live,as the more lovely and clear the sky isthe uglier the clouds in it seem.Once more, to confirm your disgrace,I stuff the name of traitor into your throat,and ask–if my King permits–that before I leave,that I may back up my words with my sword.MOWBRAY.Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal.'Tis not the trial of a woman's war,The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,Can arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain;The blood is hot that must be cool'd for this.Yet can I not of such tame patience boastAs to be hush'd and nought at an to say.First, the fair reverence of your Highness curbs meFrom giving reins and spurs to my free speech;Which else would post until it had return'dThese terms of treason doubled down his throat.Setting aside his high blood's royalty,And let him be no kinsman to my liege,I do defy him, and I spit at him,Call him a slanderous coward and a villain;Which to maintain, I would allow him oddsAnd meet him, were I tied to run afootEven to the frozen ridges of the Alps,Or any other ground inhabitableWhere ever Englishman durst set his foot.Meantime let this defend my loyalty-By all my hopes, most falsely doth he lieDon't assume the coldness of my words indicates a lack of passion.The argument between the two of uscan't be decided the way women do,shouting bitter words at each other;blood must be spilled to settle this.But I'm not going to pretend I'm so calmthat I will stand here and say nothing.Firstly, my respect for your Highness stops mefrom giving my speech free rein,because otherwise I would go onuntil I had shoved that accusation of treason back down his throat;if he wasn't so nobly born,and wasn't related to my lord,I would defy him, and spit on him,call him a slanderous coward, and a villain,and to prove it I would give him odds,and fight him even if I was forced to run on footto the frozen ridges of the Alps,or any other inhospitable placewhere an Englishman dares to tread.In the meantime, let this prove my loyalty–I swear on my soul that he is lying.BOLINGBROKE.Pale trembling coward, there I throw my gage,Disclaiming here the kindred of the King;And lay aside my high blood's royalty,Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except.If guilty dread have left thee so much strengthAs to take up mine honour's pawn, then stoop.By that and all the rites of knighthood elseWill I make good against thee, arm to arm,What I have spoke or thou canst worst devise.Pale trembling coward, I throw my glove down,and renounce my kinship to the King;I renounce any claim to my royal blood,which you use as an excuse not to attack me out of fear, not respect.If your guilty fear has left you enough strengthto take up my challenge, then pick it up.Through that and all other ceremonies of knighthoodI will prove to you, man-to-man, that whatI have said is true and that you are lying.MOWBRAY.I take it up; and by that sword I swearWhich gently laid my knighthood on my shoulderI'll answer thee in any fair degreeOr chivalrous design of knightly trial;And when I mount, alive may I not lightIf I be traitor or unjustly fight!I accept it; and I swear by the swordwhich was used to confer my knighthoodthat I will answer it in any fairand chivalrous trial;and once I've started, may I not come outalive, if I am a traitor or am making unjust accusations!KING RICHARD.What doth our cousin lay to Mowbray's charge?It must be great that can inherit usSo much as of a thought of ill in him.What is my cousin charging Mowbray with?It would have to be very bad to convince meto have the slightest suspicion of him.BOLINGBROKE.Look what I speak, my life shall prove it true-That Mowbray hath receiv'd eight thousand noblesIn name of lendings for your Highness' soldiers,The which he hath detain'd for lewd employmentsLike a false traitor and injurious villain.Besides, I say and will in battle prove-Or here, or elsewhere to the furthest vergeThat ever was survey'd by English eye-That all the treasons for these eighteen yearsComplotted and contrived in this landFetch from false Mowbray their first head and spring.Further I say, and further will maintainUpon his bad life to make all this good,That he did plot the Duke of Gloucester's death,Suggest his soon-believing adversaries,And consequently, like a traitor coward,Sluic'd out his innocent soul through streams of blood;Which blood, like sacrificing Abel's, cries,Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth,To me for justice and rough chastisement;And, by the glorious worth of my descent,This arm shall do it, or this life be spent.Listen to what I say, I'll prove it with my life:Mowbray received eight thousand gold coinsto pay your Highness' soldiers,and he used this for improper purposes,like a false traitor, and bloody villain;besides which I say, and will prove in battle,either here, or anywhere else that has everbeen seen by an Englishman,that all the treason for the past eighteen yearsthat has been designed and plotted in this countryhas had lying Mowbray as its inspiration;furthermore I will say, and will proveby taking his bad life as punishment,that he plotted the death of the Duke of Gloucester,inciting his credulous adversaries, and subsequently, like a cowardly traitor,slaughtered that innocent soul with horrible bloodshed,and that blood now cries out from the speechlessdepths of the Earth, like that of Abel,asking me to hand out justice and punishment;and I swear by my noble ancestorsthat I shall do it, or forfeit my life.KING RICHARD.How high a pitch his resolution soars!Thomas of Norfolk, what say'st thou to this?How determined he is on this!Thomas of Norfolk, what do you say to this?MOWBRAY.O, let my sovereign turn away his faceAnd bid his ears a little while be deaf,Till I have told this slander of his bloodHow God and good men hate so foul a liar.O, let my King turn his face away,and block his ears for a little while,until I have finished my criticism of this one of royal blood,which will show what a foul liar this man is, hated by God and his fellow man.KING RICHARD.Mowbray, impartial are our eyes and cars.Were he my brother, nay, my kingdom's heir,As he is but my father's brother's son,Now by my sceptre's awe I make a vow,Such neighbour nearness to our sacred bloodShould nothing privilege him nor partializeThe unstooping firmness of my upright soul.He is our subject, Mowbray; so art thou:Free speech and fearless I to thee allow.Mowbray, my eyes and ears are impartial.If he were my brother, even if he were the heir to my kingdom,as he certainly is the son of my father's brother,I swear by the power of my sceptrethat his close relationship to mewill not give him any privileges nor biasthe unwavering firmness of my soul.He's my subject, Mowbray; so are you:I give you the right to speak freely and without fear.MOWBRAY.Then, Bolingbroke, as low as to thy heart,Through the false passage of thy throat, thou liest.Three parts of that receipt I had for CalaisDisburs'd I duly to his Highness' soldiers;The other part reserv'd I by consent,For that my sovereign liege was in my debtUpon remainder of a dear accountSince last I went to France to fetch his queen:Now swallow down that lie. For Gloucester's death-I slew him not, but to my own disgraceNeglected my sworn duty in that case.For you, my noble Lord of Lancaster,The honourable father to my foe,Once did I lay an ambush for your life,A trespass that doth vex my grieved soul;But ere I last receiv'd the sacramentI did confess it, and exactly begg'dYour Grace's pardon; and I hope I had it.This is my fault. As for the rest appeal'd,It issues from the rancour of a villain,A recreant and most degenerate traitor;Which in myself I boldly will defend,And interchangeably hurl down my gageUpon this overweening traitor's footTo prove myself a loyal gentlemanEven in the best blood chamber'd in his bosom.In haste whereof, most heartily I prayYour Highness to assign our trial day.Then, Bolingbroke, your lies come through your throatfrom deep down in your heart.I paid out three quarters of the money I was givenfor the war at Calais to his Highness' soldiers;the other part I kept with permission,because my royal lord owed it to meas the remainder of the money I spentwhen I went to France for his marriage negotiations:now take that lie back. As for the death of Gloucester,I did not kill him, but to my shameI did neglect my sworn duty in that case.My noble Lord of Lancaster,the honourable father of my enemy,I did once set an ambush to kill you,a sin that tormented my sorrowful soul;but before I last took the sacramentI confessed it, and expressly askedfor your Grace to pardon me, and I hope you did.That is my crime–as for the other accusations,they come from the bitterness of a villain,a blasphemous and degenerate traitor,which I will strongly refute,and I reciprocally throw down my gloveon this terrible traitor's foot,to prove that I am a loyal gentlemanwith honest blood running through my veins.So that I can prove this I beg thatyour Highness will set a day for us to fight.KING RICHARD.Wrath-kindled gentlemen, be rul'd by me;Let's purge this choler without letting blood-This we prescribe, though no physician;Deep malice makes too deep incision.Forget, forgive; conclude and be agreed:Our doctors say this is no month to bleed.Good uncle, let this end where it begun;We'll calm the Duke of Norfolk, you your son.Angry gentleman, take my advice;Let’s get rid of this fever without letting blood–this is my prescription, though I'm not a doctor;great hatred cuts too deeply.Forgive and forget; stop and be reconciled:the doctors say this is not a month for bloodletting.Good uncle, let's nip this in the bud;I'll calm down the Duke of Norfolk, you calm down your son.GAUNT.To be a make-peace shall become my age.Throw down, my son, the Duke of Norfolk's gage.It suits my age to be a peacemaker.Throw down the Duke of Norfolk's glove, my son.KING RICHARD.And, Norfolk, throw down his.And, Norfolk, throw down his.GAUNT.When, Harry, when?Obedience bids I should not bid again.Come on, Harry, why are you waiting?You should obey, I shouldn't have to ask again.
