Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter King Henry, Queen Margaret, Gloucester the
Lord Protector, Cardinal, and Suffolk, and
Attendants, with Falconers hallowing. QUEEN MARGARET
Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook
I saw not better sport these seven years’ day.
Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high,
And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out. KING HENRY, to Gloucester
But what a point, my lord, your falcon made, 5
And what a pitch she flew above the rest!
To see how God in all his creatures works!
Yea, man and birds are fain of climbing high. SUFFOLK
No marvel, an it like your Majesty,
My Lord Protector’s hawks do tower so well; 10
They know their master loves to be aloft
And bears his thoughts above his falcon’s pitch. GLOUCESTER
My lord, ’tis but a base ignoble mind
That mounts no higher than a bird can soar. CARDINAL
I thought as much. He would be above the clouds. 15 GLOUCESTER
Ay, my Lord Cardinal, how think you by that?
Were it not good your Grace could fly to heaven? KING HENRY
The treasury of everlasting joy. CARDINAL, to Gloucester
Thy heaven is on Earth; thine eyes and thoughts
Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart. 20
Pernicious Protector, dangerous peer,
That smooth’st it so with king and commonweal! GLOUCESTER
What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown
peremptory?
Tantaene animis caelestibus irae? 25
Churchmen so hot? Good uncle, hide such malice.
With such holiness, can you do it? SUFFOLK
No malice, sir, no more than well becomes
So good a quarrel and so bad a peer. GLOUCESTER
As who, my lord? 30 SUFFOLK Why, as you, my lord,
An ’t like your lordly Lord Protectorship. GLOUCESTER
Why, Suffolk, England knows thine insolence. QUEEN MARGARET
And thy ambition, Gloucester. | At St. Albans, Henry, Margaret, Suffolk, Gloucester, and Beaufort talk
about hunting falcons. The talk quickly turns to—what else?—the crown.
Gloucester and Suffolk bicker with one another about how bad they are at
politics—er, hunting. |
KING HENRY I prithee peace, 35
Good queen, and whet not on these furious peers,
For blessèd are the peacemakers on Earth. CARDINAL
Let me be blessèd for the peace I make
Against this proud Protector with my sword! GLOUCESTER, aside to Cardinal
Faith, holy uncle, would ’t were come to that! 40 CARDINAL, aside to Gloucester Marry, when thou
dar’st! GLOUCESTER, aside to Cardinal
Make up no factious numbers for the matter.
In thine own person answer thy abuse. CARDINAL, aside to Gloucester
Ay, where thou dar’st not peep. An if thou dar’st, 45
This evening, on the east side of the grove. KING HENRY
How now, my lords? CARDINAL Believe me, cousin Gloucester,
Had not your man put up the fowl so suddenly,
We had had more sport. (Aside to Gloucester.) 50
Come with thy two-hand sword. GLOUCESTER
True, uncle. (Aside to Cardinal.) Are you advised?
The east side of the grove. CARDINAL, aside to Gloucester
I am with you. KING HENRY Why, how now, uncle Gloucester? 55 GLOUCESTER
Talking of hawking; nothing else, my lord.
(Aside to Cardinal.) Now, by God’s mother, priest,
I’ll shave your crown for this,
Or all my fence shall fail. CARDINAL, aside to Gloucester Medice, teipsum; 60
Protector, see to ’t well; protect yourself. | Henry asks the men to chill. It's all good in the neighborhood, so they should zip it. After all, peacemakers are blessed. Quietly (so that Henry can't hear), Cardinal Beaufort suggests that the best way to get peace would be to fight Gloucester. Um, right: Gloucester takes him up on the offer, and the two agree to meet behind the lunch tables after school—er, later that night, with their swords. |
KING HENRY
The winds grow high; so do your stomachs, lords.
How irksome is this music to my heart!
When such strings jar, what hope of harmony?
I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife. 65 Enter a man from St. Albans crying “A miracle!” GLOUCESTER What means this noise?—
Fellow, what miracle dost thou proclaim? MAN A miracle, a miracle! SUFFOLK
Come to the King, and tell him what miracle. MAN
Forsooth, a blind man at Saint Alban’s shrine 70
Within this half hour hath received his sight,
A man that ne’er saw in his life before. KING HENRY
Now, God be praised, that to believing souls
Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair. | Henry asks the men what they're gabbing about. They don't want to get in trouble, so Gloucester says they were talking about hawks and hunting, of course. At that moment, a man walks in shouting about a miracle. When Henry and company ask him what he's going on about, the man tells them that a blind man just got his sight back at St. Albans shrine.
Henry praises God for this and wants to see the guy for himself. |
Enter the Mayor of Saint Albans, and his brethren,
bearing the man Simpcox between two in a chair,
followed by Simpcox’s Wife and Others. CARDINAL
Here comes the townsmen on procession 75
To present your Highness with the man. KING HENRY
Great is his comfort in this earthly vale,
Although by his sight his sin be multiplied. GLOUCESTER
Stand by, my masters.—Bring him near the King.
His Highness’ pleasure is to talk with him. 80
The two bearers bring the chair forward. KING HENRY
Good fellow, tell us here the circumstance,
That we for thee may glorify the Lord.
What, hast thou been long blind and now restored? SIMPCOX Born blind, an ’t please your Grace. WIFE Ay, indeed, was he. 85 SUFFOLK What woman is this? WIFE His wife, an ’t like your Worship. GLOUCESTER Hadst thou been his mother, thou couldst
have better told. KING HENRY Where wert thou born? 90 SIMPCOX
At Berwick in the North, an ’t like your Grace. KING HENRY
Poor soul, God’s goodness hath been great to thee.
Let never day nor night unhallowed pass,
But still remember what the Lord hath done. QUEEN MARGARET
Tell me, good fellow, cam’st thou here by chance, 95
Or of devotion to this holy shrine? SIMPCOX
God knows, of pure devotion, being called
A hundred times and oftener in my sleep
By good Saint Alban, who said “Simon, come,
Come, offer at my shrine, and I will help thee.” 100 WIFE
Most true, forsooth, and many time and oft
Myself have heard a voice to call him so. | Simpcox is brought in, along with his wife and followers. But not everyone is celebrating: Gloucester wants to play 20 Questions with Simpcox to see if he's lying. He asks him how long he's been blind, and Simpcox says he was born that way. |
CARDINAL What, art thou lame? SIMPCOX Ay, God Almighty help me! SUFFOLK How cam’st thou so? 105 SIMPCOX A fall off of a tree. WIFE A plum tree, master. GLOUCESTER How long hast thou been blind? SIMPCOX O, born so, master. GLOUCESTER What, and wouldst climb a tree? 110 SIMPCOX But that in all my life, when I was a youth. WIFE Too true, and bought his climbing very dear. GLOUCESTER Mass, thou lov’dst plums well, that
wouldst venture so. SIMPCOX Alas, good master, my wife desired some 115
damsons, and made me climb, with danger of my
life. GLOUCESTER
A subtle knave, but yet it shall not serve.—
Let me see thine eyes. Wink now. Now open them.
In my opinion, yet thou seest not well. 120 SIMPCOX Yes, master, clear as day, I thank God and
Saint Alban. | Beaufort wants to know why he can't walk, and it turns out he fell from a tree when he was young. His wife confirms all this. |
GLOUCESTER
Sayst thou me so? What color is this cloak of? SIMPCOX Red, master, red as blood. GLOUCESTER
Why, that’s well said. What color is my gown of? 125 SIMPCOX Black, forsooth, coal-black as jet. KING HENRY
Why, then, thou know’st what color jet is of. SUFFOLK
And yet, I think, jet did he never see. GLOUCESTER
But cloaks and gowns, before this day, a many. WIFE
Never, before this day, in all his life. 130 GLOUCESTER Tell me, sirrah, what’s my name? SIMPCOX Alas, master, I know not. GLOUCESTER, pointing What’s his name? SIMPCOX I know not. GLOUCESTER, pointing to someone else Nor his? 135 SIMPCOX No, indeed, master. GLOUCESTER What’s thine own name? SIMPCOX Sander Simpcox, an if it please you, master. | Then Gloucester wants to know what color a cloak and gown are that he
points to. Simpcox answers that one is red, another black. Aha:
Gloucester thinks he's proven that the man is a liar: if he'd never seen
colors before, how would he know what they were called? |
GLOUCESTER Then, Sander, sit there, the lying’st knave
in Christendom. If thou hadst been born blind, 140
thou mightst as well have known all our names as
thus to name the several colors we do wear. Sight
may distinguish of colors; but suddenly to nominate
them all, it is impossible.—My lords, Saint
Alban here hath done a miracle; and would you 145
not think his cunning to be great that could
restore this cripple to his legs again? SIMPCOX O master, that you could! GLOUCESTER My masters of Saint Albans, have you not
beadles in your town and things called whips? 150 MAYOR Yes, my lord, if it please your Grace. GLOUCESTER Then send for one presently. MAYOR Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight. A man exits. GLOUCESTER Now fetch me a stool hither by and by.
One brings a stool. Now, sirrah, if you mean to 155
save yourself from whipping, leap me over this
stool, and run away. SIMPCOX Alas, master, I am not able to stand alone.
You go about to torture me in vain. | Gloucester decides to have a little fun of his own. He asks Simpcox if he would like his legs cured, too—and, of course, the answer is yes. Gloucester asks the Mayor for a whip and a stool; he tells Simpcox to leap over the stool or get whipped. Simpcox tells everyone he can't stand alone, so it's not fair. |
Enter a Beadle with whips. GLOUCESTER Well, sir, we must have you find your 160
legs.—Sirrah beadle, whip him till he leap over
that same stool. BEADLE I will, my lord.—Come on, sirrah, off with
your doublet quickly. SIMPCOX Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to 165
stand. After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps
over the stool and runs away; and they follow
and cry “A miracle!” KING HENRY
O God, seest Thou this, and bearest so long? QUEEN MARGARET
It made me laugh to see the villain run. GLOUCESTER, to the Beadle
Follow the knave, and take this drab away. WIFE Alas, sir, we did it for pure need. 170 GLOUCESTER
Let them be whipped through every market town
Till they come to Berwick, from whence they came. The Beadle, Mayor, Wife, and the others from
Saint Albans exit. | Gloucester doesn't buy it: he instructs an attendant to whip Simpcox until he runs. After one whip, Simpcox gets up, leaps over the stool, and runs away. Well, that's settled, then.
Everyone laughs, and Gloucester orders for Simpcox and his wife to be captured and whipped around town so everyone knows not to mess with them. |
CARDINAL
Duke Humphrey has done a miracle today. SUFFOLK
True, made the lame to leap and fly away. GLOUCESTER
But you have done more miracles than I. 175
You made in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly. Enter Buckingham. KING HENRY
What tidings with our cousin Buckingham? BUCKINGHAM
Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold:
A sort of naughty persons, lewdly bent,
Under the countenance and confederacy 180
Of Lady Eleanor, the Protector’s wife,
The ringleader and head of all this rout,
Have practiced dangerously against your state,
Dealing with witches and with conjurers,
Whom we have apprehended in the fact, 185
Raising up wicked spirits from under ground,
Demanding of King Henry’s life and death
And other of your Highness’ Privy Council,
As more at large your Grace shall understand. CARDINAL
And so, my Lord Protector, by this means 190
Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.
Aside to Gloucester. This news, I think, hath turned
your weapon’s edge;
’Tis like, my lord, you will not keep your hour. GLOUCESTER
Ambitious churchman, leave to afflict my heart. 195
Sorrow and grief have vanquished all my powers,
And, vanquished as I am, I yield to thee,
Or to the meanest groom. KING HENRY
O God, what mischiefs work the wicked ones,
Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby! 200 QUEEN MARGARET
Gloucester, see here the tainture of thy nest,
And look thyself be faultless, thou wert best. GLOUCESTER
Madam, for myself, to heaven I do appeal
How I have loved my king and commonweal;
And, for my wife, I know not how it stands. 205
Sorry I am to hear what I have heard.
Noble she is; but if she have forgot
Honor and virtue, and conversed with such
As, like to pitch, defile nobility,
I banish her my bed and company 210
And give her as a prey to law and shame
That hath dishonored Gloucester’s honest name. | Buckingham enters with news of Eleanor's arrest. Cardinal Beaufort tells Gloucester in an aside
that this means he'll end up losing his title of Protector. Gloucester
tells the king he didn't know that Eleanor was dabbling in witchcraft,
and he banishes her from his bed—translation: he doesn't want to be
married to her anymore. |
KING HENRY
Well, for this night we will repose us here.
Tomorrow toward London back again,
To look into this business thoroughly, 215
And call these foul offenders to their answers,
And poise the cause in Justice’ equal scales,
Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause
prevails. Flourish. They exit. | Henry says they'll go back to London now. |