Read The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) for Free Online Page B

now on?
     
    KING PHILIP.
    Speak, citizens, for England; who's your king?
     
    Speak for England, citizens; who is your king?
     
    CITIZEN.
    The King of England, when we know the King.
     
    The King of England, when we know who it is.
     
    KING PHILIP.
    Know him in us that here hold up his right.
     
    You can see him in me, upholding his rights.
     
    KING JOHN.
    In us that are our own great deputy
    And bear possession of our person here,
    Lord of our presence, Angiers, and of you.
     
    In me who is upholding his own rights
    and has brought himself here to you,
    Lord of himself, Angiers, and of you.
     
    CITIZEN.
    A greater pow'r than we denies all this;
    And till it be undoubted, we do lock
    Our former scruple in our strong-barr'd gates;
    King'd of our fears, until our fears, resolv'd,
    Be by some certain king purg'd and depos'd.
     
    A greater power than us denies all this;
    until the question is settled, we shall keep
    our doubts behind our strongly barred gates;
    we shall be ruled by our fears until they are removed,
    overthrown by some true king.
     
    BASTARD.
    By heaven, these scroyles of Angiers flout you, kings,
    And stand securely on their battlements
    As in a theatre, whence they gape and point
    At your industrious scenes and acts of death.
    Your royal presences be rul'd by me:
    Do like the mutines of Jerusalem,
    Be friends awhile, and both conjointly bend
    Your sharpest deeds of malice on this town.
    By east and west let France and England mount
    Their battering cannon, charged to the mouths,
    Till their soul-fearing clamours have brawl'd down
    The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city.
    I'd play incessantly upon these jades,
    Even till unfenced desolation
    Leave them as naked as the vulgar air.
    That done, dissever your united strengths
    And part your mingled colours once again,
    Turn face to face and bloody point to point;
    Then in a moment Fortune shall cull forth
    Out of one side her happy minion,
    To whom in favour she shall give the day,
    And kiss him with a glorious victory.
    How like you this wild counsel, mighty states?
    Smacks it not something of the policy?
     
    By heaven, these scoundrels of Angiers are mocking you, Kings,
    standing as safely on their battlements as
    they would in a theatre, from where they gape and point
    at all your hard work and your deaths.
    Let your royal persons be ruled by me:
    be like the mutineers in Jerusalem,
    become allies for a while and both together
    launch your hardest attacks against this town.
    Let France and England from the East and West
    aim their battering cannon, fully charged,
    until their terrifying rage has smashed down
    the stone walls of this arrogant city:
    I would smash away at these poor creatures
    until they are left exposed to the
    open air, with no protection.
    Once you've done that, untangle your forces,
    and separate your joint flags once again;
    face each other again, bloody point to point;
    then, in that instant, Fortune will choose
    whom she favours out of the two sides,
    and she shall allow him to triumph,
    and reward him with a glorious victory.
    What do you think of this daring advice, great Kings?
    Don't you think it sounds cunning?
     
    KING JOHN.
    Now, by the sky that hangs above our heads,
    I like it well. France, shall we knit our pow'rs
    And lay this Angiers even with the ground;
    Then after fight who shall be king of it?
     
    Now, I swear by the heavens above,
    I like it. France, shall we join forces
    to raze this Angiers to the ground,
    and then afterwards fight for who shall be king of it?
     
    BASTARD.
    An if thou hast the mettle of a king,
    Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town,
    Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,
    As we will ours, against these saucy walls;
    And when that we have dash'd them to the ground,
    Why then defy each other, and pell-mell
    Make work upon ourselves, for heaven or hell.
     
    If you have the spirit of the King,
    having been insulted as we have been by this petulant town,
    turn the muzzles of your