Free The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) by William Shakespeare Page A

do your pleasure, and continue friends.
     
    Good reverend father, put yourself in my position,
    and tell me how you would behave.
    I have only just joined hands with this King,
    and our souls have been joined together,
    sworn to work for each other
    with all the religious strength of sacred vows;
    the last thingthat I have said
    was to swear faithfully to peace, friendship and true love
    between our kingdoms and ourselves.
    And just before this truce, just recently,
    no sooner than we could wash our hands
    to seal this royal bargain of peace,
    heaven knows, they were smeared and stained
    with the blood of slaughter, revenge showing
    how terrible disagreement is between angry kings:
    should these hands, so recently cleansed of blood,
    so newly joined in friendship, both so faithful ,
    undo their clasp and their kind bond?
    Cheat with faith? Should we joke with heaven,
    be such unfaithful children of God
    that we would now take our hands apart,
    unswear what we have sworn, and on the marriage bed
    of sweet peace march a bloody army,
    and cause a riot on the gentle forehead
    of true sincerity? Oh, holy Sir,
    my reverend father, don't make me do this!
    From your grace invent, decree, impose
    some less strict order, and then we will have the blessing
    of doing as you wish and remaining friends.
     
    PANDULPH.
    All form is formless, order orderless,
    Save what is opposite to England's love.
    Therefore, to arms! be champion of our church,
    Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse-
    A mother's curse-on her revolting son.
    France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue,
    A chafed lion by the mortal paw,
    A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,
    Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.
     
    All ceremony is powerless, there is no order
    except in being the opposite of friends with England.
    So, to battle! Be the champion of our church,
    or let the church, our mother, say her curse–
    a mother's curse–against her revolting son.
    France, you would be safer holding a snake by the tongue,
    an angry lion by his killing paw,
    a hungry tiger by his tooth,
    than to remain at peace with that hand which you are holding.
     
    KING PHILIP.
    I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith.
     
    I can break my grip, but not my promise.
     
    PANDULPH.
    So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith;
    And like. a civil war set'st oath to oath.
    Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow
    First made to heaven, first be to heaven perform'd,
    That is, to be the champion of our Church.
    What since thou swor'st is sworn against thyself
    And may not be performed by thyself,
    For that which thou hast sworn to do amiss
    Is not amiss when it is truly done;
    And being not done, where doing tends to ill,
    The truth is then most done not doing it;
    The better act of purposes mistook
    Is to mistake again; though indirect,
    Yet indirection thereby grows direct,
    And falsehood cures, as fire cools fire
    Within the scorched veins of one new-burn'd.
    It is religion that doth make vows kept;
    But thou hast sworn against religion
    By what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st,
    And mak'st an oath the surety for thy truth
    Against an oath; the truth thou art unsure
    To swear swears only not to be forsworn;
    Else what a mockery should it be to swear!
    But thou dost swear only to be forsworn;
    And most forsworn to keep what thou dost swear.
    Therefore thy later vows against thy first
    Is in thyself rebellion to thyself;
    And better conquest never canst thou make
    Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts
    Against these giddy loose suggestions;
    Upon which better part our pray'rs come in,
    If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know
    The peril of our curses fight on thee
    So heavy as thou shalt not shake them off,
    But in despair die under the black weight.
     
    So you are making your promise an enemy of your promise,
    setting oaths against oaths like a civil war,
    setting your words against your words. Oh, let your promise
    which you first made to heaven, be