King John: Act 5, Scene 6 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 6 of King John from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Bastard and Hubert, severally. HUBERT Who’s there? Speak ho! Speak quickly, or I shoot. BASTARD A friend. What art thou? HUBERT Of the part of England. BASTARD Whither dost thou go? HUBERT What’s that to thee? 5 BASTARD Why may not I demand of thine affairs As well as thou of mine? Hubert, I think? HUBERT Thou hast a perfect thought. I will upon all hazards well believe Thou art my friend, that know’st my tongue so well. 10 Who art thou? BASTARD Who thou wilt. An if thou please, Thou mayst befriend me so much as to think I come one way of the Plantagenets. HUBERT Unkind remembrance! Thou and endless night 15 Have done me shame. Brave soldier, pardon me That any accent breaking from thy tongue Should ’scape the true acquaintance of mine ear. BASTARD Come, come. Sans compliment, what news abroad? HUBERT Why, here walk I in the black brow of night 20 To find you out. BASTARD Brief, then; and what’s the news? HUBERT O my sweet sir, news fitting to the night, Black, fearful, comfortless, and horrible. BASTARD Show me the very wound of this ill news. 25 I am no woman; I’ll not swoon at it. HUBERT The King, I fear, is poisoned by a monk. I left him almost speechless, and broke out To acquaint you with this evil, that you might The better arm you to the sudden time 30 Than if you had at leisure known of this. BASTARD How did he take it? Who did taste to him? HUBERT A monk, I tell you, a resolvèd villain, Whose bowels suddenly burst out. The King Yet speaks and peradventure may recover. 35 BASTARD Who didst thou leave to tend his Majesty? HUBERT Why, know you not? The lords are all come back, And brought Prince Henry in their company, At whose request the King hath pardoned them, And they are all about his Majesty. 40 BASTARD Withhold thine indignation, mighty God, And tempt us not to bear above our power. I’ll tell thee, Hubert, half my power this night, Passing these flats, are taken by the tide. These Lincoln Washes have devourèd them. 45 Myself, well mounted, hardly have escaped. Away before. Conduct me to the King. I doubt he will be dead or ere I come. They exit.	Welcome to the neighborhood of Swinstead Abbey, where King John is totally hiding out. The Bastard and Hubert enter from opposite directions. It's so dark they don't recognize each other at first and there's a lot of, "Who's there?" and, "Speak quickly, or I'll shoot!" Finally, they identify themselves and Hubert tells the Bastard that King John has been poisoned by a monk. The monk, it turns out, is dead. His bowels burst. (Ick.) King John is still speaking, but who knows for how long. The Bastard asks who's guarding the king now. Hubert tells him that Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot have returned and are back on King John's side. King John's son, Prince Henry, is with them, and he's the one who convinced King John to pardon the rebel lords. The Bastard has his own news to share. Apparently on his way there, half his soldiers drowned in the sea. Thankfully, the Bastard had a good horse, so he survived the undertow. After that happy tale, he demands to see the king.

Original Text

Translated Text

Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Enter Bastard and Hubert, severally.

HUBERT
Who’s there? Speak ho! Speak quickly, or I shoot.

BASTARD
A friend. What art thou?

HUBERT Of the part of England.

BASTARD
Whither dost thou go?

HUBERT

What’s that to thee? 5

BASTARD
Why may not I demand of thine affairs
As well as thou of mine? Hubert, I think?

HUBERT Thou hast a perfect thought.
I will upon all hazards well believe
Thou art my friend, that know’st my tongue so well. 10
Who art thou?

BASTARD Who thou wilt. An if thou please,
Thou mayst befriend me so much as to think
I come one way of the Plantagenets.

HUBERT
Unkind remembrance! Thou and endless night 15
Have done me shame. Brave soldier, pardon me
That any accent breaking from thy tongue
Should ’scape the true acquaintance of mine ear.

BASTARD
Come, come. Sans compliment, what news abroad?

HUBERT
Why, here walk I in the black brow of night 20
To find you out.

BASTARD Brief, then; and what’s the news?

HUBERT
O my sweet sir, news fitting to the night,
Black, fearful, comfortless, and horrible.

BASTARD
Show me the very wound of this ill news. 25
I am no woman; I’ll not swoon at it.

HUBERT
The King, I fear, is poisoned by a monk.
I left him almost speechless, and broke out
To acquaint you with this evil, that you might
The better arm you to the sudden time 30
Than if you had at leisure known of this.

BASTARD
How did he take it? Who did taste to him?

HUBERT
A monk, I tell you, a resolvèd villain,
Whose bowels suddenly burst out. The King
Yet speaks and peradventure may recover. 35

BASTARD
Who didst thou leave to tend his Majesty?

HUBERT
Why, know you not? The lords are all come back,
And brought Prince Henry in their company,
At whose request the King hath pardoned them,
And they are all about his Majesty. 40

BASTARD
Withhold thine indignation, mighty God,
And tempt us not to bear above our power.
I’ll tell thee, Hubert, half my power this night,
Passing these flats, are taken by the tide.
These Lincoln Washes have devourèd them. 45
Myself, well mounted, hardly have escaped.
Away before. Conduct me to the King.
I doubt he will be dead or ere I come.

They exit.

Welcome to the neighborhood of Swinstead Abbey, where King John is totally hiding out.

The Bastard and Hubert enter from opposite directions. It's so dark they don't recognize each other at first and there's a lot of, "Who's there?" and, "Speak quickly, or I'll shoot!"

Finally, they identify themselves and Hubert tells the Bastard that King John has been poisoned by a monk. The monk, it turns out, is dead. His bowels burst. (Ick.) King John is still speaking, but who knows for how long.

The Bastard asks who's guarding the king now. Hubert tells him that Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot have returned and are back on King John's side. King John's son, Prince Henry, is with them, and he's the one who convinced King John to pardon the rebel lords.

The Bastard has his own news to share. Apparently on his way there, half his soldiers drowned in the sea. Thankfully, the Bastard had a good horse, so he survived the undertow. After that happy tale, he demands to see the king.

King John: Act 5, Scene 6 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 6 of King John from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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