CJTranslations - Henry VI, Part 1

QUOTES BY TOPIC

Ask me what question thou canst possible

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1 ACT/SCENE: 1.2 SPEAKER: Joan la Pucelle CONTEXT: JOAN LA PUCELLE
(…)Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:
My courage try by combat, if thou darest,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this, thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
CHARLES
Thou hast astonish’d me with thy high terms:
Only this proof I’ll of thy valour make,
In single combat thou shalt buckle with me,
And if thou vanquishest, thy words are true;
Otherwise I renounce all confidence. DUTCH: Vraag mij naar alles wat gij vragen kunt,
Onvoorbereid zal ik u antwoord geven;
Toets in den strijd, indien gij durft, mijn moed,
Bevinden zult gij, meer ben ik dan vrouw.
Neem uw besluit; — gij hebt geluk op aard,
Wanneer gij mij als strijdgenoot aanvaardt. MORE: Resolve=Be assured, know this
High terms=Pompous words
Proof=Trial
Buckle=Grapple
Confidence=Trust

Compleat:
To resolve upon something=Iets bepaalen
I know not what to resolve on=Ik weet niet wat ik besluiten zal
Proof=Beproeving
To buckle together=Worstelen, schermutselen
To repose an entire confidence in one=Een volkomen betrouwen op iemand stellen Topics: trust, language, dispute, truth

But more when envy breeds unkind division;
There comes the rain, there begins confusion.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: Exeter
CONTEXT:
EXETER
Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice;
For, had the passions of thy heart burst out,
I fear we should have seen decipher’d there
More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,
Than yet can be imagined or supposed.
But howsoe’er, no simple man that sees
This jarring discord of nobility,
This shouldering of each other in the court,
This factious bandying of their favourites,
But that it doth presage some ill event.
‘Tis much when sceptres are in children’s hands;
But more when envy breeds unkind division;
There comes the ruin, there begins confusion.

DUTCH:
t Is erg, indien een kind den scepter zwaait,
Maar erger nog, zoo haat verdeeldheid broedt,
Dan gaan we ellende en omkeer te gemoet.

MORE:
Schmidt:
Deciphered=Be revealed, detected
Rancorous=Malignant, hateful
Broil=(a) tumult, noisy quarrel, contention; (b) war, combat, battle
Simple=Common
Jarring=Clashing, discordant
Bandy=To beat to and fro (fig. of words, looks)
Shoulder=To push with violence and with a view of supplanting
Unkind=Unnatural

Compleat:
Deciphered=Ontcyferd
Rancorous=Nydig, vik afgunst en nyd
Broil=Oproer, beroerte, gewoel
Simple=Eenvoudig, onnozel
To jar=Krakkeelen, twisten, harrewarren, oneens zyn, kyven
Bandy=Een bal weer toeslaan; een zaak voor en tegen betwisten
Shoulder=Schouderen

Topics: envy, conflict, consequence, ruin

By some apparent sign Let us have knowledge

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.1
SPEAKER: Sergeant
CONTEXT:
Sirs, take your places and be vigilant:
If any noise or soldier you perceive
Near to the walls, by some apparent sign
Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.

DUTCH:
Hier, mannen, op uw posten, en weest waakzaam.
Ontwaart gij een gedruis of een soldaat
Nabij den wal, zoo geeft door eenig teeken
Ons in het wachthuis fluks bericht er van.

MORE:
Burgersdijk notes:
Hier, mannen, enz. Wat Sh. hier van Orleans vermeldt, wordt door Holinshed van de inneming der stad Mans verhaald.

Topics: evidence

Care is no cure, but rather corrosive,
For things that are not to be remedied.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Joan la Pucelle
CONTEXT:
JOAN LA PUCELLE
Dismay not, princes, at this accident,
Nor grieve that Rouen is so recovered:
Care is no cure, but rather corrosive,
For things that are not to be remedied.
Let frantic Talbot triumph for a while
And like a peacock sweep along his tail;
We ‘ll pull his plumes and take away his train,
If Dauphin and the rest will be but ruled.
CHARLES
We have been guided by thee hitherto,
And of thy cunning had no diffidence:
One sudden foil shall never breed distrust

DUTCH:
Verlies om ‘t ongeval den moed niet, prinsen,
‘t Bedroeve u niet, dat wij Rouaan verloren;
Want smart om dingen, die onheelbaar zijn,
Is geen arts’nij, maar bijtend, knagend gif.

MORE:
Proverb: Care is no cure
Proverb: Past cure past care

Dismay not=Do not be dismayed
Recovered=Taken back
Frantic=Mad
Train=Followers
Diffidence=Suspicion, mistrust

Compleat:
To dismay=Verslagen maaken, beanstigen
To recover=Weder bekomen, weer krygen, weer opkomen
Frantick=Zinneloos, hersenloos, ylhoofdig
Train (retinue)=rein, stoet, gevolg
Diffidence (distrust)=Wantrouwen

Topics: proverbs and idioms, invented or popularised, still in use, remedy

Civil dissension is a viperous worm

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.1
SPEAKER: King Henry VI
CONTEXT:
PLANTAGENET
[Aside] Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue,
Lest it be said ‘Speak, sirrah, when you should;
Must your bold verdict enter talk with lords?’
Else would I have a fling at Winchester.
KING HENRY VI
Uncles of Gloucester and of Winchester,
The special watchmen of our English weal,
I would prevail, if prayers might prevail,
To join your hearts in love and amity.
O, what a scandal is it to our crown,
That two such noble peers as ye should jar!
Believe me, lords, my tender years can tell
Civil dissension is a viperous worm
That gnaws the boels of the commonwealth.

DUTCH:
Geloof mij, lords, mijn teed’re jeugd bevroedt reeds,
Dat burgertwist een giftige adder is ,
Die de ingewanden van den staat doorknaagt.

MORE:
Bold=Daring, insolent
Verdict=Judgment, opinion
Enter=Engage in, interrupt
Weal=Commonwealth
Jar=Quarrel

Compleat:
Jar=Krakkeelen, twisten, harrewarren, oneens zyn, kyven
The common-weal=’t Welvaaren van ‘t algemeen
A common-wealths man=Een republyks gezinde

Burgersdijk notes:
Mijn teed’re jeugd bevroedt reeds. Eigenlijk was Hendrik VI slechts vijf jaar oud, toen het parlement
bijeenkwam om de twisten tusschen Gloster en Winchester te beslechten.

Topics: dispute, consequence, resolution, judgment

Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends,

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.2
SPEAKER: Reignier
CONTEXT:
REIGNIER
Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends,
Enter and cry “The Dauphin!” presently,
And then do execution on the watch.
TALBOT
France, thou shalt rue this treason with thy tears,
If Talbot but survive thy treachery.
Pucelle, that witch, that damned sorceress,
Hath wrought this hellish mischief unawares,
That hardly we escaped the pride of France.

DUTCH:
Thans niet getalmd! Elk uitstel eindigt boos;
Dringt binnen; roept terstond dan: „De Dauphijn!”
En slaat de wachters aan de poort ter neer.

MORE:
Proverb: Delay breeds danger (is dangerous)

The watch=The sentinels
Do execution on=Kill
Unawares=Undetected
Hardly=With difficulty

Compleat:
Unawares=Onverhoeds verrassen; Onbedacht, onvoorzigtig, by vergissing
The watch=De wacht
Hardly=(with much ado) Bezwaarlyk, met veel moeiten

Topics: proverbs and idioms, time, consequence

Discover more at large what cause that was,
For I am ignorant and cannot guess

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.5
SPEAKER: Plantagenet
CONTEXT:
MORTIMER
That cause, fair nephew, that imprison’d me
And hath detain’d me all my flowering youth
Within a loathsome dungeon, there to pine,
Was cursed instrument of his decease.
PLANTAGENET
Discover more at large what cause that was,
For I am ignorant and cannot guess.
MORTIMER
I will, if that my fading breath permit
And death approach not ere my tale be done.

DUTCH:
Onthul mij breeder, welke grond dit was;
Want ik vernam het nooit en kan ‘t niet raden.

MORE:
Flowering=Blossom (of youth)
Discover=Reveal
At large=At length, in full, in detail

Compleat:
To flower=Bloeijen

Topics: reason, discovery

Expect Saint Martin’s summer, halcyon days, Since I have entered into these wars.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 1.2
SPEAKER: Joan la Pucelle
CONTEXT:
Assign’d am I to be the English scourge.
This night the siege assuredly I’ll raise:
Expect Saint Martin’s summer, halcyon days,
Since I have entered into these wars.
Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself
Till by broad spreading it disperse to nought.
With Henry’s death the English circle ends;
Dispersed are the glories it included.
Now am I like that proud insulting ship
Which Caesar and his fortune bare at once.

DUTCH:
Ik ben tot Englands geese! uitverkoren.
Nog deze nacht ontzet ik wis de stad;
Verwacht, nu ik den strijd aanvaard, een schoonen
Sint Maartenszomer, Halcyonendagen.

MORE:
Saint Martin’s summer=Equivalent of an ‘Indian summer’
Halcyon days=Unseasonable calm (so called because when it was calm in winter the kingfisher could build its nest)
Halcyon=Kingfisher
“Pround insulting ship” is a ref. to Plutarch, who wrote that Caesar told the captain of his ship no harm would befall him because he was carrying Caesar and therefore had Caesar’s ‘fortune’
Insulting=Triumphant

Compleat:
Halcyon (a sea-owl)=Een zekere Zee-vogel
Halcyon days=Een tijd van vrede en rust

Burgersdijk notes:
Sint Maartenszomer, Halcyonendagen. Halcyonendagen waren bij de ouden schoone, stormlooze dagen. Het schoone weder, op een storm volgend, wordt hier met een schoonen zomerschen dag in November, op Sint Maarten, vergeleken.

Ik ben nu als dat fiere schip, dat eens Tegader Caesar droeg en zijn geluk. Het verhaal, dat Caesar eens zijn bezorgden schipper toeriep: „Wees goedsmoeds, knaap, want gij hebt Cesar en zijn geluk aan boord”, vond Shakespeare in de vertaling van Plutarchus door North, een werk, dat zeker vlijtig door hem beoefend werd en dat hem aanleiding gaf tot de meeste geleerde toespelingen, waaraan dit stuk rijk is.

Topics: fate/destiny, achievement, hope/optimism, nature

Faith, I have been a truant in the law

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.4
SPEAKER: Suffolk
CONTEXT:
SUFFOLK
Within the Temple Hall we were too loud;
The garden here is more convenient.
PLANTAGENET
Then say at once if I maintain’d the truth;
Or else was wrangling Somerset in the error?
SUFFOLK
Faith, I have been a truant in the law,
And never yet could frame my will to it,
And therefore frame the law unto my will.

DUTCH:
Nu, wat het recht betreft, was ik een doeniet,
En kon mijn wil nooit voegen naar het recht;
En plooi daarom het recht naar mijnen wil.

MORE:
Wrangling=Quarrel, fight
Truant=Negligent student
Frame=Mould, fashion, shape

Compleat:
Wrangling=Krakeeling, kyving
To be given to wrangling=Van een kyfzuchtigen aart zyn
To play the truant=Lanterfanten
To frame=Een gestalte geeven, toestellen, maaken, ontwerpen, schikken, beraamen

Burgersdijk notes:
Te luide spraken we in de Tempelzaal. De lords hadden in de Tempelzaal getwist over de aanspraken
van de beide huizen, Lancaster en York, op den troon, en zetten hunnen strijd in den hof voort. Dat de kenteekenen der beide partijen, de roode en witte roos, op de wijze gekozen zouden zijn, die hier wordt aangegeven, vindt men nergens vermeld; misschien volgde Shakespeare eene volksoverlevering; dit is te meer waarschijnlijk, omdat hij het onderwerp van den redetwist bekend onderstelt. — De Tempel was, als oud eigendom der tempelridders, een geheiligde plaats waar geen zwaard getrokken mocht worden.

Topics: law/legal justification, reason

Glory is like a circle in the water, Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself Till by broad spreading it disperse to nought.

DUTCH:
Ik ben tot Englands geese! uitverkoren.
Nog deze nacht ontzet ik wis de stad;
Verwacht, nu ik den strijd aanvaard, een schoonen
Sint Maartenszomer, Halcyonendagen.

Compleat:
Halcyon (a sea-owl)=Een zekere Zee-vogel
Halcyon days=Een tijd van vrede en rust

Topics: fate/destiny, achievement, hope/optimism, nature

I am lowted by a traitor villain and cannot help the noble chevalier

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.3
SPEAKER: York
CONTEXT:
A plague upon that villain Somerset,
That thus delays my promised supply
Of horsemen, that were levied for this siege!
Renowned Talbot doth expect my aid,
And I am lowted by a traitor villain
And cannot help the noble chevalier:
God comfort him in this necessity!
If he miscarry, farewell wars in France.

DUTCH:
Vervloekt die schurk, die booswicht Somerset,
Die den beloofden bijstand zoo vertraagt:
De ruiterij , voor dit beleg verzameld!

MORE:
Lowted=(also louted) Made to look foolish
Chevalier=Knight
Miscarry=Fail, not succeed, perish
Levy=Collect, raise (e.g. raising a force for war)

Compleat:
Miscarry=Mislukken; (ship at sea) Vergaan, schipbreuk lyden
To levy=(soldiers) Soldaaten ligten, krygsvolk werven

Topics: loyalty

I give thee kingly thanks,
Because this is in traffic of a king.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.3
SPEAKER: Suffolk
CONTEXT:
REIGNIER
And I again, in Henry’s royal name,
As deputy unto that gracious king,
Give thee her hand, for sign of plighted faith.
SUFFOLK
Reignier of France, I give thee kingly thanks,
Because this is in traffic of a king.
[Aside] And yet, methinks, I could be well content
To be mine own attorney in this case.
I’ll over then to England with this news,
And make this marriage to be solemnized.
So farewell, Reignier: set this diamond safe
In golden palaces, as it becomes.

DUTCH:
Reignier van Frankrijk, ‘k zeg u koningsdank,
Naardien dit hand’len voor een koning is.

MORE:

Plighted=Pledged
In traffic of=Is the business of
To be mine own attorney=To act for myself
Becomes=Is befitting

Compleat:
To plight=Zich verplichten, zich door zyn woord verbinden
It becomes=Het betaamt, past

Topics: debt/obligation, promise

I have perhaps some shallow spirit of judgement:
But in these nice sharp quillets of the law,
Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.4
SPEAKER: Warwick
CONTEXT:
SOMERSET
Judge you, my Lord of Warwick, then, between us.
WARWICK
Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch;
Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth;
Between two blades, which bears the better temper:
Between two horses, which doth bear him best;
Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye;
I have perhaps some shallow spirit of judgement;
But in these nice sharp quillets of the law,
Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw.

DUTCH:
Hierin treed ik des noods als rechter op,
Maar in een rechtszaak vol haarkloverij,
Streeft licht een gans in slimheid mij voorbij.

MORE:
Sharp Quillets of the Law, title of a book by Charles S. Desmond, of stories based on decisions of the New York Court of Appeals, where he served as a judge
CITED IN US LAW:
Adams v. Aero Services International, Inc, 657 F.Supp. 519, 520 (E.D.Va.1987);
U.S. v. Caserino, 259 F.Supp. 784 (S.D.N.Y.1966);
Labat v. Bennett, 365 F.2d 698, 729 (5th Cir. 1966);
Bryans Road Building & Supply Co., Inc. v. Grinder, 46 Md. App. 10, 415 A.2d 615, 616 (1980)(Wilner, J.): In a contract dispute the court notes, “the ‘nice sharp quillets of the law’ are both weapon and shield, thrust and parry. Or, as appellant would say in this case, ‘my technicality prevails over your technicality.’ In the end, it is the court’ s technicality, unrecognized as yet by either party, that will prevail.”

Quillets=Subtleties
Pitch=Altitude
Deeper mouth=Louder bark
Bear him=Carries himself
Nice=Fine, subtle
Shallow=Superficial

Compleat:
Quillet=(The querks and quillets of the law): De kneepen en draaijen der Rechtsgeleerden
Pitch=Top
Shallow=Ondiep.
A shallow man=Een man van klein begrip; A shallow wit=Een dom verstand

Topics: cited in law, judgment, law/legal, learning/education

I owe him little duty, and less love.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.4
SPEAKER: Somerset
CONTEXT:
LUCY
And York as fast upon your grace exclaims;
Swearing that you withhold his levied host,
Collected for this expedition.
SOMERSET
York lies; he might have sent and had the horse;
I owe him little duty, and less love;
And take foul scorn to fawn on him by sending.
LUCY
The fraud of England, not the force of France,
Hath now entrapp’d the noble-minded Talbot:
Never to England shall he bear his life;
But dies, betray’d to fortune by your strife.

DUTCH:
York liegt; ‘k had ze afgestaan, had hij gevraagd;
‘k Ben hem geen dienst, nog minder liefde schuldig;
‘t Waar’ laag, ‘t waar’ vleien, zoo ik zelf haar zond.

MORE:

Levied host=Raised army (some versions have ‘levied horse’, interpreted as horsemen)
Expedition=A warlike enterprise
Sent and had=Sent for and have had
Foul=Disgraceful, derogatory
Scorn=Disdain, contempt
Fawn upon=To wheedle, to cringe, to be overcourteous; to court servilely and in the manner of a dog
Fraud=Falseness, faithlessness

Compleat:
Host (army)=Een heir, heirleger
Expedition=Een krygsverrichting
Scorn=Versmaading, verachting
To fawn upon=Vleijen, streelen

Topics: deceit, failure, conflict, duty, debt/obligation

I prithee give me leave to curse awhile.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.3
SPEAKER: Joan la Pucelle
CONTEXT:
JOAN LA PUCELLE
A plaguing mischief light on Charles and thee!
And may ye both be suddenly surprised
By bloody hands, in sleeping on your beds!
YORK
Fell banning hag, enchantress, hold thy tongue!
JOAN LA PUCELLE
I prithee, give me leave to curse awhile.
YORK
Curse, miscreant, when thou comest to the stake.

DUTCH:
Treffe u en Karel beide’ een folt’rend onheil,
En moge een hand des bloeds u beiden plotsling
Bij ‘t slapen in uw bedden overvallen!

MORE:
Fell=Cruel, vicious, intense, savage.
Banning=Cursing
Plaguing=Tormenting, afflicting
Mischief=Calamity, misfortune

Compleat:
Fell=(cruel) Wreed
To ban=Vervloeken, in den ban doen (also ‘bann’)
Plaguing=Plaagende
Mischief=Onheil, kwaad, ongeluk, ramp, verderf, heilloosheid

Topics: language, civility, insult

I promise you, the king
Prettily, methought, did play the orator

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: Warwick
CONTEXT:
WARWICK
My Lord of York, I promise you, the king
Prettily, methought, did play the orator.
YORK
And so he did; but yet I like it not,
In that he wears the badge of Somerset.
WARWICK
Tush, that was but his fancy, blame him not;
I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm.
YORK
An if I wist he did,—but let it rest;
Other affairs must now be managed.

DUTCH:
Mylord van York, de koning, moet ik zeggen,
Heeft daar zijn rol van reed’naar goed gespeeld.

MORE:

Schmidt:
Badge=Device, emblem, or mark on a piece of cloth or of silver used to identify a knight or distinguish his followers
Tush=Interjection expressive of contempt
Dare=Would venture to
Wist=Knew

Compleat:
Badge=Merk, teken
Tush=Een woordje van verachting
To dare=Durven, de stoutheid hebben, ‘t hart hebben
If I may dare to say so=Als ik zo durf spreeken
Wist=Geweeten
Had I wist=Had ik geweeten

Topics: language, leadership

I think, by some odd gimmors or device Their arms are set like clocks, stiff to strike on

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 1.2
SPEAKER: Reignier
CONTEXT:
CHARLES
Let’s leave this town; for they are hare-brain’d slaves,
And hunger will enforce them to be more eager:
Of old I know them; rather with their teeth
The walls they’ll tear down than forsake the siege.
REIGNIER
I think, by some odd gimmors or device
Their arms are set like clocks, stiff to strike on;
Else ne’er could they hold out so as they do.
By my consent, we’ll even let them alone.
ALENCON
Be it so.

DUTCH:
Met raderwerk of koord zijn wis hun armen
Als bij een klok gemaakt, om steeds te slaan ,
Want anders hielden zij liet nooit zoo vol.
Laat hen met rust, zietdaar wat ik zou raden.

MORE:
Gimmors=A gimcrack, clockwork, a curious contrivance (also gimmer, gimmal)
Rascal=(a) wretch; (b) lean deer not worth hunting
Hare-brained=Reckless
Still=Continuously

Compleat:
Rascal=(a) Een schelm, guit, schobbejak, schurk,vlegel, schavuit; (b) (a rascal (lean) deer) Een mager Hert of Rhee
Harebrained=Dolkloppig, onbesuisd
A harebrained fury=Een onbesuisde woede, dolkoppige raazerny
Still=Steeds, gestadig, altyd

Topics: strength, loyalty

I will not so presume to send such peevish tokens to a king.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.3
SPEAKER: Margaret
CONTEXT:
MARGARET
That for thyself: I will not so presume
To send such peevish tokens to a king.
SUFFOLK
O, wert thou for myself! But, Suffolk, stay;
Thou mayst not wander in that labyrinth;
There Minotaurs and ugly treasons lurk.
Solicit Henry with her wondrous praise:
Bethink thee on her virtues that surmount,
And natural graces that extinguish art;
Repeat their semblance often on the seas,
That, when thou comest to kneel at Henry’s feet,
Thou mayst bereave him of his wits with wonder.

DUTCH:
Houd gij dit zelf; ‘k hen niet zoo stout, een koning
Een liefdepand, zoo nietig , toe te zenden.

MORE:

Schmidt:
Presume=Dare
Peevish=Trifling
There=Where
Minotaur=Monster, half man, half bull, kept in a labyrinth
Solicit=Persuade
Surmount=Excel
Extinguish=Obscure, outshine
Bereave=Take from, deprive

Compleat:
Presume=He presumes too much: Hy vermeet zich te veel
Peevish=Kribbig, gemelyk
Minotaur=Een fabelachtig gedrocht, half man half stier
Sollicit=Aanspooren, aanzettten, beweegen
Surmount=Overtreffen, te boven gaan
Extinguish=Vermeesteren
Bereave=Berooven

Topics: value, virtue

I will; and like thee, Nero, Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 1.4
SPEAKER: Lord Talbot
CONTEXT:
Yet livest thou, Salisbury?
Though thy speech doth fail,
One eye thou hast, to look to heaven for grace:
The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,
If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hands!
Bear hence his body; I will help to bury it.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?
Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him.
Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort;
Thou shalt not die whiles—
He beckons with his hand and smiles on me.
As who should say ‘When I am dead and gone,
Remember to avenge me on the French.’
Plantagenet, I will; and like thee, Nero,
Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn:
Wretched shall France be only in my name.

DUTCH:
Hij wenkt mij met de hand en lacht mij toe,
Alsof hij zeggen wilde: „Ben ik dood,
Herdenk dan mij te wreken op de Franschen !”
Plantagenet, ik wil ‘t; ik wil, als Nero,
De luit slaan bij ‘t zien branden van hun steden;
Mijn naam alleen maakt Frankrijk reeds ellendig.

MORE:
Wants=Lacks (mercy)
Whiles=Whilst, during the time that
Only in=At the very sound of

Compleat:
Between whiles (from time to time)=Van tyd tot tyd, by tusschenpoozing

Burgersdijk notes:
Plantagenet. Talbot noemt Salisbury met den familienaam van het koninklijk geslacht, omdat hij een afstammeling was van Koning Edward I11 en de schoone gravin van Salisbury.

Topics: proverbs and idioms, neglect, mercy

I’ll either make thee stoop and bend thy knee,
Or sack this country with a mutiny.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.1
SPEAKER: Lord Talbot
CONTEXT:
WINCHESTER
Stay, my lord legate: you shall first receive
The sum of money which I promised
Should be deliver’d to his holiness
For clothing me in these grave ornaments.
LEGATE
I will attend upon your lordship’s leisure.
OF WINCHESTER
Now Winchester will not submit, I trow,
Or be inferior to the proudest peer.
Humphrey of Gloucester, thou shalt well perceive
That, neither in birth or for authority,
The bishop will be overborne by thee:
I’ll either make thee stoop and bend thy knee,
Or sack this country with a mutiny.

DUTCH:
Ik zal u leeren bukken, ja, en knielen,
Of twist en omkeer zal dit land vernielen!

MORE:

Legate=Ambassador of the Pope
Grave=Worthy, sober, dignified
Ornaments=Attire
I trow=I dare say, I should think
Peer=Nobleman
Sack=Ransack, plunder

Compleat:
Legate=Een gezant, afgezant, afgezondene, Pauzelyk gezant
Grave=Deftig, stemmig, staatig
Ornaments=Verciersel
I trow=Ik denk, ik acht
Peer=Gelyk, weerga; de Ryksraaden
Sack=Plunderen

Topics: debt/obligation, authority

I’ll rather keep
That which I have than, coveting for more,
Be cast from possibility of all.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.4
SPEAKER: Charles
CONTEXT:
Tis known already that I am possess’d
With more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein reverenced for their lawful king:
Shall I, for lucre of the rest unvanquish’d,
Detract so much from that prerogative,
As to be call’d but viceroy of the whole?
No, lord ambassador, I’ll rather keep
That which I have than, coveting for more,
Be cast from possibility of all.

DUTCH:
Neen, heer gezant, neen, ik behoud veeleer
Dat wat ik heb, dan dat ik, meer begeerend,
De moog’lijkheid mij van ‘t geheel ontneem.

MORE:
Proverb: All covet all lose

Possessed with=Possess, control
Reverenced=Respected
Lucre=Gain
Cast from=Excluded from

Compleat:
To possess one’s self of a thing=Zich in het bezit van een ding stellen
To possess one’s self of a place=Bezit neemen van een plaats
To reverence=Eeren, ontzien, eer bewyzen
Lucre=Gewin, voordeel, profyt
To be cast=’t Recht verlooren hebben

Topics: envy, satisfaction, value

King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 1.1
SPEAKER: Bedford
CONTEXT:
BEDFORD
Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!
Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars
That have consented unto Henry’s death!
King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne’er lost a king of so much worth.

DUTCH:
Tot Hendriks dood vereend, des vijfden Hendriks,
Die al te roemrijk was om lang te leven!
England verloor geen koning ooit, zoo groot.

MORE:
Importing=Portending, signifying
States=Conditions, circumstances
Brandish=Flourish
Crystal=Bright
Tresses=The ‘long hair’ (Comet being from the Greek ‘kometes’, meanng long-haired)
Revolting=Rebellious
Consented unto=Conspired to cause

Compleat:
To import=Medebrengen, betekenen
State=Staat (conditoin, disposition)(State)
Brandish=Zwenken, zwaaien, doen schitteren
Crystal=Kristalayne
Tresses=Lokken, tuiten

Topics: conspiracy, nature

Let not your private discord keep away
The levied succours that should lend him aid

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.4
SPEAKER: Lucy
CONTEXT:
SOMERSET
How now, Sir William! whither were you sent?
LUCY
Whither, my lord? from bought and sold Lord Talbot;
Who, ring’d about with bold adversity,
Cries out for noble York and Somerset,
To beat assailing death from his weak legions:
And whiles the honourable captain there
Drops bloody sweat from his war-wearied limbs,
And, in advantage lingering, looks for rescue,
You, his false hopes, the trust of England’s honour,
Keep off aloof with worthless emulation.
Let not your private discord keep away
The levied succours that should lend him aid,
While he, renowned noble gentleman,
Yields up his life unto a world of odds:
Orleans the Bastard, Charles, Burgundy,
Alencon, Reignier, compass him about,
And Talbot perisheth by your default.

DUTCH:
Laat toch door uwe tweedracht hem de hulp,
Voor hem, voor zijn ontzet gelicht, niet derven,
Terwijl hij, die beroemde en eed’le held,
Bezwijkt voor een onmeetlijke overmacht!

MORE:
Proverb: To be bought and sold

Bought and sold=Betrayed
Ill-advantaged=Disadvantaged
Trust=Trustee
Keep off aloof=At a distance from a person or action, but in close connection with them
Emulation=Rivalry
Succours=Relief or assistance

Compleat:
Emulation=Naayver, volgzucht, afgunst
Disadvantaged=Benadeelt
Aloof=In de ruimte, van verre
Succours=Hulpbenden, krygshulpe

Topics: honour, betrayal, conflict

Marriage is a matter of more worth
Than to be dealt in by attorneyship.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.5
SPEAKER: Suffolk
CONTEXT:
A dower, my lords! disgrace not so your king,
That he should be so abject, base and poor,
To choose for wealth and not for perfect love.
Henry is able to enrich his queen
And not seek a queen to make him rich:
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,
As market-men for oxen, sheep, or horse.
Marriage is a matter of more worth
Than to be dealt in by attorneyship;
Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,
Must be companion of his nuptial bed:
And therefore, lords, since he affects her most,
It most of all these reasons bindeth us,
In our opinions she should be preferr’d.
For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of discord and continual strife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.

DUTCH:
Het huwlijk is een zaak, veel te gewichtig,
Om die door zaakwaarnemers af te doen;
En niet, wie gij, neen, wie de koning wenscht,
Zij de genoote van zijn huwlijksbed.

MORE:
Affects=Desires
Pattern=Model

Topics: marriage

Methinks I should revive the soldiers’ hearts,
Because I ever found them as myself

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.2
SPEAKER: Bedford
CONTEXT:
BURGUNDY
Courageous Bedford, let us now persuade you.
BEDFORD
Not to be gone from hence; for once I read
That stout Pendragon in his litter sick
Came to the field and vanquished his foes:
Methinks I should revive the soldiers’ hearts,
Because I ever found them as myself.
TALBOT
Undaunted spirit in a dying breast!
Then be it so: heavens keep old Bedford safe!
And now no more ado, brave Burgundy,
But gather we our forces out of hand
And set upon our boasting enemy.

DUTCH:
k Verlevendig misschien den moed der strijders,
Want steeds bevond ik hen, zooals mijzelven.

MORE:

Pendragon=Uther Pendragon, father of the legendary King Arthur.

Schmidt:
Stout=Bold
Out of hand=Immediately

Compleat:
Out of hand=Terstond, op staande voet
Stout (courageous)=Moedig, dapper

Burgersdijk notes:
De stoute Pendragoon. De oud-Engelsche sage verhaalt dit zoowel van Pendragoon, den vader van koning Arthur, als van zijn broeder Aurelius.
Dapper Bourgondie. De Maagd van Orleans heeft niet mondeling, maar door een brief den hertog van Bourgondië, schoon te vergeefs, tot afval van Engeland trachten te bewegen en daarbij dezelfde beweeggronden gebezigd, die Shakespeare haar hier in den mond legt. In Holinshed wordt dit echter niet vermeld; of en hoe het aan Sh. bekend was, weten wij niet.

Topics: friendship, emotion and mood, loyalty

My thoughts are whirled like a potter’s wheel

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 1.5
SPEAKER: Lord Talbot
CONTEXT:
My thoughts are whirled like a potter’s wheel;
I know not where I am, nor what I do;
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
Drives back our troops and conquers as she lists:
So bees with smoke and doves with noisome stench
Are from their hives and houses driven away.
They call’d us for our fierceness English dogs;
Now, like to whelps, we crying run away.

DUTCH:
Mijn hoofd is als eens pottenbakkers wiel;
Ik weet niet wat ik ben, noch wat ik doe.

MORE:
Hannibal, a renowned general of Carthage from the third century, who vanquished a larger Roman army in the Battle of Ager Falernus, by tying fagots to the horns of oxen
Noisome=Noxious, harmful
Lists=Pleases

Compleat:
Noisom=Besmettelyk, schaadelyk, vuns, leelyk, vuil
To list=Genegen zijn, lust hebben

Burgersdijk notes:
Als Hannibal. Toespeling op Hannibals krijgslist, die den Romeinen ontkwam, door ossen met brandende struiken aan de horens naar hen toe te drijven.

Topics: preparation, conflict, courage

My worth unknown, no loss is known in me.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.5
SPEAKER: John Talbot
CONTEXT:
TALBOT
Fly, to revenge my death, if I be slain.
JOHN TALBOT
He that flies so will ne’er return again.
TALBOT
If we both stay, we both are sure to die.
JOHN TALBOT
Then let me stay; and, father, do you fly:
Your loss is great, so your regard should be;
My worth unknown, no loss is known in me.
Upon my death the French can little boast;
In yours they will, in you all hopes are lost.
Flight cannot stain the honour you have won;
But mine it will, that no exploit have done:
You fled for vantage, everyone will swear;
But, if I bow, they’ll say it was for fear.
There is no hope that ever I will stay,
If the first hour I shrink and run away.
Here on my knee I beg mortality,
Rather than life preserved with infamy.

DUTCH:
Mijn waarde is onbekend; mij mist men niet.
Bij mijn val stoft geen Franschman schel en luid,

MORE:

Your loss is great=Losing you would be a great loss
Regard=Self-regard, interest
Worth=Value, valuable quality
My worth unknown=An unknown quantity
No loss in known in me=My loss would not be felt
Vantage=(Military) advantage
Bow=Retreat, give way
Infamy=Disgrace

Compleat:
Regard=Opzigt, inzigt, omzigtigheyd, zorg, acht, achting
Worth=Waarde, waardy
Vantage=Toegift, toemaat, overmaat, overwigt
Bow=Buigen, buken
Infamy=Eerloosheid, schandvlek

Topics: value, respect

O, too much folly is it, well I wot,
To hazard all our lives in one small boat!

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.6
SPEAKER: Lord Talbot
CONTEXT:
Here, purposing the Bastard to destroy,
Came in strong rescue. Speak, thy father’s care,
Art thou not weary, John? how dost thou fare?
Wilt thou yet leave the battle, boy, and fly,
Now thou art seal’d the son of chivalry?
Fly, to revenge my death when I am dead:
The help of one stands me in little stead.
O, too much folly is it, well I wot,
To hazard all our lives in one small boat!
If I to-day die not with Frenchmen’s rage,
To-morrow I shall die with mickle age:
By me they nothing gain an if I stay;
‘Tis but the shortening of my life one day:
In thee thy mother dies, our household’s name,
My death’s revenge, thy youth, and England’s fame:
All these and more we hazard by thy stay;
All these are saved if thou wilt fly away.

DUTCH:
Voorwaar, ‘t zou dwaasheid zijn, ons aller leven
In éene kleine boot nu prijs te geven.

MORE:
Proverb: Venture not all in one bottom

Purposing=Intending
Sealed=Confirmed
Stands me in little stead=Is of little use to me
Wot=Know
Mickle=Great
Household=Family

Compleat:
To purpose=Voorneemen, voorhebben
Sealed=Gezegeld, verzegeld
To stand in stead=Dienstig zijn, baatig
I wot=Ik weet
Mickle=Veel, een woord dat in ‘t Noorden van Engeland zeer gemeen is
Many a little makes a mickle=Veele kleintjes maaken een groot
House=(family) Huisgezin

Topics: risk, fate/destiny, caution

Pray, uncle Gloucester, mitigate this strife.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.1
SPEAKER: King Henry VI
CONTEXT:
MAYOR
O, my good lords, and virtuous Henry,
Pity the city of London, pity us!
The bishop and the Duke of Gloucester’s men,
Forbidden late to carry any weapon,
Have fill’d their pockets full of pebble stones
And banding themselves in contrary parts
Do pelt so fast at one another’s pate
That many have their giddy brains knock’d out:
Our windows are broke down in every street
And we for fear compell’d to shut our shops.
KING HENRY VI
We charge you, on allegiance to ourself,
To hold your slaughtering hands and keep the peace.
Pray, uncle Gloucester, mitigate this strife.
FIRST SERVING-MAN
Nay, if we be forbidden stones,
We’ll fall to it with our teeth.

DUTCH:
k Gebied u, bij uw onderdanenplicht:
Weg met die moord’naarshanden, houdt den vrede! —
Ik bid u, oom van Gloster, dempt dien strijd.

MORE:
Late=Lately
Contrary=Opposing
Mitigate=Appease

Compleat:
Of late=Onlangs, kortelings
Contrary=Tegenstrydig, strydig, tegendeel
To mitigate=Verzachten, verzoeten, stillen

Topics: conflict, resolution

The over-daring Talbot
Hath sullied all his gloss of former honour
By this unheedful, desperate, wild adventure

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.4.
SPEAKER: Somerset
CONTEXT:
It is too late; I cannot send them now:
This expedition was by York and Talbot
Too rashly plotted: all our general force
Might with a sally of the very town
Be buckled with: the over-daring Talbot
Hath sullied all his gloss of former honour
By this unheedful, desperate, wild adventure:
York set him on to fight and die in shame,
That, Talbot dead, great York might bear the name

DUTCH:
Talbots overmoed
Heeft heel den glans van al zijn vroegere eer
Bevlekt door dit onzinnig dolle waagstuk.
York dreef hem aan tot strijd en roemloos sterven,
Om zelf des dooden Talbots glorie te erven.

MORE:

Schmidt:
Expedition=A warlike enterprise
Sally=An issue of troops from a besieged place
Buckled with=Join in close fight, resist
Sullied=Tarnished
The very town=The garrison

Compleat:
Expedition=Een krygsverrichting
Sally=Uitvallen
Buckle=(to buckle together) Worstelen, schermutselen
Sullied=Bemorst, vuil gemaakt, bezoedeld

Topics: haste, preparation, caution, honour, ruin, risk

The plot is laid

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.3
SPEAKER: Countess of Avergne
CONTEXT:
COUNTESS
Porter, remember what I gave in charge;
And when you have done so, bring the keys to me.
PORTER
Madam, I will.
COUNTESS
The plot is laid: if all things fall out right,
I shall as famous be by this exploit
As Scythian Tomyris by Cyrus’ death.
Great is the rumor of this dreadful knight,
And his achievements of no less account:
Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears,
To give their censure of these rare reports.

DUTCH:
De val is nu gesteld; gaat alles goed,

MORE:
Gave in charge=Instructed
Tomyris=Queen of the Massagetae who killed Cyrus the Great
Fain=Gladly
Censure=Judgement

Compleat:
He gave it to me in charge=Hy belaste het my; hy gaf er my last toe
Fain=Gaern
Censure=Bestraffing, berisping, oordeel, toets

Topics: plans/intentions, conspiracy, preparation

The sooner to effect
And surer bind this knot of amity

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.1
SPEAKER: King Henry VI
CONTEXT:
KING HENRY VI
Ay, marry, uncle; for I always thought
It was both impious and unnatural
That such immanity and bloody strife
Should reign among professors of one faith.
GLOUCESTER
Beside, my lord, the sooner to effect
And surer bind this knot of amity,
The Earl of Armagnac, near knit to Charles,
A man of great authority in France,
Proffers his only daughter to your grace
In marriage, with a large and sumptuous dowry.

DUTCH:
Om zulk verbond des te eerder te bewerken
En vaster vriendschapsknoop te leggen, biedt
Graaf Armagnac, een naverwant van Karel,
Een man van veel en groot gezag in Frankrijk
Zijn een’ge dochter, heer, aan uwe hoogheid
Ten echt aan, met een grooten, rijken bruidschat.

MORE:

Schmidt:
Immanity=Ferocity
Professor=One who makes declaration of his sentiments
Surer=More firmly
Near knit=Closely related

Compleat:
Immanity=Gruwelykheid, yslykheid
To profess=(hold a doctrine) Een leer belyden, gelooven, belydenis doen
Sure=Zeker, vast
To knit friendship=Vriendschap aangaan
To link together in a bond of amity=Zich door den band der vriendschap vereenigen

Topics: marriage, friendship, contract

The truth appears so naked on my side
That any purblind eye may ﬁnd it out.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.4
SPEAKER: Plantagenet
CONTEXT:
PLANTAGENET
Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance:
The truth appears so naked on my side
That any purblind eye may find it out.
SOMERSET
And on my side it is so well apparell’d,
So clear, so shining and so evident
That it will glimmer through a blind man’s eye.
PLANTAGENET
Since you are tongue-tied and so loath to speak,
In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts:
Let him that is a true-born gentleman
And stands upon the honour of his birth,
If he suppose that I have pleaded truth,
From off this brier pluck a white rose with me.

DUTCH:
Aan mijne zijde is zij zoo welgekleed;
Zoo helder, glansrijk, zoo volkomen duid’lijk,
Dat zij een blinde zelfs in ‘t oog moet stralen.

MORE:
Mannerly=Polite
Forbearance=Reserve
Purblind=Partially blind
Apparelled=Dressed up
Dumb significants=Mute signs

Compleat:
Purblind=Stikziende
Signification=Beeteknis, betekening, beduidenis, beduidsel
To forbear (let alone)=Staan laaten, nalaaten, vermyden

Topics: dispute, truth, merit, evidence

Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity,
That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 5.4
SPEAKER: Joan la Pucelle
CONTEXT:
Will nothing turn your unrelenting hearts?
Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity,
That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.
I am with child, ye bloody homicides:
Murder not then the fruit within my womb,
Although ye hale me to a violent death.

DUTCH:
Kan niets u ‘t onmeedoogend hart vermurwen? —
Dan, Jeanne, kome uw zwakheid nu aan ‘t licht,
Die naar de wet een voorrecht u verleent.

MORE:
CITED IN US LAW:
Ligon v. Middletown Area School District, 584 A.2d 376, 379 (Pa. Ct. App. 1990). (The court wrote, “…not since Joan de Plucelle in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part I attempted to defend herself from a capital charge by proclaiming herself a virgin and then, seeing that that particular defense was unlikely to prevail, informed the judge that she was with child, has anyone argued a judicial point with a more breathtaking Jack of concern for consistency.”

Schmidt:
Turn=Change
Unrelenting=Pitiless
Privilege=Right (of a pregnant woman to postpone execution until after the birth of her child)
Homicided=Murderers
Hale=To pull, drag

Compleat:
Turn=Veranderen
Unrelenting=Onmedoogend, onvermurwelyk
Homicide=Doodslager
Hale=Sleepen, trekken, sleuren

Topics: cited in law, rights, pity

These words of yours draw life-blood from my heart

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.6
SPEAKER: Lord Talbot
CONTEXT:
The sword of Orleans hath not made me smart;
These words of yours draw life-blood from my heart:
On that advantage, bought with such a shame,
To save a paltry life and slay bright fame,
Before young Talbot from old Talbot fly,
The coward horse that bears me fail and die!
And like me to the peasant boys of France,
To be shame’s scorn and subject of mischance!
Surely, by all the glory you have won,
An if I fly, I am not Talbot’s son:
Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot;
If son to Talbot, die at Talbot’s foot.

DUTCH:
Van ‘t zwaard van Orleans voelde ik geen smart,
Van deze uw woorden bloedt en krimpt mij ‘t hart.

MORE:
Smart=Hurt
Mischance=Misfortune
No boot=Of no use, pointless

Compleat:
Smart=Pijn, smart of smerte
Mischance=Misval, mislukking, ongeval, ongeluk
No boot=Geen nut, te vergeefs

Topics: language, leadership, value, wisdom

This is a riddling merchant for the nonce

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.3
SPEAKER: Countess of Avergne
CONTEXT:
TALBOT
No, no, I am but shadow of myself:
You are deceived, my substance is not here;
For what you see is but the smallest part
And least proportion of humanity:
I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here,
It is of such a spacious lofty pitch,
Your roof were not sufficient to contain’t.
COUNTESS
This is a riddling merchant for the nonce;
He will be here, and yet he is not here:
How can these contrarieties agree?

DUTCH:
Dit is een raads’len-kramer naar ik zie;
Nu zegt hij hier te zijn en dan weer niet;
Hoe rijm ik al die tegenstrijdigheden?

MORE:

Proportion=Part
Shadow=Image (contrasted with substance)
Riddling=Speaking in riddles, enigmatically
Frame=Structure, e.g. the body or the army
Nonce=For the purpose, as required
Contrariety=Contradiction, inconsistency

Compleat:
Shadow=Een schaduw, schim
Riddle=Een raadsel
Frame (form, figure, composition)=Maakzel
Nonce=Als. For the nonce=Al willens, met opzet
He did it for the nonce=Hy deed het al willens
Contrariety=Strydigheid, tegenstrydigheid

Topics: appearance, language

Thou hast astonish’d me with thy high terms:

DUTCH:
Ik sta verbaasd van uwe fiere taal;
En deze proef slechts wensch ik van uw moed

MORE:
Resolve=Be assured, know this
High terms=Pompous words
Proof=Trial
Buckle=Grapple
Confidence=Trust

Compleat:
To resolve upon something=Iets bepaalen
I know not what to resolve on=Ik weet niet wat ik besluiten zal
Proof=Beproeving
To buckle together=Worstelen, schermutselen
To repose an entire confidence in one=Een volkomen betrouwen op iemand stellen

Topics: trust, language, dispute, truth

Thy friendship makes us fresh

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Dauphin
CONTEXT:
CHARLES
Welcome, brave duke! thy friendship makes us fresh.
BASTARD OF ORLEANS
And doth beget new courage in our breasts.
ALENCON
Pucelle hath bravely play’d her part in this,
And doth deserve a coronet of gold.
CHARLES
Now let us on, my lords, and join our powers,
And seek how we may prejudice the foe.

DUTCH:
Heil, dapp’re hertog! uw verbond verfrischt ons.

MORE:
Makes us fresh=Revives me
Beget=Produce, create
Join=Unite, combine

Compleat:
Refresh=(recreate) Verquikken, verfrisschen; (renew) vernieuwen, hernieuwen; zich ververschen
Beget=Gewinnen, teelen, voortbrengen, verkrygen
Idleness begets beggary=Luiheid veroorzaakt bedelaary
To join=Saamenvoegen; vereenigen, voegen, vervoegen

Topics: friendship, emotion and mood, loyalty, unity/collaboration

Thy grave admonishments prevail with me

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.5
SPEAKER: Plantagenet
CONTEXT:
MORTIMER
True; and thou seest that I no issue have
And that my fainting words do warrant death;
Thou art my heir; the rest I wish thee gather:
But yet be wary in thy studious care.
PLANTAGENET
Thy grave admonishments prevail with me:
But yet, methinks, my father’s execution
Was nothing less than bloody tyranny.

DUTCH:
ik neem uw ernstig manend woord ter harte;
Maar toch, mij schijnt de onthoofding van mijn vader
Niets dan een daad van bloeddorst en geweld.

MORE:
Issue=Children
Fainting=Failing
Warrant=Are a guarantee of
Gather=Infer
Admonishment=Warning
Prevail (+ with)=To win, to gain the favour or assent of

Compleat:
Issue (offspring)=Afkomst, afkomeling
To gather (or conclude by discourse)=Gevolg trekken
Admonition, Admonishment=Vermaaning, waarschuwing
To prevail with or upon one to a thing=Iemand overhaalen om iets te doen

Topics: caution, wisdom

Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.2
SPEAKER: Bedford
CONTEXT:
BURGUNDY
Is it even so? Nay, then, I see our wars
Will turn unto a peaceful comic sport,
When ladies crave to be encounter’d with.
You may not, my lord, despise her gentle suit.
TALBOT
Ne’er trust me then; for when a world of men
Could not prevail with all their oratory,
Yet hath a woman’s kindness over-ruled:
And therefore tell her I return great thanks,
And in submission will attend on her.
Will not your honours bear me company?
BEDFORD
No, truly; it is more than manners will:
And I have heard it said, unbidden guests
Are often welcomest when they are gone.
TALBOT
Well then, alone, since there’s no remedy,
I mean to prove this lady’s courtesy.
Come hither, captain.

DUTCH:
Gewis niet, dit ware onbeleefd en laakbaar;
‘k Heb wel gehoord, dat ongenoode gasten
‘t Meest welkom zijn, wanneer zij weder gaan.

MORE:
Proverb: An unbidden guest is welcome when gone

Gentle suit=Polite, well-mannered petition
Manners will=Etiquette permits
Mean=Intend

Compleat:
Gentle=Aardig, edelmoedig
Suit=Een verzoek, rechtsgeding
Manners=Zeden, manieren, manierlykheid
Mean=Meenen

Topics: proverbs and idioms, civility, language

What madness rules in brainsick men,
When for so slight and frivolous a cause
Such factious emulations shall arise!

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: King Henry VI
CONTEXT:
YORK
Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?
SOMERSET
Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,
Though ne’er so cunningly you smother it.
KING HENRY VI
Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men,
When for so slight and frivolous a cause
Such factious emulations shall arise!
Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.

DUTCH:
God! welk een waanzin heerscht in dolle mannen,
Als om zoo nietige en zoo ijd’le reden
Zoo vinnige partijschap zich verheft! —

MORE:
Be left (leave)=To cease, desist, discontinue
Factious=Dissentious, rebellious, partisan
Emulation=Rivalry

Compleat:
Factious=Oproerig, muitzuchtig, muitziek
Emulation=Naayver, volgzucht, afgunst

Topics: dispute, envy, truth, madness

When stubbornly he did repugn the truth
About a certain question in the law

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: Basset
CONTEXT:
KING HENRY VI
What is that wrong whereof you both complain?
First let me know, and then I’ll answer you.
BASSET
Crossing the sea from England into France,
This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
Upbraided me about the rose I wear;
Saying, the sanguine colour of the leaves
Did represent my master’s blushing cheeks,
When stubbornly he did repugn the truth
About a certain question in the law
Argued betwixt the Duke of York and him;
With other vile and ignominious terms:
In confutation of which rude reproach
And in defence of my lord’s worthiness,
I crave the benefit of law of arms.

DUTCH:
Toen die de waarheid vinnig had weerstreefd
Bij zeek’ren redetwist om recht en wetten,
Dien hij gehad had met den hertog York,
Met verdre lage schimp- en lastertaal

MORE:
Wrong=Wrongdoing, offence, trespass
Envious=Malicious, spiteful, jealous of another’s good fortune
Carping=Mocking
Upbraid=To reproach
Sanguine=Blood-red
Repugn=Reject
Confutation=Legal refutation
Law of arms=A duel

Compleat:
Wrong=Nadeel
Envious=Nydig, afgunstig, wangunstig
To upbraid=Verwyten, smaadelyk toedryven
Sanguine=Bloed-rood
To repugn=Wederstreeven, bestryden, tegenstryden, wederstaan
Confutation=Wederlegging

Topics: dispute, envy, truth, language

With silence, nephew, be thou politic.

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 2.5
SPEAKER: Mortimer
CONTEXT:
MORTIMER
With silence, nephew, be thou politic:
Strong-fixed is the house of Lancaster,
And like a mountain, not to be removed.
But now thy uncle is removing hence:
As princes do their courts, when they are cloy’d
With long continuance in a settled place.
PLANTAGENET
O, uncle, would some part of my young years
Might but redeem the passage of your age!

DUTCH:
Bedrijf uw staatskunst, neef, met achtzaam zwijgen;
Het huis van Lancaster is hecht geworteld,
En, even als een berg, niet weg te schuiven

MORE:
Politic=Prudent, artful, cunning
Removing=Departing
Cloyed=Bored, tired of
Continuance=Residence, abode

Compleat:
Politick=Burgerlyk, staatkundig; (cunnning)=Slim, schrander, doorsleepen
Cloyed=Zat, overlaaden, verkropt
Continuance (abode)=Verblyf

Topics: caution, wisdom

Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him

PLAY: King Henry VI Part 1
ACT/SCENE: 4.1
SPEAKER: Vernon
CONTEXT:
And that is my petition, noble lord:
For though he seem with forged quaint conceit
To set a gloss upon his bold intent,
Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him;
And he first took exceptions at this badge,
Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower
Bewray’d the faintness of my master’s heart.

DUTCH:
Hetzelfde is mijn verzoek, doorluchte vorst;
Want, schoon hij ook, met sluw bedachte vonden,
Zijn driest vermetel doel vernissen moog’,
Verneem toch, heer, dat ik door hem getart werd,
Dat hij het eerst zich ergerde aan dit teeken,
En zeide, dat de bleekheid dezer bloem
De lafheid van mijns meesters hart verried.

MORE:
Forged=Feigned, false
Quaint conceit=Ingenuity, invention
Set a gloss=Smooth interpretation
Bewray=Reveal

Compleat:
Forge=Smeden; uitvinden
Quaint=Aardig, cierlyk, net
Conceit=Waan, bevatting, opvatting, meening
To set a gloss upon a thing=Iets een schoonen opschik geeven
To bewray=Ontdekken, beklappen; bevuilen

Topics: dispute, judgment, discovery