The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 209
Can he really know what sort of person he is,
and still be like this?
PAROLLES
I would the cutting of my garments would serve the
turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword.
I wish that just cutting my clothes would be enough,
or breaking my Spanish sword.
Second Lord
We cannot afford you so.
We won't give you that much.
PAROLLES
Or the baring of my beard; and to say it was in
stratagem.
Or I could shave my beard, and say it was
part of my plan.
Second Lord
'Twould not do.
That wouldn't fool us.
PAROLLES
Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped.
Or I could throw my clothes in the river, and say I was stripped.
Second Lord
Hardly serve.
That won't work.
PAROLLES
Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel.
And I could swear I jumped out of the castle window.
Second Lord
How deep?
From what height?
PAROLLES
Thirty fathom.
Two hundredfeet.
Second Lord
Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.
You could swear that in triplicate and it would hardly be believed.
PAROLLES
I would I had any drum of the enemy's: I would swear
I recovered it.
I wish I had a drum of the enemy's: I would swear
that I had recovered it.
Second Lord
You shall hear one anon.
You'll be hearing one soon.
PAROLLES
A drum now of the enemy's,--
Now, a drum of the enemy's-
Alarum within
Second Lord
Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
All
Cargo, cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.
Cargo, cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.
PAROLLES
O, ransom, ransom! do not hide mine eyes.
Mercy, mercy! Do not cover my eyes.
They seize and blindfold him
First Soldier
Boskos thromuldo boskos.
Boskos thromuldo boskos.
PAROLLES
I know you are the Muskos' regiment:
And I shall lose my life for want of language;
If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,
Italian, or French, let him speak to me; I'll
Discover that which shall undo the Florentine.
I know you are the Russian regiment:
and I shall be killed for not knowing the language;
if there are any Germans, Danes, low Dutch,
Italians, or French here, let them speak to me; I'll
unfurl secrets which will let you beat the Florentines.
First Soldier
Boskos vauvado: I understand thee, and can speak
thy tongue. Kerely bonto, sir, betake thee to thy
faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy bosom.
Boskos vauvado: I understand you, and can speak
your language. Kerely bonto, sir, make your peace
with God, for there are seventeen daggers pointing at your chest.
PAROLLES
O!
Oh!
First Soldier
O, pray, pray, pray! Manka revania dulche.
Pray, pray, pray!Manka revania dulche.
Second Lord
Oscorbidulchos volivorco.
Oscorbidulchos volivorco.
First Soldier
The general is content to spare thee yet;
And, hoodwink'd as thou art, will lead thee on
To gather from thee: haply thou mayst inform
Something to save thy life.
The general is happy to spare your life for now;
and, blindfolded as you are, will take you away
for interrogation: perhaps you can tell us something
which will save your life.
PAROLLES
O, let me live!
And all the secrets of our camp I'll show,
Their force, their purposes; nay, I'll speak that
Which you will wonder at.
O, let me live!
I'll tell you all the secrets of our camp,
their numbers, their plans; I'll tell you things
which will amaze you.
First Soldier
But wilt thou faithfully?
But will you tell us the truth?
PAROLLES
If I do not, damn me.
If I don't, may I be dammed.
First Soldier
Acordo linta.
Come on; thou art granted space.
Acordo linta.
Come on; you have a breathing space.
Exit, with PAROLLES guarded. A short alarum within
Second Lord
Go, tell the Count Rousillon, and my brother,
We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled
Till we do hear from them.
Go and tell Count Rousillon, and my brother,
that the bird is trapped, and we will keep him quiet
until we hear from them.
Second Soldier
Captain, I will.
Captain, I will.
Second Lord
A' will betray us all unto ourselves:
Inform on that.
He will betray us to ourselves:
tell them that.
Second Soldier
So I will, sir.
I'll do that, sir.
Second Lord
Till then I'll keep him dark and safely lock'd.
Until then I'll keep him in the dark and safely locked up.
Exeunt
Enter BERTRAM and DIANA
BERTRAM
They told me that your name was Fontibell.
They told me that your name was Fontibell.
DIANA
No, my good lord, Diana.
No, my good lord, Diana.
BERTRAM
Titled goddess;
And worth it, with addition! But, fair soul,
In your fine frame hath love no quality?
If quick fire of youth light not your mind,
You are no maiden, but a monument:
When you are dead, you should be such a one
As you are now, for you are cold and stern;
And now you should be as your mother was
When your sweet self was got.
The name of the goddess;
and worthy of it, and more! But, fair soul,
is there no place for love in your fine body?
If your mind is not lit up with the heat of youth,
you are not a maiden, but a monument:
the time to be like you are now is when
you are dead, to be this cold and stern;
now you should be the same as your mother was
when you were conceived.
DIANA
She then was honest.
She was married then.
BERTRAM
So should you be.
And you should be the same.
DIANA
No:
My mother did but duty; such, my lord,
As you owe to your wife.
No:
my mother was just doing her duty; the same duty, my lord,
that you should do to your wife.
BERTRAM
No more o' that;
I prithee, do not strive against my vows:
I was compell'd to her; but I love thee
By love's own sweet constraint, and will for ever
Do thee all
rights of service.
That's enough of that;
please, don't make me go against what I have sworn on;
I was forced to marry her; but I love you
with a love that is true, and will always
give you all the duties of a lover.
DIANA
Ay, so you serve us
Till we serve you; but when you have our roses,
You barely leave our thorns to prick ourselves
And mock us with our bareness.
Yes, that's what you say
until we give you what you want; but when you have taken our roses,
you hardly leave the thorns for us to prick ourselves on
and you mock our exposure.
BERTRAM
How have I sworn!
But I have sworn!
DIANA
'Tis not the many oaths that makes the truth,
But the plain single vow that is vow'd true.
What is not holy, that we swear not by,
But take the High'st to witness: then, pray you, tell me,
If I should swear by God's great attributes,
I loved you dearly, would you believe my oaths,
When I did love you ill? This has no holding,
To swear by him whom I protest to love,
That I will work against him: therefore your oaths
Are words and poor conditions, but unseal'd,
At least in my opinion.
It's not the quantity of promises that make the truth,
but a plain single promise that you promise to keep.
We do not swear by things that are not wholly,
but ask God to witness them: so please, tell me,
if I swore by all God's goodness
that I loved you dearly, would you believe my oaths,
when I treated you badly? There is no validity
in swearing by the God I say I love,
to do things against his law: so your oaths
are just words and empty promises, completely invalid,
at least in my opinion.
BERTRAM
Change it, change it;
Be not so holy-cruel: love is holy;
And my integrity ne'er knew the crafts
That you do charge men with. Stand no more off,
But give thyself unto my sick desires,
Who then recover: say thou art mine, and ever
My love as it begins shall so persever.
Change it, change it;
don't be so piously cruel: love is holy;
and my honor has never used the tricks
which you accuse men of. Hold back no longer,
but give in to my love sickness,
and cure me: say you are mine and my love
will always go on as it started.
DIANA
I see that men make ropes in such a scarre
That we'll forsake ourselves. Give me that ring.
I see that men make ropes for their traps, hoping
that we will throw ourselves in. Give me that ring.
BERTRAM
I'll lend it thee, my dear; but have no power
To give it from me.
I'll lend it to you, my dear, but I have no right
to give it away.
DIANA
Will you not, my lord?
You won't do it, my lord?
BERTRAM
It is an honour 'longing to our house,
Bequeathed down from many ancestors;
Which were the greatest obloquy i' the world
In me to lose.
It is an heirloom of our family,
handed down through many generations;
it would be the worst disgrace in the world
for me to lose it.
DIANA
Mine honour's such a ring:
My chastity's the jewel of our house,
Bequeathed down from many ancestors;
Which were the greatest obloquy i' the world
In me to lose: thus your own proper wisdom
Brings in the champion Honour on my part,
Against your vain assault.
My honor is a ring like that:
my chastity is the jewel of our house,
handed down through many generations;
it would be the greatest disgrace in the world
for me to lose it: so your own true words
have summoned up honor to come and defend me
against your vain attack.
BERTRAM
Here, take my ring:
My house, mine honour, yea, my life, be thine,
And I'll be bid by thee.
Here, take my ring:
my family, my honor, yes and my life, are all yours,
and I'm at your orders.
DIANA
When midnight comes, knock at my chamber-window:
I'll order take my mother shall not hear.
Now will I charge you in the band of truth,
When you have conquer'd my yet maiden bed,
Remain there but an hour, nor speak to me:
My reasons are most strong; and you shall know them
When back again this ring shall be deliver'd:
And on your finger in the night I'll put
Another ring, that what in time proceeds
May token to the future our past deeds.
Adieu, till then; then, fail not. You have won
A wife of me, though there my hope be done.
Come and knock on my bedroom window at midnight:
I'll take precautions to make sure my mother cannot hear.
Now you must promise me you will do this:
when you have triumphed in my virgin's bed,
you must only stay there an hour, and you must not speak to me:
I have the strongest reasons for this; and you will know them
when this ring is given back to you:
I'll put another ring on your finger
in the night, that in the fullness of time
might show our past deeds in the future.
Goodbye, until then; do not fail then. You have persuaded me
to act like a wife, even though doing so means I will never be one.
BERTRAM
A heaven on earth I have won by wooing thee.
Persuading you has given me a heaven on earth.
Exit
DIANA
For which live long to thank both heaven and me!
You may so in the end.
My mother told me just how he would woo,
As if she sat in 's heart; she says all men
Have the like oaths: he had sworn to marry me
When his wife's dead; therefore I'll lie with him
When I am buried. Since Frenchmen are so braid,
Marry that will, I live and die a maid:
Only in this disguise I think't no sin
To cozen him that would unjustly win.
Exit
And may you live long to thank both heaven and me!
You may do so in the end.
My mother told me exactly what he would say,
as if she could see into his heart; she says all men
say the same things: he swore that he would marry me
when his wife's dead; the only place I'll sleep with him
will be the grave. Since Frenchmen are so deceitful,
let those who want to get married, I will live and die a virgin:
but I don't think it's wrong to use these tricks
to deceive the one who is trying to win something he shouldn't.
Enter the two French Lords and some two or three Soldiers
First Lord
You have not given him his mother's letter?
Haven't you given him his mother's letter?
Second Lord
I have delivered it an hour since: there is
something in't that stings his nature; for on the
reading it he changed a
lmost into another man.
I delivered it an hour ago: there is
something in it that really hurt him; when he
read it he became almost a different person.
First Lord
He has much worthy blame laid upon him for shaking
off so good a wife and so sweet a lady.
He is much criticised, and rightly so, for rejecting
such a good wife and such a sweet lady.
Second Lord
Especially he hath incurred the everlasting
displeasure of the king, who had even tuned his
bounty to sing happiness to him. I will tell you a
thing, but you shall let it dwell darkly with you.
Especially as he has incurred the everlasting
annoyance of the King, who was ready to
provide for his happiness. I will tell you
something, but keep it under your hat.
First Lord
When you have spoken it, 'tis dead, and I am the
grave of it.
Whatever you say will go no further.
Second Lord
He hath perverted a young gentlewoman here in
Florence, of a most chaste renown; and this night he
fleshes his will in the spoil of her honour: he hath
given her his monumental ring, and thinks himself