The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 260
From those that know important people in governmentHis givings-out were of an infinite distance
That his words were very farFrom his true-meant design. Upon his place,
From his real intentions. Instead of him,And with full line of his authority,
And with all of his authority,Governs Lord Angelo; a man whose bloodLord Angelo is govenor; a man whose blood
Is very snow-broth; one who never feels
Is cold like melted snow; one who never feelsThe wanton stings and motions of the sense,
The unrestrained itching and urges of the sensesBut doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
But instead suppresses and blunts his natural desireWith profits of the mind, study and fast.
With improving his mind, studying and fasting.He--to give fear to use and liberty,
He—to put fear into our customs and freedoms,Which have for long run by the hideous law,
Which have long by-passed the frightening law,As mice by lions--hath pick'd out an act,
As mice run by lions—has picked out a crime,Under whose heavy sense your brother's life
Whose grave sentence is that your brother’s lifeFalls into forfeit: he arrests him on it;
Is to be given as punishment: he arrests him because of it;And follows close the rigour of the statute,
And closely follows the rigorous laws,To make him an example. All hope is gone,
In order to make him an example. All hope is gone,Unless you have the grace by your fair prayer
Unless you have the good fortune from your prayersTo soften Angelo: and that's my pith of business
Needed to soften Angelo: and that is the reason of problem'Twixt you and your poor brother.
Between you and your poor brother
ISABELLA
Doth he so seek his life?
Does he beg for his life?
LUCIO
Has censured him
He is condemnedAlready; and, as I hear, the provost hath
Already; and, as I hear, the provost hasA warrant for his execution.
A warrant for his execution.
ISABELLA
Alas! what poor ability's in me
Oh no! what power do I haveTo do him good?
to do him any good?
LUCIO
Assay the power you have.
Try what power you do have.
ISABELLA
My power? Alas, I doubt--
My power? But, I don’t know--
LUCIO
Our doubts are traitors
We do harm by doubting ourselvesAnd make us lose the good we oft might win
And lose the benefits we often might winBy fearing to attempt. Go to Lord Angelo,
Because we are afraid to try. Go to Lord Angelo,And let him learn to know, when maidens sue,
And let him learn that when maidens plead,Men give like gods; but when they weep and kneel,
Men give in like gods; but when they weep and kneel,All their petitions are as freely theirs
All their requests are granted exactlyAs they themselves would owe them.
As they wanted them to be.
ISABELLA
I'll see what I can do.
I’ll see what I can do.
LUCIO
But speedily.
But do it quickly.
ISABELLA
I will about it straight;I will do it immediately;
No longer staying but to give the motherNot staying any longer than to give the head of the nunnery
Notice of my affair. I humbly thank you:
Notice of my business. I humbly thank you:Commend me to my brother: soon at night
Pass my good wishes onto my brother: early this eveningI'll send him certain word of my success.
I’ll send him news of the result of my attempts.
LUCIO
I take my leave of you.
I bid you good bye.
ISABELLA
Good sir, adieu.
Good sir, farewell.
Exeunt
Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, and a Justice, Provost, Officers, and other Attendants, behind
ANGELO
We must not make a scarecrow of the law,
We cannot make the law into a scarecorw,Setting it up to fear the birds of prey,
Set up to frighten the birds of prey,And let it keep one shape, till custom make it
And let it do only this one thing, until this routine turns it intoTheir perch and not their terror.
Their habitat and not something they fear.
ESCALUS
Ay, but yet
Yes, but stillLet us be keen, and rather cut a little,
Let us be careful, and rather change a little at a time,Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman
Than let it fall heavily and get bashed to death. Sadly, this gentlemanWhom I would save, had a most noble father!
Whom I would save, had a most noble father!Let but your honour know,
Only let your honorableness consider,Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue,
Which I believe to be very proper in virtue,That, in the working of your own affections,
That, in the functioning of your own desires,Had time cohered with place or place with wishing,
Had a point in time come together with a place, or a place with a desire,Or that the resolute acting of your blood
Or with the purposeful action of your own passionCould have attain'd the effect of your own purpose,
You could have achieved the object of your desire,Whether you had not sometime in your life
Would you not, at some point in your life,Err'd in this point which now you censure him,
Make the mistake for which you now punish him,And pull'd the law upon you.
And have brought the law down on yourself.
ANGELO
'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
It is one thing to be tempted, Escalus,Another thing to fall. I not deny
And another thing to give in to the temptation. I do not denyThe jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
That the jury, which passes judgement on the prisoner’s life,May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
May have thief or two in the twelve that are sworn inGuiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice,
That are more guilty than those they try. It is what is made known to the law,That justice seizes: what know the laws
That the law tries: what knowledge can the laws take That thieves do pass on thieves? 'Tis very pregnant,
About the possibility that thieves may pass sentence on other thieves? It is clear thatThe jewel that we find, we stoop and take't
When we find a gem, we stoop and take itBecause we see it; but what we do not see
Because we see it; but what we do not seeWe tread upon, and never think of it.
We walk over, and never think of it.You may not so extenuate his offence
You may not make allowances for his offenceFor I have had such faults; but rather tell me,
Because I have had similar mistakes; but instead tell meWhen I, that censure him, do so offend,
When I, that punish him, make the same mistake,Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
Let my own sentence serve as a model for my death,And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
And let there be no mitigation. Sir, he must die.
ESCALUS
Be it as your wisdom will.
Be it as your wisdom wills it.
ANGELO
Where is the provost?
Where is the provost?
PROVOST
Here, if it like your honour.
I am here if it is pleases you, your honor.
ANGELO
See that Claudio
See to it that ClaudioBe executed by nine to-morrow morning:
Be executed by nine in the morning tomorrow:Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared;
Bring him his confessor, so he ca
n be prepared,For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.
For the last point in his journey.
Exit Provost
ESCALUS
[Aside] Well, heaven forgive him! and forgive us all!
[Aside] Well, God forgive him! and forgive all of us!Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:
Some rise up by sin, and some fall from virtue:Some run from brakes of ice, and answer none:
Some commit sin and escape the consequences:And some condemned for a fault alone.
And some are condemned for only a mistake.
Enter ELBOW, and Officers with FROTH and POMPEY
ELBOW
Come, bring them away: if these be good people in
Come, take them away: if these be good people ina commonweal that do nothing but use their abuses in
A community that do nothing but practice their vices incommon houses, I know no law: bring them away.
Brothels, I do not know the law: take them away.
ANGELO
How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter?
What is the meaning of this, sir! What’s your name? and what’s the matter?
ELBOW
If it Please your honour, I am the poor duke's
It it pleases you, your hono, I am the Duke’s poorconstable, and my name is Elbow: I do lean upon
Constable, and my name is Elbow: I do rely onjustice, sir, and do bring in here before your goodjustice, sir, and do bring in here before your good
honour two notorious benefactors.
Honor two notorious benefactors.
ANGELO
Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? Are
Benefactors? Well; what kind of benefactors are they? Arethey not malefactors?
They not malefactors?
ELBOW
If it? please your honour, I know not well what they
If it pleases you, your honor, I do not know well what theyare: but precise villains they are, that I am sure
Are: but they are definitely villains, that I am sureof; and void of all profanation in the world thatof; and devoid of all ‘profanation’ in the world that
good Christians ought to have.
Good Christians should have.
ESCALUS
This comes off well; here's a wise officer.
This is well spoken; here’s a wise officer.
ANGELO
Go to: what quality are they of? Elbow is your
Go on: what occupation are they? Elbow is your name? why dost thou not speak, Elbow?
Name? What are you not speaking, Elbow?
POMPEY
He cannot, sir; he's out at elbow.
He cannot, sir; he’s a bit dumb, and doesn’t always make sense.
ANGELO
What are you, sir?
What are you, sir?
ELBOW
He, sir! a tapster, sir; parcel-bawd; one that
Sir, He is a bar man, sir; a part-time procurer of whores; one thatserves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as they
Works for a bad woman; whose brothel, sir, was, as theysay, plucked down in the suburbs; and now she
Say, torn down in the suburbs; and now sheprofesses a hot-house, which, I think, is a very ill house too.
Claims to run a bath-house, which I think, is a very bad house too.
ESCALUS
How know you that?
How do you know that?
ELBOW
My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour,--
My wife, sir, whom I ‘detest’ before heaven and your honor,--
ESCALUS
How? thy wife?
Your wife? Why?
ELBOW
Ay, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman,--
Yes, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman,--
ESCALUS
Dost thou detest her therefore?
Why do you detest her then?
ELBOW
I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as
I say, sir, I will ‘detest’ myself—I mean declare myself—also, along withshe, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house,
Her, that this house, if it isn’t a brothel,it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.
It is sad thing for her, for it as a wicked house.
ESCALUS
How dost thou know that, constable?
How do you know this, constable?
ELBOW
Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman
I swear by the Virgin Mary, sir, and by my wife; who if she had been a womancardinally given, might have been accused in
That was carnally inclined, might have been accused offornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.
Fornication, adultery, and all moral impuity there.
ESCALUS
By the woman's means?
By this woman’s doings?
ELBOW
Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she
Yes, sir, by Mistress Overdone’s doings: but the same as shespit in his face, so she defied him.
Spit in Pompey’s face, so she defied him.
POMPEY
Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.
Sir, if it pleases you, your honor, this is not true.
ELBOW
Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable
Prove it before these ‘scoundrels’ here then, you ‘honorableman; prove it.
Man’; prove it.
ESCALUS
Do you hear how he misplaces?
Do you hear how me mistakes one word for another?
POMPEY
Sir, she came in great with child; and longing,
Sir, she came in pregnant; and wanting--saving your honour's reverence, for stewed prunes;
Begging your pardon for my bad language—for stewed prunes;sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very
Sir, we had only two in the house, which at that verydistant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a
Instant of time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, adish of some three-pence; your honours have seen
Dish worth about three pennies; your honors have seensuch dishes; they are not China dishes, but very
Dishes like that; they aren’t China dishes, but verygood dishes,--
Good dihes,--
ESCALUS
Go to, go to: no matter for the dish, sir.
Go on, go on: no matter about the dish, sir.
POMPEY
No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in
No, indeed, sir, it’s not worth the trifle; you are thusthe right: but to the point. As I say, this
Correct: but to the point. As I say, thisMistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, and
Mistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, andbeing great-bellied, and longing, as I said, for
Being great-eblied, and wanting, as I said, forprunes; and having but two in the dish, as I said,
Prunes; and having only two in the dish, as I said,Master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the
Master Froth here, this man here, having eaten therest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them very
Others, as I said, and, as I say, he payed for themhonestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I could
Honestly; for, as you know, Master Frother, I can’tnot give you three-pence again.
Give you three pennies again.
FROTH
No, indeed.
No, indeed.
POMPEY
Very well: you being then, if you be remembered,
Very well: you were then, if you remember,cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes,--
Cracking the stones of the aforementioned prunes,--
FROTH
Ay, so I did indeed.
Yes, I did do that.
POMPEY
Why, very well; I telling you then, if you be
Why, y
es; I told you then, if youremembered, that such a one and such a one were past
Remember, that so-and-so and so-and-so were beyondcure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very
Cure for that thing you know of, syphilis, unless they kept a verygood diet, as I told you,--
Good diet, as I told you,--
FROTH
All this is true.
All this is true.
POMPEY
Why, very well, then,--
Why, very well, then,--
ESCALUS
Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpose. What
Come one, you are a tedious fool: get to the point. Whatwas done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to
Was done to Elbow’s wide, that he has a reason tocomplain of? Come me to what was done to her.
Complain? Come the part about what was done to her.
POMPEY
Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet.
Sir, your honor cannot come to that yet.
ESCALUS
No, sir, nor I mean it not.
No, sir, I don’t mean it that way.
POMPEY
Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour's
Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honor’sleave. And, I beseech you, look into Master Froth
Leave. And, I ask you, consider Master Frothhere, sir; a man of four-score pound a year; whose
Here, sir; a man of 80 pounds a year, a good income; whosefather died at Hallowmas: was't not at Hallowmas,
Father died on All Saint’s Day: was it not on All Saint’s Day,Master Froth?
Master Froth?
FROTH
All-hallond eve.
Halloween.
POMPEY
Why, very well; I hope here be truths. He, sir,
Why, very well; I hope all this is true. He, sir,sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sir; 'twas in