The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
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his use was to put a ducat in her clack-dish: the
he used to often put his gold-coin in her beggar dish, if you know what I mean: theduke had crotchets in him. He would be drunk too;
duke had some strange ideas. He would drink too;that let me inform you.
I’ll tell you that
DUKE VINCENTIO
You do him wrong, surely.
You have him all wrong, surely.
LUCIO
Sir, I was an inward of his. A shy fellow was the
Sir, I was a close friend of his. He’s a shy man,duke: and I believe I know the cause of his
The duke: and I believe I know the reasonwithdrawing.
He left.
DUKE VINCENTIO
What, I prithee, might be the cause?
And what, I ask you, might be the cause?
LUCIO
No, pardon; 'tis a secret must be locked within the
No I’m sorry; it’s a secret that must be kept inside:teeth and the lips: but this I can let you
But I can tell you this,understand, the greater file of the subject held the
Most of his subject believed the duke to be wise.
Duke to be wise.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Wise! why, no question but he was.
Wise! Well, there’s no question that he was.
LUCIO
A very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow.
That he was a very superficial, ignorant, sexually loose man.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Either this is the envy in you, folly, or mistaking:
Either you are mean-spirited, foolish, or mistaken:the very stream of his life and the business he hath
The very nature of his life and the business hehelmed must upon a warranted need give him a better
Lead must give him a better reputation if you need proofproclamation. Let him be but testimonied in his own
Let him be evaluated in his ownbringings-forth, and he shall appear to the
Achievements, and to the jealous scholar he willenvious a scholar, a statesman and a soldier.
Seem to be a statesman and a soldierTherefore you speak unskilfully: or if your
Therefore you speak without knowing the truth; of if youknowledge be more it is much darkened in your malice.
Know better it doesn’t show through your spitefulness.
LUCIO
Sir, I know him, and I love him.
Sir, I know him, and I love him.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Love talks with better knowledge, and knowledge with
If you loved him you would know him better, and if you had that knowledge dearer love.
You would speak better about him.
LUCIO
Come, sir, I know what I know.
Come on, sir, I know what I know.
DUKE VINCENTIO
I can hardly believe that, since you know not what
I can hardly believe that, since you don’t know whatyou speak. But, if ever the duke return, as our
You’re talking about. But, if the duke ever returns, as weprayers are he may, let me desire you to make your
Pray that we will, I want you to put forth youranswer before him. If it be honest you have spoke,
Comments in front of him. If what you have said is true,you have courage to maintain it: I am bound to call
You will be brave enough to justify it: I am going to ask upon you; and, I pray you, your name?
For you; and please tell me, what is your name?
LUCIO
Sir, my name is Lucio; well known to the duke.
Sir, my name is Luscio; the duke knows my name well.
DUKE VINCENTIO
He shall know you better, sir, if I may live to
He will know you better than that, sir, if I live toreport you.
Tell him of you.
LUCIO
I fear you not.
I’m not afraid of you.
DUKE VINCENTIO
O, you hope the duke will return no more; or you
Oh, you hope the duke won’t return; or youimagine me too unhurtful an opposite. But indeed I
Think I am too weak an enemy. But truly I can’tcan do you little harm; you'll forswear this again.
Do you much harm; you’ll deny this another time.
LUCIO
I'll be hanged first: thou art deceived in me,
I’ll be hanged first: you have me mistaken,friar. But no more of this. Canst thou tell if
Friar. But let’s end this talk. Can you tell me ifClaudio die to-morrow or no?
Claudio is supposed to die tomorrow?
DUKE VINCENTIO
Why should he die, sir?
Why would he die, sir?
LUCIO
Why? For filling a bottle with a tundish. I would
Why you ask? For filling a bottle with his long rod, if you know what I mean, the duke we talk of were returned again: the
I wish the duke we were talking about would come back: theungenitured agent will unpeople the province with
Sexless governor, Angelo, will lower the population of the province withcontinency; sparrows must not build in his
Abstinence; Sparrows are forbidden to build their nests underhouse-eaves, because they are lecherous. The duke
The edge of his roof, because they are sexual, being Venus’s sacred birds. The dukeyet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would
Would have private sexual deeds privately dealt with; he wouldnever bring them to light: would he were returned!
Never bring them out in the open in: I wish he would come back!Marry, this Claudio is condemned for untrussing.
By the Virgin Mary, Claudio is condmned for undressing.Farewell, good friar: I prithee, pray for me. The
Good bye, good friar: I ask you to pray for me. Theduke, I say to thee again, would eat mutton on
Duke, I will say again, would eat lamb onFridays. He's not past it yet, and I say to thee,
Friday against the law. He’s not better than that, and I tell youhe would mouth with a beggar, though she smelt brown
He would kiss a beggar, even if she smelled of brown
bread and garlic: say that I said so. Farewell.
Bread and garlic: tell him I said so. Good bye
Exit
DUKE VINCENTIO
No might nor greatness in mortality
No mighty or highly moral personCan censure 'scape; back-wounding calumny
Can escape criticism; painful slanderThe whitest virtue strikes. What king so strong
Strikes the purest virtue. What king is strong enoughCan tie the gall up in the slanderous tongue?
To force people to no speak mean words?But who comes here?
But who is that?
Enter ESCALUS, PROVOST, and Officers with MISTRESS OVERDONE
ESCALUS
Go; away with her to prison!
Go; take her away to prison!
MISTRESS OVERDONE
Good my lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted
My good lord, be nice to me; you are considereda merciful man; good my lord.
A merciful man; my good lord.
ESCALUS
Double and treble admonition, and still forfeit in
Two and three warnings, and you still committhe same kind! This would make mercy swear and play
The same crime! This would make even mercy itself fed upthe tyrant.
And become ruthless.
PROVOST
A bawd of eleven years' continuance, may it please
A brothel matron of a whole eleven years time, if you would like to knowyour honour.
Your honor.
MISTRESS OVERDONE
My lord, this is one Lucio's information against me.
My lord, Lucio spoke out against me.Mistress Kate Keepdown was with child by him in the
Mistress Kate Keepdown was impregnated by him when theduke's time; he promised her marriage: his child
Is a year and a quarter old, come May 1st:I have kept it myself; and see how he goes about to abuse me!
I have raised it myself; and now he goes about saying bad things about me!
ESCALUS
That fellow is a fellow of much licence: let him be
That man is a very immoral man: we willcalled before us. Away with her to prison! Go to;
Call him to answer to us. Take her away to prison! Go on;no more words.
Don’t speak.
Exeunt Officers with MISTRESS OVERDONE
Provost, my brother Angelo will not be altered;
Provost, my colleague Angelo will not change his mind;Claudio must die to-morrow: let him be furnished
Claudio will die tomorrow: let him be providedwith divines, and have all charitable preparation.
With clergymen, and have his last rites.if my brother wrought by my pity, it should not be
If my colleague acted with my same pity, it would not beso with him.
This way for him.
PROVOST
So please you, this friar hath been with him, and
If it makes you happy, the friar has been with him, andadvised him for the entertainment of death.
Prepared him for the acceptance of death.
ESCALUS
Good even, good father.
Well good then, good father.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Bliss and goodness on you!
Happiness and health for you!
ESCALUS
Of whence are you?
Where are you from?
DUKE VINCENTIO
Not of this country, though my chance is now
Not from this country, though I am living here noTo use it for my time: I am a brother
for the time being: I am a brother Of gracious order, late come from the See
of a holy order, just recently come from the Holy See in RomeIn special business from his holiness.
On special business from his holiness.
ESCALUS
What news abroad i' the world?
What’s the news from the rest of the world?
DUKE VINCENTIO
None, but that there is so great a fever on
None, except that righteousness has suck a sicknessgoodness, that the dissolution of it must cure it:
That only death will cure it: novelty is only in request; and it is as dangerous
New fashions only come when in demand; and it is dangerousto be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous
To be behind the times in any situation, as it is honorableto be constant in any undertaking. There is scarce
To be steady in any task. There is hardlytruth enough alive to make societies secure; but
Enough truth left to make societies safe; butsecurity enough to make fellowships accurst: much
Overconfidence enough to make trade partnerships doomed to fail: muchupon this riddle runs the wisdom of the world. This
Thinking is done by the wise of the world on how to solve this problem. Thisnews is old enough, yet it is every day's news. I
Is old news, but it is the same every day. I pray you, sir, of what disposition was the duke?
Ask you sir, how is the duke’s character?
ESCALUS
One that, above all other strifes, contended
Above all other activities, he attemptsespecially to know himself.
Especially to know himself well.
DUKE VINCENTIO
What pleasure was he given to?
What does he do to enjoy himself?
ESCALUS
Rather rejoicing to see another merry, than merry at
He’d be happier seeing another joyful, rather than joyful atany thing which professed to make him rejoice: a
Any thing that he said have him happiness: he’s agentleman of all temperance. But leave we him to
Gentleman of great self-control. But let us leave him tohis events, with a prayer they may prove prosperous;
His doings, with a prayer that they may turn out well;and let me desire to know how you find Claudio
And I wish to know how well you think Claudioprepared. I am made to understand that you have
Is prepared. I am told that you havelent him visitation.
Visited him.
DUKE VINCENTIO
He professes to have received no sinister measure
He claims to have received no unfair treatmentfrom his judge, but most willingly humbles himself
From his judge, but quite willingly cooperativeto the determination of justice: yet had he framed
To the sentence of his punishment: but he had cometo himself, by the instruction of his frailty, many
Up with, due to the encouragement of his human weakness, manydeceiving promises of life; which I by my good
False promises of life; which in timeleisure have discredited to him, and now is he
Showed him to be untrue, and now he isresolved to die.
Ready to die.
ESCALUS
You have paid the heavens your function, and the
You have done your heavenly duty, and theprisoner the very debt of your calling. I have
Prisoner is the one you did it for. I have laboured for the poor gentleman to the extremest
worked for the poor gentleman to the limitsshore of my modesty: but my brother justice have I
of my abilities: but I have found my colleagues judgmentfound so severe, that he hath forced me to tell him
to be so hard, that he forced me to tell himhe is indeed Justice.
That he is Justice itself.
DUKE VINCENTIO
If his own life answer the straitness of his
If he leads his own life with the strictness of hisproceeding, it shall become him well; wherein if he
Judgments, it will do him well; but if hechance to fail, he hath sentenced himself.
Happens to fail, he has already sentenced himself.
ESCALUS
I am going to visit the prisoner. Fare you well.
I am going to visit the prisoner. Good bye.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Peace be with you!
Peace be with you!
Exeunt ESCALUS and PROVOST
He who the sword of heaven will bear
He who bears the legal authoerityShould be as holy as severe;
Should be not only harsh but virtuous as well;Pattern in himself to know,
Setting the model himself,Grace to stand, and virtue go;
Maintain himself honorably, and behave righteouslyMore nor less to others paying
Passing no harder judgments on othersThan by self-offences weighing.
That he would on himself.Shame to him whose cruel striking
Shame on him, whose cruel blowKills for faults of his own liking!
Kills a man for something he too is guilty of!Twice treble shame on Angelo,
Twice and three times shame on Angelo,To weed my vice and let his grow!
To get rid of this sin and let another take it’s place!O, what may man within him hide,
Oh, what a man may hide within himself,Though angel on the outward side!
Though outwardly he appears to be an angel!How may likeness made in crimes,
Look how such seeming virtuousness is based in crimes,Making practise on the times,
Deceiving those around him,To draw with idle spiders' strings
To catch with mere delicate stringsMost ponderous and substantial things!
Great and weighty seeming crimes!Craft against vice I must apply:
I must use great skill against such wickedness:With Angelo to-night shall lie
Tonight Angelo shall sleep withHis old betrothed but despised;
His scorned ex-fiance;So disguise shall, by the disguised,
So trickery by the woman who is disguised,Pay with falsehood false exacting,
And bind their marriage contract.
Exit
Enter MARIANA and a Boy
Boy sings
Take, O, take those lips away,
Oh, take those lips away,That so sweetly were forsworn;
That were so sweetly withdrawn;And those eyes, the break of day,
And those eyes, the break of day,Lights that do mislead the morn:
Lights that mislead the morning:But my kisses bring again, bring again;
But my kisses bring again, bring again;Seals of love, but sealed in vain, sealed in vain.
Promises of love, but promised in vain, promised in vain.
MARIANA
Break off thy song, and haste thee quick away:
Quite singing, and hurry away:Here comes a man of comfort, whose advice
Here comes a man of guidance, whose adivceHath often still'd my brawling discontent.
Has often helped with my hostile unhappiness.
Exit Boy
Enter DUKE VINCENTIO disguised as before
I cry you mercy, sir; and well could wish
I beg your pardon, sir; and wishYou had not found me here so musical:
That you had not found me here singing:Let me excuse me, and believe me so,
Let me excuse myself, and believe me,My mirth it much displeased, but pleased my woe.
It did not humor me, but instead made me regretful.
DUKE VINCENTIO
'Tis good; though music oft hath such a charm
It is good; though music often has such a charmTo make bad good, and good provoke to harm.
To turn bad into good, and to make good cause harm.I pray, you, tell me, hath any body inquired
Would you tell me, has anyone askedfor me here to-day? much upon this time have
For me here today? Around this time,I promised here to meet.