The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 476
“all get a supply adequate to their natural needs,
From me receive that natural competency
“which they live on. And even though all of you organs,
Whereby they live: and though that all at once
“you, my good friends—” This is all still the belly talking, mind you—
You, my good friends,'--this says the belly,--mark me,--
FIRST CITIZEN.
Yes, we get it, go on.
Ay, sir; well, well.
MENENIUS.
“…Even though all of you organs can’t
'Though all at once cannot
“tell how I deliver all the food to each of you,
See what I do deliver out to each,
“I can prove that all of you
Yet I can make my audit up, that all
“get your food from me,
From me do back receive the flour of all,
“and leave me with the scraps.” What do you think of that?
And leave me but the bran.' What say you to't?
FIRST CITIZEN.
I admit it was answer, but what does it have to do anything?
It was an answer: how apply you this?
MENENIUS.
The Senators of Rome are like the belly,
The senators of Rome are this good belly,
and you are like the rebellious organs; take a look at
And you the mutinous members; for, examine
their advice and their concerns: they deal with
Their counsels and their cares; digest things rightly
the welfare of the public; you won’t find
Touching the weal o' the common; you shall find
any benefit that you receive
No public benefit which you receive
that doesn’t come from them to you,
But it proceeds or comes from them to you,
and from you yourselves.—What do you think,
And no way from yourselves.--What do you think,
you there, the big toe of this crowd?
You, the great toe of this assembly?
FIRST CITIZEN.
I’m the big toe? Why the big toe?
I the great toe? why the great toe?
MENENIUS.
Because, even though you are one of the lowest, worst, poorest members
For that, being one o' the lowest, basest, poorest,
of this wise rebellion, you are leading this whole group:
Of this most wise rebellion, thou go'st foremost:
You, the hunting dog with the worst breeding,
Thou rascal, that art worst in blood to run,
are in the lead in this hunt, trying to win some advantage.
Lead'st first to win some vantage.—
Anyway, get ready with your big bats and clubs:
But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs:
Rome and her rats are about to do battle,
Rome and her rats are at the point of battle;
and one side is going to lose—
The one side must have bale.--
[Enter CAIUS MARCIUS.]
Hail, noble Marcius!
Hail, noble Marcius!
MARCIUS.
Thanks.—What’s the matter, you disagreeable bastards?
Thanks.--What's the matter, you dissentious rogues
Have you complained so much
That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion,
that you’ve made yourselves ugly?
Make yourselves scabs?
FIRST CITIZEN.
We trust you’re dealing in good faith.
We have ever your good word.
MARCIUS.
He who treats you with good faith will flatter
He that will give good words to thee will flatter
anything. What do you want, you dogs,
Beneath abhorring.--What would you have, you curs,
who don’t like peace or war? Peace scares you,
That like nor peace nor war? The one affrights you,
and war makes you proud. Whoever puts his trust in you,
The other makes you proud. He that trusts to you,
expecting to find that you are brave as lions, instead finds out you are cowardly rabbits;
Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
Instead of being like cunning foxes, you’re like stupid geese; you are no more dependable
Where foxes, geese: you are no surer, no,
than a fire burning on top of ice,
Than is the coal of fire upon the ice,
or a snowball in hell. You think highly of people
Or hailstone in the sun. Your virtue is
who have gotten in trouble for breaking the law,
To make him worthy whose offence subdues him,
and curse the good people who enforced those laws.
And curse that justice did it. Who deserves greatness
You hate great people, and the things you like
Deserves your hate; and your affections are
are the things a sick man would want if he wanted
A sick man's appetite, who desires most that
to make himself worse. Whoever depends on you
Which would increase his evil. He that depends
is going to sink like a metal fish,
Upon your favours swims with fins of lead,
and he might as well try to chop down a tree with a blade of grass. Screw you!
And hews down oaks with rushes. Hang ye! Trust ye!
You change your minds every minute,
With every minute you do change a mind;
you praise people you used to hate,
And call him noble that was now your hate,
and hate people you used to love. What’s the matter?
Him vile that was your garland. What's the matter,
All over town
That in these several places of the city
you’re complaining about the senate,
You cry against the noble senate, who,
which keeps you all in line, because otherwise
Under the gods, keep you in awe, which else
you would eat each other? What do they want?
Would feed on one another?--What's their seeking?
MENENIUS.
They want to buy grain at their own prices, and they say
For corn at their own rates; whereof they say
the city is full of it.
The city is well stor'd.
MARCIUS.
Screw ‘em! “They say…”!
Hang 'em! They say!
They sit around at home and think they know
They'll sit by th' fire and presume to know
what’s going on in high politics: who’s on his way up,
What's done i' the Capitol; who's like to rise,
who is doing well, and who is headed downhill; they join political parties
Who thrives and who declines; side factions, and give out
and try to join parties together (in a bad way); they make some parties strong,
Conjectural marriages; making parties strong,
and weaken the ones they don’t like by
And feebling such as stand not in their liking
trampling them underfoot. They say there’s enough grain!
Below their cobbled shoes. They say there's grain enough!
If only the noblemen would stop being so nice
Would the nobility lay aside their ruth
and let me get violent, I’d make a pile of dead bodies
And let me use my sword, I'd make a quarry
out of thousands of these slaves, a pile as high off the ground
With thousands of these quarter'd slaves, as high
as I can lift my spear.
As I could pick my lance.
MENENIUS.
No, don’t worry about these idiots here.
Nay, these are almost thoroughly persuaded;
<
br /> They may be stupid,
For though abundantly they lack discretion,
but they’re also a bunch of cowards. But, please tell me,
Yet are they passing cowardly. But, I beseech you,
what does the other gang of rioters want?
What says the other troop?
MARCIUS.
They dispersed: damn ‘em!
They are dissolved: hang 'em!
They said they were hungry. They babbled on in hick clichés:
They said they were an-hungry; sigh'd forth proverbs,--
“Hunger is strong enough to break stone wall,” “Even dogs have to eat,”
That hunger broke stone walls, that dogs must eat,
“Food was made to be eaten,” “The gods didn’t make
That meat was made for mouths, that the gods sent not
food only for rich people.” They complained
Corn for the rich men only:--with these shreds
using those silly old sayings, and when they heard the government’s response,
They vented their complainings; which being answer'd,
that a new law had been made in their favor—a strange law,
And a petition granted them,--a strange one,
that’s going to destroy the generous noblemen,
To break the heart of generosity,
and make the powerful look weak—they threw their hats up in celebration,
And make bold power look pale,--they threw their caps
so high that it was as if they wanted to hang them on the crescent moon,
As they would hang them on the horns o' the moon,
all while shouting in support of the new law.
Shouting their emulation.
MENENIUS.
What did the law give them?
What is granted them?
MARCIUS.
Five representatives of the people, who will talk all kinds of ghetto nonsense.
Five tribunes, to defend their vulgar wisdoms,
The people got to choose these representative: one of them is Junius Brutus,
Of their own choice: one's Junius Brutus,
one is Sicinius Velutus, and I don’t who the rest are. This is terrible!
Sicinius Velutus, and I know not.--'Sdeath!
The mob might as well as have taken all of the roofs in town,
The rabble should have first unroof'd the city
that’s what I think. The mob will eventually
Ere so prevail'd with me: it will in time
defeat the rich and powerful, and come up with bigger issues
Win upon power, and throw forth greater themes
for the rebels to debate.
For insurrection's arguing.
MENENIUS.
That is strange.
This is strange.
MARCIUS.
Oh, go home, you worthless people!
Go get you home, you fragments!
[Enter a MESSENGER, hastily.]
MESSENGER.
Where’s Caius Marcius?
Where's Caius Marcius?
MARCIUS.
I’m here, what’s the matter?
Here: what's the matter?
MESSENGER.
The news is, the Volscians [an Italian tribe south of Rome] are getting ready to attack us.
The news is, sir, the Volsces are in arms.
MARCIUS.
I’m glad of it. Now I’ll have a way to get rid of
I am glad on't: then we shall ha' means to vent
our extra stuff, and extra people.—Look, here come my favorite old men.
Our musty superfluity.--See, our best elders.
[Enter COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, and other SENATORS; JUNIUS BRUTUS
and SICINIUS VELUTUS.]
FIRST SENATOR.
Marcius, you were right when you warned us recently about the Volscians—
Marcius, 'tis true that you have lately told us:--
Now they want to fight us.
The Volsces are in arms.
MARCIUS.
They have a leader,
They have a leader,
Tullus Aufidius, who is going to put up a good fight.
Tullus Aufidius, that will put you to't.
I know it’s wrong, but I wish I worked for him,
I sin in envying his nobility;
and if I could be anyone but who I am,
And were I anything but what I am,
I would want to be him.
I would wish me only he.
COMINIUS.
You fought him before.
You have fought together.
MARCIUS.
If the world was upside down, and he
Were half to half the world by the ears, and he
was on my side, I’d switch sides, and only
Upon my party, I'd revolt, to make
fight him.
Only my wars with him: he is a lion
He is a worthy opponent.
That I am proud to hunt.
FIRST SENATOR.
So, good Marcius,
Then, worthy Marcius,
you are now working for Cominius [a top general] while you fight this war.
Attend upon Cominius to these wars.
COMINIUS.
That’s what you promised.
It is your former promise.
MARCIUS.
Yes, you’re right,
Sir, it is;
and I’m keeping my word. Titus Lartius, you
And I am constant.--Titus Lartius, thou
will see me beat the leader of the Volscians yet again.
Shalt see me once more strike at Tullus' face.
What, are not fighting? Staying home?
What, art thou stiff? stand'st out?
TITUS LARTIUS.
No, Caius Marcius.
No, Caius Marcius;
I’d use on of my crutches to stand up and I’ll fight with the other one,
I'll lean upon one crutch and fight with the other
rather than stay behind on this one.
Ere stay behind this business.
MENENIUS.
You’re true blue!
O, true bred!
FIRST SENATOR.
Come with us to the Capitol, where
Your company to the Capitol; where, I know,
our most important friends are waiting for us.
Our greatest friends attend us.
TITUS LARTIUS.
Lead on!
Lead you on.
C’mon Cominius; we have to do what you say,
Follow, Cominius; we must follow you;
because you deserve to be the boss.
Right worthy your priority.
COMINIUS.
You rock, Marcius!
Noble Marcius!
FIRST SENATOR.
Go home, get out of here!
Hence to your homes; be gone!
[To the crowd.]
[To the Citizens.]
MARCIUS.
No, let them come with us to war:
Nay, let them follow:
The Volscians have plenty of grain; bring these hungry, rat-like poor people
The Volsces have much corn; take these rats thither
to eat the Volscians’ food.—My dear rebels,
To gnaw their garners.--Worshipful mutineers,
you bravery is promising: come with us, please.
Your valour puts well forth: pray follow.
[Exeunt Senators, COM., MAR, TIT., and MENEN. Citizens steal
away.]
SICINIUS.
Man, did you ever see anyone as cocky as that Marcius?
Was ever man so proud as is this Marcius?
BRUTUS.
There’s no one like him.
He has no equal.
SICINIUS.
When the people chose us to represent them—
When we were chosen tribunes for the people,--
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br /> BRUTUS.
Did you see his face?
Mark'd you his lip and eyes?
SICINIUS.
No, but I heard his insults!
Nay, but his taunts!
BRUTUS.
If provoked, he would insult the gods.
Being mov'd, he will not spare to gird the gods.
SICINIUS.
He’d even make fun of the moon.
Bemock the modest moon.
BRUTUS.
This war is all he cares about, but for someone so violent, he is
The present wars devour him: he is grown
too proud for his own good—he’s going to do something stupid.
Too proud to be so valiant.
SICINIUS.
A jerk like that,
Such a nature,
if they have some success, they think they’re too good
Tickled with good success, disdains the shadow
for everyone. What I wonder about
Which he treads on at noon: but I do wonder
is how someone so insolent is going to feel about taking orders
His insolence can brook to be commanded
from Cominius.
Under Cominius.
BRUTUS.
He wants to be more famous—
Fame, at the which he aims,--
even though he already he is famous—and there’s no
In whom already he is well grac'd,--cannot
better way to get really famous than by
Better be held, nor more attain'd, than by
being the second in command, because if something goes wrong,
A place below the first: for what miscarries
people will blame the commander in chief, even if he did
Shall be the general's fault, though he perform
nothing wrong; and then
To th' utmost of a man; and giddy censure
Marcius will tell everyone, “If I had been
Will then cry out of Marcius 'O, if he
in charge, everything would have been better!”
Had borne the business!'
SICINIUS.
Besides, if things go well,
Besides, if things go well,
Everyone will give credit to Marcius
Opinion, that so sticks on Marcius, shall