The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 478
nothing doubt prevailing, and to make it brief wars. This is
true, I swear. So please, go with us.
true, on mine honour; and so, I pray, go with us.
VIRGILIA.
Please excuse me, ma’am. I will do everything else you ask
Give me excuse, good madam; I will obey you in everything
in the future.
hereafter.
VOLUMNIA.
Leave her alone. The way she is now, she’s just going to spoil
Let her alone, lady; as she is now, she will but disease our
our fun.
better mirth.
VALERIA.
Honestly, I think you’re right. Good bye, then. Come,
In troth, I think she would.--Fare you well, then.--Come,
Volumnia. Please, Virgilia, get your sad self outside
good sweet lady.--Pr'ythee, Virgilia, turn thy solemness out o'
and come with us.
door and go along with us.
VIRGILIA.
In a word, no, ma’am. Really, I can’t. I hope you have a good time.
No, at a word, madam; indeed I must not. I wish you much mirth.
VALERIA.
Well then, good bye.
Well then, farewell.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter, with drum and colours, MARCIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, Officers,
and soldiers.]
MARCIUS.
Here comes news—I bet they have met.
Yonder comes news:--a wager they have met.
LARTIUS.
I’ll bet my horse against yours that they haven’t.
My horse to yours, no.
MARCIUS.
It’s done.
'Tis done.
LARTIUS.
Agreed.
Agreed.
[Enter a Messenger.]
MARCIUS.
Tell us, has our general met the enemy?
Say, has our general met the enemy?
MESSENGER.
We can see the enemy, but we haven’t spoken to them yet.
They lie in view; but have not spoke as yet.
LARTIUS.
Ha! Your horse is mine.
So, the good horse is mine.
MARCIUS.
I’ll buy him back from you.
I'll buy him of you.
LARTIUS.
No, I won’t sell him or give him to you, but I’ll lend him to you
No, I'll nor sell nor give him: lend you him I will
for 50 years.—Call the town leaders of Corioles.
For half a hundred years.--Summon the town.
MARCIUS.
How far away is the enemy army?
How far off lie these armies?
MESSENGER.
Within a mile and a half.
Within this mile and half.
MARCIUS.
Then we’ll be able to hear their call to arms, and they’ll hear ours.
Then shall we hear their 'larum, and they ours.—
Now, god of war, I pray to you, make this a quick fight,
Now, Mars, I pr'ythee, make us quick in work,
so that we can march from the battle field with our swords covered in blood,
That we with smoking swords may march from hence
to our friends on the field! Come on, sound the call to arms.
To help our fielded friends!--Come, blow thy blast.
[They sound a parley. Enter, on the Walls, some Senators and
others.]
Is Tullus Aufidius in Corioles?
Tullus Aufidius, is he within your walls?
FIRST SENATOR.
No, he’s not, and the rest of us aren’t
No, nor a man that fears you less than he,
afraid of you either.
That's lesser than a little.
[Drums in the distance]
[Drum afar off]
Listen, our war drums
Hark, our drums
are calling our young soldiers to battle! We’ll destroy our town
Are bringing forth our youth! we'll break our walls
rather than let you besiege us. Instead of closing our gates
Rather than they shall pound us up: our gates,
securely, we just sealed them with grass:
Which yet seem shut, we have but pinn'd with rushes;
they’ll open by themselves.
They'll open of themselves.
[Alarm in the distance.]
[Alarum far off.]
Hey, you over there!
Hark you far off!
There’s Aufidius. Take not of the damage he does
There is Aufidius; list what work he makes
to your divided army.
Amongst your cloven army.
MARCIUS.
Yes, they are at it!
O, they are at it!
LARTIUS.
Let’s be inspired by the noise they’re making to fight harder. Bring the ladders!
Their noise be our instruction.--Ladders, ho!
[The Volsces enter and pass over.]
MARCIUS.
They say they’re not scared of us, but they’re fleeing their city.
They fear us not, but issue forth their city.
Now protect yourselves with your shields and fight
Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight
with hardened hearts. Advance, brave Titus!
With hearts more proof than shields.--Advance, brave Titus:
they think they’re better than us,
They do disdain us much beyond our thoughts,
which makes me really angry. Come on, fellows:
Which makes me sweat with wrath.--Come on, my fellows:
If any of you retreat, I’ll consider you an enemy
He that retires, I'll take him for a Volsce,
and kill you.
And he shall feel mine edge.
[Alarums, and exeunt Romeans and Volsces fighting. Romans are
beaten back to their trenches. Re-enter MARCIUS.]
MARCIUS.
I hope you all catch exotic southern diseases,
All the contagion of the south light on you,
you cowardly Roman soldiers! You herd of— I hope you get sick and get
You shames of Rome!--you herd of--Boils and plagues
covered in boils, so that everyone will hate you
Plaster you o'er, that you may be abhorr'd
as soon as they see you, and you’ll infect each other
Farther than seen, and one infect another
from a mile away! You have the souls of geese,
Against the wind a mile! You souls of geese
even though you look like men! How can you retreat
That bear the shapes of men, how have you run
from slaves that a monkey could beat! Hell and hell!
From slaves that apes would beat! Pluto and hell!
Forget about your wounds—your bloody backs and the fact that
All hurt behind; backs red, and faces pale
you’re scared to death! Buck up and fight hard,
With flight and agued fear! Mend, and charge home,
or, I swear to God, I’ll stop fighting the enemy
Or, by the fires of heaven, I'll leave the foe
and kill you myself. Get to it, come on!
And make my wars on you: look to't: come on;
If you’ll stand up and fight we’ll force them back to their homes,
If you'll stand fast we'll beat them to their wives,
like they’re forcing us into our trenches.
As they us to our trenches.
[Another alarum. The Volsces and Romans re-enter, and the fight
is renewed. The Volsces retire into Corioli, and MARCIUS follows
them to the gates.]
Now the gates are open! Now, prove yourselves as soldiers.
So, now the gates are ope:--now prove good seconds:
T
hose gates were opened for brave soldiers,
'Tis for the followers fortune widens them,
not for people who run away. Watch me, and do what I do.
Not for the fliers: mark me, and do the like.
[He enters the gates]
FIRST SOLDIER.
That sounds stupid. I’m not doing it.
Fool-hardiness: not I.
SECOND SOLDIER.
Me neither.
Nor I.
[MARCIUS is shut in.]
FIRST SOLDIER.
Look, they have him surrounded.
See, they have shut him in.
ALL.
He’s doomed.
To th' pot, I warrant him.
[Alarum continues]
[Re-enter TITUS LARTIUS.]
LARTIUS.
What happened to Marcius?
What is become of Marcius?
ALL.
I’m sure he’s dead.
Slain, sir, doubtless.
FIRST SOLDIER.
He was right behind the enemies on the front lines as they retreated back
Following the fliers at the very heels,
into the city, and he entered it with them. Then they suddenly
With them he enters; who, upon the sudden,
shut the gates behind him. He is alone in there,
Clapp'd-to their gates: he is himself alone,
fighting off the entire city.
To answer all the city.
LARTIUS.
What a brave fellow!
O noble fellow!
Even though he’s smarter than his sword, he is braver than it,
Who sensible, outdares his senseless sword,
and when the sword gets scared he gets fired up! You’re gone, Marcius:
And when it bows stands up! Thou art left, Marcius:
A whole jewel, as big as you were,
A carbuncle entire, as big as thou art,
wouldn’t be worth as much as you were. You were as good a soldier
Were not so rich a jewel. Thou wast a soldier
as Cato could have wished, not just fierce and terrible
Even to Cato's wish, not fierce and terrible
some of the time. With your mean looks and
Only in strokes; but with thy grim looks and
and the loud thunder-like noises you made,
The thunder-like percussion of thy sounds
you made your enemies shake with fear, as if the whole world
Thou mad'st thine enemies shake, as if the world
has a fever and was trembling.
Were feverous and did tremble.
[Re-enter MARCIUS, bleeding, assaulted by the enemy.]
FIRST SOLDIER.
Look, sir.
Look, sir.
LARTIUS.
Oh, it’s Marcius!
O, 'tis Marcius!
Let’s go rescue him, or else die with him where he stands.
Let's fetch him off, or make remain alike.
[They fight, and all enter the city.]
[Enter certain Romans, with spoils.]
FIRST ROMAN.
I’m going to take this to Rome.
This will I carry to Rome.
SECOND ROMAN.
And I’m going to take this.
And I this.
THIRD ROMAN.
Damn it! I thought this was silver.
A murrain on't! I took this for silver.
[Alarum continues still afar off.]
[Enter MARCIUS and TITUS LARTIUS with a trumpet.]
MARCIUS.
Look at these lazy men that think that their time is worth
See here these movers that do prize their hours
something! Pillows, spoons,
At a crack'd drachma! Cushions, leaden spoons,
bits of metal worth a penny, shirts that
Irons of a doit, doublets that hangmen would
nobody would want—these low-down slaves
Bury with those that wore them, these base slaves,
are stealing them before the fighting is even done. Damn them!
Ere yet the fight be done, pack up:--down with them!--
And listen, that general is making a lot of noise! Go to him!
And hark, what noise the general makes!--To him!—
That is the man I hate most, Aufidius,
There is the man of my soul's hate, Aufidius,
killing our Roman soldiers. Brave Titus, take
Piercing our Romans; then, valiant Titus, take
enough soldiers to secure the city
Convenient numbers to make good the city;
while I, with a few good men, will hurry
Whilst I, with those that have the spirit, will haste
to help Cominius [to fight Aufidius].
To help Cominius.
LARTIUS.
But sir, you’re bleeding.
Worthy sir, thou bleed'st;
Your last skirmish was too violent
Thy exercise hath been too violent
for you to go back into the fight.
For a second course of fight.
MARCIUS.
Don’t praise me,
Sir, praise me not;
I still haven’t broken a sweat. Good bye.
My work hath yet not warm'd me: fare you well;
Losing blood like this is good for my health,
The blood I drop is rather physical
not dangerous to me. I’m going to let Aufidius
Than dangerous to me: to Aufidius thus
see me like this, and fight him.
I will appear, and fight.
LARTIUS.
Good luck!
Now the fair goddess, Fortune,
And bad luck for your enemies!
Fall deep in love with thee; and her great charms
My good man,
Misguide thy opposers' swords! Bold gentleman,
good luck!
Prosperity be thy page!
MARCIUS.
Good luck
Thy friend no less
to you too! Good bye.
Than those she placeth highest!--So farewell.
LARTIUS.
You’re the best Marcius!
Thou worthiest Marcius!--
[Exit MARCIUS.]
Go, make a big announcement in the main square,
Go, sound thy trumpet in the market-place;
call all the town leaders there
Call thither all the officers o' the town,
and let them know what we want.
Where they shall know our mind: away!
[Exeunt.]
[Enter COMINIUS and Foreces, retreating.]
COMINIUS.
Rest, my friends. You’ve fought well, we leave the battlefield
Breathe you, my friends: well fought; we are come off
like Romans: neither foolishly brave,
Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands
nor cowardly in retreat. Believe me,
Nor cowardly in retire: believe me, sirs,
we’re going to be attacked again. While we attacked
We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have struck,
we heard the sound of
By interims and conveying gusts we have heard
our friends charging with us. Gods,
The charges of our friends. The Roman gods,
let them be as successful as we hope to be,
Lead their successes as we wish our own,
so that when our front lines meet
That both our powers, with smiling fronts encountering,
we will make a sacrifice to you!
May give you thankful sacrifice!--
[Enter A MESSENGER.]
What’s your news?
Thy news?
MESSENGER.
The citizens of Coioles have gone out
The citizens of Corioli have issued,
and fought with Lartius and M
arcius.
And given to Lartius and to Marcius battle:
I saw them drive our boys back into their trenches.
I saw our party to their trenches driven,
That’s all I saw before I left.
And then I came away.
COMINIUS.
You may be speaking the truth,
Though thou speak'st truth,
but I don’t think you’re speaking it well. When was this?
Methinks thou speak'st not well. How long is't since?
MESSENGER.
More than an hour ago, sir.
Above an hour, my lord.
COMINIUS.
It wasn’t even a mile away—we just heard their war drums.
'Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums:
How could you waste an hour running a mile,
How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour,
and bring your news so late?
And bring thy news so late?
MESSENGER.
Volscian spies
Spies of the Volsces
were chasing me around, so I had to go
Held me in chase, that I was forc'd to wheel
three or four miles out of the way. Otherwise I would have
Three or four miles about; else had I, sir,
brought you my report half an hour ago.
Half an hour since brought my report.
COMINIUS.
Who’d that guy over there
Who's yonder,
that looks like he’s had his skin peeled of? Oh my God!
That does appear as he were flay'd? O gods!
His face looks like Marcius,’ and I’ve seen him
He has the stamp of Marcius; and I have
like this before.
Before-time seen him thus.
MARCIUS.
[Offstage.] Am I too late?
[Within.] Come I too late?
COMINIUS.
Thunder and toy drums sound as different from each other