The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 519
where bad men were, and was the very best
of the best - sat sadly
hearing us praise our Italian mistresses
for a beauty which could completely
outstrip that of his; for looks better
than the statues of Venus of straight backed Minerva,
holding themselves like goddesses; their personalities
a compendium of all the qualities that men
love women for; besides that wifely winning quality,
beauty which strikes the eye -
CYMBELINE.
I stand on fire.
Come to the matter.
I'm on fire.
Get to the point.
IACHIMO.
All too soon I shall,
Unless thou wouldst grieve quickly. This Posthumus,
Most like a noble lord in love and one
That had a royal lover, took his hint;
And not dispraising whom we prais'd- therein
He was as calm as virtue- he began
His mistress' picture; which by his tongue being made,
And then a mind put in't, either our brags
Were crack'd of kitchen trulls, or his description
Prov'd us unspeaking sots.
I shall, all too soon,
unless you want to grieve at once.This Posthumus,
who was very like a noble lord in love and one
who had a royal lover, took his cue;
he didn't criticise those we praised - he was
as calm as he was virtuous - he began
to describe his mistress; when he'd described her,
and then said what her mind was like, it seemed our boasts
were about kitchen sluts, or else his description
showed we were drunken idiots who couldn't describe anything.
CYMBELINE.
Nay, nay, to th' purpose.
Come on, to the point.
IACHIMO.
Your daughter's chastity- there it begins.
He spake of her as Dian had hot dreams
And she alone were cold; whereat I, wretch,
Made scruple of his praise, and wager'd with him
Pieces of gold 'gainst this which then he wore
Upon his honour'd finger, to attain
In suit the place of's bed, and win this ring
By hers and mine adultery. He, true knight,
No lesser of her honour confident
Than I did truly find her, stakes this ring;
And would so, had it been a carbuncle
Of Phoebus' wheel; and might so safely, had it
Been all the worth of's car. Away to Britain
Post I in this design. Well may you, sir,
Remember me at court, where I was taught
Of your chaste daughter the wide difference
'Twixt amorous and villainous. Being thus quench'd
Of hope, not longing, mine Italian brain
Gan in your duller Britain operate
Most vilely; for my vantage, excellent;
And, to be brief, my practice so prevail'd
That I return'd with simular proof enough
To make the noble Leonatus mad,
By wounding his belief in her renown
With tokens thus and thus; averring notes
Of chamber-hanging, pictures, this her bracelet-
O cunning, how I got it!- nay, some marks
Of secret on her person, that he could not
But think her bond of chastity quite crack'd,
I having ta'en the forfeit. Whereupon-
Methinks I see him now-
Your daughter's chastity - that's where it starts.
He spoke of her as if Diana was lusty and only she was pure; so I, wretch,
doubted his praise, and bet him
pieces of gold against this ring which he was then wearing
on his honoured finger that I could get myself
into her bed, and win this ring
through her adultery and mine.He, true knight,
no less confident that she would as true as
I did in fact find her, bet this ring;
and he would have done so, if it had come
from the wheel of the sun's chariot, and he could have done it safely
if it had been worth the whole chariot.So I came to
Britain with this plan.You might well, sir,
remember me at the court, where I was taught
the great difference between love and villainy
by your pure daughter.Having my hopes
crushed, not my longing, my Italian brain
started, in your duller Britain, to work
most evilly; my plan worked brilliantly,
and to be brief, I was so successful
that I returned with such apparently strong evidence
that it made the noble Leonatus mad,
by damaging his belief in her purity,
with various sorts of tokens; telling him about
her bedroom tapestries, the pictures, this bracelet of hers -
how cunningly I got it!- even some secret marks
on her body, so he couldn't help
but believe that her promise of chastity was broken,
with me winning the bet.And so -
I think I can see him now -
POSTHUMUS.
[Coming forward] Ay, so thou dost,
Italian fiend! Ay me, most credulous fool,
Egregious murderer, thief, anything
That's due to all the villains past, in being,
To come! O, give me cord, or knife, or poison,
Some upright justicer! Thou, King, send out
For torturers ingenious. It is I
That all th' abhorred things o' th' earth amend
By being worse than they. I am Posthumus,
That kill'd thy daughter; villain-like, I lie-
That caus'd a lesser villain than myself,
A sacrilegious thief, to do't. The temple
Of virtue was she; yea, and she herself.
Spit, and throw stones, cast mire upon me, set
The dogs o' th' street to bay me. Every villain
Be call'd Posthumus Leonatus, and
Be villainy less than 'twas! O Imogen!
My queen, my life, my wife! O Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen!
Yes, so you do,
Italian devil!Alas, I am a credulous fool,
I am a terrible murderer, thief, anything
which all the villains of the past were called,
all those living now, all the ones to come!Give me a noose, a knife, poison,
some honest judge!You, king, send out
for inventive torturers.It is I
who makes all the most horrible things on earth seem better
by being worse than them.I am Posthumus,
who killed your daughter; like a villain, I'm lying -
I caused a lesser villain than myself,
a blasphemous thief, to do it.She was
a temple of virtue, yes, her alone.
Spit on me, throw stones, throw mud at me,
set the dogs on me in the street.Let every villain
be called Posthumus Leonatus, and
let villainy be less than it was!Oh Imogen!
My queen, my life, my wife!Oh Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen!
IMOGEN.
Peace, my lord. Hear, hear!
Peace my lord.Listen, listen!
POSTHUMUS.
Shall's have a play of this? Thou scornful page,
There lies thy part. [Strikes her. She falls]
Are you trying to make a play out of this?You arrogant page,
here's your part.
PISANIO.
O gentlemen, help!
Mine and your mistress! O, my lord Posthumus!
You ne'er kill'd Imogen till now. Help, help!
Mine honour'd lady!
Oh gentlemen, help
!
Your mistress and mine!Oh, my lord Posthumus!
You hadn't killed Imogen until now!Help, help!
My honoured lady!
CYMBELINE.
Does the world go round?
Is this real?
POSTHUMUS.
How comes these staggers on me?
Why do I feel so faint?
PISANIO.
Wake, my mistress!
Wake up, my mistress!
CYMBELINE.
If this be so, the gods do mean to strike me
To death with mortal joy.
If this is so, the gods want me to
die of joy.
PISANIO.
How fares my mistress?
How is my mistress?
IMOGEN.
O, get thee from my sight;
Thou gav'st me poison. Dangerous fellow, hence!
Breathe not where princes are.
Oh, get out of my sight;
you gave me poison.You dangerous fellow, get out!
Don't be where there are princes.
CYMBELINE.
The tune of Imogen!
It sounds like Imogen!
PISANIO.
Lady,
The gods throw stones of sulphur on me, if
That box I gave you was not thought by me
A precious thing! I had it from the Queen.
Lady,
may the gods throw burning rocks at me, if
I didn't think that box I gave you was
a good thing!I had it from the Queen!
CYMBELINE.
New matter still?
Is this something else new?
IMOGEN.
It poison'd me.
It poisoned me.
CORNELIUS.
O gods!
I left out one thing which the Queen confess'd,
Which must approve thee honest. 'If Pisanio
Have' said she 'given his mistress that confection
Which I gave him for cordial, she is serv'd
As I would serve a rat.'
Oh gods!
I left out one thing the Queen admitted to,
which shows that you are honest. She said,
'If Pisanio has given his mistress that concotion
which I gave him as medicine, she is poisoned
as I would poison a rat.'
CYMBELINE.
What's this, Cornelius?
What's this, Cornelius?
CORNELIUS.
The Queen, sir, very oft importun'd me
To temper poisons for her; still pretending
The satisfaction of her knowledge only
In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs,
Of no esteem. I, dreading that her purpose
Was of more danger, did compound for her
A certain stuff, which, being ta'en would cease
The present pow'r of life, but in short time
All offices of nature should again
Do their due functions. Have you ta'en of it?
The Queen, sir, very often asked me
to make posions for her, pretending that
she was only trying to learn about them by killing
low creatures of no worth, such as cats and dogs.
Fearing that she had a more sinister purpose
I made her
a certain potion which, if taken, would stop
all the functions of life, but in a short time
they would all come back again.Have you taken it?
IMOGEN.
Most like I did, for I was dead.
It seems I did, for I was dead.
BELARIUS.
My boys,
There was our error.
My boys,
there was our mistake.
GUIDERIUS.
This is sure Fidele.
This is certainly Fidele.
IMOGEN.
Why did you throw your wedded lady from you?
Think that you are upon a rock, and now
Throw me again. [Embracing him]
Why did your throw your wife away from you?
Imagine that you are on a rock, and now
try throwing me off again.
POSTHUMUS.
Hang there like fruit, my soul,
Till the tree die!
Hang there like fruit, my soulmate,
until the tree is dead!
CYMBELINE.
How now, my flesh? my child?
What, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act?
Wilt thou not speak to me?
What's this, my flesh?My child?
What, am I to be a dummy here?
Aren't you going to speak to me?
IMOGEN.
[Kneeling] Your blessing, sir.
Give me your blessing, sir.
BELARIUS.
[To GUIDERIUS and ARVIRAGUS] Though you did love this
youth, I blame ye not;
You had a motive for't.
Though you loved this youth,
I don't blame you;
you had reason for it.
CYMBELINE.
My tears that fall
Prove holy water on thee! Imogen,
Thy mother's dead.
May my falling tears
be like holy water on you!Imogen,
your mother's dead.
IMOGEN.
I am sorry for't, my lord.
I am sorry to hear it, my lord.
CYMBELINE.
O, she was naught, and long of her it was
That we meet here so strangely; but her son
Is gone, we know not how nor where.
Oh, she was nothing, and it's because of her
that we meet here; but her son
is gone, we don't know how or where.
PISANIO.
My lord,
Now fear is from me, I'll speak troth. Lord Cloten,
Upon my lady's missing, came to me
With his sword drawn, foam'd at the mouth, and swore,
If I discover'd not which way she was gone,
It was my instant death. By accident
I had a feigned letter of my master's
Then in my pocket, which directed him
To seek her on the mountains near to Milford;
Where, in a frenzy, in my master's garments,
Which he enforc'd from me, away he posts
With unchaste purpose, and with oath to violate
My lady's honour. What became of him
I further know not.
My lord, now I no longer fear, let me speak the truth.Lord Cloten,
when my lady went missing, came to me
with his sword out, foaming at the mouth, and swore that
if I didn't tell him where she had gone
I would die at once.I happened
to have a forged letter of my master's
in my pocket, which told him
to look for her in the mountains near to Milford;
he set off for there in a frenzy, dressed in
my master's clothes, which he forced me to give him,
with a lustful plan, and swearing he would violate
my lady's honour.I don't know what happened to him
after that.
GUIDERIUS.
Let me end the story:
I slew him there.
Let me finish the story:
I killed him there.
CYMBELINE.
Marry, the gods forfend!
I would not thy good deeds should from my lips
Pluck a hard sentence. Prithee, valiant youth,
Deny't again.
Please, gods, don't let that be true!
I wouldn't want to have to speak harshly to you
after your good deeds.Please, brave youth,
deny it again.
GUIDERIUS.
I have spoke it, and I did it.
I have said it, and I did it.
CYMBELINE.
/> He was a prince.
He was a prince.
GUIDERIUS.
A most incivil one. The wrongs he did me
Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me
With language that would make me spurn the sea,
If it could so roar to me. I cut off's head,
And am right glad he is not standing here
To tell this tale of mine.
A very rude one.The wrongs he did me
were nothing princely; he provoked me
with language that would make me fight the sea,
if it roared at me like that.I cut off his head,
and I'm very glad it's him, not me, who survived
to tell this tale.
CYMBELINE.
I am sorry for thee.
By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and must
Endure our law. Thou'rt dead.
I am sorry for you.
you have been condemned by your own words, and must
face the punishment of the law.You are dead.
IMOGEN.
That headless man
I thought had been my lord.
I thought that headless man
was my lord.
CYMBELINE.
Bind the offender,
And take him from our presence.
Tie up the offender,
and take him away.
BELARIUS.
Stay, sir King.
This man is better than the man he slew,
As well descended as thyself, and hath
More of thee merited than a band of Clotens
Had ever scar for. [To the guard] Let his arms alone;
They were not born for bondage.
Wait, sir King.
This man is better than the man he killed,
as noble as yourself, and deserves more from you
than a whole band of Clotens