The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

Pindarus

  I do not doubt But that my noble master will appear Such as he is, full of regard and honour.

  I don’t doubt that my noble master will show up.

  Brutus

  He is not doubted.--A word, Lucilius: How he received you, let me be resolved.

  I don’t doubt him. Lucilius, I need to ask how Cassius received you.

  Lucilius

  With courtesy and with respect enough; But not with such familiar instances, Nor with such free and friendly conference, As he hath used of old.

  He treated me courteously and with respect, but he wasn’t friendly like he is usually.

  Brutus

  Thou hast described A hot friend cooling: ever note, Lucilius, When love begins to sicken and decay, It useth an enforced ceremony. There are no tricks in plain and simple faith; But hollow men, like horses hot at hand, Make gallant show and promise of their mettle; But, when they should endure the bloody spur, They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

  You have just described a friend in retreat. Remember, Lucilius, when someone no longer wants to be your friend, they act as you have described. Hollow men are like showy horses. They look gallant, but when it’s time to work, they disappear. Is his army coming?

  Lucilius

  They meant his night in Sard is to be quarter'd: The greater part, the Horse in general, Are come with Cassius.

  They are in Sardis tonight to be dispersed. The largest is coming with Cassius.

  Brutus

  Hark! he is arrived. March gently on to meet him.

  Listen! He is here.

  Low march within.

  Let’s go to meet him.

  Enter Cassius and his men.

  Cassius

  Stand, ho!

  Stop!

  Brutus

  Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

  Stop! Tell the others.

  First Soldier

  Stand!

  Stop!

  Second Soldier

  Stand!

  Stop!

  Third Soldier

  Stand!

  Stop!

  Cassius

  Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.

  Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.

  Brutus

  Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?

  Let the gods judge me, if I have done you wrong. How I have I wronged you?

  Cassius

  Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs; And when you do them--

  You may act like you haven’t done anything, but you know you…

  Brutus

  Cassius, be content; Speak your griefs softly, I do know you well. Before the eyes of both our armies here, Which should perceive nothing but love from us, Let us not wrangle; bid them move away; Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs, And I will give you audience.

  Cassius, calm down. Tell me what’s bothering you calmly. I know you very well. In front of both our armies, who should see nothing but love from us, let’s not fight. Tell them to move on, and we’ll go in my tent, so I can hear what you have to say.

  Cassius

  Pindarus, Bid our commanders lead their charges off A little from this ground.

  Pindarus, tell the commanders to fall back.

  Brutus

  Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man Come to our tent till we have done our conference.-- Lucius and Titinius, guard our door.

  Lucilius, you do the same, and don’t let anyone come to my tent until we are done conferencing. Let Lucius and Titinius guard the door.

  Exit.

  Enter Brutus and Cassius

  Cassius

  That you have wrong'd me doth appear in this: You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella For taking bribes here of the Sardians; Whereas my letters, praying on his side Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

  You wronged me when you condemned Lucius Pella for taking bribes from the Sardians. You ignored my letters on his behalf. I knew the man.

  Brutus

  You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case.

  You were wrong to write those letters.

  Cassius

  In such a time as this it is not meet That every nice offense should bear his comment.

  In times like these, you shouldn’t talk about others offences.

  Brutus

  Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm, To sell and mart your offices for gold To undeservers.

  You are one to talk when you sell your offices for to people who don’t deserve them.

  Cassius

  I an itching palm! You know that you are Brutus that speak this, Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.

  Are you calling me greedy? If anybody else made such a claim against me, it would be their last.

  Brutus

  The name of Cassius honors this corruption, And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.

  You use your name to cover up corruption.

  Cassius

  Chastisement!

  Corruption!

  Brutus

  Remember March, the Ides of March remember: Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? What villain touch'd his body, that did stab, And not for justice? What! shall one of us, That struck the foremost man of all this world But for supporting robbers,--shall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes And sell the mighty space of our large honours For so much trash as may be grasped thus? I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman.

  Remember in March, March 15th? Didn’t the great Julius bleed for the sake of justice? Who stabbed him who was not seeking justice? Didn’t we kill him for supporting robbers? Should we begin to do the same thing? I rather be a dog and howl at the moon than a Roman like that.

  Cassius

  Brutus, bay not me, I'll not endure it: you forget yourself, To hedge me in; I am a soldier, ay, Older in practice, abler than yourself To make conditions.

  Don’t howl at me, Brutus. I won’t take it. You’ve forgotten who you are talking to. I am a soldier, and much wiser than you, and more able to make things happen.

  Brutus

  Go to; you are not, Cassius.

  Go for it. You are not the Cassius, I used to know.

  Cassius

  I am.

  Oh, yes I am.

  Brutus

  I say you are not.

  Well, I say you aren’t.

  Cassius

  Urge me no more, I shall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no farther.

  You better stop, before I forget myself. Remember your health and don’t tempt me.

  Brutus

  Away, slight man!

  Get out of here, little man!

  Cassius

  Is't possible?

  Oh, yeah?

  Brutus

  Hear me, for I will speak. Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

  You better listen to what I’m saying. I will not be frightened by you.

  Cassius

  O gods, ye gods! must I endure all this?

  Oh, gods! Must I endure this?

  Brutus

  All this? ay, more: fret till your proud heart break; Go show your slaves how choleric you are, And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch Under your testy humour? By the gods, You shall digest the venom of your spleen, Though it do split you; for, from this day forth, I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, When you are waspish.

  Yes! This and more! You can worry until your heart breaks. Why don’t you go show your slaves how sick you are and try to make them scared? You won’t do that to me. Do you expect me to cower in your presence? You will die first. From this day forward, I will use you for comic relief.

  Cassius

  Is it come to this?

  So this is wh
at it’s come to?

  Brutus

  You say you are a better soldier: Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well: for mine own part, I shall be glad to learn of abler men.

  You say you are a better soldier. Prove it.

  Cassius

  You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus. I said, an elder soldier, not a better: Did I say "better"?

  How dare you! I said, “I was a wiser solder, not a better one.”

  Brutus

  If you did, I care not.

  Whatever.

  Cassius

  When Caesar lived, he durst not thus have moved me.

  Caesar never made me this angry when he lived.

  Brutus

  Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him.

  You dared not treat him like this.

  Cassius

  I durst not?

  I dared not!

  Brutus

  No.

  No.

  Cassius

  What, durst not tempt him?

  I dared not anger him!

  Brutus

  For your life you durst not.

  You feared for your life, so you didn’t dare.

  Cassius

  Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do that I shall be sorry for.

  You assume too much based on my love for you. You may force me to do something I will be sorry for.

  Brutus

  You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, For I am arm'd so strong in honesty, That they pass by me as the idle wind Which I respect not. I did send to you For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;-- For I can raise no money by vile means: By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash By any indirection:--I did send To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you denied me: was that done like Cassius? Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, Dash him to pieces!

  You already have, and I am not afraid of your threats. Your idle threats go right by me. I sent you a request for money to pay for my army, and you denied me. Should I have resorted to steal from my friends to pay for my men, like you? May the gods curse me with their thunderbolts and tear me to pieces, if I do that!

  Cassius

  I denied you not.

  I didn’t deny you.

  Brutus

  You did.

  Yes, you did.

  Cassius

  I did not. He was but a fool That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart: A friend should bear his friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

  I did not. My messenger must have been a fool when he delivered my answer. You have broken my heart. You should know me better than that. I am full of faults, but I would never do that to you.

  Brutus

  I do not, till you practise them on me.

  I didn’t think so, until you used them against me.

  Cassius

  You love me not.

  You don’t love me.

  Brutus

  I do not like your faults.

  I don’t like your faults.

  Cassius

  A friendly eye could never see such faults.

  A friend would not see such faults.

  Brutus

  A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus.

  I am your friend, not your slave, and your faults are as great as Mount Olympus.

  Cassius

  Come, Antony and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, For Cassius is a-weary of the world; Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed, Set in a note-book, learn'd and conn'd by rote, To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep My spirit from mine eyes!--There is my dagger, And here my naked breast; within, a heart Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold: If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth; I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart: Strike as thou didst at Caesar; for I know, When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.

  Come, Antony and young Octavius are coming. You must fight them alone, because I am tired of this world. I am hated by someone I love. My faults have been listed and remembered to be thrown back in my face. Take this dagger and plunge it into my chest. Remove my heart, Roman, which is more valuable than Pluto’s silver, if I denied you money. Kill me like you did Caesar, because I know you know you loved him better than me.

  Brutus

  Sheathe your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Do what you will, dishonor shall be humour. O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb That carries anger as the flint bears fire; Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark, And straight is cold again.

  Put your dagger away. Be angry later, when it’s time to be angry. You are like a lamb and I am like a flint with fire when it comes to carrying anger, here one minute and gone the next.

  Cassius

  Hath Cassius lived To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?

  Am I just a cause to laugh at, Brutus, when you are angry?

  Brutus

  When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.

  I was angry when I said that.

  Cassius

  Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.

  You admit it then? Give me your hand.

  Brutus

  And my heart too.

  Take my hand and my heart, too.

  Cassius

  O Brutus,--

  Oh, Brutus!

  Brutus

  What's the matter?

  What’s wrong?

  Cassius

  --Have not you love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor which my mother gave me Makes me forgetful?

  Do you love me enough to forgive me when my faults are inherited from my mother?

  Brutus

  Yes, Cassius; and from henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

  Yes, Cassius, and from now on when you are acting like this with me, I’ll blame your mother.

  Poet

  Within.

  Let me go in to see the generals: There is some grudge between 'em; 'tis not meet They be alone.

  Let me in to see the generals. They shouldn’t be alone.

  Lucilius

  [Within.] You shall not come to them.

  You can’t go in.

  Poet

  [Within.] Nothing but death shall stay me.

  You’ll have to kill me to stop me.

  Enter Poet, followed by Lucilius, Titinius, and Lucius.

  Cassius

  How now! What's the matter?

  Hey! What’s the matter?

  Poet

  For shame, you generals! what do you mean? Love, and be friends, as two such men should be; For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.

  Shame on you generals for letting something come between such good friends.

  Cassius

  Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!

  Ha ha! This man is a terrible poet.

  Brutus

  Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence!

  Get out of here, you silly man!

  Cassius

  Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.

  Be patient with him, Brutus. That’s just how he is.

  Brutus

  I'll know his humor when he knows his time: What should the wars do with these jigging fools?-- Companion, hence!

  He should know when to be humorous. What is he doing here during a war? Companion?

  Cassius

  Away, away, be gone!

  You better go! Go on!

  Exit Poet.

  Brutus

  Lucilius and Titinius, bid the com
manders Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.

  Lucilius and Titinius tell the commanders to prepare their companies to stay tonight.

  Cassius

  And come yourselves and bring Messala with you Immediately to us.

  Go get Messala and come back to us immediately.

  Brutus

  Lucius, a bowl of wine!

  Lucius, bring me a glass of wine.

  Exit Lucius.

  Cassius

  I did not think you could have been so angry.

  I didn’t think you could get so angry.

  Brutus

  O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.

  Oh Cassius, I am sick with grief.

  Cassius

  Of your philosophy you make no use, If you give place to accidental evils.

  I thought your philosophy was to not let things like this bother you.

  Brutus

  No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.

  I have more to be sorrowful about; Portia is dead.

  Cassius

  Ha! Portia!

  No way! Portia!

  Brutus

  She is dead.

  She is dead.

  Cassius

  How 'scaped I killing, when I cross'd you so?-- O insupportable and touching loss!-- Upon what sickness?

  How did I escape being killed when I angered you? What a terrible loss! Was she sick?