The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1051 page)

come to the flock and kill the infected ones,

but don't slaughter them all.

Second Senator

What thou wilt,

Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile

Than hew to't with thy sword.

Whatever you want,

you can get it with your smile,

you don't have to
cut it out with your sword.

First Senator

Set but thy foot

Against our rampired gates, and they shall ope;

So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before,

To say thou'lt enter friendly.

Just nudge our reinforced gates

with your foot, and they shall open;

provided that you send a kind message

in advance, to say you will come in peace.

Second Senator

Throw thy glove,

Or any token of thine honour else,

That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress

And not as our confusion, all thy powers

Shall make their harbour in our town, till we

Have seal'd thy full desire.

Throw down your glove,

or any other pledge of your honour,

to show you will use the wars to get your compensation,

not to destroy us, all your forces

shall have safe lodgings in our town, until we

have given you everything you want.

ALCIBIADES

Then there's my glove;

Descend, and open your uncharged ports:

Those enemies of Timon's and mine own

Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof

Fall and no more: and, to atone your fears

With my more noble meaning, not a man

Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream

Of regular justice in your city's bounds,

But shall be render'd to your public laws

At heaviest answer.

Then here's my glove;

come down, and open your undamaged doors:

the enemies of Timon and of me,

whom you yourselves admitted deserve punishment,

shall die and no others: and, to calm your fears

and show my noble purpose, no man

will stray from barracks, or offend against the

laws of the city, without being

handed over to your civil courts

for the greatest punishment you can give.

Both

'Tis most nobly spoken.

That is very nobly said.

ALCIBIADES

Descend, and keep your words.

Come down, and keep your word.

The Senators descend, and open the gates

Enter Soldier

Soldier

My noble general, Timon is dead;

Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea;

And on his grave-stone this insculpture, which

With wax I brought away, whose soft impression

Interprets for my poor ignorance.

My noble general, Timon is dead;

his tomb is on the edge of the sea;

this inscription was on his gravestone, which

I made an impression of in wax,

which makes up for my inability to read it.

ALCIBIADES

[Reads the epitaph] 'Here lies a

wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft:

Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked

caitiffs left!

Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate:

Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay

not here thy gait.'

These well express in thee thy latter spirits:

Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,

Scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our

droplets which

From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit

Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye

On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead

Is noble Timon: of whose memory

Hereafter more. Bring me into your city,

And I will use the olive with my sword,

Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each

Prescribe to other as each other's leech.

Let our drums strike.

Exeunt

“Here lies a

wretched corpse, whose wretched soul has left it:

don't look for my name: may a plague overwhelm you

wicked rascals left!

Here lies Timon, who all living men hated when he was alive:

pass by and curse all you want, but keep going,

don't stop here."

These words show your last mood well:

although you despised our human griefs,

hated the tiny droplets of tears which fell

from parsimonious nature, your rich imagination

showed you how to make the great ocean weep for you

at your low grave, asking for forgiveness.

Noble Timon is dead: we shall speak about him more

later. Bring me into your city,

and I will show mercy while still being strong,

let war bring peace, let peace stop war, make each one

work for the good of each, like doctors treating each other.

Strike up the drums.

SATURNINUS, son to the late Emperor of Rome, afterwards Emperor

BASSIANUS, brother to Saturninus

TITUS ANDRONICUS, a noble Roman

MARCUS ANDRONICUS, Tribune of the People, and brother to Titus

Sons to Titus Andronicus:

LUCIUS

QUINTUS

MARTIUS

MUTIUS

YOUNG LUCIUS, a boy, son to Lucius

PUBLIUS, son to Marcus Andronicus

Kinsmen to Titus:

SEMPRONIUS

CAIUS

VALENTINE

AEMILIUS, a noble Roman

Sons to Tamora:

ALARBUS

DEMETRIUS

CHIRON

AARON, a Moor, beloved by Tamora

A CAPTAIN

A MESSENGER

A CLOWN

TAMORA, Queen of the Goths

LAVINIA, daughter to Titus Andronicus

A NURSE, and a black CHILD

Romans and Goths, Senators, Tribunes, Officers, Soldiers, and Attendants

SCENE: Rome and the neighborhood

Flourish. Enter the TRIBUNES and SENATORS aloft; and then enter

below

SATURNINUS and his followers at one door, and BASSIANUS and his

followers at the other, with drums and trumpets

SATURNINUS.

Noble patricians, patrons of my right,

Defend the justice of my cause with arms;

And, countrymen, my loving followers,

Plead my successive title with your swords.

I am his first born son that was the last

That ware the imperial diadem of Rome;

Then let my father's honours live in me,

Nor wrong mine age with this indignity.

Noble patricians, supporters of my right to inherit,

defend the justice of my cause with weapons;

and, countrymen, my loving followers,

enforce my claim to inherit the title with your swords.

I am the first born son of the man who last

wore the imperial crown of Rome;

so let my father's honours continue with me

and don't disrespect my status with such an insult.

BASSIANUS.

Romans, friends, followers, favourers of my right,

If ever Bassianus, Caesar's son,

Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome,

Keep then this passage to the Capitol;

And suffer not dishonour to approach

The imperial seat, to virtue consecrate,

To justice, continence, and nobility;

But let desert in pure election shine;

And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice.

Enter MARCUS ANDRONICUS aloft, with the crown

Romans, friends, followers, supporters of my rights,