The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (331 page)

may your marriage be blessed! And may you find

someone more beautiful in your bed, if you ever marry!

LAFEU

These boys are boys of ice, they'll none have her:

sure, they are bastards to the English; the French

ne'er got 'em.

These boys are made of ice, none of them will have her:

I'm certain they are the bastard sons of Englishmen; no Frenchman

ever fathered these.

HELENA

You are too young, too happy, and too good,

To make yourself a son out of my blood.

You are too young, too happy, and too good,

to breed a son from me.

Fourth Lord

Fair one, I think not so.

Beautiful one, I don't agree.

LAFEU

There's one grape yet; I am sure thy father drunk

wine: but if thou be'st not an ass, I am a youth

of fourteen; I have known thee already.

There's just one left; I am sure your father put

good blood in you but if you're not an ass then I am a

fourteen-year-old; I know what you're like.

HELENA

[To BERTRAM] I dare not say I take you; but I give

Me and my service, ever whilst I live,

Into your guiding power. This is the man.

I dare not say that I am taking you; but I give

myself and my service, as long as I live,

into your hands. This is the man.

KING

Why, then, young Bertram, take her; she's thy wife.

Why then, young Bertram, take her; she's your wife.

BERTRAM

My wife, my liege! I shall beseech your highness,

In such a business give me leave to use

The help of mine own eyes.

My wife, my lord! I must ask your Highness

that in a business like this you let me

make my own choices.

KING

Know'st thou not, Bertram,

What she has done for me?

Bertram, don't you know

what she has done for me?

BERTRAM

Yes, my good lord;

But never hope to know why I should marry her.

I do know that my good lord;

but I can't see why I should marry her.

KING

Thou know'st she has raised me from my sickly bed.

You know that she has raised me from my sick bed.

BERTRAM

But follows it, my lord, to bring me down

Must answer for your raising? I know her well:

She had her breeding at my father's charge.

A poor physician's daughter my wife! Disdain

Rather corrupt me ever!

But must it follow, my lord, that I have to be brought down

to pay for you being raised up? I know her well:

she was brought up at my father's expense.

Me, marry the daughter of a poor physician!

I'd rather face your disapproval than be brought this low!

KING

'Tis only title thou disdain'st in her, the which

I can build up. Strange is it that our bloods,

Of colour, weight, and heat, pour'd all together,

Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off

In differences so mighty. If she be

All that is virtuous, save what thou dislikest,

A poor physician's daughter, thou dislikest

Of virtue for the name: but do not so:

From lowest place when virtuous things proceed,

The place is dignified by the doer's deed:

Where great additions swell's, and virtue none,

It is a dropsied honour. Good alone

Is good without a name. Vileness is so:

The property by what it is should go,

Not by the title. She is young, wise, fair;

It's only her lack of title you don't like, and I

can fix that. It is strange that our blood,

if all poured together could not be distinguished

by colour, weight or heat, and yet

we claim that they are so different. If she

is good in everything, except that which you dislike,

the fact that she is a poor physician's daughter, then you dislike

goodness just because of its name: do not do so:

when good things come from humble places,

the place is made better by what has been done.

Where there are great titles, but no goodness,

it is a diseased honour. Goodness is goodness,

it doesn't need a title. Vileness is the same:

you should judge things by their properties,

not their names. She is young, wise, beautiful;

In these to nature she's immediate heir,

And these breed honour: that is honour's scorn,

Which challenges itself as honour's born

And is not like the sire: honours thrive,

When rather from our acts we them derive

Than our foregoers: the mere word's a slave

Debosh'd on every tomb, on every grave

A lying trophy, and as oft is dumb

Where dust and damn'd oblivion is the tomb

Of honour'd bones indeed. What should be said?

If thou canst like this creature as a maid,

I can create the rest: virtue and she

Is her own dower; honour and wealth from me.

She inherits these things from nature,

and they make honor: that is what honor scorns,

which mocks itself when honor is inherited

and the son is not like the father: honors are worth something

when we get them from our actions

rather than inheriting them: words are just slaves

debased on every tomb, a lying trophy

on every grave, and they are just as often silent

when dust and terrible oblivion is the tomb

of those who are really honourable. What can I say?

If you like this creature as a woman,

I can do the rest: in terms of goodness

she brings her own dowry; she will get honors and wealth from me.

BERTRAM

I cannot love her, nor will strive to do't.

I cannot love her, and I will not force myself to.

KING

Thou wrong'st thyself, if thou shouldst strive to choose.

If you won't do this you're making a lot of trouble for yourself.

HELENA

That you are well restored, my lord, I'm glad:

Let the rest go.

I'm glad that you are now in good health, my lord:

forget about the rest.

KING

My honour's at the stake; which to defeat,

I must produce my power. Here, take her hand,

Proud scornful boy, unworthy this good gift;

That dost in vile misprision shackle up

My love and her desert; that canst not dream,

We, poising us in her defective scale,

Shall weigh thee to the beam; that wilt not know,

It is in us to plant thine honour where

We please to have it grow. Cheque thy contempt:

Obey our will, which travails in thy good:

Believe not thy disdain, but presently

Do thine own fortunes that obedient right

Which both thy duty owes and our power claims;

Or I will throw thee from my care for ever

Into the staggers and the careless lapse

Of youth and ignorance; both my revenge and hate

Loosing upon thee, in the name of justice,

Without all terms of pity. Speak; thine answer.

My honour's at stake; to win here

I must use my power. Here, takeher hand,

you arrogant contemptuous boy, who doesn't deserve this good gift;

you are showing a revolting contempt for both

my love and what she deserves; you can't imagine

that you can show such contempt for us

and not face the consequences; don't you know

That it's up to me to assign honour

to whomever I please; rein in your contempt:

do as I order, which is for your own good:

do not follow your contempt, but now

do the right thing for your own fortune

which you're bound to by duty and my power orders;

otherwise I will expel you from my care forever

into the stumbling careless errors

of youth and ignorance; I will unleash

both my revenge and my hate upon you

in the name of justice, I will show you no mercy.

Speak; give me your answer.

BERTRAM

Pardon, my gracious lord; for I submit

My fancy to your eyes: when I consider

What great creation and what dole of honour

Flies where you bid it, I find that she, which late

Was in my nobler thoughts most base, is now

The praised of the king; who, so ennobled,

Is as 'twere born so.

I apologise, my gracious lord; I now see it

from your point of view: when I think

that titles and honours are given

by you, I realise that she, who recently

seemed to me in my noble thoughts very humble, is now

praised by the King; as she is given this honour

it is as if she was always noble.

KING

Take her by the hand,

And tell her she is thine: to whom I promise

A counterpoise, if not to thy estate

A balance more replete.

Take her by the hand

and tell her she is yours: I promise her

riches which, if they don't completely match your estate

will make the two of you much more even.

BERTRAM

I take her hand.

I take her by the hand.

KING

Good fortune and the favour of the king

Smile upon this contract; whose ceremony

Shall seem expedient on the now-born brief,

And be perform'd to-night: the solemn feast

Shall more attend upon the coming space,

Expecting absent friends. As thou lovest her,

Thy love's to me religious; else, does err.

May good fortune and the King's favor

smile upon this agreement; now seems

a good time to perform the ceremony,

and they shall be married tonight: the solemn feast

shallbe postponed a little while,

to wait for absent friends. As you love her,

your love to me is sacred; anything else is blasphemous.

Exeunt all but LAFEU and PAROLLES

LAFEU

[Advancing] Do you hear, monsieur? a word with you.

Did you hear that, sir? A word with you.

PAROLLES

Your pleasure, sir?

What is it, sir?

LAFEU

Your lord and master did well to make his

recantation.

Your lord and master did well to take that back.

PAROLLES

Recantation! My lord! my master!

Take it back! My Lord! My master!

LAFEU

Ay; is it not a language I speak?

Yes; am I not speaking a language you understand?