The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (437 page)

LUCIO

O, sir, you are deceived.

Oh, sir, you are mistaken

DUKE VINCENTIO

'Tis not possible.

That’s not possible

LUCIO

Who, not the duke? yes, your beggar of fifty; and
What, the duke wasn’t like that? Yes, a fifty-year old beggar woman; and

his use was to put a ducat in her clack-dish: the

he used to often put his gold-coin in her beggar dish, if you know what I mean: the
duke had crotchets in him. He would be drunk too;

duke had some strange ideas.  He would drink too;
that let me inform you.

I’ll tell you that

DUKE VINCENTIO

You do him wrong, surely.

You have him all wrong, surely.

LUCIO

Sir, I was an inward of his. A shy fellow was the

Sir, I was a close friend of his.  He’s a shy man,
duke: and I believe I know the cause of his

The duke: and I believe I know the reason
withdrawing.

He left.

DUKE VINCENTIO

What, I prithee, might be the cause?

And what, I ask you, might be the cause?

LUCIO

No, pardon; 'tis a secret must be locked within the

No I’m sorry; it’s a secret that must be kept inside:
teeth and the lips: but this I can let you

But I can tell you this,
understand, the greater file of the subject held the

Most of his subject believed the
duke to be wise.

Duke to be wise.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Wise! why, no question but he was.

Wise! Well, there’s no question that he was.

LUCIO

A very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow.

That he was a very superficial, ignorant, sexually loose man.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Either this is the envy in you, folly, or mistaking:

Either you are mean-spirited, foolish, or mistaken:
the very stream of his life and the business he hath

The very nature of his life and the business he
helmed must upon a warranted need give him a better

Lead must give him a better reputation if you need proof
proclamation. Let him be but testimonied in his own

Let him be evaluated in his own
bringings-forth, and he shall appear to the

Achievements, and to the jealous scholar he will
envious a scholar, a statesman and a soldier.

Seem to be a statesman and a soldier
Therefore you speak unskilfully: or if your

Therefore you speak without knowing the truth; of if you
knowledge be more it is much darkened in your malice.

Know better it doesn’t show through your spitefulness.

LUCIO

Sir, I know him, and I love him.

Sir, I know him, and I love him.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Love talks with better knowledge, and knowledge with

If you loved him you would know him better, and if you had that knowledge
dearer love.

You would speak better about him.

LUCIO

Come, sir, I know what I know.

Come on, sir, I know what I know.

DUKE VINCENTIO

I can hardly believe that, since you know not what

I can hardly believe that, since you don’t know what
you speak. But, if ever the duke return, as our

You’re talking about.  But, if the duke ever returns, as we
prayers are he may, let me desire you to make your

Pray that we will, I want you to put forth your
answer before him. If it be honest you have spoke,

Comments in front of him.  If what you have said is true,
you have courage to maintain it: I am bound to call

You will be brave enough to justify it: I am going to ask
upon you; and, I pray you, your name?

For you; and please tell me, what is your name?

LUCIO

Sir, my name is Lucio; well known to the duke.

Sir, my name is Luscio; the duke knows my name well.

DUKE VINCENTIO

He shall know you better, sir, if I may live to

He will know you better than that, sir, if I live to
report you.

Tell him of you.

LUCIO

I fear you not.

I’m not afraid of you.

DUKE VINCENTIO

O, you hope the duke will return no more; or you

Oh, you hope the duke won’t return; or you
imagine me too unhurtful an opposite. But indeed I

Think I am too weak an enemy. But truly I can’t
can do you little harm; you'll forswear this again.

Do you much harm; you’ll deny this another time.

LUCIO

I'll be hanged first: thou art deceived in me,

I’ll be hanged first: you have me mistaken,
friar. But no more of this. Canst thou tell if

Friar.  But let’s end this talk.  Can you tell me if
Claudio die to-morrow or no?

Claudio is supposed to die tomorrow?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Why should he die, sir?

Why would he die, sir?

LUCIO

Why? For filling a bottle with a tundish. I would

Why you ask? For filling a bottle with his long rod, if you know what I mean,
the duke we talk of were returned again: the

I wish the duke we were talking about would come back: the
ungenitured agent will unpeople the province with

Sexless governor, Angelo, will lower the population of the province with
continency; sparrows must not build in his

Abstinence; Sparrows are forbidden to build their nests under
house-eaves, because they are lecherous. The duke

The edge of his roof, because they are sexual, being Venus’s sacred birds. The duke
yet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would

Would have private sexual deeds privately dealt with; he would
never bring them to light: would he were returned!

Never bring them out in the open in: I wish he would come back!
Marry, this Claudio is condemned for untrussing.

By the Virgin Mary, Claudio is condmned for undressing.
Farewell, good friar: I prithee, pray for me. The

Good bye, good friar: I ask you to pray for me. The
duke, I say to thee again, would eat mutton on

Duke, I will say again, would eat lamb on
Fridays. He's not past it yet, and I say to thee,

Friday against the law.  He’s not better than that, and I tell you
he would mouth with a beggar, though she smelt brown

He would kiss a beggar, even if she smelled of
brown

bread and garlic: say that I said so. Farewell.

Bread and garlic: tell him I said so.  Good bye

Exit

DUKE VINCENTIO

No might nor greatness in mortality

No mighty or highly moral person
Can censure 'scape; back-wounding calumny

Can escape criticism; painful slander
The whitest virtue strikes. What king so strong

Strikes the purest virtue. What king is strong enough
Can tie the gall up in the slanderous tongue?

To force people to no speak mean words?
But who comes here?

But who is that?

Enter ESCALUS, PROVOST, and Officers with MISTRESS OVERDONE

ESCALUS

Go; away with her to prison!

Go; take her away to prison!

MISTRESS OVERDONE

Good my lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted

My good lord, be nice to me; you are considered
a merciful man; good my lord.

A merciful man; my good lord.

ESCALUS

Double and treble admonition, and still forfeit in

Two and three warnings, and you still commit
the same kind! This would make mercy swear and play

The same crime! This would make even mercy itself fed up
the tyrant.

And become ruthless.

PROVOST

A bawd of eleven years' continuance, may it please

A brothel matron of a whole eleven years time, if you would like to know
your honour.

Your honor.

MISTRESS OVERDONE

My lord, this is one Lucio's information against me.

My lord, Lucio spoke out against me.
Mistress Kate Keepdown was with child by him in the

Mistress Kate Keepdown was impregnated by him when the
duke's time; he promised her marriage: his child

Duke was ruling; he promised her marriage: but his child
is a year and a quarter old, come Philip and Jacob:

Is a year and a quarter old, come May 1
st
:
I have kept it myself; and see how he goes about to abuse me!

I have raised it myself; and now he goes about saying bad things about me!

ESCALUS

That fellow is a fellow of much licence: let him be

That man is a very immoral man: we will
called before us. Away with her to prison! Go to;

Call him to answer to us.  Take her away to prison! Go on;
no more words.

Don’t speak.

Exeunt Officers with MISTRESS OVERDONE

Provost, my brother Angelo will not be altered;

Provost, my colleague Angelo will not change his mind;
Claudio must die to-morrow: let him be furnished

Claudio will die tomorrow: let him be provided
with divines, and have all charitable preparation.

With clergymen, and have his last rites.
if my brother wrought by my pity, it should not be

If my colleague acted with my same pity, it would not be
so with him.

This way for him.

PROVOST

So please you, this friar hath been with him, and

If it makes you happy, the friar has been with him, and
advised him for the entertainment of death.

Prepared him for the acceptance of death.

ESCALUS

Good even, good father.

Well good then, good father.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Bliss and goodness on you!

Happiness and health for you!

ESCALUS

Of whence are you?

Where are you from?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Not of this country, though my chance is now

Not from this country, though I am living here no
To use it for my time: I am a brother

for the time being: I am a brother
Of gracious order, late come from the See

of a holy order, just recently come from the Holy See in Rome
In special business from his holiness.

On special business from his holiness.

ESCALUS

What news abroad i' the world?

What’s the news from the rest of the world?

DUKE VINCENTIO

None, but that there is so great a fever on

None, except that righteousness has suck a sickness
goodness, that the dissolution of it must cure it:

That only death will cure it:
novelty is only in request; and it is as dangerous

New fashions only come when in demand; and it is dangerous
to be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous

To be behind the times in any situation, as it is honorable
to be constant in any undertaking. There is scarce