The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (439 page)

The way twice.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Are there no other tokens

And there are no other signs
Between you 'greed concerning her observance?

That you agreed on, about what she must do?

ISABELLA

No, none, but only a repair i' the dark;

No, none, but only to go into the dark;
And that I have possess'd him my most stay

And I have told him that I can only stay
Can be but brief; for I have made him know

For a little while; for I have told him
I have a servant comes with me along,

That I have a servant who will come with me,
That stays upon me, whose persuasion is

And will wait for me, who believes that
I come about my brother.

I come about my brother.

DUKE VINCENTIO

'Tis well borne up.

It is a well made plan.
I have not yet made known to Mariana

I have not yet told Mariana
A word of this. What, ho! within! come forth!

A word of this.  Hello! Come in here!

Re-enter MARIANA

I pray you, be acquainted with this maid;

I would like you to meet this young lady;
She comes to do you good.

She comes to help you.

ISABELLA

I do desire the like.

I do wish to do that.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Do you persuade yourself that I respect you?

Do you believe that I respect you?

MARIANA

Good friar, I know you do, and have found it.

Good friar, I know you do, and have seen it.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Take, then, this your companion by the hand,

Then, take this woman by the hand,
Who hath a story ready for your ear.

Who has a story to tell you.
I shall attend your leisure: but make haste;

I will wait here for you to return: but hurry;
The vaporous night approaches.

The misty night approaches.

MARIANA

Will't please you walk aside?

Would you like to walk aside?

Exeunt MARIANA and ISABELLA

DUKE VINCENTIO

O place and greatness! millions of false eyes

Oh, social rank and power! Millions of treacherous eyes
Are stuck upon thee: volumes of report

Stare at you: volumes of statements
Run with these false and most contrarious quests

Are full of these fake and contradictory accounts
Upon thy doings: thousand escapes of wit

About what you do: a thousand witty comments
Make thee the father of their idle dreams

Seek you in their idle dreams
And rack thee in their fancies.

And pester you in their fantasies.

Re-enter MARIANA and ISABELLA

Welcome, how agreed?

Welcome, did you come to an agreement?

ISABELLA

She'll take the enterprise upon her, father,

She’ll do it, father,
If you advise it.

If you recommend it.

DUKE VINCENTIO

It is not my consent,

I not only agree,
But my entreaty too.

But ask for it aswell.

ISABELLA

Little have you to say

You don’t have much to say, but
When you depart from him, but, soft and low,

When you leave him, soft and low, say
'Remember now my brother.'

“Now, remember my brother.”

MARIANA

Fear me not.

Don’t worry about me.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all.

Nor should you, gentle daughter, worry at all.
He is your husband on a pre-contract:

He is you husband by your betrothal agreement:
To bring you thus together, 'tis no sin,

To bring you together in this way, is not a sin,
Sith that the justice of your title to him

Since the truthfulness of your relationship to him
Doth flourish the deceit. Come, let us go:

Enhances the trickery.  Come, let us go:
Our corn's to reap, for yet our tithe's to sow.

We will reap the reward, after we put in the work.

Exeunt

Enter PROVOST and POMPEY

PROVOST

Come hither, sirrah. Can you cut off a man's head?

Come here, man.  Can you cut of a man’s head?

POMPEY

If the man be a bachelor, sir, I can; but if he be a

If the man is a bachelor, sir, I can; but if he is
married man, he's his wife's head, and I can never

Married, he is his wife’s head, and I could never
cut off a woman's head.

Cut off a woman’s head.

PROVOST

Come, sir, leave me your snatches, and yield me a

Come, sir, don’t nitpick with me, and give me a
direct answer. To-morrow morning are to die Claudio

Direct answer. Tomorrow morning Claudio
and Barnardine. Here is in our prison a common

And Barnadine are to die. Here, in our prison we have a common
executioner, who in his office lacks a helper: if

Executioner, who lacks an assistant for his position: if
you will take it on you to assist him, it shall

You will take on the task of assisting him, that will
redeem you from your gyves; if not, you shall have

Free you from your jail time; if not, you shall have
your full time of imprisonment and your deliverance
your full time of imprisonment and you will receive

with an unpitied whipping, for you have been a

A remorseless whipping, for you have been a
notorious bawd.

Disreputable procurer of whores.

POMPEY

Sir, I have been an unlawful bawd time out of mind;

Sir, I have procured whores against the law time and again;
but yet I will be content to be a lawful hangman. I

But I would still be happy to be a law-abiding executioner.  I
would be glad to receive some instruction from my

Would be glad to receive instructions from my
fellow partner.

New partner.

PROVOST

What, ho! Abhorson! Where's Abhorson, there?

Well then! Abhorson! Where are you, Abhorson?

Enter ABHORSON

ABHORSON

Do you call, sir?

You’re calling for me, sir?

PROVOST

Sirrah, here's a fellow will help you to-morrow in

Man, here’s a fellow who will help you tomorrow with
your execution. If you think it meet, compound with

Your execution.  If you think it works, settle an amount with
him by the year, and let him abide here with you; if

Him by the year, and let him live here with you; if
not, use him for the present and dismiss him. He

Not, use him for now and then dismiss him.  He
cannot plead his estimation with you; he hath been a bawd.

Cannot plead his reputation with you; he was a whore procurer.

ABHORSON

A bawd, sir? fie upon him! he will discredit our mystery.

A procurer, sir? Bad for him! He will disgrace our craft.

PROVOST

Go to, sir; you weigh equally; a feather will turn

Go to him, sir; you are a good judge; just a little will change
the scale.

Your mind.

Exit

POMPEY

Pray, sir, by your good favour,--for surely, sir, a

Tell me, sir, by your good face—for surely, sir, a
good favour you have, but that you have a hanging

Good face you have, except that you have a hanging
look,--do you call, sir, your occupation a mystery?

Look,--do you call, sir, you occupation a craft?

ABHORSON

Ay, sir; a mystery

Yes, sir; a craft.

POMPEY

Painting, sir, I have heard say, is a mystery; and

Cosmetics, sir, I have heard called a craft; and
your whores, sir, being members of my occupation,

Whores, sir, being associates of my kind of work,
using painting, do prove my occupation a mystery:
Use cosmetics, proving my work to be a craft:

but what mystery there should be in hanging, if I

But what craft there could be in hanging people, if I
should be hanged, I cannot imagine.

Was to be hanged, I especially could not imagine.

ABHORSON

Sir, it is a mystery.

Sir, it is a craft.

POMPEY

Proof?

Proof?

ABHORSON

Every true man's apparel fits your thief: if it be

Every honest man’s clothing fits a thief: if it is
too little for your thief, your true man thinks it
Too small for the thief, the honest man thinks it

big enough; if it be too big for your thief, your

Is valuable enough for him; if it is too big for the thief,
thief thinks it little enough: so every true man's

The thief thinks it is worthless enough for him: so every honest man’s
apparel fits your thief.

Clothing fits a thief.

Re-enter PROVOST

PROVOST

Are you agreed?

Have you come to an agreement?

POMPEY

Sir, I will serve him; for I do find your hangman is

Sir, I will serve him; for I think that an executioner is
a more penitent trade than your bawd; he doth

A more remorseful trade than a procurer of whores; he
oftener ask forgiveness.

Asks for forgiveness more often.

PROVOST

You, sirrah, provide your block and your axe

You, man, bring your block and your axe
to-morrow four o'clock.

Tomorrow at four o’clock.

ABHORSON

Come on, bawd; I will instruct thee in my trade; follow.

Come on, procurer; I will instruct you in my trade; follow me.

POMPEY

I do desire to learn, sir: and I hope, if you have

I do want to learn, sir: and I hope, if you have
occasion to use me for your own turn, you shall find

The need to use my help in hanging men, you will find
me yare; for truly, sir, for your kindness I owe you

That I am ready; because honestly, sir, for your kindness I owe you
a good turn.