The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (447 page)

As it concerns you to hear this situation fully,
Do with your injuries as seems you best,

Deal with your accusations as you see fit,
In any chastisement: I for a while will leave you;

With any punishment: I will leave you for a while;
But stir not you till you have well determined

But don’t move until you have passed judgment
Upon these slanderers.

On these slanderers.

ESCALUS

My lord, we'll do it throughly.

My lord, we will punish them thoroughly.

Exit DUKE

Signior Lucio, did not you say you knew that

Mister Lucio, didn’t you say that you knew that
Friar Lodowick to be a dishonest person?

Friar Lodowick was a dishonest person?

LUCIO

'Cucullus non facit monachum:' honest in nothing

‘The robes don’t make the monk:’ nothing is honest about him
but in his clothes; and one that hath spoke most

Except his clothes; and he has spoken most
villanous speeches of the duke.

Malicious words about the duke.

ESCALUS

We shall entreat you to abide here till he come and

We ask you to stay here until he comes and
enforce them against him: we shall find this friar a

Accuse him of his words: we will find this friar to be a
notable fellow.

Noteworthy fellow.

LUCIO

As any in Vienna, on my word.

As notable as any in Vienna, I promise.

ESCALUS

Call that same Isabel here once again; I would speak with her.

Call that woman Isabel back here; I would like to speak to here.

Exit an Attendant

Pray you, my lord, give me leave to question; you

Please, my lord, allow me to question her; you
shall see how I'll handle her.

Will she how I’ll deal with her.

LUCIO

Not better than he, by her own report.

No better than he did, as she claims.

ESCALUS

Say you?

What are you saying?

LUCIO

Marry, sir, I think, if you handled her privately,

By the Holy Virgin, sir, I think if you handled her privately,
she would sooner confess: perchance, publicly,

She’d be more likely to confess: perhaps, publicly,
she'll be ashamed.

She’ll be too ashamed.

ESCALUS

I will go darkly to work with her.

I well question her crypticly.

LUCIO

That's the way; for women are light at midnight.

That’s how to do it; women are more willing in the dark.

Re-enter Officers with ISABELLA; and PROVOST with the DUKE VINCENTIO in his friar's habit

ESCALUS

Come on, mistress: here's a gentlewoman denies all

Come here, mistress: there’s a lady here who denies all
that you have said.

That you have said.

LUCIO

My lord, here comes the rascal I spoke of; here with

My lord, here comes the scoundrel I mentioned; here with
the provost.

The provost.

ESCALUS

In very good time: speak not you to him till we

Just in time: don’t speak to him until we
call upon you.

Ask you to.

LUCIO

Mum.

Not a word.

ESCALUS

Come, sir: did you set these women on to slander

Tell me, sir: did you put these women up to slander
Lord Angelo? they have confessed you did.

Lord Aneglo? They confessed that you did.

DUKE VINCENTIO

'Tis false.

That’s not true.

ESCALUS

How! know you where you are?

What’s this! Do you know where you are?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Respect to your great place! and let the devil

I respect your great place! And the devil is
Be sometime honour'd for his burning throne!

Sometimes honored for being the king of hell!
Where is the duke? 'tis he should hear me speak.

Where is the duke? He’s the one who should hear me speak.

ESCALUS

The duke's in us; and we will hear you speak:

We are standing in the duke’s place; and we will hear you speal:
Look you speak justly.

Makes sure you speak honestly.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Boldly, at least. But, O, poor souls,

I will speak courageously, at least. But, oh, poor souls,
Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox?

Are you here looking for innocence from these cunning men?
Good night to your redress! Is the duke gone?

Say good bye to your justice! Is the duke gone?
Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust,

Then your cause is gone too. The duke is unjust,
Thus to retort your manifest appeal,

To reject your honest plea for justice,
And put your trial in the villain's mouth

And put your trial
in the hands of the villain

Which here you come to accuse.

That you came here to accuse.

LUCIO

This is the rascal; this is he I spoke of.

This is the scoundrel; this is the man that I spoke of.

ESCALUS

Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar,

Why, you disrespectful and unholy friar,
Is't not enough thou hast suborn'd these women

Is it not enough that you have bribed these women
To accuse this worthy man, but, in foul mouth

To accuse this honorable man, but, with foul language
And in the witness of his proper ear,

And to his very face,
To call him villain? and then to glance from him

To call him a villain? And then suddenly to go from him
To the duke himself, to tax him with injustice?

To the duke himself, and accuse him with injustice?
Take him hence; to the rack with him! We'll touse you

Take him away; to the torture chamber with him! We’ll pull you apart
Joint by joint, but we will know his purpose.

Joint by joint, until we know his purpose.
What 'unjust'!

He calls us ‘unjust’!

DUKE VINCENTIO

Be not so hot; the duke

Don’t be so hasty; the duke
Dare no more stretch this finger of mine than he

Doesn’t dare to torturously stretch my finger and more than he
Dare rack his own: his subject am I not,

Dare stretch his own: I am not just subject,
Nor here provincial. My business in this state

Nor am I from his region. My business in this state
Made me a looker on here in Vienna,

Made me an onlooker here in Vienna,
Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble

Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble
Till it o'er-run the stew; laws for all faults,

Until it runs over the edge of the pot; laws for all sins,
But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes

But sins supported by authority, that the strong laws
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,

Stand like the small list of penalties in a barber’s shop,
As much in mock as mark.

As much a joke as a warning.

ESCALUS

Slander to the state! Away with him to prison!

He speaks slander against the government! Take him away to prison!

ANGELO

What can you vouch against him, Signior Lucio?

What can you accuse him for, Mister Lucio?
Is this the man that you did tell us of?

Is this the man that you told us of?

LUCIO

'Tis he, my lord. Come hither, goodman baldpate:

That’s him, my lord. Come here, goodman bald-head:
do you know me?

Do you know me?

DUKE VINCENTIO

I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I

I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I
met you at the prison, in the absence of the duke.

Met you at the prison, while the duke was away.

LUCIO

O, did you so? And do you remember what you said of the duke?

Oh, did you? And do you remember what you said about the duke?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Most notedly, sir.

Quite well, sir.

LUCIO

Do you so, sir? And was the duke a fleshmonger, a

Do you, sir? And was the duke a whore chaser, a
fool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be?

Fool, and a coward, as you claimed he was then?

DUKE VINCENTIO

You must, sir, change persons with me, ere you make

Sir, you must switch persons with me, before you claim
that my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and

That I said that: you, in fact, spoke of him that way; and
much more, much worse.

Said much more, and much worse.

LUCIO

O thou damnable fellow! Did not I pluck thee by the

Oh, you sinful man! Did I not pull you by the
nose for thy speeches?

Nose for your words?

DUKE VINCENTIO

I protest I love the duke as I love myself.

I declare that I love the duke like I love myself.

ANGELO

Hark, how the villain would close now, after his

Listen, how the villain concludes now, after his
treasonable abuses!

Treason like abuse!

ESCALUS

Such a fellow is not to be talked withal. Away with

A man like that is not to be talked with. Take him away
him to prison! Where is the provost? Away with him

To prison! Where is the provost? Take him away
to prison! lay bolts enough upon him: let him

To prison! Put him in chains: he will
speak no more. Away with those giglots too, and

Speak no more. Take away those harlots too, and
with the other confederate companion!

With the other accomplice companion!

DUKE VINCENTIO

[To PROVOST] Stay, sir; stay awhile.

[To PROVOST] Hold on, sir; stay here awhile.

ANGELO

What, resists he? Help him, Lucio.

What’s this, he’s resisting arrest? Help take him away, Lucio.

LUCIO

Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir; foh, sir! Why, you

Come on, sir, come on, sir; come on, sir; foh, sir! Why, you
bald-pated, lying rascal, you must be hooded, must

Bald-headed, lying scoundrel, do you have to keep your
you? Show your knave's visage, with a pox to you!

Face hidden? Show your beastly face, curse you!
show your sheep-biting face, and be hanged an hour!

Show your whore chasing face, and be sent to death in an hour!
Will't not off?

Will this hood not come off?

Pulls off the friar's hood, and discovers DUKE VINCENTIO

DUKE VINCENTIO

Thou art the first knave that e'er madest a duke.

You are the first scoundrel that ever created a duke where there was not one before.
First, provost, let me bail these gentle three.