The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (545 page)

All this is so; but what of this, my lord?

CLAUDIO

Let me but move one question to your daughter,

Let me just ask one question to your daughter,

And by that fatherly and kindly power

That you have in her, bid her answer truly.

That you have over her, tell her to answer truthfully.

LEONATO

I charge thee do so, as thou art my child.

I command you to do so, as you are my child.

HERO

O, God defend me! how am I beset! What kind of catechizing call you this?

Oh, God defend me! How I am being attacked! What kind of cross-examination do you call this?

CLAUDIO

To make you answer truly to your name.

HERO

Is it not Hero?

Who can blot that name

Who can stain that name

With any just reproach?

With any justified criticism?

CLAUDIO

Marry, that can Hero: Hero itself can blot out Hero's virtue.

By Mary, Hero can: Hero herself can destroy Hero’s virtue.

That man was he talk'd with you yesternight

Who was that man who talked with you last night

Out at your window, betwixt twelve and one?

Out at your window, between twelve and one?

Now, if you are a maid, answer to this.

Now, if you are a maiden, answer this.

HERO

I talk'd with no man at that hour, my lord.

I talked with no man at that hour, my lord.

DON PEDRO

Why, then are you no maiden.

 Leonato, I am sorry you must hear: upon my honour,

Myself, my brother, and this grieved count,

Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night,

Talk with a ruffian at her chamber-window;

Talk with a disreputable man at her bedroom window;

Who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain,

Who has indeed, most like an enthusiastic villain,

Confess'd the vile encounters they have had

Confessed the disgusting encounters they have had

A thousand times in secret.

DON JOHN

Fie, fie! they are not to be nam'd, my lord,

Damn, damn! There are not to be named, my lord,

Not to be spoke of;

Not to be spoken of;

There is not chastity enough in language

There is not enough chastity in language

Without offence to utter them.

To say them without offence.

Thus, pretty lady, I am sorry for thy much misgovernment.

In this way, pretty lady, I am sorry for your terrible behavior.

CLAUDIO

O Hero! what a Hero hadst thou been,

Oh Hero! What a Hero you would have been,

If half thy outward graces had been plac'd

If half your outward qualities had been placed

About thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart!

Around the thoughts and advice of your heart!

But fare thee well, most foul, most fair! farewell,

But fare you well, both foul and fair! Farewell,

Thou pure impiety, and impious purity!

You pure impiety and impious purity!

For thee I'll lock up all the gates of love,

For you I’ll lock up all the gates of love,

 And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang,

And on my eyelids shall hang conjecture,

To turn all beauty into thoughts of harm,

And never shall it more be gracious.

And it will never be gracious again.

LEONATO

Hath no man's dagger here a point for me?

Does no one have a dagger I can stab myself with?

[HERO swoons.]

[HERO faints.]

BEATRICE

Why, how now, cousin! wherefore sink you down?

Why, what’s going on, cousin! Why do you fall?

DON JOHN

Come, let us go.

These things, come thus to light,

These things, coming to the surface in this way,

Smother her spirits up.

Have killed her.

[Exeunt DON PEDRO, DON JOHN and CLAUDIO.]

BENEDICK

How doth the lady?

How is the lady?

BEATRICE

Dead, I think! help, uncle! Hero! why, Hero! Uncle! Signior Benedick! Friar!

LEONATO

O Fate! take not away thy heavy hand:

Oh Fate! Do not take away your heavy hand:

Death is the fairest cover for her shame

Death is the most beautiful cover for her shame

That may be wish'd for.

That may be wished for.

BEATRICE

How now, cousin Hero?

How are you, cousin Hero?

FRIAR

Have comfort, lady.

LEONATO

Dost thou look up?

Are you looking up?

FRIAR

Yea; wherefore should she not?

Yes, why should she not?

LEONATO

Wherefore!

Why?!

Why, doth not every earthly thing

Why, doesn’t every earthly thing

Cry shame upon her?

Could she here deny

The story that is printed in her blood?

Do not live, Hero; do not ope thine eyes;

Do not live, Hero; do not open your eyes;

For, did I think thou wouldst not quickly die,

For, if I thought you would not quickly die,

Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames,

If I thought your spirits were stronger than your shames,

Myself would, on the rearward of reproaches,

I myself would, after the scolding had been finished,

Strike at thy life. Griev'd I, I had but one?

Kill you myself. I grieved for having only one?

Chid I for that at frugal nature's frame?

Complained about nature’s stinginess?

O! one too much by thee. Why had I one?

Oh! You were one too much! Why did I have one?

Why ever wast thou lovely in mine eyes?

Why were you ever lovely in my eyes?

Why had I not with charitable hand

Took up a beggar's issue at my gates,

Took up a beggar’s child at my gates,

Who smirched thus, and mir'd with infamy,

Who after committing such sin,

I might have said, 'No part of it is mine;

This shame derives itself from unknown loins?'

This shame comes from an unknown father?’

But mine, and mine I lov'd, and mine I prais'd,

But mine, and mine I loved, and mine I praised,

And mine that I was proud on, mine so much

And mine that I was proud of, mine so much

That I myself was to myself not mine,

Valuing of her; why, she—O! she is fallen

Into a pit of ink, that the wide sea

Hath drops too few to wash her clean again,

Has too few drops to watch her clean again,

And salt too little which may season give

And too little salt that may give seasoning

To her foul-tainted flesh.

To her disgustingly dirty flesh.

BENEDICK

Sir, sir, be patient. For my part, I am so attir'd in wonder, I know not what to say.

Sir, sir, be patient. For my part, I am so mystified, I do not know what to say.

BEATRICE

O! on my soul, my cousin is belied!

Oh! On my soul, they have lied about my cousin!

BENEDICK

Lady, were you her bedfellow last night?

Lady, did you share a bedroom with her last night?

BEATRICE

No, truly, not; although, until last night I have this twelvemonth been her bedfellow.

No, truly, not; although, until last night I have been her roommate for twelve months.

LEONATO

Confirm'd, confirm'd!

Confirmed, confirmed!

O! that is stronger made,

Oh! That is made stronger,

Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron.

Which was already barred up with bands of iron.

Would the two princes lie? and Claudio lie,

Who lov'd her so, that, speaking of her foulness,

Who loved her so much, that, speaking of her sin,

Wash'd it with tears? Hence from her! let her die.

Started to cry? Go away from her! Let her die.

FRIAR

Hear me a little;

For I have only been silent so long,

For I have only been silent for so long,

And given way unto this course of fortune,

And allowed all these things to happen,

By noting of the lady: I have mark'd

By noticing the lady: I have seen

A thousand blushing apparitions

A thousand blushing spirits

To start into her face; a thousand innocent shames

To emerge from her face; a thousand innocent shames

In angel whiteness bear away those blushes;

In angel whiteness carry away those blushes;

And in her eye there hath appear'd a fire,

And in her eye there has appeared a fire,

To burn the errors that these princes hold

Against her maiden truth. Call me a fool;

Against her true virginity. Call me a fool;

Trust not my reading nor my observations,

Do not trust my reading or my observations,

Which with experimental seal doth warrant

Which with experimental seal does predict

The tenure of my book; trust not my age,

The time of my career; do not trust my age,

My reverence, calling, nor divinity,

My reverence, calling or divinity,

If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here

If this sweet lady does not lie guiltless here

Under some biting error.

Under some terrible misunderstanding.

LEONATO

Friar, it cannot be.

Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left

You see that all the grace that she has left

Is that she will not add to her damnation

A sin of perjury: she not denies it.

A sin of perjury: she does not deny it.

Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse

Why are you looking then to cover with excuse

That which appears in proper nakedness?

FRIAR

Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of?

Lady, what man is he that they accuse you of?

HERO

They know that do accuse me, I know none;

They know, those who accuse me, I know nothing;

If I know more of any man alive

Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant,

Than what virgin modesty is allowed to,

Let all my sins lack mercy! O, my father!

Prove you that any man with me convers'd

If you can prove that any man conversed with me

At hours unmeet, or that I yesternight

At unhealthy hours, or that I last night

Maintain'd the change of words with any creature,

Did anything bad with any creature,

Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death.

FRIAR

There is some strange misprision in the princes.

There is some strange misunderstanding from the princes.

BENEDICK

Two of them have the very bent of honour;

Two of them are very honorable;

And if their wisdoms be misled in this,

And if they have been misled in this business,

The practice of it lives in John the bastard,