The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (550 page)

Yea, even I alone.

Yes, me alone.

LEONATO

No, not so, villain; thou beliest thyself:

No, not so, villain; you are lying about yourself:

Here stand a pair of honourable men;

Here stand a pair of honorable men;

A third is fled, that had a hand in it.

A third has run away, that had a hand in it.

I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death:

Record it with your high and worthy deeds.

‘Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

It was bravely done, if you think about it.

CLAUDIO

I know not how to pray your patience;

I do not know how to ask for your patience;

Yet I must speak. Choose your revenge yourself;

Impose me to what penance your invention

Impose upon me what penance your creativity

Can lay upon my sin: yet sinn'd I not

Can place upon my sin: yet I did not sin

But in mistaking.

Except by mistake.

DON PEDRO

By my soul, nor I:

And yet, to satisfy this good old man,

I would bend under any heavy weight

That he'll enjoin me to.

That he will assign me.

LEONATO

I cannot bid you bid my daughter live;

I cannot tell you to tell my daughter to live;

That were impossible; but, I pray you both,

That would be impossible; but, please, both of you,

Possess the people in Messina here

Tell the people in Messina here

How innocent she died; and if your love

How she died innocently; and if your love

Can labour aught in sad invention,

Can do such sad work,

Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb,

And sing it to her bones: sing it to-night.

To-morrow morning come you to my house,

Tomorrow morning come to my house,

And since you could not be my son-in-law,

Be yet my nephew. My brother hath a daughter,

Still become my nephew. My brother has a daughter,

Almost the copy of my child that's dead,

And she alone is heir to both of us:

Give her the right you should have given her cousin,

And so dies my revenge.

CLAUDIO

O noble sir,

Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me!

Your excessive kindness is making me tear up!

I do embrace your offer; and dispose

I do wholly accept your offer; and dispose

For henceforth of poor Claudio.

For poor Claudio from now on.

LEONATO

To-morrow then I will expect your coming;

To-night I take my leave. This naughty man

Shall face to face be brought to Margaret,

Shall be brought to Margaret face-to-face,

Who, I believe, was pack'd in all this wrong,

Who, I believe, was involved in this.

Hir'd to it by your brother.

Hired to it by your brother.

BORACHIO

No, by my soul she was not;

Nor knew not what she did when she spoke to me;

And she did not know what she did when she spoke to me;

But always hath been just and virtuous

But has always been fair and virtuous

In anything that I do know by her.

In all my interaction with her.

DOGBERRY

Moreover, sir,--which, indeed, is not under white and black,-- this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass: I beseech you, let it be remembered in his punishment. And also, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say he wears a key in his ear and a lock hanging by it, and borrows money in God's name, the which he hath used so long and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lend nothing for God's sake. Pray you, examine him upon that point.

In addition, sir, -- which, indeed, is not purely black and white, -- this [he means ‘defendant’] here, the offender, did call me an ass: I beg you; let it be taken into account in his punishment. And also, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say he wears a key in his ear and a lock hanging by it, and borrows money in God's name, the which he has used so long and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lend nothing for God's sake. Please, examine him upon that point
.

LEONATO

I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.

I thank you for your care and honest efforts.

DOGBERRY

Your worship speaks like a most thankful and reverent youth, and I praise God for you.

LEONATO

There's for thy pains.

Here’s a reward for your efforts.

DOGBERRY

God save the foundation!

LEONATO

Go, I discharge thee of thy prisoner, and I thank thee.

Go, I discharge you of your prisoner, and I thank you.

DOGBERRY

I leave an arrant knave with your worship; which I beseech your worship to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship! I wish your worship well; God restore you to health! I humbly give you leave to depart, and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it! Come, neighbour.

I leave a terrible criminal with your worship; which I beg your worship to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship! I wish your worship well; God restore you to health! I humbly give you leave to depart, and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it! Come, neighbor.

[Exeunt DOGBERRY and VERGES.]

LEONATO

Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell.

ANTONIO

Farewell, my lords: we look for you to-morrow.

DON PEDRO

We will not fail.

CLAUDIO

To-night I'll mourn with Hero.

[Exeunt DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO.]

LEONATO

[To the Watch.] Bring you these fellows on. We'll talk with Margaret,

You bring these fellows with me. We’ll talk with Margaret,

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.

How she came to know this lewd fellow.

 [Exeunt.]

LEONATO'S Garden.

[Enter BENEDICK and MARGARET, meeting.]

BENEDICK

Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.

Please, sweet Miss Margaret, help me come up with a good speech for Beatrice.

MARGARET

Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?

BENEDICK

In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it.

In such a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over it; for, in most attractive truth, you deserve it.

MARGARET

To have no man come over me! why, shall I always keep below stairs?

To have no man come over me! Why, should I always stay in the servant’s quarters?

BENEDICK

Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth; it catches.

Your wit is as quick as a greyhound dog’s mouth; it catches.

MARGARET

And yours as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not.

And yours as blunt as a fencer’s practice swords, which hit, but do not hurt.

BENEDICK

A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman: and so, I pray thee, call Beatrice. I give thee the bucklers.

A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman: and so, please, call Beatrice. I give you the bucklers.

MARGARET

Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own.

BENEDICK

If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

MARGARET

Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs.

Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think has legs.

BENEDICK

And therefore will come.

[Exit MARGARET.]

The god of love, That sits above, And knows me, and knows me, How pitiful I deserve,--I mean, in singing: but in loving, Leander the good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of panders, and a whole book full of these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why, they were never so truly turned over and over as my poor self in love. Marry, I cannot show it in rime; I have tried: I can find out no rime to 'lady' but 'baby', an innocent rhyme; for 'scorn,' 'horn', a hard rime; for 'school', 'fool', a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born under a riming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.

I am terrible at poetry; the great poets were never truly turned over and over as my poor self in love. By Mary, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried: I can find no rhyme to ‘lady’ but ‘baby’, an innocent rhyme; for ‘scorn’, ‘horn’, a hard rhyme, for ‘school’, ‘fool’, a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born under a rhyming planet, and I cannot woo in fancy ways.

[Enter BEATRICE.]

Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?

Sweet Beatrice, would you come when I called you?

BEATRICE

Yea, signior; and depart when you bid me.

Yes, sir; and leave when you bid me.

BENEDICK

O, stay but till then!

Oh, stay only till then!

BEATRICE

'Then' is spoken; fare you well now: and yet, ere I go, let me go with that I came for; which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio.

‘Then’ is spoken; farewell now: and yet, before I go, let me go with what I came for; which is, with knowing what has passed between you and Claudio.

BENEDICK

Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee.

Only foul words; and because of them I will kiss you.

BEATRICE

Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

Foul words is nothing but foul wind, and foul wind is nothing but foul breath, and foul breath is disgusting; therefore I will depart without being kissed.

BENEDICK

Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit. But I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge, and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray thee now, tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?

You have frightened the word out of his right sense; your wit is so forceful. But I must tell you plainly, Claudio must face my challenge, and I must either shortly hear from him, or I will call him a coward. And, please now, tell me, for which of my bad parts did you first fall in love with me?

BEATRICE

For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?

For all of them together; which maintained so harmoniously a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to mix with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?

BENEDICK

'Suffer love,' a good epithet! I do suffer love indeed, for I love thee against my will.