The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (582 page)

Are come to play a pleasant comedy;

Have come to play a pleasant comedy;

For so your doctors hold it very meet,

For your doctors consider it very suitable,

Seeing too much sadness hath congeal'd your blood,

Seeing how too much sadness has chilled your blood,

And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy:

And sadness leads to madness:

Therefore they thought it good you hear a play,

Therefore they thought it a good idea for you to see a play,

And frame your mind to mirth and merriment,

And put your mind into a cheerful mood,

Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.

Which prevents a thousand harms and lengthens life.

SLY. Marry, I will; let them play it. Is not a commonty a Christmas gambold or a tumbling-trick?

By Mary, I will; let them act it. Is 'commonty' a Christmas skit or acrobatics?

PAGE. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff.

SLY. What! household stuff?

PAGE. It is a kind of history.

SLY. Well, we'll see't. Come, madam wife, sit by my side and let the world slip: we shall ne'er be younger.

Well, we'll see it. Come, madam wife, sit by my side and let the world pass us by: we shall never be younger.

[Flourish.]

Padua. A public place

[Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO.]

LUCENTIO. Tranio, since for the great desire I had

Tranio, because of the great desire I had

To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,

To see beautiful Padua, where the arts are nurtured,

I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,

I have arrived for productive Lombardy,

The pleasant garden of great Italy,

And by my father's love and leave am arm'd

And through my father's love and permission I am supplied

With his good will and thy good company,

With his goodwill and your good company,

My trusty servant well approv'd in all,

My trusty servant with approval in all things,

Here let us breathe, and haply institute

Here let us breathe, and eventually establish

A course of learning and ingenious studies.

A course of learning and intelligent studies.

Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,

Pisa, well-known for wise citizens,

Gave me my being and my father first,

Was my birthplace,

A merchant of great traffic through the world,

A merchant of much buying and selling throughout the world,

Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.

Vincentio, from the Betivoli family.

Vincentio's son, brought up in Florence,

Vincentio's son, raised in Florence,

It shall become to serve all hopes conceiv'd,

Shall be the one to bring all the hopes to reality,

To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:

To fill his life with his virtuous actions:

And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,

And therefore, Tranio, during the time I study,

Virtue and that part of philosophy

Virtue and many forms of knowledge

Will I apply that treats of happiness

I will go about in the kind of happiness

By virtue specially to be achiev'd.

That you only get from being good.

Tell me thy mind; for I have Pisa left

Tell me what's on your mind; for I have left Pisa

And am to Padua come as he that leaves

And have come to Padua in the way of someone who leaves

A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep,

A shallow splash and then plunges into the deep water,

And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.

And looks to satisfy his thirst.

TRANIO. Mi perdonato, gentle master mine;

Mi perdonato, my gentle master;

I am in all affected as yourself;

I am agreeing with you;

Glad that you thus continue your resolve

Glad that in this way you continue to be determined

To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.

To fill yourself with the best of knowledge.

Only, good master, while we do admire

Only, my good master, while we are admiring

This virtue and this moral discipline,

This virtue and this moral strength,

Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray;

Let us please not be so serious and studious;

Or so devote to Aristotle's checks

Or so devoted to dry information

As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd.

That we completely abandon the arts.

Balk logic with acquaintance that you have,

Use logic that you know,

And practise rhetoric in your common talk;

And practice rhetoric in your everyday talk;

Music and poesy use to quicken you;

Use music and poetry to make you lively;

The mathematics and the metaphysics,

The mathematics and the sciences,

Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you:

Go to work on them as suits you best:

No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en;

There is no profit where there is no pleasure;

In brief, sir, study what you most affect.

To summarize, sir, study what suits you best.

LUCENTIO. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise.

Mercy, Tranio, you give very good advice.

If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,

If, Biondello, you were to come ashore,

We could at once put us in readiness,

We could at once be ready,

And take a lodging fit to entertain

And rent a set of rooms fit to entertain

Such friends as time in Padua shall beget.

Such friends as we will make during our time in Padua.

But stay awhile; what company is this?

But just a moment; who are these people?

TRANIO. Master, some show to welcome us to town.

[Enter BAPTISTA, KATHERINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and HORTENSIO. LUCENTIO and TRANIO stand aside.]

BAPTISTA. Gentlemen, importune me no further,

Gentlemen, do not plead with me any further,

For how I firmly am resolv'd you know;

For you know how firmly I have resolved;

That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter

To not let my youngest daughter marry

Before I have a husband for the elder.

If either of you both love Katherina,

Because I know you well and love you well,

Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.

You have permission to court her as you wish.

GREMIO. To cart her rather: she's too rough for me. There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?

To cart her rather: she's too rough for me. There, there, Hortensio, will you marry?

KATHERINA. [To BAPTISTA] I pray you, sir, is it your will

I'm asking you, sir, is it your intention

To make a stale of me amongst these mates?

To make me a bargaining chip among these mates?

HORTENSIO. Mates, maid!

Mates, young lady!

How mean you that? No mates for you,

What do you mean by that? No mates

Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.

Unless you were a gentler, softer type.

KATHERINA. I' faith, sir, you shall never need to fear;

In faith, sir, you shall never need to fear;

I wis it is not halfway to her heart;

I know it is not halfway to her heart;

But if it were, doubt not her care should be

But if it were, have no doubt that her preference would be

To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool,

To comb your hair with a three-legged stool,

And paint your face, and use you like a fool.

And put makeup on your, and use you like a fool.

HORTENSIO. From all such devils, good Lord deliver us!

GREMIO. And me, too, good Lord!

TRANIO. Husht, master! Here's some good pastime toward:

Hush, master! Here's entertainment for us:

That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.

The rude woman is either insane or incredibly bold.

LUCENTIO. But in the other's silence do I see

But in the other's silence I do see

Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety.