The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (676 page)

According to good manners, there is less shame
Women to change their shapes than men their minds.

For a woman to change her appearance that for a man to change his mind.

PROTEUS

Than men their minds! 'tis true.

For a man to change his mind! It’s true.
O heaven! were man

Oh, heaven! If man were
But constant, he were perfect. That one error

Only faithful, he would be perfect. The one mistake
Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the sins:

Fills him with bad traits; and makes him commit all the sins:
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins.

Disloyalty ends before it begins.
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy

What do I see in Silvia’s face, that I don’t find
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye?

More beautiful in Julia’s when my eyes are faithful?

VALENTINE

Come, come, a hand from either:

Come here, come here, each of you give me your hand:
Let me be blest to make this happy close;

Let me bless this happy union;
'Twere pity two such friends should be long foes.

It was such a shame that two such lover were enemies for so long.

PROTEUS

Bear witness, Heaven, I have my wish for ever.

Heaven bear witness, so that I may have my wish forever.

JULIA

And I mine.

And so that I may have mine.

Enter Outlaws, with DUKE and THURIO

Outlaws

A prize, a prize, a prize!

We’ve got a prize, a prize!

VALENTINE

Forbear, forbear, I say! it is my lord the duke.

Stop, stop it, I say! This is my lord the duke.
Your grace is welcome to a man disgraced,

Your grace is welcomed here by a dishonored man,
Banished Valentine.

The exile Valentine.

DUKE

Sir Valentine!

Sir Valentine!

THURIO

Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine.

Silvia is over there; and Silvia is mine.

VALENTINE

Thurio, give back, or else embrace thy death;

Thurio, back off, or else get ready for your death;
Come not within the measure of my wrath;

Don’t come within the reach of my anger;
Do not name Silvia thine; if once again,

Do not call Silvia yours; if you do so again,
Verona shall not hold thee. Here she stands;

Verona will not protect you. There she is;
Take but possession of her with a touch:

If you try to take her from me with a touch:
I dare thee but to breathe upon my love.

I dare you do so much as breathe on my love.

THURIO

Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I;

Sir Valentine, I don’t love her.
I hold him but a fool that will endanger

I think a man is a fool if he will endanger
His body for a girl that loves him not:

His life for a girl who doesn’t love him:
I claim her not, and therefore she is thine.

I’m not taking her, and so she is yours.

DUKE

The more degenerate and base art thou,

You’re all the more dishonorable and unworthy,
To make such means for her as thou hast done

That you’ve gone through all the efforts for her that you have
And leave her on such slight conditions.

And you now give her up with such weak reasoning.
Now, by the honour of my ancestry,

Now, by the honor of my royal birth,
I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine,

I will praise your character, Valentine,
And think thee worthy of an empress' love:

And consider you worthy of an empress’ love:
Know then, I here forget all former griefs,

Be aware that I will now forget all former offenses,
Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again,

Cancel any grudges, and call you back home again,
Plead a new state in thy unrivall'd merit,

And declare that things have changed now that you’ve show your peerless worth,
To which I thus subscribe: Sir Valentine,

Which I will acknowledge this way: Sir Valentine,
Thou art a gentleman and well derived;

You are a gentleman and of good birth;
Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserved her.

Take Silvia’s hand in marriage, for you deserve her.

VALENTINE

I thank your grace; the gift hath made me happy.

Thank you, your grace; the gift makes me happy.
I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake,

I ask you now, for your daughter’s sake,
To grant one boom that I shall ask of you.

To grant my one last favor that I will ask of you.

DUKE

I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be.

I will grant it, for you, whatever it may be.

VALENTINE

These banish'd men that I have kept withal

These banished men that I have lived with
Are men endued with worthy qualities:

Are men who have great qualities:
Forgive them what they have committed here

Forgive them for the crimes they have committed here
And let them be recall'd from their exile:

And let them come home from their exile:
They are reformed, civil, full of good

They are reformed, civilized, and good enough
And fit for great employment, worthy lord.

And suitable for great employment, worthy lord.

DUKE

Thou hast prevail'd; I pardon them and thee:

You have won; I forgive them and you:
Dispose of them as thou know'st their deserts.

Make arrangements for them according to their value.
Come, let us go: we will include all jars

Come on, let’s go: we will settle all disagreements
With triumphs, mirth and rare solemnity.

With celebrations, joy and splendid festivities.

VALENTINE

And, as we walk along, I dare be bold

And, as we walk along, I will be brave enough
With our discourse to make your grace to smile.

In your discussions to make your grace smile.
What think you of this page, my lord?

What do you think of this page, my lord?

DUKE

I think the boy hath grace in him; he blushes.

I think the boy is charming; he blushes.

VALENTINE

I warrant you, my lord, more grace than boy.

I promise you, my lord, he has more charms than a boy.

DUKE

What mean you by that saying?

What do you mean by that?

VALENTINE

Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along,

If you’d like, I’ll tell you as we walk along,
That you will wonder what hath fortuned.

So that you will marvel at what has happened.
Come, Proteus; 'tis your penance but to hear

Come, Proteus; your punishment is only to hear
The story of your loves discovered:

The story of how you discovered your love:
That done, our day of marriage shall be yours;

When that’s over, we will share our wedding day;
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness.

One fest, one house, one shared happiness.

Exeunt

Hymen

Theseus

Hippolita

Bride to Theseus
Emelia

Sister to Theseus
[Emelia's Woman]

Nymphs

Three Queens

Three valiant Knights

Palamon, and
Arcite

The two Noble Kinsmen, in love with fair Emelia
[Valerius]

Perithous,
[A Herald]

[A Gentleman]

[A Messenger]

[A Servant]

[Wooer]

[Keeper]

Jaylor

His Daughter, in love with Palamon
[His brother]

[A Doctor]

[4] Countreymen

[2 Friends of the Jaylor]

[3 Knights]

[Nel, and other]
Wenches

A Taborer,
Gerrold

A Schoolmaster.