The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (717 page)

No; if I mistake

In those foundations which I build upon,

The centre is not big enough to bear

A school-boy's top. Away with her! to prison!

He who shall speak for her is afar off guilty

But that he speaks.

No, if I'm mistaken

in the foundations I'm building upon,

the Earth is not big enough to support

a schoolboy's top. Take her away! To prison!

Anyone who tries to defend her is guilty

just for speaking.

HERMIONE

There's some ill planet reigns:

I must be patient till the heavens look

With an aspect more favourable. Good my lords,

I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are; the want of which vain dew

Perchance shall dry your pities: but I have

That honourable grief lodged here which burns

Worse than tears drown: beseech you all, my lords,

With thoughts so qualified as your charities

Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so

The king's will be perform'd!

Some evil planet is ruling:

I must be patient until the stars

are more in my favour. My good lords,

I do not usually weep, as the rest of my sex

often do; the lack of that pointless moisture

might dry up your pity: but I have

an honourable grief in my heart which burns

worse than any tears: I beg you all, my lords,

soften your thoughts towards me as much

as much as your good instincts tell you, and judge me;

and so may the king's will be done!

LEONTES

Shall I be heard?

Will my orders be followed?

HERMIONE

Who is't that goes with me? Beseech your highness,

My women may be with me; for you see

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;

There is no cause: when you shall know your mistress

Has deserved prison, then abound in tears

As I come out: this action I now go on

Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord:

I never wish'd to see you sorry; now

I trust I shall. My women, come; you have leave.

Who is going to come with me? Please, your highness,

let my women come with me; you can see

my condition needs them. Don't weep, good fools;

there is no reason to: when you know that your mistress

deserved to go to prison, then be in floods of tears

when I come out: the thing that I suffer now

will end to my credit. Goodbye, my lord:

I never before wanted to see you apologise; now

I hope that I will. Come on, my women; you have permission.

LEONTES

Go, do our bidding; hence!

Exit HERMIONE, guarded; with Ladies

Go on, do as I order; get out!

First Lord

Beseech your highness, call the queen again.

Please, your highness, call the queen again.

ANTIGONUS

Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice

Prove violence; in the which three great ones suffer,

Yourself, your queen, your son.

Be certain about what you're doing, sir, in case

your justice proves evil; if it does three great ones will suffer,

yourself, your queen, and your son.

First Lord

For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down and will do't, sir,

Please you to accept it, that the queen is spotless

I' the eyes of heaven and to you; I mean,

In this which you accuse her.

I would lay my life down for her,

my lord, and I will do it;

please accept that the queen is innocent

in the eyes of heaven and your own; I mean,

innocent of what you accuse her.

ANTIGONUS

If it prove

She's otherwise, I'll keep my stables where

I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her;

Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her;

For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh is false, if she be.

If it's proved

that she is not, I'll turn my wife's lodgings

into a stable; I'll go about with her tethered to me;

I will not trust her to go out of my sight;

for every part of every woman in the world,

every ounce of women's flesh, is false, if she is.

LEONTES

Hold your peaces.

Be quiet.

First Lord

Good my lord,--

My good lord–

ANTIGONUS

It is for you we speak, not for ourselves:

You are abused and by some putter-on

That will be damn'd for't; would I knew the villain,

I would land-damn him. Be she honour-flaw'd,

I have three daughters; the eldest is eleven

The second and the third, nine, and some five;

If this prove true, they'll pay for't:

by mine honour,

I'll geld 'em all; fourteen they shall not see,

To bring false generations: they are co-heirs;

And I had rather glib myself than they

Should not produce fair issue.

We are speaking for you, not for ourselves:

you have been tricked by some deceiver

who will be damned for it; I wish I knew who the villain is,

I would give him a good thrashing. If she is dishonourable,

I have three daughters; the oldest is eleven,

the second and third are nine and around five;

if this is true, they'll pay for it:

I swear,

I'd sterilise them all; they would not get to fourteen,

to breed bastards: they are my inheritors;

and I would rather castrate myself than see them

not produce legitimate heirs.

LEONTES

Cease; no more.

You smell this business with a sense as cold

As is a dead man's nose: but I do see't and feel't

As you feel doing thus; and see withal

The instruments that feel.

Stop; that's enough.

Your sense of smell in this business is as cold

as a dead man's nose: but I can see it and feel it

as you feel when I this; and I can feel

by touch as well.

ANTIGONUS

If it be so,

We need no grave to bury honesty:

There's not a grain of it the face to sweeten

Of the whole dungy earth.

If it is true,

we will not need a grave to bury honesty in:

there would not be a grain of it anywhere

to sweeten the dung like face of earth.

LEONTES

What! lack I credit?

What! Do you disbelieve me?

First Lord

I had rather you did lack than I, my lord,

Upon this ground; and more it would content me

To have her honour true than your suspicion,

Be blamed for't how you might.

I would rather you were wrong than I, my lord,

in this business; and I would be happier

for her honour to be proved rather than your suspicion,

however badly that reflected on you.

LEONTES

Why, what need we

Commune with you of this, but rather follow

Our forceful instigation? Our prerogative

Calls not your counsels, but our natural goodness

Imparts this; which if you, or stupefied

Or seeming so in skill, cannot or will not

Relish a truth like us, inform yourselves

We need no more of your advice: the matter,

The loss, the gain, the ordering on't, is all

Properly ours.

Why, why should I

debate this with you, when I can carry on

with what I've started? My rights as king

do not require me to ask your advice, I only asked

out of my natural goodness; if you, made stupid

or pretending to have been, cannot or will not

see the truth like I can, then I can tell you

I don't need any more of your advice: this business,

the loss, the gain, and the management of it, is all

rightly down to me.

ANTIGONUS

And I wish, my liege,

You had only in your silent judgment tried it,

Without more overture.

And I wish, my lord,

you had thought it over yourself first,

without making it public.

LEONTES

How could that be?

Either thou art most ignorant by age,

Or thou wert born a fool. Camillo's flight,

Added to their familiarity,

Which was as gross as ever touch'd conjecture,

That lack'd sight only, nought for approbation

But only seeing, all other circumstances

Made up to the deed, doth push on this proceeding:

Yet, for a greater confirmation,

For in an act of this importance 'twere

Most piteous to be wild, I have dispatch'd in post

To sacred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,

Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know

Of stuff'd sufficiency: now from the oracle

They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,

Shall stop or spur me. Have I done well?

How could I have done that?

Either you've got stupid with age,

or you were born a fool. Camillo's flight,

added to their friendliness,

which was as obvious as anything which ever gave grounds for suspicion,

only lacking actual visual proof, needing no other proof

but seeing it, and all the other things

which added up to make it certain the deed had been done–

make what I'm doing right.

But, for even more confirmation–

for in a matter of such importance it would be

very wrong to act rashly–I have sent messengers

to sacred Delphos, to Apollo's Temple,

Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know

are fully qualified for the task. Now they will bring back

everything the Oracle says; once I've received that spiritual counsel

that will either stop me or spur me on. Have I done right?

First Lord

Well done, my lord.

You have done well, my lord.

LEONTES

Though I am satisfied and need no more

Than what I know, yet shall the oracle

Give rest to the minds of others, such as he

Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to the truth. So have we thought it good

From our free person she should be confined,

Lest that the treachery of the two fled hence

Be left her to perform. Come, follow us;

We are to speak in public; for this business

Will raise us all.

Although I am satisfied and need no more

evidence than what I have, the Oracle shall

put the minds of others at rest, the ones