The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (755 page)

Flourish. Enter POMPEY and MENAS at one door, with drum and trumpet: at another, OCTAVIUS CAESAR, MARK ANTONY, LEPIDUS, DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS, MECAENAS, with Soldiers marching

POMPEY

Your hostages I have, so have you mine;

I have your hostages, and you have mine;

And we shall talk before we fight.

And we will talk before we fight.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Most meet

It is appropriate

That first we come to words; and therefore have we

That we first come to words; and therefore we have

Our written purposes before us sent;

Written our negotiations;

Which, if thou hast consider'd, let us know

Which if you have considered them, let us know

If 'twill tie up thy discontented sword,

If it will make you put away your unsatisfied sword,

And carry back to Sicily much tall youth

And take to Sicily many young men

That else must perish here.

That otherwise must die here.

POMPEY

To you all three,

To all three of you,

The senators alone of this great world,

The only senators of this big world,

Chief factors for the gods, I do not know

Speakers for the gods, I do not know

Wherefore my father should revengers want,

Why my father would want avengers,

Having a son and friends; since Julius Caesar,

Even after having a son and friends; since Julius Caesar,

Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,

Whom Brutus killed at Philippi,

There saw you labouring for him. What was't

And saw you working for him. What was it

That moved pale Cassius to conspire; and what

That motivated pale Cassius to plot; and what

Made the all-honour'd, honest Roman, Brutus,

Made the honored, honest Roman, Brutus,

With the arm'd rest, courtiers and beauteous freedom,

With enough soldiers, courtiers, and beautiful freedom,

To drench the Capitol; but that they would

To take over the Capitol; except that they wanted

Have one man but a man? And that is it

One man to just be a man? And that is what

Hath made me rig my navy; at whose burthen

Has made me arm my navy; at whose command

The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant

The angered ocean foams; which is what I mean

To scourge the ingratitude that despiteful Rome

To burn away the ingratitude that spiteful Rome

Cast on my noble father.

Threw at my noble father.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Take your time.

Take you time.

MARK ANTONY

Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy sails;

You cannot fear us, Pompey, with your sails;

We'll speak with thee at sea: at land, thou know'st

We'll speak with you at see; on land, you know

How much we do o'er-count thee.

How much we outnumber you.

POMPEY

At land, indeed,

On land, I agree,
Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house:

You outnumber me of my father's house;

But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself,

But, since the cuckoo does not build for himself,

Remain in't as thou mayst.

Remain in it as you like.

LEPIDUS

Be pleased to tell us--

Please, tell us --
For this is from the present--how you take

For this is about here and now -- how you feel

The offers we have sent you.

About the offers we have sent you.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

There's the point.

That's the point.

MARK ANTONY

Which do not be entreated to, but weigh

Which you should not be convinced about, but decide on your own

What it is worth embraced.

What is worth accepting.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

And what may follow,

And what might happen after,

To try a larger fortune.

If you try for a bigger prize.

POMPEY

You have made me offer

You have made me an offer

Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must

Of Sicily and Sardinia; and I must

Rid all the sea of pirates; then, to send

Get rid of all the pirates; then, send

Measures of wheat to Rome; this 'greed upon

A certain amount of wheat to Rome: this agreed upon

To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back

We do not fight, and take back

Our targes undinted.

Our armies with no lives lost.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR
 
MARK ANTONY
 
LEPIDUS

That's our offer.

That is our offer.

POMPEY

Know, then,
You should know, then,

I came before you here a man prepared

That I came to you here a man prepared

To take this offer: but Mark Antony

To make the deal: but Mark Antony

Put me to some impatience: though I lose

Upset me: though I lose

The praise of it by telling, you must know,

Some of the goodness by bragging about it, you must know,

When Caesar and your brother were at blows,

When Caesar and your brother were fighting,

Your mother came to Sicily and did find

Your mother came to Sicily and found

Her welcome friendly.

 A friendly welcome.

MARK ANTONY

I have heard it, Pompey;

I've heard it, Pompey;
And am well studied for a liberal thanks

And I have thought about the generous thanks

Which I do owe you.

That I owe you.

POMPEY

Let me have your hand:

Give me your hand:

I did not think, sir, to have met you here.

I did not think, sir, that I would meet you here.

MARK ANTONY

The beds i' the east are soft; and thanks to you,

The beds in the east are soft; and thanks to you,

That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither;

That called me faster than my purpose here;

For I have gain'd by 't.

For I have gained by it.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Since I saw you last,

Since I last saw you,

There is a change upon you.

You have changed.

POMPEY

Well, I know not

Well, I do not know

What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face;

What bad luck does to my face;

But in my bosom shall she never come,

But in my chest she will never come,

To make my heart her vassal.

To make my heart her slave.

LEPIDUS

Well met here.

You are doing well here.

POMPEY

I hope so, Lepidus. Thus we are agreed:

I hope so, Lepidus. So we have agreed:

I crave our composition may be written,

I would like our treaty to be written,

And seal'd between us.

And sealed between us.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

That's the next to do.

That's the next thing to do.

POMPEY

We'll feast each other ere we part; and let's

We'll treat each other to a feast before before we separate; and let's

Draw lots who shall begin.

Draw straws who shall begin.

MARK ANTONY

That will I, Pompey.

I will, Pompey.

POMPEY

No, Antony, take the lot: but, first

No, Antony, take your straw: but, first

Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery

Or last, your fine Egyptian cooking

Shall have the fame. I have heard that Julius Caesar

Will be the most popular. I have heard that Julius Caesar

Grew fat with feasting there.

Became fat with feasting there.

MARK ANTONY

You have heard much.

You have heard a lot.

POMPEY

I have fair meanings, sir.

I have honest reasons, sir.

MARK ANTONY

And fair words to them.

And pretty words about them.

POMPEY

Then so much have I heard:

I have heard so much:

And I have heard, Apollodorus carried--

And I have heard that Apollodorus carried --

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

No more of that: he did so.

Don't finish your sentence: he did.

POMPEY

What, I pray you?

What, please tell me?

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress.

A certain queen to Caesar on a mattress.

POMPEY

I know thee now: how farest thou, soldier?

I recognize you now: how are you doing, soldier?

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Well;

Well;
And well am like to do; for, I perceive,

And I am likely to continue doing well; for, I see

Four feasts are toward.

Four feasts are coming.

POMPEY

Let me shake thy hand;

Let me shake your hand;

I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight,

I never hated you: I have seen you fight,

When I have envied thy behavior.

When I have jealously admired your behavior.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Sir,

Sir,
I never loved you much; but I ha' praised ye,

I never thought much of you; but I have praised you,

When you have well deserved ten times as much

When you have deserved ten times more praise

As I have said you did.

As I said you did.

POMPEY

Enjoy thy plainness,

Enjoy your simplicity,

If nothing ill becomes thee.

If nothing bad happens to you.

Aboard my galley I invite you all:

I invite all of you onto my ship;

Will you lead, lords?

Will you lead, gentlemen?

OCTAVIUS CAESAR  MARK ANTONY  LEPIDUS

Show us the way, sir.

Sir, show us the way.

POMPEY

Come.

Exeunt all but MENAS and ENOBARBUS

MENAS

[Aside] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have

Your father, Pompey, would never have

made this treaty.--You and I have known, sir.

made this treaty. -- I have met you, I think.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

At sea, I think.

At sea, I think.

MENAS

We have, sir.