The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (758 page)

Oh, Antony,

You have my father's house,--But, what? we are friends.

You have my father's house, -- But what of it? We are friends.

Come, down into the boat.

Now let's go down into the boat.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Take heed you fall not.

Be careful that you don't fall.

Exeunt all but DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS and MENAS

Menas, I'll not on shore.

Menas, I don't want to go on shore.

MENAS

No, to my cabin.

No, let's go to my cabin.

These drums! these trumpets, flutes! what!

These drums! these trumpets, these flutes!
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell

Let the god of the sea hear that we make a loud goodbye

To these great fellows: sound and be hang'd, sound out!

To these great men: sound and then be quiet, sound out!

Sound a flourish, with drums

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Ho! says a' There's my cap.

Hey, I say, there's my cap.

MENAS

Ho! Noble captain, come.

Hey! Noble captain, come with me.

Exeunt

Enter VENTIDIUS as it were in triumph, with SILIUS, and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead body of PACORUS borne before him

VENTIDIUS

Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now

Now, quickly moving Parthia, you are hit; and now

Pleased fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death

Kind fortune has allowed me to avenge

Make me revenger. Bear the king's son's body

Marcus Crassus' death. Carry the prince's body

Before our army. Thy Pacorus, Orodes,

In front of our army. Your Pacorus, Orodes,

Pays this for Marcus Crassus.

Pays for the death of Marcus Crassus.

SILIUS

Noble Ventidius,

Noble Ventidius,
Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm,

While your sword is still warm with Parthian blood,

The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through Media,

The refugee Parthians follow; hurrying through Media,

Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither

Mesopotamia, and the shelters from where

The routed fly: so thy grand captain Antony

The defeated escape: so your great leader Antony

Shall set thee on triumphant chariots and

Will put you on chariots of victory and

Put garlands on thy head.

Put garlands on you head.

VENTIDIUS

O Silius, Silius,

O Silius, Silius,
I have done enough; a lower place, note well,

I have done enough; a lower position, observe,

May make too great an act: for learn this, Silius;

May make an act too big: for learn this, Silius;

Better to leave undone, than by our deed

It is better to leave undone, than by our action

Acquire too high a fame when him we serve's away.

Become too famous when the one we serve is away.

Caesar and Antony have ever won

Caesar and Antony have always won

More in their officer than person: Sossius,

More in their officers than by themselves: Sossius,

One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,

Whom I knew in Syria, his lieutenant,

For quick accumulation of renown,

Because of his quick getting of fame,

Which he achieved by the minute, lost his favour.

Which he managed by the minute, lost his good opinion.

Who does i' the wars more than his captain can

The man who in the wars does more than his captain can

Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition,

Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition,

The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss,

The soldier's virtue, instead turns out to be more of a loss

Than gain which darkens him.

Than a gain.

I could do more to do Antonius good,

I could do more to do Mark Antony good,

But 'twould offend him; and in his offence

But it would offend him; and in his offense

Should my performance perish.

I would come to ruin.

SILIUS

Thou hast, Ventidius, that

You have, Ventidius, that

Without the which a soldier, and his sword,

Without having a soldier, and his sword,
Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony!

Never get very far. You will write to Antony!

VENTIDIUS

I'll humbly signify what in his name,

I'll humbly tell him what in his name,

That magical word of war, we have effected;

That magical word of war, we have made happen;

How, with his banners and his well-paid ranks,

How, with his flags and his well-paid soldiers,

The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia

The never-before-beaten Parthia

We have jaded out o' the field.

We have defeated.

SILIUS

Where is he now?

Where is he now?

VENTIDIUS

He purposeth to Athens: whither, with what haste

He has rushed off to Athens: which is where, with whatever speed

The weight we must convey with's will permit,

The weight we have to take with us will allow,

We shall appear before him. On there; pass along!

We will appear in front of him. Go on there; pass it along!

Exeunt

Enter AGRIPPA at one door, DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS at another

AGRIPPA

What, are the brothers parted?

What, have the brothers been separated?

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

They have dispatch'd with Pompey, he is gone;

They have finished with Pompey, he is gone;

The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps

The other three are recovering. Octavia cries

To part from Rome; Caesar is sad; and Lepidus,

To be separated from Rome; Caesar is sad, and Lepidus

Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, is troubled

Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, has been affected

With the green sickness.

With sickness.

AGRIPPA

'Tis a noble Lepidus.

He is a noble Lepidus.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

A very fine one: O, how he loves Caesar!

A very fine one: oh, how he loves Caesar!

AGRIPPA

Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony!

No, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony!

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Caesar? Why, he's the Jupiter of men.

Caesar? Why, he's a leader god of men.

AGRIPPA

What's Antony? The god of Jupiter.

What is Antony, then? The god to a god.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Spake you of Caesar? How! the non-pareil!

Did you speak of Caesar? How! The example of perfection!

AGRIPPA

O Antony! O thou Arabian bird!

Oh Antony! Oh you Arabian bird!

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Would you praise Caesar, say 'Caesar:' go no further.

If you want to praise Caesar, just say 'Caesar:' go no further.

AGRIPPA

Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises.

Indeed, he flattered them both with excellent praises.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

But he loves Caesar best; yet he loves Antony:

But he loves Caesar best; still he loves Antony:
Ho! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets cannot

Hey! Hearts, words, numbers, writers, singers, poets cannot

Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho!

Think, speak, show, write, sing, number, hey!

His love to Antony. But as for Caesar,

His love for Antony. But as for Caesar,

Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.

Kneel down, kneel down, and be amazed.

AGRIPPA

Both he loves.

He loves both.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

They are his shards, and he their beetle.

They are his fragments, and he their beetle.

Trumpets within

So;This is to horse. Adieu, noble Agrippa.

I must go to my horse. Goodbye, noble Agrippa.

AGRIPPA

Good fortune, worthy soldier; and farewell.

Good luck, worthy soldier, and farewell.

Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, MARK ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIA

MARK ANTONY

No further, sir.

No farther, sir.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

You take from me a great part of myself;

You take from me a large part of myself;