The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (811 page)

To make coals cheap,--a noble memory!

COMINIUS.

I reminded him how noble it would be to forgive

I minded him how royal 'twas to pardon

when no one expected it. He replied

When it was less expected: he replied,

that asking for forgiveness was pitiful request from a country

It was a bare petition of a state

to someone whom they had punished.

To one whom they had punish'd.

MENENIUS.

Very well.

Very well:

Could he have been less forthcoming?

Could he say less?

COMINIUS.

I tried to reawaken his love

I offer'd to awaken his regard

for his personal friends. His answer to me was

For's private friends: his answer to me was,

that he would not be able to pick them out of a pile

He could not stay to pick them in a pile

of smelly, moldy straw. He said it would be foolish

Of noisome musty chaff: he said 'twas folly,

for him to leave one or two good people alive

For one poor grain or two, to leave unburnt

and then still have to smell the nasty straw.

And still to nose the offence.

MENENIUS.

One or two poor fools?

For one poor grain

I am one of those, and his mother, his wife,

Or two! I am one of those; his mother, wife,

his child, and Cominius, too. We are the good eggs.

His child, and this brave fellow too- we are the grains:

You are the moldy straw, and you are so smelly that

You are the musty chaff; and you are smelt

you stink in outerspace, and we have to die for your mistakes.

Above the moon: we must be burnt for you.  

SICINIUS.

No, please be patient. You won’t help us

Nay, pray be patient: if you refuse your aid

when we need you most, but don’t

In this so never-needed help, yet do not

scold us when we are distressed. But surely, if you

Upbraid's with our distress. But, sure, if you

would argue our case and defend us from Coriolanus, your voice

Would be your country's pleader, your good tongue,

would stop him better

More than the instant army we can make,

than any army we could raise.

Might stop our countryman.

MENENIUS.

No, I won’t get involved.

No; I'll not meddle.

SICINIUS.

Please, go to him.

Pray you, go to him.

MENENIUS.

What would I do there?

What should I do?

BRUTUS.

Defend Rome from Marcius with as much love

Only make trial what your love can do

as you feel towards Rome.

For Rome, towards Marcius.

MENENIUS.

And what if Marcius

Well, and say that Marcius

sends me back, like Cominius,

Return me, as Cominius is return'd,

without listening to me. What then?

Unheard; what then?

What if he send me back as just a discontented friend, grief-stricken

But as a discontented friend, grief-shot

by his unkindness? What if that happens?

With his unkindness? Say't be so?

SICINIUS.

But your good will

Yet your good-will

must be thanked by Rome to the full extent of the

Must have that thanks from Rome, after the measure

goodness of your intentions.

As you intended well.

MENENIUS.

I’ll try it.

I'll undertake't;  

I think he’ll hear me. But if he

I think he'll hear me. Yet to bite his lip

makes a sound of disapproval at me it will dishearten me.

And hum at good Cominius much unhearts me.

Perhaps it won’t be the right time, maybe he won’t have had dinner.

He was not taken well: he had not din'd;

When we’re hungry, and our blood is cold,

The veins unfill'd, our blood is cold, and then

we will be in a bad mood, and be unlikely

We pout upon the morning, are unapt

to give or to forgive. But when we have stuffed

To give or to forgive; but when we have stuff'd

ourselves, and our veins  

These pipes and these conveyances of our blood

are full of wine and food, we are more compliant

With wine and feeding, we have suppler souls

than when we’re hungry. So I’ll watch him

Than in our priest-like fasts. Therefore I'll watch him

and make sure he eats

Till he be dieted to my request,

before I ask him.

And then I'll set upon him.

BRUTUS.

You know how to butter him up,

You know the very road into his kindness

and you can’t fail.

And cannot lose your way.

MENENIUS.

I’ll try,

Good faith, I'll prove him,

no matter what happens. I will tell you soon

Speed how it will. I shall ere long have knowledge

if I succeed.

Of my success.

[Exit.]

COMINIUS.

Coriolanus will never listen to him.

He'll never hear him.

SICINIUS.

No?

Not?

COMINIUS.

I’m telling you, he sits on a golden throne, with an evil

I tell you he does sit in gold, his eye

eye that would burn Rome down, his compassion held prisoner

Red as 'twould burn Rome: and his injury  

by his outrage at his mistreatment. I knelt before him,

The gaoler to his pity. I kneel'd before him;

he said softly, “Rise.” Then he waved for me to leave

'Twas very faintly he said 'Rise'; dismissed me

without saying a word. He sent a not with a list of

Thus, with his speechless hand: what he would do,

conditions, of what he would do, and what he would not do,

He sent in writing after me; what he would not,

because he has sworn an oath to the Volscians that we would do what he said.

Bound with an oath to yield to his conditions:

So there’s no hope,

So that all hope is vain,

unless his mother and his wife

Unless his noble mother and his wife;

beg him

Who, as I hear, mean to solicit him

to have mercy on his country. So, let’s go to them,

For mercy to his country. Therefore, let's hence,

and try to get them to go to him.

And with our fair entreaties haste them on.

[Exeunt.]

Guards at their station.

[Enter to them MENENIUS.]

FIRST GUARD.

Stop! Where are you coming from?

Stay: whence are you?

SECOND GUARD.

Stop and go back.

Stand, and go back.

MENENIUS.

You are good guards, that’s good. Apologies, but

You guard like men; 'tis well: but, by your leave,

I am a government official, and I’ve come

I am an officer of state, and come

to speak with Coriolanus.

To speak with Coriolanus.

FIRST GUARD.

From where?

From whence?

MENENIUS.

From Rome.

From Rome.

FIRST GUARD.

You can’t come in. You have to go back. Our general

You may not pass; you must return: our general

doesn’t want to hear from any more Romans.

Will no more hear from thence.

SECOND GUARD.

You’ll see Rome in flames before

You'll see your Rome embrac'd with fire before

you speak with Coriolanus.

You'll speak with Coriolanus.

MENENIUS.

My good friends,

Good my friends,

if you have heard anything about Rome

If you have heard your general talk of Rome

and of his friends there, odds are

And of his friends there, it is lots to blanks

you’ve heard my name: it is Menenius.

My name hath touch'd your ears: it is Menenius.

FIRST GUARD.

That may be. Go away. The power of your name

Be it so; go back: the virtue of your name

is not enough to get you in here.

Is not here passable.  

MENENIUS.

I’m telling you,

I tell thee, fellow,

your general is my friends. I have

Thy general is my lover: I have been

told everyone about his accomplishments,

The book of his good acts, whence men have read

and exaggerated them.

His fame unparallel'd, haply amplified;

I have always talked up my friends

For I have ever verified my friends,--

(and he’s my best friend) as much as the truth

Of whom he's chief,--with all the size that verity

will allow. Sometimes,

Would without lapsing suffer: nay, sometimes,

like a bowling ball,

Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground,

I have exceeded the truth, and in praising him

I have tumbled past the throw: and in his praise

have given my mark of approval to a lie. That’s why

Have almost stamp'd the leasing: therefore, fellow,

I must be allowed to enter.

I must have leave to pass.

FIRST GUARD.

If you had lied as much for him as you

Faith, sir, if you had told as many lies in his behalf as you

have for yourself just now, you still wouldn’t be allowed to enter. Not even

have uttered words in your own, you should not pass here: no,

if it were as good to lie as to live without sex.

though it were as virtuous to lie as to live chastely.

So, go back.

Therefore, go back.

MENENIUS.

Remember my name is Menenius, always

Pr'ythee, fellow, remember my name is Menenius, always

a member of your general’s faction.