The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (435 page)

Speak with him, I will tell him about it either futilely or
discover his government.

expose his misconduct as governor.

DUKE VINCENTIO

That shall not be much amiss: Yet, as the matter
That would not be wrong to do: yet, as the matter

now stands, he will avoid your accusation; he made

now stands, he will deny your accusation; he made
trial of you only. Therefore fasten your ear on my

The proposition only to you.  So listen to my
advisings: to the love I have in doing good a

Advice: from the joy I take in doing good, I
remedy presents itself. I do make myself believe

Thought of a solution.  I am sure
that you may most uprighteously do a poor wronged

That you can righteously do a poor, wronged
lady a merited benefit; redeem your brother from

Lady a good favor; redeem your brother from
the angry law; do no stain to your own gracious

The angry law; commit no sin to dishonor your virutous
person; and much please the absent duke, if

Character; and please the absent duke, if
peradventure he shall ever return to have hearing of

Perhaps he should ever return to hear of
this business.

This business.

ISABELLA

Let me hear you speak farther. I have spirit to do

Let me hear what you have to say. I have the courage to do
anything that appears not foul in the truth of my spirit.

Anything that doesn’t seem bad to my good nature.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful. Have

Virtue is brave, and goodness is never fearful. Have
you not heard speak of Mariana, the sister of

You not heard of Mariana, the sister of
Frederick the great soldier who miscarried at sea?

Frederick the great soldier who had an accident at sea?

ISABELLA

I have heard of the lady, and good words went with her name.

I have hear of the lady, and good things were said about her.

DUKE VINCENTIO

She should this Angelo have married; was affianced

She was supposed to marry Angelo; they were betrothed
to her by oath, and the nuptial appointed: between

By oath, and the wedding arranged: between
which time of the contract and limit of the

The time of the engagement and the date
solemnity, her brother Frederick was wrecked at sea,

Of the ceremony, her brother Frederick was wrecked at sea,
having in that perished vessel the dowry of his

And had in the sunken ship the dowry of his
sister. But mark how heavily this befell to the

Sister.  But listen how gravely this affected the
poor gentlewoman: there she lost a noble and

Poor lady: she lost her noble and
renowned brother, in his love toward her ever most

Famous brother, who had always had love for her that was
kind and natural; with him, the portion and sinew of

Kind and brotherly; and with him the amount and basis
her fortune, her marriage-dowry; with both, her

Of her wealth, her marriage-dowry; with both gone, she also lost
combinate husband, this well-seeming Angelo.

Her fiancé, the seemingly good Angelo.

ISABELLA

Can this be so? did Angelo so leave her?

Did this really happen? Angelo left her?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Left her in her tears, and dried not one of them

Left her in her tears and didn’t dry a single one
with his comfort; swallowed his vows whole,

By comforting her; renounced all his vows,
pretending in her discoveries of dishonour: in few,

And pretending he discovered that she was not sexually pure: in short,
bestowed her on her own lamentation, which she yet

He married her to her grief, which she still
wears for his sake; and he, a marble to her tears,

Shows to him; and he, unmoved by her tears
is washed with them, but relents not.

Is washed in them, but never gives in.

ISABELLA

What a merit were it in death to take this poor maid

What a good thing it would be for death to take this poor woman
from the world! What corruption in this life, that

From the world! What corruption there is in life, that
it will let this man live! But how out of this can she avail?

It allows this man to live! But how can she benefit out of our business?

DUKE VINCENTIO

It is a rupture that you may easily heal: and the

It is a break up that you could easily heal: and the
cure of it not only saves your brother, but keeps

Cure for it not only save your brother, but keeps
you from dishonour in doing it.

You from losing your virginity as well.

ISABELLA

Show me how, good father.

Show me how this is, good father.

DUKE VINCENTIO

This forenamed maid hath yet in her the continuance

The woman I mentioned continues to
of her first affection: his unjust unkindness, that

Love Angelo: his unjust cruelty, that
in all reason should have quenched her love, hath,

Reasonably should have stopped her love, has instead
like an impediment in the current, made it more

Like an obstacle in a stream, made it more
violent and unruly. Go you to Angelo; answer his

Forceful and uncontrollable.  Go to Angelo; answer his
requiring with a plausible obedience; agree with

Request with a believable agreement; agree with
his demands to the point; only refer yourself to

His demands exactly; only ask for conditions that are to your
this advantage, first, that your stay with him may

Advantage, first, that your time with him will
not be long; that the time may have all shadow and

Not be long; that it will be at a time that is dark and
silence in it; and the place answer to convenience.

Quiet; and that the place be convenient for you.
This being granted in course,--and now follows

After this is granted,--and now this is how it works,--
all,--we shall advise this wronged maid to stead up

We shall ask the woman who was wronged to carry out
your appointment, go in your place; if the encounter

You appointment, to go in your place; if the meeting
acknowledge itself hereafter, it may compel him to

Is revealed afterwards, it would force him to
her recompense: and here, by this, is your brother

Set her situation to rights: and here, by this, is your brother
saved, your honour untainted, the poor Mariana

Saved, you honor untainted, the poor Mariana
advantaged, and the corrupt deputy scaled. The maid

Benefits, and the corrupt official judged. I will
will I frame and make fit for his attempt. If you

Prepare the lady and ready her for his efforts.  If you
think well to carry this as you may, the doubleness

Think you can manage this, the two-fold nature
of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof.

Of the benefits defend the deception from blame.
What think you of it?

What do you think of it?

ISABELLA

The image of it gives me content already; and I

The idea of it makes me happy already; and I
trust it will grow to a most prosperous perfection.

Trust that it will continue to a most successful completion.

DUKE VINCENTIO

It lies much in your holding up. Haste you speedily

It requires your ability to keep it up.  Hurry now
to Angelo: if for this night he entreat you to his

To Angelo: if he asks you to come tonight to his
bed, give him promise of satisfaction. I will

Bed, promise him that you will.  I will
presently to Saint Luke's: there, at the moated

Now go to Saint Luke’s: there, at the farmhouse with a moat,
grange, resides this dejected Mariana. At that

Is where the heartbroken
Mariana
lives.  At that
place call upon me; and dispatch with Angelo, that
place you come meet with me; and make arrangements with Angelo, that

it may be quickly.

It may be soon.

ISABELLA

I thank you for this comfort. Fare you well, good father.

Thank you for this piece of mind. Good bye, good father.

Exeunt severally

Enter, on one side, DUKE VINCENTIO disguised as before; on the other, ELBOW, and Officers with POMPEY

ELBOW

Nay, if there be no remedy for it, but that you will

No, if there is no solution for it, except that you will
needs buy and sell men and women like beasts, we

Need to buy and sell men and women like beasts, we
shall have all the world drink brown and white bastard.

Will have everyone in the world drink Spanish wine.

DUKE VINCENTIO

O heavens! what stuff is here

Oh heavens! What nonsense is going on here?

POMPEY

'Twas never merry world since, of two usuries, the

It hasn’t been a happy world since, out of two money schemes, the
merriest was put down, and the worser allowed by

The happier one was made illegal, and the worse one allowed by
order of law a furred gown to keep him warm; and

The letter of the law a nice furred outfit to keep it warm; and
furred with fox and lamb-skins too, to signify, that

Furred with fox fur and lam-skin too, to show which
craft, being richer than innocency, stands for the facing.

Scheme, being richer than innocence, shows off for the world.

ELBOW

Come your way, sir. 'Bless you, good father friar.

Come along, sir. Bless you, good father friar.

DUKE VINCENTIO

And you, good brother father. What offence hath

And to you, good brother father. What offence has
this man made you, sir?

This man committed, sir?

ELBOW

Marry, sir, he hath offended the law: and, sir, we

By the Virgin Mary, sir, he has committed crime: and, sir, we
take him to be a thief too, sir; for we have found

Believe him to be a thief as well, sir, for we found
upon him, sir, a strange picklock, which we have

On his person, sir, a strange lock pick, which we have
sent to the deputy.

Sent to the Governor.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Fie, sirrah! a bawd, a wicked bawd!

Shame on you, man! A procurer, a wicker procurer of whores!
The evil that thou causest to be done,