The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (443 page)

ISABELLA

I am directed by you.

I am listening to your instructions.

DUKE VINCENTIO

This letter, then, to Friar Peter give;

Then, give this letter to Friar Peter;
'Tis that he sent me of the duke's return:

He’s the one that told me of the duke’s return:
Say, by this token, I desire his company

Tell him, with this as proof, that I would like to see him
At Mariana's house to-night. Her cause and yours

At Mariana’s house tonight. I’ll tell him about your
I'll perfect him withal, and he shall bring you

And Mariana’s situations, and he will bring you
Before the duke, and to the head of Angelo

Before the duke, and to Angelo’s face
Accuse him home and home. For my poor self,

Accuse him thoroughly. For my poor self,
I am combined by a sacred vow

I am tied up by sacred vow
And shall be absent. Wend you with this letter:

And won’t be there. Go with this letter:
Command these fretting waters from your eyes

Order those tears to leave your eyes
With a light heart; trust not my holy order,

With a little happiness; don’t trust my holy order,
If I pervert your course. Who's here?

If I steer your wrong. Who’s there?

Enter LUCIO

LUCIO

Good even. Friar, where's the provost?

Good evening. Friar, where’s the provost?

DUKE VINCETNTIO

Not within, sir.

Not here, sir.

LUCIO

O pretty Isabella, I am pale at mine heart to see

Oh pretty Isabella, I am sick at heart to see
thine eyes so red: thou must be patient. I am fain

Your eyes so red: you must be patient. I must
to dine and sup with water and bran; I dare not for

Eat dinner and supper with water and brown bread; I can’t
my head fill my belly; one fruitful meal would set

Fill my belly for fear of going crazy; one filling meal would
me to 't. But they say the duke will be here

Send me over the edge. But they say the duke will be here
to-morrow. By my troth, Isabel, I loved thy brother:

Tomorrow.  Honestly, Isabel, I loved your brother:
if the old fantastical duke of dark corners had been

If the old quirky duke with hidden secrets had been
at home, he had lived.

Home, your brother would have lived.

Exit ISABELLA

DUKE VINCENTIO

Sir, the duke is marvellous little beholding to your

Sir, the duke owes you very little favor for
reports; but the best is, he lives not in them.

Your information about him; but the good thing is, he is not like you say.

LUCIO

Friar, thou knowest not the duke so well as I do:

Friar, you don’t know the duke as well as I do:
he's a better woodman than thou takest him for.

He’s a better woman hunter than you take him for.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Well, you'll answer this one day. Fare ye well.

Well, you’ll be held accountable for this one day.  Good bye.

LUCIO

Nay, tarry; I'll go along with thee

No, wait; I’ll go with you
I can tell thee pretty tales of the duke.

I can tell you witty stories about the duke.

DUKE VINCENTIO

You have told me too many of him already, sir, if

You have told me too many stories about him already, sir, if
they be true; if not true, none were enough.

They’re true; if they’re not true, than no stories were enough.

LUCIO

I was once before him for getting a wench with child.

I was once judged by him for getting a woman pregnant.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Did you such a thing?

You did such a thing?

LUCIO

Yes, marry, did I but I was fain to forswear it;

Yes, by holy Virgin Mary, I did but I was ready to deny it
they would else have married me to the rotten medlar.

Otherwise it would have ruined my reputation with the whores.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Sir, your company is fairer than honest. Rest you well.

Sir, you company is more entertaining than it is truthful.  Have a good day.

LUCIO

By my troth, I'll go with thee to the lane's end:

Honestly, I’ll go with you to the end of the road:
if bawdy talk offend you, we'll have very little of

If crass talk offends you, we won’t speak that
it. Nay, friar, I am a kind of burr; I shall stick.

Way.  No, friar, I am like a burr; I will stick to you.

Exeunt

Enter ANGELO and ESCALUS

ESCALUS

Every letter he hath writ hath disvouched other.

Every letter he has written has discredited another.

ANGELO

In most uneven and distracted manner. His actions

In a very odd and distracter manner. His actions
show much like to madness: pray heaven his wisdom be

Are similar to madness: pray to heaven that his intellect isn’t
not tainted! And why meet him at the gates, and

Spoiled! And why do we have to meet him at the gates, and
redeliver our authorities there

Surrender our authority there?

ESCALUS

I guess not.

I don’t know.

ANGELO

And why should we proclaim it in an hour before his

And why should be announce an hour before his
entering, that if any crave redress of injustice,

Arrival, that if there was any need to put injustice to rights,
they should exhibit their petitions in the street?

That they should declare their complaints in the street?

ESCALUS

He shows his reason for that: to have a dispatch of

He says the reason for that: to quickly settle all
complaints, and to deliver us from devices

Complaints, and to save us from fake complaints
hereafter, which shall then have no power to stand

After this, which won’t have the ability to be held
against us.

Against us.

ANGELO

Well, I beseech you, let it be proclaimed betimes

Well, I ask you, why not announce it early
i' the morn; I'll call you at your house: give

In the morning; I’ll stop by to visit you at your house: let
notice to such men of sort and suit as are to meet

The men of proper social status and outfit know they are going to meet
him.

Him.

ESCALUS

I shall, sir. Fare you well.

I will, sir.  Good bye.

ANGELO

Good night.

Good night.

Exit ESCALUS

This deed unshapes me quite, makes me unpregnant

This act quite confuses me, and makes me unprepared
And dull to all proceedings. A deflower'd maid!

And slow to react to all these events. A lady’s virginity lost!
And by an eminent body that enforced

And taken by an important man that enforced
The law against it! But that her tender shame

The law against such things! Were it not that because of her unfortunate shame
Will not proclaim against her maiden loss,

She cannot publically speak out against her loss of virginity,
How might she tongue me! Yet reason dares her no;

Think of how she would accuse me! But reason frightens her away from it;
For my authority bears of a credent bulk,

Because my authority has such strong credibility,
That no particular scandal once can touch

There is not a single scandal that can stain it
But it confounds the breather. He should have lived,

Unless it harms the one complaining of it as well. He could have lived,
Save that riotous youth, with dangerous sense,

Except that rebellious youngster, with dangerous knowledge of this,
Might in the times to come have ta'en revenge,

Might have later come to take his revenge,
By so receiving a dishonour'd life

For being given a dishonorable life
With ransom of such shame. Would yet he had lived!

Bought with such shame. Still I wish he had lived!
A lack, when once our grace we have forgot,

Oh well, once we have forgotten our virtue,
Nothing goes right: we would, and we would not.

Nothing is right: we could do one thing as easily as another.

Exit

Enter DUKE VINCENTIO in his own habit, and FRIAR PETER

DUKE VINCENTIO

These letters at fit time deliver me

Deliver these letters at the right time for me.

Giving letters

The provost knows our purpose and our plot.
The provost knows our situation and our plan.

The matter being afoot, keep your instruction,

That task being at hand, stick to your duty,
And hold you ever to our special drift;

And remember our precise purpose;
Though sometimes you do blench from this to that,

Though you may sometimes vary from this to that
As cause doth minister. Go call at Flavius' house,

As necessity requires.  Go visit at Flavius’ house,
And tell him where I stay: give the like notice

And tell him where I am staying: say the same thing
To Valentinus, Rowland, and to Crassus,

To Valentinus, Rowland, and to Crassus
And bid them bring the trumpets to the gate;

And ask them to bring trumpeters to the gate;
But send me Flavius first.

But tell Flavius first.

FRIAR PETER