The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (841 page)

More slavish did I ne'er than answering

'A slave' without a knock.

I never did anything more slavish

that letting someone call me slave

without giving them a clout.

CLOTEN.

Thou art a robber,

A law-breaker, a villain. Yield thee, thief.

You are a robber,

a law breaker, a villain.Surrender, thief.

GUIDERIUS.

To who? To thee? What art thou? Have not I

An arm as big as thine, a heart as big?

Thy words, I grant, are bigger, for I wear not

My dagger in my mouth. Say what thou art;

Why I should yield to thee.

To who?To you?Who are you?Haven't I got

arms as big as yours, and a heart as big too?

I'll grant that your words are bigger, because I don't

use words instead of weapons.Say who you are,

and why I should surrender to you.

CLOTEN.

Thou villain base,

Know'st me not by my clothes?

You low villain,

don't you know me from my clothes?

GUIDERIUS.

No, nor thy tailor, rascal,

Who is thy grandfather; he made those clothes,

Which, as it seems, make thee.

No, nor do I know your tailor, rascal,

who is your grandfather; he made those clothes,

which, it appears, are all you have.

CLOTEN.

Thou precious varlet,

My tailor made them not.

You damned rascal,

my tailor didn't make them.

GUIDERIUS.

Hence, then, and thank

The man that gave them thee. Thou art some fool;

I am loath to beat thee.

Get away then and thank

the man that gave them to you.You're such a fool

I can't bring myself to beat you.

CLOTEN.

Thou injurious thief,

Hear but my name, and tremble.

You foul thief,

just hear my name and tremble.

GUIDERIUS.

What's thy name?

What's your name?

CLOTEN.

Cloten, thou villain.

Cloten, you villain.

GUIDERIUS.

Cloten, thou double villain, be thy name,

I cannot tremble at it. Were it toad, or adder, spider,

'Twould move me sooner.

Cloten, you double villain, if that's your name,

I can't tremble at it.If it was toad, or adder, spider,

I'd be more scared.

CLOTEN.

To thy further fear,

Nay, to thy mere confusion, thou shalt know

I am son to th' Queen.

To make you more afraid,

in fact to completely confound you, you should know

that I am the Queen's son.

GUIDERIUS.

I'm sorry for't; not seeming

So worthy as thy birth.

I'm sorry to hear it;

you don't live up to your ancestry.

CLOTEN.

Art not afeard?

Aren't you afraid?

GUIDERIUS.

Those that I reverence, those I fear- the wise:

At fools I laugh, not fear them.

I respect and fear wise men:

I laugh at fools, I don't fear them.

CLOTEN.

Die the death.

When I have slain thee with my proper hand,

I'll follow those that even now fled hence,

And on the gates of Lud's Town set your heads.

Yield, rustic mountaineer.

Exeunt, fighting

Re-enter BELARIUS and ARVIRAGUS

You're going to die.

When I have killed you with my own hands

I'll follow those who ran from here

and I'll impale your heads on the gates of London.

Surrender, you mountain peasant.

BELARIUS.

No company's abroad.

There's nobody around.

ARVIRAGUS.

None in the world; you did mistake him, sure.

Nobody at all; you have mistaken him for someone else.

BELARIUS.

I cannot tell; long is it since I saw him,

But time hath nothing blurr'd those lines of favour

Which then he wore; the snatches in his voice,

And burst of speaking, were as his. I am absolute

'Twas very Cloten.

I can't tell; it's a long time since I saw him,

But time hasn't changed the family likeness

which he had before; the tone of voice

and the way of speaking were all his.I'm positive

it was Cloten.

ARVIRAGUS.

In this place we left them.

I wish my brother make good time with him,

You say he is so fell.

We left them here.

I hope my brother managed to deal with him,

you say he is so evil.

BELARIUS.

Being scarce made up,

I mean to man, he had not apprehension

Of roaring terrors; for defect of judgment

Is oft the cease of fear.

Re-enter GUIDERIUS with CLOTEN'S head

But, see, thy brother.

Being little more than an idiot

he didn't have much idea of fear;

defective judgement

often causes fear.

But look, there's your brother.

GUIDERIUS.

This Cloten was a fool, an empty purse;

There was no money in't. Not Hercules

Could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none;

Yet I not doing this, the fool had borne

My head as I do his.

This Cloten was a fool, an empty purse;

there was no money in it.Not even Hercules

could have knocked out his brains, for he had none;

but if I hadn't done this, the fool would be carrying

my head like I'm carrying his.

BELARIUS.

What hast thou done?

What have you done?

GUIDERIUS.

I am perfect what: cut off one Cloten's head,

Son to the Queen, after his own report;

Who call'd me traitor, mountaineer, and swore

With his own single hand he'd take us in,

Displace our heads where- thank the gods!- they grow,

And set them on Lud's Town.

I know very well what: I have cut off one Cloten's head,

the son of the Queen, as he told me;

he called me a traitor, a mountain bandit, and swore

he would capture us single handed,

and rip our heads from where - thank the gods! - they grow,

and display them in London.

BELARIUS.

We are all undone.

We are all lost.

GUIDERIUS.

Why, worthy father, what have we to lose

But that he swore to take, our lives? The law

Protects not us; then why should we be tender

To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us,

Play judge and executioner all himself,

For do we fear the law? What company

Discover you abroad?

Why, good father, what have we got to lose

except the thing he swore to take from us, our lives?The law

doesn't protect us; so why should we allow

some arrogant fellow to threaten us,

playing the judge and executioner himself,

do we fear the law?What did you see

of his associates?

BELARIUS.

No single soul

Can we set eye on, but in an safe reason

He must have some attendants. Though his humour

Was nothing but mutation- ay, and that

From one bad thing to worse- not frenzy, not

Absolute madness could so far have rav'd,

To bring him here alone. Although perhaps

It may be heard at court that such as we

Cave here, hunt here, are outlaws, and in time

May make some stronger head- the which he hearing,

As it is like him, might break out and swear

He'd fetch us in; yet is't not probable

To come alone, either he so undertaking

Or they so suffering. Then on good ground we fear,

If we do fear this body hath a tail

More perilous than the head.

We haven't seen a single soul,

but it stands to reason that he must

have had company.Although he was

always changeable - yes, and going

from bad to worse - no fit, not

complete madness could have driven him

to get her on his own.It's possible

it is said at court that people like us

shelter here, hunt here, are outlaws, and might one day

be more threatening - and hearing this

it would be like him to boast that he would

capture us; but it's unlikely he'd

come alone, either that he would do it

or that they would allow it.So we have good reason to be afraid,

if we fear that this body has a tail

more dangerous than the head.

ARVIRAGUS.

Let ordinance

Come as the gods foresay it. Howsoe'er,

My brother hath done well.

Let it all happen

as the gods have ordained.Whatever,

my brother has done well.

BELARIUS.

I had no mind

To hunt this day; the boy Fidele's sickness

Did make my way long forth.

I didn't feel like

hunting today; the boy Fidele's sickness

made my journey tedious.

GUIDERIUS.

With his own sword,

Which he did wave against my throat, I have ta'en

His head from him. I'll throw't into the creek

Behind our rock, and let it to the sea

And tell the fishes he's the Queen's son, Cloten.

That's all I reck.

Exit

I have taken his head from him with

his own sword, which he waved at my throat.

I'll throw it in the creek

behind our shelter, and let it float to the sea

and tell the fishes he's Cloten, the Queen's son.

That's the end of it, I say.

BELARIUS.

I fear'twill be reveng'd.

Would, Polydore, thou hadst not done't! though valour

Becomes thee well enough.

I fear there will be revenge for this.

I wish you hadn't done this Polydore!Though the bravery

is well suited to you.

ARVIRAGUS.

Would I had done't,

So the revenge alone pursu'd me! Polydore,

I love thee brotherly, but envy much

Thou hast robb'd me of this deed. I would revenges,

That possible strength might meet, would seek us through,

And put us to our answer.