The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (651 page)

To be here and everywhere. I had a sister,

Whom the blind waves and surges have devour'd.

Whom the blind waves of the sea have devored.

Of charity, what kin are you to me?

Please, what relative are you to me?

What countryman? what name? what parentage?

What country, what name, what family?

VIOLA

Of Messaline: Sebastian was my father;

Of Messaline: Sebastian was my father;

Such a Sebastian was my brother too,

My brother was Sebastian too,

So went he suited to his watery tomb:

He went dressed like this to his watery grave;

If spirits can assume both form and suit

If ghosts can take on both the form and clothing

You come to fright us.

You come to frighten us.

SEBASTIAN

A spirit I am indeed;

I am a spirit indeed:

But am in that dimension grossly clad

But I am in this world, clothed in the body

Which from the womb I did participate.

Which I have had since the womb.

Were you a woman, as the rest goes even,

If you were a woman, as the rest is right,

I should my tears let fall upon your cheek,

I should let my tears fall upon your cheek,

And say 'Thrice-welcome, drowned Viola!'

And say, 'Three-times welcome, drowned Viola!'

VIOLA

My father had a mole upon his brow.

My father had a mole on his forehead.

SEBASTIAN

And so had mine.

So did mine.

VIOLA

And died that day when Viola from her birth

And when Viola was

Had number'd thirteen years.

thirteen years old.

SEBASTIAN

O, that record is lively in my soul!

Oh, I remember that well!

He finished indeed his mortal act

He ended his mortal life

That day that made my sister thirteen years.

That day that made my sister thirteen years old.

VIOLA

If nothing lets to make us happy both

If there is nothing else to make us happy

But this my masculine usurp'd attire,

But this my male borrowed clothing

Do not embrace me till each circumstance

Do not embrace me till all the factors

Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump

Of place, time, fortune, do come together and jump

That I am Viola: which to confirm,

That I am Viola: which to prove,

I'll bring you to a captain in this town,



I'll bring you to a sea captain in this town,

Where lie my maiden weeds; by whose gentle help

Where lie my women's clothes; by whose gentle help

I was preserved to serve this noble count.

I was saved in order to serve this noble count.

All the occurrence of my fortune since

Everything that has happened to me since

Hath been between this lady and this lord.

Has been between this lady and this lord.

SEBASTIAN

[To OLIVIA] So comes it, lady, you have been mistook:

So that's it, lady, you have been mistaken:

But nature to her bias drew in that.

But nature to her inclination made it right.

You would have been contracted to a maid;

You would have been married to a girl;

Nor are you therein, by my life, deceived,

Nor are you there, by my life, deceived,

You are betroth'd both to a maid and man.

You are engaged both to a man and a woman.

DUKE ORSINO

Be not amazed; right noble is his blood.

Do not be distressed; his blood is noble.

If this be so, as yet the glass seems true,

If this is so, since it seems true,

I shall have share in this most happy wreck.

I will have a part in this happy situation.

To VIOLA

Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times

Boy, you have said to me a thousand times

Thou never shouldst love woman like to me.

That you should never love a woman the way you love me.

VIOLA

And all those sayings will I overswear;

And I will swear all those sayings again;

And those swearings keep as true in soul

And keep them as true

As doth that orbed continent the fire



That severs day from night.

as the sun.

DUKE ORSINO

Give me thy hand;

Give me your hand;

And let me see thee in thy woman's weeds.

And let me see you in your woman's clothes.

VIOLA

The captain that did bring me first on shore



Hath my maid's garments: he upon some action

Has my girl's dress: he is doing something

Is now in durance, at Malvolio's suit,

Right now for Malvolio,

A gentleman, and follower of my lady's.

A gentleman, and a servant of my lady's.

OLIVIA

He shall enlarge him: fetch Malvolio hither:

He shall explain thing: fetch Malvolio here:

And yet, alas, now I remember me,

And yet, oh dear, now I remember,

They say, poor gentleman, he's much distract.

They say, poor gentleman, he's in a bad way.

Re-enter Clown with a letter, and FABIAN

A most extracting frenzy of mine own

A most terrible frenzy of my own

From my remembrance clearly banish'd his.

Made me forget about his.

How does he, sirrah?

How is he, sir?

Clown

Truly, madam, he holds Belzebub at the staves's end as



well as a man in his case may do: has here writ a



letter to you; I should have given't you to-day



morning, but as a madman's epistles are no gospels,



so it skills not much when they are delivered.

He is doing as well as could be expected. Here is a letter.

OLIVIA

Open't, and read it.

Open it, and read it.

Clown

Look then to be well edified when the fool delivers

Look then to be pleased when the fool saves

the madman.

the insane man.

Reads

'By the Lord, madam,'--

'
By God, madam,'--

OLIVIA

How now! art thou mad?

What now! Are you insane?

Clown

No, madam, I do but read madness: an your ladyship

No, madam, I am only reading insanity: and if your ladyship

will have it as it ought to be, you must allow Vox.

will have it as it should be, you must allow it.

OLIVIA

Prithee, read i' thy right wits.

Please, read in your right mind.

Clown

So I do, madonna; but to read his right wits is to

So I do, madam; but to read in his right mind is to

read thus: therefore perpend, my princess, and give ear.

read like this; therefore prepare yourself, my princess, and listen.

OLIVIA

Read it you, sirrah.

You read it, man.

To FABIAN

FABIAN

[Reads] 'By the Lord, madam, you wrong me, and the



world shall know it: though you have put me into



darkness and given your drunken cousin rule over



me, yet have I the benefit of my senses as well as



your ladyship. I have your own letter that induced



me to the semblance I put on; with the which I doubt



not but to do myself much right, or you much shame.



Think of me as you please. I leave my duty a little



unthought of and speak out of my injury.



THE MADLY-USED MALVOLIO.'

I have been wronged and your drunken cousin has put me in darkness,

simply because I followed the instructions in the letter that you wrote,

and that I can show you. I have been treated terribly.

OLIVIA

Did he write this?

Did he write this letter?

Clown

Ay, madam.

Yes, madam.

DUKE ORSINO

This savours not much of distraction.

This does not seem like insanity.

OLIVIA

See him deliver'd, Fabian; bring him hither.

She him rescued, Fabian; bring him here.

Exit FABIAN

My lord so please you, these things further

My lord if it may please you, these things further


thought on,

thought about,

To think me as well a sister as a wife,

To think as well of me as a sister as you would have a wife,

One day shall crown the alliance on't, so please you,

One day shall celebrate the alliance, if it pleases you



Here at my house and at my proper cost.

Here at my house and at my expense.

DUKE ORSINO

Madam, I am most apt to embrace your offer.

Madam, I am most pleased to accept your author.

To VIOLA

Your master quits you; and for your service done him,

Your master releases you; and for your service done him,

So much against the mettle of your sex,

So much against the inclinations of your sex,

So far beneath your soft and tender breeding,

So far beneath your station in life,

And since you call'd me master for so long,

And since you called me Master for so long,

Here is my hand: you shall from this time be

Here is my hand: you shall from now on be

Your master's mistress.

Your master's wife.

OLIVIA

A sister! you are she.

Re-enter FABIAN, with MALVOLIO

DUKE ORSINO

Is this the madman?

Is this the insane man?

OLIVIA

Ay, my lord, this same.

Yes, my lord, this is him.

How now, Malvolio!

How are you, Malvolio?

MALVOLIO

Madam, you have done me wrong,

Madam, you have done me wrong,



Notorious wrong.

A terrible wrong.

OLIVIA

Have I, Malvolio? no.

Have I, Malvolio? No.

MALVOLIO

Lady, you have. Pray you, peruse that letter.

Lady, you have. Please, read that letter.

You must not now deny it is your hand:

You must not now deny it is your handwriting:

Write from it, if you can, in hand or phrase;

Write differently from it, if you can, in handwriting or style;