The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (733 page)

CAMILLO

Even he, my lord.

I am he, my lord.

PERDITA

How often have I told you 'twould be thus!

How often said, my dignity would last

But till 'twere known!

How often have I told you it would turn out this way!

How often did I say I could only keep my position

until it was known!

FLORIZEL

It cannot fail but by

The violation of my faith; and then

Let nature crush the sides o' the earth together

And mar the seeds within! Lift up thy looks:

From my succession wipe me, father; I

Am heir to my affection.

You can't lose it unless

I go against my promise; if that happens

let nature crush the sides of the earth together

and destroy all life within! Lift up your face:

father, you can wipe me from the succession; I

will inherit my love.

CAMILLO

Be advised.

Be warned.

FLORIZEL

I am, and by my fancy: if my reason

Will thereto be obedient, I have reason;

If not, my senses, better pleased with madness,

Do bid it welcome.

I am, by my emotions: if my reason

obeys them, I have reason;

if not, my senses, preferring madness,

welcomes it.

CAMILLO

This is desperate, sir.

This is terrible, sir.

FLORIZEL

So call it: but it does fulfil my vow;

I needs must think it honesty. Camillo,

Not for Bohemia, nor the pomp that may

Be thereat glean'd, for all the sun sees or

The close earth wombs or the profound sea hides

In unknown fathoms, will I break my oath

To this my fair beloved: therefore, I pray you,

As you have ever been my father's honour'd friend,

When he shall miss me,--as, in faith, I mean not

To see him any more,--cast your good counsels

Upon his passion; let myself and fortune

Tug for the time to come. This you may know

And so deliver, I am put to sea

With her whom here I cannot hold on shore;

And most opportune to our need I have

A vessel rides fast by, but not prepared

For this design. What course I mean to hold

Shall nothing benefit your knowledge, nor

Concern me the reporting.

You can call it that: but all it does is keep my promise;

so I shall call it honesty. Camillo,

not for the throne of Bohemia, nor the glory

that can be gained from it, not for all the sun shines on,

or that is hidden in the earth, or the deep sea hides

in its unknown depths, will I break my oath

to my beautiful love here. So, I ask you,

as you have always been my father's honoured friend,

when he misses me–as, I swear, I intend

never to see him again–add your good advice

to his anger: as for the future,

I shall take my chances. You can know this,

and tell him, that I have gone to sea

with the one whom I cannot stay with on shore;

and luckily for us, I have

a ship at anchor nearby, though not meant

for this plan. The direction I mean to take

it will do you no good to know, so I won't

bother telling you.

CAMILLO

O my lord!

I would your spirit were easier for advice,

Or stronger for your need.

Oh my lord!

I wish your spirit was more open to advice,

or more aware that you need it.

FLORIZEL

Hark, Perdita

Drawing her aside

I'll hear you by and by.

Listen, Perdita.

[to Camillo] I'll listen to you in a while.

CAMILLO

He's irremoveable,

Resolved for flight. Now were I happy, if

His going I could frame to serve my turn,

Save him from danger, do him love and honour,

Purchase the sight again of dear Sicilia

And that unhappy king, my master, whom

I so much thirst to see.

His mind is made up,

he's decided to flee. Now I would be happy, if

I could use his departure to serve my own plans,

save him from danger, give him love and honour,

and get to see dear Sicily again,

and that unhappy king, my master, whom

I want to see so much.

FLORIZEL

Now, good Camillo;

I am so fraught with curious business that

I leave out ceremony.

Now, good Camillo;

I am so full of anxious business that

I've forgotten my manners.

CAMILLO

Sir, I think

You have heard of my poor services, i' the love

That I have borne your father?

Sir, I think

you have heard of my poor services, done for the love

of your father?

FLORIZEL

Very nobly

Have you deserved: it is my father's music

To speak your deeds, not little of his care

To have them recompensed as thought on.

You have

acquitted yourself very nobly: my father loves

to talk of what you have done, and is always thinking

about how you can be rewarded.

CAMILLO

Well, my lord,

If you may please to think I love the king

And through him what is nearest to him, which is

Your gracious self, embrace but my direction:

If your more ponderous and settled project

May suffer alteration, on mine honour,

I'll point you where you shall have such receiving

As shall become your highness; where you may

Enjoy your mistress, from the whom, I see,

There's no disjunction to be made, but by--

As heavens forefend!--your ruin; marry her,

And, with my best endeavours in your absence,

Your discontenting father strive to qualify

And bring him up to liking.

Well, my lord,

if you believe that I love the king,

and by association what is nearest to him, which is

your gracious self, take my advice,

if your more important and determined plan

can accommodate some alteration. I promise you

I shall direct you to where you will get a welcome

befitting your highness; where you may

enjoy your mistress; for I can see

that the only thing that would split you up would be–

may heaven forbid it!–Your death. Marry her,

and while you are away I shall do my best

to pacify your unhappy father,

and bring him round.

FLORIZEL

How, Camillo,

May this, almost a miracle, be done?

That I may call thee something more than man

And after that trust to thee.

How, Camillo,

can this almost miracle be done?

If it is I'll call you a superman

and always trust you.

CAMILLO

Have you thought on

A place whereto you'll go?

Have you thought about

where you will go?

FLORIZEL

Not any yet:

But as the unthought-on accident is guilty

To what we wildly do, so we profess

Ourselves to be the slaves of chance and flies

Of every wind that blows.

I haven't yet:

since the unexpected misfortune is what

prompts us to rush away, so I admit

we are the slaves of chance and must go

wherever the wind takes us.

CAMILLO

Then list to me:

This follows, if you will not change your purpose

But undergo this flight, make for Sicilia,

And there present yourself and your fair princess,

For so I see she must be, 'fore Leontes:

She shall be habited as it becomes

The partner of your bed. Methinks I see

Leontes opening his free arms and weeping

His welcomes forth; asks thee the son forgiveness,

As 'twere i' the father's person; kisses the hands

Of your fresh princess; o'er and o'er divides him

'Twixt his unkindness and his kindness; the one

He chides to hell and bids the other grow

Faster than thought or time.

Then listen to me:

this is what you should do, if you won't change your mind

and still wish to flee, make for Sicily,

and there present yourself and your fair princess,

for I see that's what she must be, to Leontes:

she shall be welcomed as is fitting

for your partner. I can imagine

Leontes opening his generous arms and weeping

out his welcome;  he'll ask you, the son,

to forgive him in the name of the father; he'll kiss the hands

of your young princess; he'll talk alternately

of his unkindness and his kindness, damning

one to hell, and telling the other to grow

faster than thought or time.

FLORIZEL

Worthy Camillo,

What colour for my visitation shall I

Hold up before him?

Good Camillo,

what reason should I give him

for my visit?

CAMILLO

Sent by the king your father

To greet him and to give him comforts. Sir,

The manner of your bearing towards him, with

What you as from your father shall deliver,

Things known betwixt us three, I'll write you down:

The which shall point you forth at every sitting

What you must say; that he shall not perceive

But that you have your father's bosom there

And speak his very heart.

Say you have been sent by the king your father

to greet him and to give him assurances of friendship. Sir,

the way you should behave towards him, and

what you shall deliver as if it came from your father,

things only known to the three of us, I'll write down for you:

this will tell you in every situation

what you should say, so he will believe

that you have all your father's confidence

and speak his heart to you.

FLORIZEL

I am bound to you:

There is some sap in this.

I'm obliged to you:

this is a wise plan.

CAMILLO

A cause more promising

Than a wild dedication of yourselves

To unpath'd waters, undream'd shores, most certain

To miseries enough; no hope to help you,

But as you shake off one to take another;

Nothing so certain as your anchors, who