Tro. Oh! that I thought it could be in a As new into the world, strange, unacquainted: woman, (As, if it can, I will presume in you,) To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love; I am as true as truth's simplicity, And simpler than the infancy of truth. When right with right wars who shall be most right! True swains in love, shall in the world to come, Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes, Full of protest, of oath, and big compare, t As iron to adamant, as earth to the centre,- As true as Troilus shall crown up the verse, Cres. Prophet may you be! If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth, When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy, And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up, From false to false, among false maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood! when they have saidas false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, Pun. Go to, a bargain made: seal it, seal it; I'll be the witness. Here I hold your hand; here, my cousin's. If ever you prove false one to another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end after my name, call them all-Pandars: let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids, and all brokers-between Pandars! say, amen. SCENE 111-The Grecian Camp. Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, DIOMEDES, NES- The advantage of the time prompts me alond I have abandon'd Troy, left my possession, I do beseech you, as in way of taste, Cul. You have a Trojan prisoner, call'd An tenor, Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear. Oft have you, (often have you thanks therefore,) Desir'd my Cressid in right great exchange, Whom Troy hath still denied: But this An tenor, Shall quite strike off all service I have done, Agam. Let Diomedes hear him, And bring us Cressid hither: Calchas shall have [Exeunt DIOMEDES and CALCHAS. Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS, before their Tent. Ulyss. Achilles stands i'the entrance of his tent: Please it our general to pass strangely by him, If so, I have derision med'cinable, put on A form of strangeness as we pass along ;- more Achil. What, comes the general to speak with me? You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy. Agam. What says Achilles? would be ought with us? Nest. Would you, my lord, aught with the general ? Achil. No. To send their smiles before them to Achilles ; Achil. What, am I poor of late? 'Tis certain, greatness, once fallen out with fortune, Must fall out with men too: What the declin'd is, Which when they fall, as being slippery standers, Something not worth in me such rich beholding How now, Ulysses? Ulyss. Now great Thetis' son? Writes me, That man-how dearly ever parted, Achil. This is not strange, Ulysses. Ulyss. I do not strain at the position; It is familiar; but at the author's drift: Who, in his circumstance, expressly provesThat no man is the lord of any thing, (Though in and of him there be much consisting,) Till he communicate his parts to others: The voice again or like a gate of steel [this; Heavens, what a man is there! a very horse; That has he knows not what. Nature, what things there are, Most abject in regard, and dear in use! An act that very chance doth throw upon him, How some men creep in skittish fortune's hall, How excellent soever endowed. ↑ Detail of argument. Achil. I do believe it; for they pass'd by me, As misers do by beggars: neither gave to me Good word nor look: What, are my deeds forgot? Ulyss. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for oblivion, A great-sized monster of ingratitudes; As fast as they are made, forgot as soon Or, like a gallant horse fallen in first rauk, Though less than your's in past, must o'ertop hand, And with his arms out-stretch'd, as he would fly, Remuneration for the thing it was; High birth, vigour of bone, desert in service, To envious and calumniating time. One touch of nature makes the whole world And give to dust, that is a little gilt, The present eye praises the present object : I have strong reasons. Ulyss. But 'gainst your privacy The reasons are more potent and heroical: 'Tis known, Achilles, that you are in love With one of Priam's daughters. ‡ Achil. Ha! known? Ulyss. Is that a wonder? The providence that's in a watchful state, gods, Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles. Great Hector's sister did Achilles win; Shall from your neck unloose his amorous fold, Achit. Shall Ajax fight with Hector? Achil. I see my reputation is at stake; My fame is shrewdly gor'd. Patr. Oh! then beware; Those wounds heal ill, that men do give them-catlings Omission to do what is necessary [selves : Seals a commission to a blank of danger; And danger, like an ague, subtly taints Even then when we sit idly in the sun. Achil. Go call Thersites hither, sweet clus: Patro Ther. He must fight singly to-morrow with Hector; and is so prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling, that he raves in saying nothing. Achil. How can that be? Ther. Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock, a stride, and a stand: ruminates, like an hostess, that hath no arithmetic but her brain to set down her reckoning: bites his lip with a politic regard, as who should say-there were wit in this head, an 'twould out; and so there is; but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not show without knocking. The mau's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck 'the combat, he'll break it himself in vain-glory. He knows not me: I said, Goodmorrow, Ajax; and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the general? He is grown a very landfish, languageless, a monster. A plague of opinion! a man may wear it on both sides, like a leather jerkin. Achil. Thou must be my ambassador to him, Thersites. Ther. Who, I? why, he'll answer nobody; he professes not answering; speaking is for beggars; he wears his tongue in his arms. I will put on his presence; let Patroclus make demands to me, you shall see the pageant of Ajax. Achil. To him, Patroclus: Tell him,-I humbly desire the valiant Ajax, to invite the most valorous Hector to come unarm'd to my tent; and to procure safe conduct for his person, of the magnanimous and most illustrious six-orseven-times-honoured captain general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon. Do this. Patr. Jove bless great Ajax. Ther. Humph! Patr I come from the worthy Achilles, • Friend. on. Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him straight. Ther. Let me bear another to his horse; for that's the more capable + creature. Achil. My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirr'd; And I myself see not the bottom of it. [Exeunt ACHILLES and PATROCLUS. Ther. 'Would the fountain of your mind were clear again, that I might water an ass at it! I had rather be a tick in a sheep, than such a valiant ignorance. [Exit. ACT IV. SCENE I.-Troy.-A Street. Enter, at one side, NEAS and SERVANT, with a torch; at the other, PARIS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR, DIOMEDES, and others, with torches. Par. See, bo! who's that there? Ene. Is the prince there in person ?- Should rob my bed-mate of my company. lord Ene. We know each other well. Dio. We do; and long to know each other worse. Par. This is the most despiteful gentle greeting, The noblest hateful love, that e'er I heard of.What business, lord, so early? Ene. I was sent for to the king; but why, I know not. Par. His purpose meets you; 'Twas to bring this Greek To Calchas' house; and there to render him, ledge,) My brother Troilus lodges there to-night; Ene. That I assure you; Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece, Than Cressid borne from Troy. Par. There is no help; The bitter disposition of the time Will have it so. On, lord; we'll follow you. Ene. Good morrow, all. [Exit. Par. And tell me, noble Dio:ned; 'faith, tell me true, Even in the soul of sound good-fellowship,Who, in your thoughts, merits fair Helen best, Myself, or Menelaus ? Dio. Both alike: Be merits well to have her, that doth seek her more; But he as he, the heavier for a whore. Par. You are too bitter to your countrywo man. Dio. She's bitter to her country: Hear me, Paris, For every false drop in her bawdy veins A Grecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple Of her contaminated carrion weight, A Trojan hath been slain; since she could speak, She hath not given so many good words breath, SCENE II.—The same.-Court before the Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA. Tro. Dear, trouble not yourself the morn is cold. Cres. Then, sweet my lord, I'll call mine uncle down; He shall unbolt the gates. Tro. Trouble him not; To bed, to bed: Sleep kill those pretty eyes, Cres. Good morrow then. Tro. 'Pr'ythee now, to bed. Cres. Are you aweary of me? Tro. O Cressida! but that the busy day, Wak'd by the lark, bath rous'd the ribald ⚫ crows, • Lawd, noisy. Cres. A pestilence on him! now will he be mocking: I shall have such a life,- Pan. How now, how now? how go maidenheads?—Here, you maid! where's my cousin Cressid? Cres. Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle ! You bring me to do, and then you flout me too. Pan. To do what? to do what?-let her say what: what have I brought you to do? Cres. Come, come; beshrew your heart! you'll ne'er be good, Ene. Good morrow, lord, good morrow. Pan. Who's there? my lord Æneas? By my troth, I knew you not: what news with you so early? Ene. Is not prince Troilus here ? Ene. Come, he is here, my lord, do not deny him; It doth import him much, to speak with me. Pan. Is he here, say you? 'tis more than I know. I'll be sworn :-For my own part, I came in What should he do here? [late: Ene. Who!-nay, then :Come, come, you'll do him wrong ere you are 'ware: Cres. Good uncle, I beseech you on my knees, I beseech you, what's the matter? Pan. Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou art changed for Anteuor: thou must to thy father, and begone from Troilus; 'twill be his death; 'twill be his bane; he cannot bear it. Cres. O you immortal gods !—I will not go. Cres. I will not, uncle: I have forgot my I know no touch of consanguinity; No kin, no love, no blood, no soul so near me, If ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death, weep ; Pan. Do, do. and my SCENE IV.-The same --A Room in PANDA - RUS' House. Enter PAN DARUS and CRESSIDA. Pan. Be moderate, be moderate. As that which causeth it: How can I moderate Pan. Here, here, here he comes.-Ah! sweet ducks! Cres. O Troilus! Troilus ! [Embracing him. Pan. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too: O heart,-as the goodly say. ing is, -O heart, O heavy heart, Why sigh'st thou without breaking? where he answers again, Because thou canst not ease thy smart, By friendship, nor by speaking. There never was a truer rhyme. Let us cast away nothing, for we may live to have need of such a verse; we see it, we see it.-How now, lambs ? Tro. Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity, That the bless'd gods-as angry with my fancy, Tro. A hateful truth. Cres. What, and from Troilus too? Tro. And suddenly; where injury of chance Puts back leave-talking, justles roughly by All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents Our lock'd embrasures, strangles our dear vows Even in the birth of our own labouring breath: We two, that with so many thousand sighs Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves With the rude brevity and discharge of one. Injurious time now, with a robber's haste, Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how : As many farewells as be stars in heaven, With distinct breath and consign'd kisses to He fumbles up into a loose adieu; [them, SCENE III.-The same.-Before PANDARUS' Distasted with the salt of broken + tears. And scants us with a single famish'd kiss, Cres. Tear my bright hair, and scratch praised cheeks, Crack my clear voice with sobs, and break my heart With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy. [Exeunt. House. Enter PARIS, TROILUS, ENEAS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR, and DIOMEDES. Ane. [Within.] My lord! is the lady ready? Cries, Come! to him that instantly must die. Par. It is great morning; and the hour pre- Bid them have patience; she shall come anon. Pan. Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by the root! [Exit PANDARUS, Cres. I must then to the Greeks? Tro. No remedy. Cres. A woeful Cressid 'mongst the merry When shall we see again? [Greeks! Tro. Hear me, my love: Be thou but true of heart, Cres. I true! how now? what wicked deem is this? Tre. Nay, we must use expostulation kindly, For it is parting from us : [Exeunt.I speak not, be thou true, as fearing thee; |