women Cressids, and all brokers-between Pan- | So do each lord; and either greet him not, dars! say, Amen. Tro. Amen. Cres. Amen. Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber and a bed, which bed, because it shall not speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death: away. And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here, [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The Grecian camp. Enter Agamemnon, Ulysses, Diomedes, Nestor, Ajax, Menelaus, and Calchas. Cal. Now, princes, for the service I have done The advantage of the time prompts me aloud As new into the world, strange, unacquainted: Out of those many register'd in promise, make demand. Cal. You have a Trojan prisoner, call'd Antenor, Agam. tent: Please it our general to pass strangely by him, Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more Nest. Would you, my lord, aught with the Achil. No. [Exeunt Agamemnon and Nestor. Good day, good day. Men. How do you? how do you? (Exit Men. Achil. What, does the cuckold scrn me? Achil. Ajar. How now, Patroclus? Good morrow, Ajax. Ajax. На? Achil. Good morrow. Ajax. Ay, and good next day too. [Exit Ajax. Achil. What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles ? Patr. They pass by strangely: they were us'd To send their smiles before them to Achilles; Achil. What, am I poor of late? Hath any honour; but honour for those honours Which when they fall, as being slippery standers, How now, Ulysses? Now, great Thetis' son? This is not strange, Ulysses. Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turn'd on The bearer knows not, but commends itself him: If so, I have derision med'cinable, To use between your strangeness and his pride, (1) An instrument for tuning harps, &c. To others' eyes; nor doth the eve itself (2) Shyly. (3) Excellently endowed. Who, in his circumstance,' expressly proves→→ The present eye praises the present object: Where they are extended; which, like an arch, re- If thou wouldst not entomb thyself alive, there are, Most abject in regard, and dear in use! How some men creep in skittish fortune's hall, Achil. I do believe it: for they pass'd by me, A great-sized monster of ingratitudes: Ulyss. Is that a wonder? Ha! known? The providence that's in a watchful state, Those scraps are good deeds past: which are de- Great Hector's sister did Achilles win; vour'd As fast as they are made, forgot as soon In monumental mockery. Take the instant way; Or, like a gallant horse fallen in first rank, present, Though less than yours in past, must o'ertop yours: That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand; 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 kin,- (1) Detail of argument. (2) New-fashioned toys. 2 [Exit. Patr. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd you: Achil. Shall Ajax fight with Hector? Patr. Ay; and, perhaps, receive much honour by him. Achil. I see my reputation is at stake; Patr. O, then beware; Achil. Go call Thersites hither, sweet Patroclus: To see great Hector in his weeds of peace; (3) The descent of the deities to combat on ei ther side. (4) Polyxena. (5) Friend. Enter Thersites. Ther. A wonder! And I myself see not the bottom of it. [Exeunt Achilles and Patroclus. Ther. 'Would the fountain of your mind were Ther. Ajax goes up and down the field, asking clear again, that I might water an ass at it! I had for himself. rather be a tick in a sheep, than such a valiant ignorance. [Exit. Achil. How so? 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 a hostess, that hath no arithmetic but her brain to sct 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 man's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck i'the combat, he'll break it himself in vain-glory. He knows not me: I said, Good-morrow, Ajax; and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the general? He is grown a very land-fish, 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 unarmed to my tent; and to procure safe conduct for his person, of the magnanimous, and most illustrious, six-or-seven-times-honoured captain-general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon. Do this. Patr. Jove bless great Ajax. Patr. I come from the worthy Achilles,- ACT IV. SCENE I-Troy. A street. Enter, at one side, Par. See, ho! who's that there? Par. A valiant Greek, Æneas; take his hand : Ene. Dio. The one and other Diomed embraces. Ene. And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly Patr. Who most humbly desires you, to invite A thousand complete courses of the sun! Pair. Your answer, sir. Ther. Fare you well, with all my heart. Achil. Why, but he is not in his tune, is he? Ther. No, but he's out o'tune thus. What music will be in him when Hector has knocked out his brains, I know not: But, I am sure, none; unless the fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make catlings' 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; (1) Lute-strings made of catgut. (2) Intelligent. But, in mine emulous honour, let him die, Dio. We do; and long to know each other To Calchas' house; and there to render him, Ene. Ene. Good morrow, all. [Exit. -Here, you maid! where's my cousin Cressid? Cres. Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle ! Par. And tell me, noble Diomed; 'faith, tell me true, Even in the soul of sound good-fellowship,- Dio. He merits well to have her, that doth seek her Par. You are too bitter to your countrywoman. For every false drop in her bawdy veins A Grecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple A Trojan hath been slain: since she could speak, Par. Fair Diomed, you do as chapmen do, Dispraise the thing that you desire to buy: But we in silence hold this virtue well,We'll not commend what we intend to sell. Here lies our way. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The same. Court before the house of Pandarus. 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; Tro. Pr'ythee now, to bed. Good morrow then. Are you a-weary of me? Tro. O Cressida! but that the busy day, Wak'd by the lark, hath rous'd the ribald crows, And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer, I would not from thee. Cres. Night hath been too brief. Tro. Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays, As tediously as hell; but flies the grasps of love, With wings more momentary-swift than thought. You will catch cold, and curse me. Cres. You men will never tarry. Pr'ythee, tarry ; O foolish Cressid !-I might have still held off, Enter Pandarus. Cres. A pestilence on him! now will he be mocking: Who's that at door? good uncle, go and see.- Cres. Come, you are deceiv'd, I think of no such thing.[Knocking. How earnestly they knock!-pray you, come in; I would not for half Troy have you seen here. [Exeunt Troilus and Cressida. Pan. [Going to the door.] Who's there? what's the matter? will you beat down the door? How now? what's the matter? Enter Eneas. Jne. 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! Pan. Here! what should he do here? Ene. Come, he is here, my lord, do not deny him; It doth import him much, to speak with me. I'll be sworn :-For my own part, I came in late: Pan. Is he here, say you? 'tis more than I know, What should he do here? Ene. Who!-nay, then :Come, come, you'll do him wrong ere you are 'ware: You'll be so true to him, to be false to him: Do not you know of him, yet go fetch him hither; Go. As Pandarus is going out, enter Troilus. Tro. How now? what's the matter? Ene. My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute you, My matter is so rash: There is at hand Paris your brother, and Deiphobus, The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor Deliver'd to us; and for him forthwith, Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour, We must give up to Diomedes' hand The lady Cressida. Tro. Is it so concluded? Ene. By Priam, and the general state of Troy: They are at hand, and ready to effect it. Tro. How my achievements mock me! I will go meet them: and, my lord Encas, ture Have not more gift in taciturnity. [Exeunt Troilus and Æneas. Pan. Is't possible? no sooner got, but lost? The devil take Antenor! the young prince will go mad. Pan. How now, how now? how go maiden- A plague upon Antenor: I would, they had broke's I shall have such a life, tenor? 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 Antenor: thou must to thy father, and be gone 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 father; Cres. Tear my bright hair, and scratch my praised Cres. O Troilus! Troilus! [Embracing him. Pan. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too: "O heart!-as the goodly saying is, o heart, o heavy heart, 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 Pan. Ay, ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a case. Cres. Is it possible? Tro. And suddenly; where injury of chance 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, Crack my clear voice with sobs, and break my heart Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how: With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy. With distinct breath and consign'd2 kisses to them, As many farewells as be stars in heaven, [Exeunt. He fumbles up into a loose adieu; SCENE III.-The same. Before Pandarus' And scants us with a single famish'd kiss, house. Enter Paris, Troilus, Eneas, Deipho-Distasted with the salt of broken' tears. bus, Antenor, and Diomedes. Par. It is great morning; and the hour prefix'd Comes fast upon :-Good my brother Troilus, Tro. Ene. [Within.] My lord! is the lady ready? Genius so Cries, Come! to him that instantly must die.- Walk in to her house; or my heart will be blown up by the root! I'll bring her to the Grecian presently: [Exit. [Exeunt. The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste, And violenteth in a sense as strong [Exit Pandarus. Cres. I must then to the Greeks? Tro. Hear me, my love: Be thou but true of Cres. I true! how now? what wicked deem is this? Tro. Nay, we must use expostulation kindly, I speak not, be thou true, as fearing thee; As that which causeth it: How can I moderate it? But be thou true, say I, to fashion in If I could temporize with my affection, No more my grief in such a precious loss. My sequent protestation; be thou true, Cres. O, you shall be expos'd, my lord, to dangers Tro. And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear |