DRAMATIS PERSONAE
PRIAM, King of Troy His sons:
HECTOR
TROILUS
PARIS
DEIPHOBUS
HELENUS
MARGARELON, a bastard son of Priam
Trojan commanders:
AENEAS
ANTENOR
CALCHAS, a Trojan priest, taking part with the Greeks
PANDARUS, uncle to Cressida
AGAMEMNON, the Greek general
MENELAUS, his brother
Greek commanders:
ACHILLES
AJAX
ULYSSES
NESTOR
DIOMEDES
PATROCLUS
THERSITES, a deformed and scurrilous Greek
ALEXANDER, servant to Cressida
SERVANT to Troilus
SERVANT to Paris
SERVANT to Diomedes
HELEN, wife to Menelaus
ANDROMACHE, wife to Hector
CASSANDRA, daughter to Priam, a prophetess
CRESSIDA, daughter to Calchas
Trojan and Greek Soldiers, and Attendants
SCENE: Troy and the Greek camp before it PROLOGUE
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA PROLOGUE
In Troy, there lies the scene. From isles of Greece The princes orgillous,
their high blood chaf'd, Have to the port of Athens sent their ships Fraught
with the ministers and instruments Of cruel war. Sixty and nine that wore Their
crownets regal from th' Athenian bay Put forth toward Phrygia; and their vow is
made To ransack Troy, within whose strong immures The ravish'd Helen, Menelaus'
queen, With wanton Paris sleeps-and that's the quarrel. To Tenedos they come,
And the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge Their war-like fraughtage. Now on
Dardan plains The fresh and yet unbruised Greeks do pitch Their brave pavilions:
Priam's six-gated city, Dardan, and Tymbria, Helias, Chetas, Troien, And
Antenorides, with massy staples And corresponsive and fulfilling bolts, Sperr up
the sons of Troy. Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits On one and other
side, Troyan and Greek, Sets all on hazard-and hither am I come AxPrologue arm'd,
but not in confidence Of author's pen or actor's voice, but suited In like
conditions as our argument, To tell you, fair beholders, that our play Leaps
o'er the vaunt and firstlings of those broils, Beginning in the middle; starting
thence away, To what may be digested in a play. Like or find fault; do as your
pleasures are; Now good or bad, 'tis but the chance of war.
ACT I. SCENE 1. Troy. Before PRIAM'S palace
Enter TROILUS armed, and PANDARUS
TROILUS. Call here my varlet; I'll unarm again. Why should I war without the
walls of Troy That find such cruel battle here within? Each Troyan that is
master of his heart, Let him to field; Troilus, alas, hath none!
PANDARUS. Will this gear ne'er be mended?
TROILUS. The Greeks are strong, and skilful to their strength, Fierce to
their skill, and to their fierceness valiant; But I am weaker than a woman's
tear, Tamer than sleep, fonder than ignorance, Less valiant than the virgin in
the night, And skilless as unpractis'd infancy.
PANDARUS. Well, I have told you enough of this; for my part, I'll not meddle
nor make no farther. He that will have a cake out of the wheat must needs tarry
the grinding.
TROILUS. Have I not tarried?
PANDARUS. Ay, the grinding; but you must tarry the bolting.
TROILUS. Have I not tarried?
PANDARUS. Ay, the bolting; but you must tarry the leavening.
TROILUS. Still have I tarried.
PANDARUS. Ay, to the leavening; but here's yet in the word 'hereafter' the
kneading, the making of the cake, the heating of the oven, and the baking; nay,
you must stay the cooling too, or you may chance to burn your lips.
TROILUS. Patience herself, what goddess e'er she be, Doth lesser blench at
suff'rance than I do. At Priam's royal table do I sit; And when fair Cressid
comes into my thoughts- So, traitor, then she comes when she is thence.
PANDARUS. Well, she look'd yesternight fairer than ever I saw her look, or
any woman else.
TROILUS. I was about to tell thee: when my heart, As wedged with a sigh,
would rive in twain, Lest Hector or my father should perceive me, Ixhave, as
when the sun doth light a storm, Buried this sigh in wrinkle of a smile. But
sorrow that is couch'd in seeming gladness Is like that mirth fate turns to
sudden sadness.
PANDARUS. An her hair were not somewhat darker than Helen's- well, go to-
there were no more comparison between the women. But, for my part, she is my
kinswoman; I would not, as they term it, praise her, but I would somebody had
heard her talk yesterday, as Ixdid. I will not dispraise your sister Cassandra's
wit; but-
TROILUS. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus- When I do tell thee there my
hopes lie drown'd, Reply not in how many fathoms deep They lie indrench'd. I
tell thee I am mad In Cressid's love. Thou answer'st 'She is fair'- Pourest in
the open ulcer of my heart- Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice,
Handlest in thy discourse. O, that her hand, In whose comparison all whites are
ink Writing their own reproach; to whose soft seizure The cygnet's down is
harsh, and spirit of sense Hard as the palm of ploughman! This thou tell'st me,
As true thou tell'st me, when I say I love her; But, saying thus, instead of oil
and balm, Thou lay'st in every gash that love hath given me The knife that made
it.
PANDARUS. I speak no more than truth.
TROILUS. Thou dost not speak so much.
PANDARUS. Faith, I'll not meddle in it. Let her be as she is: if she be fair,
'tis the better for her; an she be not, she has the mends in her own hands.
TROILUS. Good Pandarus! How now, Pandarus!
PANDARUS. I have had my labour for my travail, ill thought on of her and ill
thought on of you; gone between and between, but small thanks for my labour.
TROILUS. What, art thou angry, Pandarus? What, with me?
PANDARUS. Because she's kin to me, therefore she's not so fair as Helen. An
she were not kin to me, she would be as fair a Friday as Helen is on Sunday. But
what care I? I care not an she were a blackamoor; 'tis all one to me.
TROILUS. Say I she is not fair?
PANDARUS. I do not care whether you do or no. She's a fool to stay behind her
father. Let her to the Greeks; and so I'll tell her the next time I see her. For
my part, I'll meddle nor make no more i' th' matter.
TROILUS. Pandarus!
PANDARUS. Not I.
TROILUS. Sweet Pandarus!
PANDARUS. Pray you, speak no more to me: I will leave all as I found it, and
there an end. Exit. Sound alarum
TROILUS. Peace, you ungracious clamours! Peace, rude sounds! Fools on both
sides! Helen must needs be fair, When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
Ixcannot fight upon this argument; It is too starv'd a subject for my sword. But
Pandarus-O gods, how do you plague me! Ixcannot come to Cressid but by Pandar;
And he's as tetchy to be woo'd to woo As she is stubborn-chaste against all
suit. Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphne's love, What Cressid is, what Pandar, and
what we? Her bed is India; there she lies, a pearl; Between our Ilium and where
she resides Let it be call'd the wild and wand'ring flood; Ourself the merchant,
and this sailing Pandar Our doubtful hope, our convoy, and our bark.
Alarum. Enter AENEAS
AENEAS. How now, Prince Troilus! Wherefore not afield?
TROILUS. Because not there. This woman's answer sorts, For womanish it is to
be from thence. What news, Aeneas, from the field to-day?
AENEAS. That Paris is returned home, and hurt.
TROILUS. By whom, Aeneas?
AENEAS. Troilus, by Menelaus.
TROILUS. Let Paris bleed: 'tis but a scar to scorn; Paris is gor'd with
Menelaus' horn. [Alarum]
AENEAS. Hark what good sport is out of town to-day!
TROILUS. Better at home, if 'would I might' were 'may.' But to the sport
abroad. Are you bound thither?
AENEAS. In all swift haste.
TROILUS. Come, go we then together. Exeunt
ACT I. SCENE 2. Troy. A street
Enter CRESSIDA and her man ALEXANDER
CRESSIDA. Who were those went by?
ALEXANDER. Queen Hecuba and Helen.
CRESSIDA. And whither go they?
ALEXANDER. Up to the eastern tower, Whose height commands as subject all the
vale, To see the battle. Hector, whose patience Is as a virtue fix'd, to-day was
mov'd. He chid Andromache, and struck his armourer; And, like as there were
husbandry in war, Before the sun rose he was harness'd light, And to the field
goes he; where every flower Did as a prophet weep what it foresaw In Hector's
wrath.
CRESSIDA. What was his cause of anger?
ALEXANDER. The noise goes, this: there is among the Greeks Axlord of Troyan
blood, nephew to Hector; They call him Ajax.
CRESSIDA. Good; and what of him?
ALEXANDER. They say he is a very man per se, And stands alone.
CRESSIDA. So do all men, unless they are drunk, sick, or have no legs.
ALEXANDER. This man, lady, hath robb'd many beasts of their particular
additions: he is as valiant as a lion, churlish as the bear, slow as the
elephant-a man into whom nature hath so crowded humours that his valour is
crush'd into folly, his folly sauced with discretion. There is no man hath a
virtue that he hath not a glimpse of, nor any man an attaint but he carries some
stain of it; he is melancholy without cause and merry against the hair; he hath
the joints of every thing; but everything so out of joint that he is a gouty
Briareus, many hands and no use, or purblind Argus, all eyes and no sight.
CRESSIDA. But how should this man, that makes me smile, make Hector
angry?
ALEXANDER. They say he yesterday cop'd Hector in the battle and struck him
down, the disdain and shame whereof hath ever since kept Hector fasting and
waking.
Enter PANDARUS
CRESSIDA. Who comes here?
ALEXANDER. Madam, your uncle Pandarus.
CRESSIDA. Hector's a gallant man.
ALEXANDER. As may be in the world, lady.
PANDARUS. What's that? What's that?
CRESSIDA. Good morrow, uncle Pandarus.
PANDARUS. Good morrow, cousin Cressid. What do you talk of?- Good morrow,
Alexander.-How do you, cousin? When were you at Ilium?
CRESSIDA. This morning, uncle.
PANDARUS. What were you talking of when I came? Was Hector arm'd and gone ere
you came to Ilium? Helen was not up, was she?
CRESSIDA. Hector was gone; but Helen was not up.
PANDARUS. E'en so. Hector was stirring early.
CRESSIDA. That were we talking of, and of his anger.
PANDARUS. Was he angry?
CRESSIDA. So he says here.
PANDARUS. True, he was so; I know the cause too; he'll lay about him today, I
can tell them that. And there's Troilus will not come far behind him; let them
take heed of Troilus, I can tell them that too.
CRESSIDA. What, is he angry too?
PANDARUS. Who, Troilus? Troilus is the better man of the two.
CRESSIDA. O Jupiter! there's no comparison.
PANDARUS. What, not between Troilus and Hector? Do you know a man if you see
him?
CRESSIDA. Ay, if I ever saw him before and knew him.
PANDARUS. Well, I say Troilus is Troilus.
CRESSIDA. Then you say as I say, for I am sure he is not Hector.
PANDARUS. No, nor Hector is not Troilus in some degrees.
CRESSIDA. 'Tis just to each of them: he is himself.
PANDARUS. Himself! Alas, poor Troilus! I would he were!
CRESSIDA. So he is.
PANDARUS. Condition I had gone barefoot to India.
CRESSIDA. He is not Hector.
PANDARUS. Himself! no, he's not himself. Would 'a were himself! Well, the
gods are above; time must friend or end. Well, Troilus, well! I would my heart
were in her body! No, Hector is not a better man than Troilus.
CRESSIDA. Excuse me.
PANDARUS. He is elder.
CRESSIDA. Pardon me, pardon me.
PANDARUS. Th' other's not come to't; you shall tell me another tale when th'
other's come to't. Hector shall not have his wit this year.
CRESSIDA. He shall not need it if he have his own.
PANDARUS. Nor his qualities.
CRESSIDA. No matter.
PANDARUS. Nor his beauty.
CRESSIDA. 'Twould not become him: his own's better.
PANDARUS. YOU have no judgment, niece. Helen herself swore th' other day that
Troilus, for a brown favour, for so 'tis, I must confess- not brown neither-
CRESSIDA. No, but brown.
PANDARUS. Faith, to say truth, brown and not brown.
CRESSIDA. To say the truth, true and not true.
PANDARUS. She prais'd his complexion above Paris.
CRESSIDA. Why, Paris hath colour enough.
PANDARUS. So he has.
CRESSIDA. Then Troilus should have too much. If she prais'd him above, his
complexion is higher than his; he having colour enough, and the other higher, is
too flaming praise for a good complexion. I had as lief Helen's golden tongue
had commended Troilus for a copper nose.
PANDARUS. I swear to you I think Helen loves him better than Paris.
CRESSIDA. Then she's a merry Greek indeed.
PANDARUS. Nay, I am sure she does. She came to him th' other day into the
compass'd window-and you know he has not past three or four hairs on his chin-
CRESSIDA. Indeed a tapster's arithmetic may soon bring his particulars
therein to a total.
PANDARUS. Why, he is very young, and yet will he within three pound lift as
much as his brother Hector.
CRESSIDA. Is he so young a man and so old a lifter?
PANDARUS. But to prove to you that Helen loves him: she came and puts me her
white hand to his cloven chin-
CRESSIDA. Juno have mercy! How came it cloven?
PANDARUS. Why, you know, 'tis dimpled. I think his smiling becomes him better
than any man in all Phrygia.
CRESSIDA. O, he smiles valiantly!
PANDARUS. Does he not?
CRESSIDA. O yes, an 'twere a cloud in autumn!
PANDARUS. Why, go to, then! But to prove to you that Helen loves Troilus-
CRESSIDA. Troilus will stand to the proof, if you'll prove it so.
PANDARUS. Troilus! Why, he esteems her no more than I esteem an addle egg.
CRESSIDA. If you love an addle egg as well as you love an idle head, you
would eat chickens i' th' shell.
PANDARUS. I cannot choose but laugh to think how she tickled his chin.
Indeed, she has a marvell's white hand, I must needs confess.
CRESSIDA. Without the rack.
PANDARUS. And she takes upon her to spy a white hair on his chin.
CRESSIDA. Alas, poor chin! Many a wart is richer.
PANDARUS. But there was such laughing! Queen Hecuba laugh'd that her eyes ran
o'er.
CRESSIDA. With millstones.
PANDARUS. And Cassandra laugh'd.
CRESSIDA. But there was a more temperate fire under the pot of her eyes. Did
her eyes run o'er too?
PANDARUS. And Hector laugh'd.
CRESSIDA. At what was all this laughing?
PANDARUS. Marry, at the white hair that Helen spied on Troilus' chin.
CRESSIDA. An't had been a green hair I should have laugh'd too.
PANDARUS. They laugh'd not so much at the hair as at his pretty answer.
CRESSIDA. What was his answer?
PANDARUS. Quoth she 'Here's but two and fifty hairs on your chin, and one of
them is white.'
CRESSIDA. This is her question.
PANDARUS. That's true; make no question of that. 'Two and fifty hairs,' quoth
he 'and one white. That white hair is my father, and all the rest are his sons.'
'Jupiter!' quoth she 'which of these hairs is Paris my husband?' 'The forked
one,' quoth he, 'pluck't out and give it him.' But there was such laughing! and
Helen so blush'd, and Paris so chaf'd; and all the rest so laugh'd that it
pass'd.
CRESSIDA. So let it now; for it has been a great while going by.
PANDARUS. Well, cousin, I told you a thing yesterday; think on't.
CRESSIDA. So I do.
PANDARUS. I'll be sworn 'tis true; he will weep you, and 'twere a man born in
April.
CRESSIDA. And I'll spring up in his tears, an 'twere a nettle against
May.[Sound a retreat]
PANDARUS. Hark! they are coming from the field. Shall we stand up here and
see them as they pass toward Ilium? Good niece, do, sweet niece Cressida.
CRESSIDA. At your pleasure.
PANDARUS. Here, here, here's an excellent place; here we may see most
bravely. I'll tell you them all by their names as they pass by; but mark Troilus
above the rest.
AENEAS passes
CRESSIDA. Speak not so loud.
PANDARUS. That's Aeneas. Is not that a brave man? He's one of the flowers of
Troy, I can tell you. But mark Troilus; you shall see anon.
ANTENOR passes
CRESSIDA. Who's that?
PANDARUS. That's Antenor. He has a shrewd wit, I can tell you; and he's a man
good enough; he's one o' th' soundest judgments in Troy, whosoever, and a proper
man of person. When comes Troilus? I'll show you Troilus anon. If he see me, you
shall see him nod at me.
CRESSIDA. Will he give you the nod?
PANDARUS. You shall see.
CRESSIDA. If he do, the rich shall have more.
HECTOR passes
PANDARUS. That's Hector, that, that, look you, that; there's a fellow! Go thy
way, Hector! There's a brave man, niece. O brave Hector! Look how he looks.
There's a countenance! Is't not a brave man?
CRESSIDA. O, a brave man!
PANDARUS. Is 'a not? It does a man's heart good. Look you what hacks are on
his helmet! Look you yonder, do you see? Look you there. There's no jesting;
there's laying on; take't off who will, as they say. There be hacks.
CRESSIDA. Be those with swords?
PANDARUS. Swords! anything, he cares not; an the devil come to him, it's all
one. By God's lid, it does one's heart good. Yonder comes Paris, yonder comes
Paris.
PARIS passes
Look ye yonder, niece; is't not a gallant man too, is't not? Why, this is
brave now. Who said he came hurt home to-day? He's not hurt. Why, this will do
Helen's heart good now, ha! Would I could see Troilus now! You shall see Troilus
anon.
HELENUS passes
CRESSIDA. Who's that?
PANDARUS. That's Helenus. I marvel where Troilus is. That's Helenus. I think
he went not forth to-day. That's Helenus.
CRESSIDA. Can Helenus fight, uncle?
PANDARUS. Helenus! no. Yes, he'll fight indifferent well. I marvel where
Troilus is. Hark! do you not hear the people cry 'Troilus'? Helenus is a priest.
CRESSIDA. What sneaking fellow comes yonder?
TROILUS passes
PANDARUS. Where? yonder? That's Deiphobus. 'Tis Troilus. There's a man,
niece. Hem! Brave Troilus, the prince of chivalry!
CRESSIDA. Peace, for shame, peace!
PANDARUS. Mark him; note him. O brave Troilus! Look well upon him, niece;
look you how his sword is bloodied, and his helm more hack'd than Hector's; and
how he looks, and how he goes! O admirable youth! he never saw three and twenty.
Go thy way, Troilus, go thy way. Had I a sister were a grace or a daughter a
goddess, he should take his choice. O admirable man! Paris? Paris is dirt to
him; and, I warrant, Helen, to change, would give an eye to boot.
CRESSIDA. Here comes more.
Common soldiers pass
PANDARUS. Asses, fools, dolts! chaff and bran, chaff and bran! porridge after
meat! I could live and die in the eyes of Troilus. Ne'er look, ne'er look; the
eagles are gone. Crows and daws, crows and daws! I had rather be such a man as
Troilus than Agamemnon and all Greece.
CRESSIDA. There is amongst the Greeks Achilles, a better man than Troilus.
PANDARUS. Achilles? A drayman, a porter, a very camel!
CRESSIDA. Well, well.
PANDARUS. Well, well! Why, have you any discretion? Have you any eyes? Do you
know what a man is? Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, manhood,
learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and
salt that season a man?
CRESSIDA. Ay, a minc'd man; and then to be bak'd with no date in the pie, for
then the man's date is out.
PANDARUS. You are such a woman! A man knows not at what ward you lie.
CRESSIDA. Upon my back, to defend my belly; upon my wit, to defend my wiles;
upon my secrecy, to defend mine honesty; my mask, to defend my beauty; and you,
to defend all these; and at all these wards I lie at, at a thousand watches.
PANDARUS. Say one of your watches.
CRESSIDA. Nay, I'll watch you for that; and that's one of the chiefest of
them too. If I cannot ward what I would not have hit, Ixcan watch you for
telling how I took the blow; unless it swell past hiding, and then it's past
watching
PANDARUS. You are such another!
Enter TROILUS' BOY
BOY. Sir, my lord would instantly speak with you.
PANDARUS. Where?
BOY. At your own house; there he unarms him.
PANDARUS. Good boy, tell him I come. Exit Boy Ixdoubt he be hurt. Fare ye
well, good niece.
CRESSIDA. Adieu, uncle.
PANDARUS. I will be with you, niece, by and by.
CRESSIDA. To bring, uncle.
PANDARUS. Ay, a token from Troilus.
CRESSIDA. By the same token, you are a bawd. Exit PANDARUS Words, vows,
gifts, tears, and love's full sacrifice, He offers in another's enterprise; But
more in Troilus thousand-fold I see Than in the glass of Pandar's praise may be,
Yet hold I off. Women are angels, wooing: Things won are done; joy's soul lies
in the doing. That she belov'd knows nought that knows not this: Men prize the
thing ungain'd more than it is. That she was never yet that ever knew Love got
so sweet as when desire did sue; Therefore this maxim out of love I teach:
Achievement is command; ungain'd, beseech. Then though my heart's content firm
love doth bear, Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear. Exit
ACT I. SCENE 3.
The Grecian camp. Before AGAMEMNON'S tent
Sennet. Enter AGAMEMNON, NESTOR, ULYSSES, DIOMEDES, MENELAUS, and others
AGAMEMNON. Princes, What grief hath set these jaundies o'er your cheeks? The
ample proposition that hope makes In all designs begun on earth below Fails in
the promis'd largeness; checks and disasters Grow in the veins of actions
highest rear'd, As knots, by the conflux of meeting sap, Infects the sound pine,
and diverts his grain Tortive and errant from his course of growth. Nor,
princes, is it matter new to us That we come short of our suppose so far That
after seven years' siege yet Troy walls stand; Sith every action that hath gone
before, Whereof we have record, trial did draw Bias and thwart, not answering
the aim, And that unbodied figure of the thought That gave't surmised shape. Why
then, you princes, Do you with cheeks abash'd behold our works And call them
shames, which are, indeed, nought else But the protractive trials of great Jove
To find persistive constancy in men; The fineness of which metal is not found In
fortune's love? For then the bold and coward, The wise and fool, the artist and
unread, The hard and soft, seem all affin'd and kin. But in the wind and tempest
of her frown Distinction, with a broad and powerful fan, Puffing at all, winnows
the light away; And what hath mass or matter by itself Lies rich in virtue and
unmingled.
NESTOR. With due observance of thy godlike seat, Great Agamemnon, Nestor
shall apply Thy latest words. In the reproof of chance Lies the true proof of
men. The sea being smooth, How many shallow bauble boats dare sail Upon her
patient breast, making their way With those of nobler bulk! But let the ruffian
Boreas once enrage The gentle Thetis, and anon behold The strong-ribb'd bark
through liquid mountains cut, Bounding between the two moist elements Like
Perseus' horse. Where's then the saucy boat, Whose weak untimber'd sides but
even now Co-rivall'd greatness? Either to harbour fled Or made a toast for
Neptune. Even so Doth valour's show and valour's worth divide In storms of
fortune; for in her ray and brightness The herd hath more annoyance by the
breeze Than by the tiger; but when the splitting wind Makes flexible the knees
of knotted oaks, And flies fled under shade-why, then the thing of courage As
rous'd with rage, with rage doth sympathise, And with an accent tun'd in
self-same key Retorts to chiding fortune.
ULYSSES. Agamemnon, Thou great commander, nerve and bone of Greece, Heart of
our numbers, soul and only spirit In whom the tempers and the minds of all
Should be shut up-hear what Ulysses speaks. Besides the applause and approbation
The which, [To AGAMEMNON] most mighty, for thy place and sway, [To NESTOR] And,
thou most reverend, for thy stretch'd-out life, Ixgive to both your speeches-
which were such As Agamemnon and the hand of Greece Should hold up high in
brass; and such again As venerable Nestor, hatch'd in silver, Should with a bond
of air, strong as the axle-tree On which heaven rides, knit all the Greekish
ears To his experienc'd tongue-yet let it please both, Thou great, and wise, to
hear Ulysses speak.
AGAMEMNON. Speak, Prince of Ithaca; and be't of less expect That matter
needless, of importless burden, Divide thy lips than we are confident, When rank
Thersites opes his mastic jaws, We shall hear music, wit, and oracle.
ULYSSES. Troy, yet upon his basis, had been down, And the great Hector's
sword had lack'd a master, But for these instances: The specialty of rule hath
been neglected; And look how many Grecian tents do stand Hollow upon this plain,
so many hollow factions. When that the general is not like the hive, To whom the
foragers shall all repair, What honey is expected? Degree being vizarded, Th'
unworthiest shows as fairly in the mask. The heavens themselves, the planets,
and this centre, Observe degree, priority, and place, Insisture, course,
proportion, season, form, Office, and custom, in all line of order; And
therefore is the glorious planet Sol In noble eminence enthron'd and spher'd
Amidst the other, whose med'cinable eye Corrects the ill aspects of planets
evil, And posts, like the commandment of a king, Sans check, to good and bad.
But when the planets In evil mixture to disorder wander, What plagues and what
portents, what mutiny, What raging of the sea, shaking of earth, Commotion in
the winds! Frights, changes, horrors, Divert and crack, rend and deracinate, The
unity and married calm of states Quite from their fixture! O, when degree is
shak'd, Which is the ladder of all high designs, The enterprise is sick! How
could communities, Degrees in schools, and brotherhoods in cities, Peaceful
commerce from dividable shores, The primogenity and due of birth, Prerogative of
age, crowns, sceptres, laurels, But by degree, stand in authentic place? Take
but degree away, untune that string, And hark what discord follows! Each thing
melts In mere oppugnancy: the bounded waters Should lift their bosoms higher
than the shores, And make a sop of all this solid globe; Strength should be lord
of imbecility, And the rude son should strike his father dead; Force should be
right; or, rather, right and wrong- Between whose endless jar justice resides-
Should lose their names, and so should justice too. Then everything includes
itself in power, Power into will, will into appetite; And appetite, an universal
wolf, So doubly seconded with will and power, Must make perforce an universal
prey, And last eat up himself. Great Agamemnon, This chaos, when degree is
suffocate, Follows the choking. And this neglection of degree it is That by a
pace goes backward, with a purpose It hath to climb. The general's disdain'd By
him one step below, he by the next, That next by him beneath; so ever step,
Exampl'd by the first pace that is sick Of his superior, grows to an envious
fever Of pale and bloodless emulation. And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on
foot, Not her own sinews. To end a tale of length, Troy in our weakness stands,
not in her strength.
NESTOR. Most wisely hath Ulysses here discover'd The fever whereof all our
power is sick.
AGAMEMNON. The nature of the sickness found, Ulysses, What is the remedy?
ULYSSES. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns The sinew and the forehand
of our host, Having his ear full of his airy fame, Grows dainty of his worth,
and in his tent Lies mocking our designs; with him Patroclus Upon a lazy bed the
livelong day Breaks scurril jests; And with ridiculous and awkward action-
Which, slanderer, he imitation calls- He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon,
Thy topless deputation he puts on; And like a strutting player whose conceit
Lies in his hamstring, and doth think it rich To hear the wooden dialogue and
sound 'Twixt his stretch'd footing and the scaffoldage- Such to-be-pitied and
o'er-wrested seeming He acts thy greatness in; and when he speaks 'Tis like a
chime a-mending; with terms unsquar'd, Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon
dropp'd, Would seem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff The large Achilles, on his
press'd bed lolling, From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause; Cries
'Excellent! 'tis Agamemnon just. Now play me Nestor; hem, and stroke thy beard,
As he being drest to some oration.' That's done-as near as the extremest ends Of
parallels, as like Vulcan and his wife; Yet god Achilles still cries 'Excellent!
'Tis Nestor right. Now play him me, Patroclus, Arming to answer in a night
alarm.' And then, forsooth, the faint defects of age Must be the scene of mirth:
to cough and spit And, with a palsy-fumbling on his gorget, Shake in and out the
rivet. And at this sport Sir Valour dies; cries 'O, enough, Patroclus; Or give
me ribs of steel! I shall split all In pleasure of my spleen.' And in this
fashion All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes, Severals and generals of
grace exact, Achievements, plots, orders, preventions, Excitements to the field
or speech for truce, Success or loss, what is or is not, serves As stuff for
these two to make paradoxes.
NESTOR. And in the imitation of these twain- Who, as Ulysses says, opinion
crowns With an imperial voice-many are infect. Ajax is grown self-will'd and
bears his head In such a rein, in full as proud a place As broad Achilles; keeps
his tent like him; Makes factious feasts; rails on our state of war Bold as an
oracle, and sets Thersites, Axslave whose gall coins slanders like a mint, To
match us in comparisons with dirt, To weaken and discredit our exposure, How
rank soever rounded in with danger.
ULYSSES. They tax our policy and call it cowardice, Count wisdom as no member
of the war, Forestall prescience, and esteem no act But that of hand. The still
and mental parts That do contrive how many hands shall strike When fitness calls
them on, and know, by measure Of their observant toil, the enemies' weight- Why,
this hath not a finger's dignity: They call this bed-work, mapp'ry, closet-war;
So that the ram that batters down the wall, For the great swinge and rudeness of
his poise, They place before his hand that made the engine, Or those that with
the fineness of their souls By reason guide his execution.
NESTOR. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horse Makes many Thetis' sons. [Tucket]
AGAMEMNON. What trumpet? Look, Menelaus.
MENELAUS. From Troy.
Enter AENEAS
AGAMEMNON. What would you fore our tent?
AENEAS. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you?
AGAMEMNON. Even this.
AENEAS. May one that is a herald and a prince Do a fair message to his kingly
eyes?
AGAMEMNON. With surety stronger than Achilles' an Fore all the Greekish
heads, which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general.
AENEAS. Fair leave and large security. How may Axstranger to those most
imperial looks Know them from eyes of other mortals?
AGAMEMNON. How?
AENEAS. Ay; Ixask, that I might waken reverence, And bid the cheek be ready
with a blush Modest as Morning when she coldly eyes The youthful Phoebus. Which
is that god in office, guiding men? Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?
AGAMEMNON. This Troyan scorns us, or the men of Troy Are ceremonious
courtiers.
AENEAS. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd, As bending angels; that's
their fame in peace. But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls, Good
arms, strong joints, true swords; and, Jove's accord, Nothing so full of heart.
But peace, Aeneas, Peace, Troyan; lay thy finger on thy lips. The worthiness of
praise distains his worth, If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth;
But what the repining enemy commends, That breath fame blows; that praise, sole
pure, transcends.
AGAMEMNON. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Aeneas?
AENEAS. Ay, Greek, that is my name.
AGAMEMNON. What's your affair, I pray you?
AENEAS. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.
AGAMEMNON. He hears nought privately that comes from Troy.
AENEAS. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him; Ixbring a trumpet to
awake his ear, To set his sense on the attentive bent, And then to speak.
AGAMEMNON. Speak frankly as the wind; It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour.
That thou shalt know, Troyan, he is awake, He tells thee so himself.
AENEAS. Trumpet, blow loud, Send thy brass voice through all these lazy
tents; And every Greek of mettle, let him know What Troy means fairly shall be
spoke aloud.
[Sound trumpet] We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy Axprince called
Hector-Priam is his father- Who in this dull and long-continued truce Is resty
grown; he bade me take a trumpet And to this purpose speak: Kings, princes,
lords! If there be one among the fair'st of Greece That holds his honour higher
than his ease, That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril, That knows
his valour and knows not his fear, That loves his mistress more than in
confession With truant vows to her own lips he loves, And dare avow her beauty
and her worth In other arms than hers-to him this challenge. Hector, in view of
Troyans and of Greeks, Shall make it good or do his best to do it: He hath a
lady wiser, fairer, truer, Than ever Greek did couple in his arms; And will
to-morrow with his trumpet call Mid-way between your tents and walls of Troy To
rouse a Grecian that is true in love. If any come, Hector shall honour him; If
none, he'll say in Troy, when he retires, The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not
worth The splinter of a lance. Even so much.
AGAMEMNON. This shall be told our lovers, Lord Aeneas. If none of them have
soul in such a kind, We left them all at home. But we are soldiers; And may that
soldier a mere recreant prove That means not, hath not, or is not in love. If
then one is, or hath, or means to be, That one meets Hector; if none else, I am
he.
NESTOR. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man When Hector's grandsire suck'd.
He is old now; But if there be not in our Grecian mould One noble man that hath
one spark of fire To answer for his love, tell him from me I'll hide my silver
beard in a gold beaver, And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn, And,
meeting him, will tell him that my lady Was fairer than his grandame, and as
chaste As may be in the world. His youth in flood, I'll prove this truth with my
three drops of blood.
AENEAS. Now heavens forfend such scarcity of youth!
ULYSSES. Amen.
AGAMEMNON. Fair Lord Aeneas, let me touch your hand; To our pavilion shall I
lead you, first. Achilles shall have word of this intent; So shall each lord of
Greece, from tent to tent. Yourself shall feast with us before you go, And find
the welcome of a noble foe. Exeunt all but ULYSSES and NESTOR
ULYSSES. Nestor!
NESTOR. What says Ulysses?
ULYSSES. I have a young conception in my brain; Be you my time to bring it to
some shape.
NESTOR. What is't?
ULYSSES. This 'tis: Blunt wedges rive hard knots. The seeded pride That hath
to this maturity blown up In rank Achilles must or now be cropp'd Or, shedding,
breed a nursery of like evil To overbulk us all.
NESTOR. Well, and how?
ULYSSES. This challenge that the gallant Hector sends, However it is spread
in general name, Relates in purpose only to Achilles.
NESTOR. True. The purpose is perspicuous even as substance Whose grossness
little characters sum up; And, in the publication, make no strain But that
Achilles, were his brain as barren As banks of Libya-though, Apollo knows, 'Tis
dry enough-will with great speed of judgment, Ay, with celerity, find Hector's
purpose Pointing on him.
ULYSSES. And wake him to the answer, think you?
NESTOR. Why, 'tis most meet. Who may you else oppose That can from Hector
bring those honours off, If not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat, Yet in
this trial much opinion dwells; For here the Troyans taste our dear'st repute
With their fin'st palate; and trust to me, Ulysses, Our imputation shall be
oddly pois'd In this vile action; for the success, Although particular, shall
give a scantling Of good or bad unto the general; And in such indexes, although
small pricks To their subsequent volumes, there is seen The baby figure of the
giant mas Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd He that meets Hector issues
from our choice; And choice, being mutual act of all our souls, Makes merit her
election, and doth boil, As 'twere from forth us all, a man distill'd Out of our
virtues; who miscarrying, What heart receives from hence a conquering part, To
steel a strong opinion to themselves? Which entertain'd, limbs are his
instruments, In no less working than are swords and bows Directive by the limbs.
ULYSSES. Give pardon to my speech. Therefore 'tis meet Achilles meet not
Hector. Let us, like merchants, show our foulest wares And think perchance
they'll sell; if not, the lustre Of the better yet to show shall show the
better, By showing the worst first. Do not consent That ever Hector and Achilles
meet; For both our honour and our shame in this Are dogg'd with two strange
followers.
NESTOR. I see them not with my old eyes. What are they?
ULYSSES. What glory our Achilles shares from Hector, Were he not proud, we
all should wear with him; But he already is too insolent; And it were better
parch in Afric sun Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes, Should he scape
Hector fair. If he were foil'd, Why, then we do our main opinion crush In taint
of our best man. No, make a lott'ry; And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw The
sort to fight with Hector. Among ourselves Give him allowance for the better
man; For that will physic the great Myrmidon, Who broils in loud applause, and
make him fall His crest, that prouder than blue Iris bends. If the dull
brainless Ajax come safe off, We'll dress him up in voices; if he fail, Yet go
we under our opinion still That we have better men. But, hit or miss, Our
project's life this shape of sense assumes- Ajax employ'd plucks down Achilles'
plumes.
NESTOR. Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice; And I will give a taste
thereof forthwith To Agamemnon. Go we to him straight. Two curs shall tame each
other: pride alone Must tarre the mastiffs on, as 'twere their bone. Exeunt
ACT II. SCENE 1.
The Grecian camp
Enter Ajax and THERSITES
AJAX. Thersites!
THERSITES. Agamemnon-how if he had boils full, an over, generally?
AJAX. Thersites!
THERSITES. And those boils did run-say so. Did not the general run then? Were
not that a botchy core?
AJAX. Dog!
THERSITES. Then there would come some matter from him; Ixsee none now.
AJAX. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel, then. [Strikes him]
THERSITES. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mongrel beef-witted lord!
AJAX. Speak, then, thou whinid'st leaven, speak. I will beat thee into
handsomeness.
THERSITES. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness; but I think thy
horse will sooner con an oration than thou learn a prayer without book. Thou
canst strike, canst thou? A red murrain o' thy jade's tricks!
AJAX. Toadstool, learn me the proclamation.
THERSITES. Dost thou think I have no sense, thou strikest me thus?
AJAX. The proclamation!
THERSITES. Thou art proclaim'd, a fool, I think.
AJAX. Do not, porpentine, do not; my fingers itch.
THERSITES. I would thou didst itch from head to foot and I had the scratching
of thee; I would make thee the loathsomest scab in Greece. When thou art forth
in the incursions, thou strikest as slow as another.
AJAX. I say, the proclamation.
THERSITES. Thou grumblest and railest every hour on Achilles; and thou art as
full of envy at his greatness as Cerberus is at Proserpina's beauty-ay, that
thou bark'st at him.
AJAX. Mistress Thersites!
THERSITES. Thou shouldst strike him.
AJAX. Cobloaf!
THERSITES. He would pun thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks a
biscuit.
AJAX. You whoreson cur! [Strikes him]
THERSITES. Do, do.
AJAX. Thou stool for a witch!
THERSITES. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! Thou hast no more brain than
I have in mine elbows; an assinico may tutor thee. You scurvy valiant ass! Thou
art here but to thrash Troyans, and thou art bought and sold among those of any
wit like a barbarian slave. If thou use to beat me, I will begin at thy heel and
tell what thou art by inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou!
AJAX. You dog!
THERSITES. You scurvy lord!
AJAX. You cur![Strikes him]
THERSITES. Mars his idiot! Do, rudeness; do, camel; do, do.
Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS
ACHILLES. Why, how now, Ajax! Wherefore do you thus? How now, Thersites!
What's the matter, man?
THERSITES. You see him there, do you?
ACHILLES. Ay; what's the matter?
THERSITES. Nay, look upon him.
ACHILLES. So I do. What's the matter?
THERSITES. Nay, but regard him well.
ACHILLES. Well! why, so I do.
THERSITES. But yet you look not well upon him; for who some ever you take him
to be, he is Ajax.
ACHILLES. I know that, fool.
THERSITES. Ay, but that fool knows not himself.
AJAX. Therefore I beat thee.
THERSITES. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he utters! His evasions have
ears thus long. I have bobb'd his brain more than he has beat my bones. I will
buy nine sparrows for a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of
a sparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax-who wears his wit in his belly and his guts
in his head-I'll tell you what I say of him.
ACHILLES. What?
THERSITES. I say this Ajax- [AJAX offers to strike him]
ACHILLES. Nay, good Ajax.
THERSITES. Has not so much wit-
ACHILLES. Nay, I must hold you.
THERSITES. As will stop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to
fight.
ACHILLES. Peace, fool.
THERSITES. I would have peace and quietness, but the fool will not- he there;
that he; look you there.
AJAX. O thou damned cur! I shall-
ACHILLES. Will you set your wit to a fool's?
THERSITES. No, I warrant you, the fool's will shame it.
PATROCLUS. Good words, Thersites.
ACHILLES. What's the quarrel?
AJAX. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour of the proclamation, and he
rails upon me.
THERSITES. I serve thee not.
AJAX. Well, go to, go to.
THERSITES. I serve here voluntary.
ACHILLES. Your last service was suff'rance; 'twas not voluntary. No man is
beaten voluntary. Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an impress.
THERSITES. E'en so; a great deal of your wit too lies in your sinews, or else
there be liars. Hector shall have a great catch an he knock out either of your
brains: 'a were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel.
ACHILLES. What, with me too, Thersites?
THERSITES. There's Ulysses and old Nestor-whose wit was mouldy ere your
grandsires had nails on their toes-yoke you like draught oxen, and make you
plough up the wars.
ACHILLES. What, what?
THERSITES. Yes, good sooth. To Achilles, to Ajax, to-
AJAX. I shall cut out your tongue.
THERSITES. 'Tis no matter; I shall speak as much as thou afterwards.
PATROCLUS. No more words, Thersites; peace!
THERSITES. I will hold my peace when Achilles' brach bids me, shall I?
ACHILLES. There's for you, Patroclus.
THERSITES. I will see you hang'd like clotpoles ere I come any more to your
tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of
fools.Exit
PATROCLUS. A good riddance.
ACHILLES. Marry, this, sir, is proclaim'd through all our host, That Hector,
by the fifth hour of the sun, Will with a trumpet 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning, call some knight to arms That hath a stomach; and such a one
that dare Maintain I know not what; 'tis trash. Farewell.
AJAX. Farewell. Who shall answer him?
ACHILLES. I know not; 'tis put to lott'ry. Otherwise. He knew his man.
AJAX. O, meaning you! I will go learn more of it.Exeunt ACT II. SCENE 2.
Troy. PRIAM'S palace
Enter PRIAM, HECTOR, TROILUS, PARIS, and HELENUS
PRIAM. After so many hours, lives, speeches, spent, Thus once again says
Nestor from the Greeks: 'Deliver Helen, and all damage else- As honour, loss of
time, travail, expense, Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is consum'd In
hot digestion of this cormorant war- Shall be struck off.' Hector, what say you
to't?
HECTOR. Though no man lesser fears the Greeks than I, As far as toucheth my
particular, Yet, dread Priam, There is no lady of more softer bowels, More
spongy to suck in the sense of fear, More ready to cry out 'Who knows what
follows?' Than Hector is. The wound of peace is surety, Surety secure; but
modest doubt is call'd The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches To th'
bottom of the worst. Let Helen go. Since the first sword was drawn about this
question, Every tithe soul 'mongst many thousand dismes Hath been as dear as
Helen-I mean, of ours. If we have lost so many tenths of ours To guard a thing
not ours, nor worth to us, Had it our name, the value of one ten, What merit's
in that reason which denies The yielding of her up?
TROILUS. Fie, fie, my brother! Weigh you the worth and honour of a king, So
great as our dread father's, in a scale Of common ounces? Will you with counters
sum The past-proportion of his infinite, And buckle in a waist most fathomless
With spans and inches so diminutive As fears and reasons? Fie, for godly shame!
HELENUS. No marvel though you bite so sharp at reasons, You are so empty of
them. Should not our father Bear the great sway of his affairs with reasons,
Because your speech hath none that tells him so?
TROILUS. You are for dreams and slumbers, brother priest; You fur your gloves
with reason. Here are your reasons: You know an enemy intends you harm; You know
a sword employ'd is perilous, And reason flies the object of all harm. Who
marvels, then, when Helenus beholds AxGrecian and his sword, if he do set The
very wings of reason to his heels And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove, Or
like a star disorb'd? Nay, if we talk of reason, Let's shut our gates and sleep.
Manhood and honour Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their thoughts
With this cramm'd reason. Reason and respect Make livers pale and lustihood
deject.
HECTOR. Brother, she is not worth what she doth, cost The keeping.
TROILUS. What's aught but as 'tis valued?
HECTOR. But value dwells not in particular will: It holds his estimate and
dignity As well wherein 'tis precious of itself As in the prizer. 'Tis mad
idolatry To make the service greater than the god-I And the will dotes that is
attributive To what infectiously itself affects, Without some image of th'
affected merit.
TROILUS. I take to-day a wife, and my election Is led on in the conduct of my
will; My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears, Two traded pilots 'twixt the
dangerous shores Of will and judgment: how may I avoid, Although my will
distaste what it elected, The wife I chose? There can be no evasion To blench
from this and to stand firm by honour. We turn not back the silks upon the
merchant When we have soil'd them; nor the remainder viands We do not throw in
unrespective sieve, Because we now are full. It was thought meet Paris should do
some vengeance on the Greeks; Your breath with full consent benied his sails;
The seas and winds, old wranglers, took a truce, And did him service. He touch'd
the ports desir'd; And for an old aunt whom the Greeks held captive He brought a
Grecian queen, whose youth and freshness Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes stale the
morning. Why keep we her? The Grecians keep our aunt. Is she worth keeping? Why,
she is a pearl Whose price hath launch'd above a thousand ships, And turn'd
crown'd kings to merchants. If you'll avouch 'twas wisdom Paris went- As you
must needs, for you all cried 'Go, go'- If you'll confess he brought home worthy
prize- As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands, And cried
'Inestimable!' -why do you now The issue of your proper wisdoms rate, And do a
deed that never fortune did- Beggar the estimation which you priz'd Richer than
sea and land? O theft most base, That we have stol'n what we do fear to keep!
But thieves unworthy of a thing so stol'n That in their country did them that
disgrace We fear to warrant in our native place!
CASSANDRA. [Within] Cry, Troyans, cry.
PRIAM. What noise, what shriek is this?
TROILUS. 'Tis our mad sister; I do know her voice.
CASSANDRA. [Within] Cry, Troyans.
HECTOR. It is Cassandra.
Enter CASSANDRA, raving
CASSANDRA. Cry, Troyans, cry. Lend me ten thousand eyes, And I will fill them
with prophetic tears.
HECTOR. Peace, sister, peace.
CASSANDRA. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled eld, Soft infancy, that
nothing canst but cry, Add to my clamours. Let us pay betimes Axmoiety of that
mass of moan to come. Cry, Troyans, cry. Practise your eyes with tears. Troy
must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand; Our firebrand brother, Paris, burns us all.
Cry, Troyans, cry, A Helen and a woe! Cry, cry. Troy burns, or else let Helen
go. Exit
HECTOR. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high strains Of divination in our
sister work Some touches of remorse, or is your blood So madly hot that no
discourse of reason, Nor fear of bad success in a bad cause, Can qualify the
same?
TROILUS. Why, brother Hector, We may not think the justness of each act Such
and no other than event doth form it; Nor once deject the courage of our minds
Because Cassandra's mad. Her brain-sick raptures Cannot distaste the goodness of
a quarrel Which hath our several honours all engag'd To make it gracious. For my
private part, Ixam no more touch'd than all Priam's sons; And Jove forbid there
should be done amongst us Such things as might offend the weakest spleen To
fight for and maintain.
PARIS. Else might the world convince of levity As well my undertakings as
your counsels; But I attest the gods, your full consent Gave wings to my
propension, and cut of All fears attending on so dire a project. For what, alas,
can these my single arms? What propugnation is in one man's valour To stand the
push and enmity of those This quarrel would excite? Yet, I protest, Were I alone
to pass the difficulties, And had as ample power as I have will, Paris should
ne'er retract what he hath done Nor faint in the pursuit.
PRIAM. Paris, you speak Like one besotted on your sweet delights. You have
the honey still, but these the gall; So to be valiant is no praise at all.
PARIS. Sir, I propose not merely to myself The pleasures such a beauty brings
with it; But I would have the soil of her fair rape Wip'd off in honourable
keeping her. What treason were it to the ransack'd queen, Disgrace to your great
worths, and shame to me, Now to deliver her possession up On terms of base
compulsion! Can it be That so degenerate a strain as this Should once set
footing in your generous bosoms? There's not the meanest spirit on our party
Without a heart to dare or sword to draw When Helen is defended; nor none so
noble Whose life were ill bestow'd or death unfam'd Where Helen is the subject.
Then, I say, Well may we fight for her whom we know well The world's large
spaces cannot parallel.
HECTOR. Paris and Troilus, you have both said well; And on the cause and
question now in hand Have gloz'd, but superficially; not much Unlike young men,
whom Aristode thought Unfit to hear moral philosophy. The reasons you allege do
more conduce To the hot passion of distemp'red blood Than to make up a free
determination 'Twixt right and wrong; for pleasure and revenge Have ears more
deaf than adders to the voice Of any true decision. Nature craves All dues be
rend'red to their owners. Now, What nearer debt in all humanity Than wife is to
the husband? If this law Of nature be corrupted through affection; And that
great minds, of partial indulgence To their benumbed wills, resist the same;
There is a law in each well-order'd nation To curb those raging appetites that
are Most disobedient and refractory. If Helen, then, be wife to Sparta's king-
As it is known she is-these moral laws Of nature and of nations speak aloud To
have her back return'd. Thus to persist In doing wrong extenuates not wrong, But
makes it much more heavy. Hector's opinion Is this, in way of truth. Yet, ne'er
the less, My spritely brethren, I propend to you In resolution to keep Helen
still; For 'tis a cause that hath no mean dependence Upon our joint and several
dignities.
TROILUS. Why, there you touch'd the life of our design. Were it not glory
that we more affected Than the performance of our heaving spleens, Ixwould not
wish a drop of Troyan blood Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector, She
is a theme of honour and renown, Axspur to valiant and magnanimous deeds, Whose
present courage may beat down our foes, And fame in time to come canonize us;
For I presume brave Hector would not lose So rich advantage of a promis'd glory
As smiles upon the forehead of this action For the wide world's revenue.
HECTOR. I am yours, You valiant offspring of great Priamus. Ixhave a roisting
challenge sent amongst The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks Will strike
amazement to their drowsy spirits. Ixwas advertis'd their great general slept,
Whilst emulation in the army crept. This, I presume, will wake him.Exeunt
ACT II. SCENE 3. The Grecian camp. Before the tent of ACHILLES
Enter THERSITES, solus
THERSITES. How now, Thersites! What, lost in the labyrinth of thy fury? Shall
the elephant Ajax carry it thus? He beats me, and I rail at him. O worthy
satisfaction! Would it were otherwise: that Ixcould beat him, whilst he rail'd
at me! 'Sfoot, I'll learn to conjure and raise devils, but I'll see some issue
of my spiteful execrations. Then there's Achilles, a rare engineer! If Troy be
not taken till these two undermine it, the walls will stand till they fall of
themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art Jove,
the king of gods, and, Mercury, lose all the serpentine craft of thy caduceus,
if ye take not that little little less-than-little wit from them that they have!
which short-arm'd ignorance itself knows is so abundant scarce, it will not in
circumvention deliver a fly from a spider without drawing their massy irons and
cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or, rather, the
Neapolitan bone-ache! for that, methinks, is the curse depending on those that
war for a placket. I have said my prayers; and devil Envy say 'Amen.' What ho!
my Lord Achilles!
Enter PATROCLUS
PATROCLUS. Who's there? Thersites! Good Thersites, come in and rail.
THERSITES. If I could 'a rememb'red a gilt counterfeit, thou wouldst not have
slipp'd out of my contemplation; but it is no matter; thyself upon thyself! The
common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! Heaven
bless thee from axtutor, and discipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy
direction till thy death. Then if she that lays thee out says thou art a fair
corse, I'll be sworn and sworn upon't she never shrouded any but lazars. Amen.
Where's Achilles?
PATROCLUS. What, art thou devout? Wast thou in prayer?
THERSITES. Ay, the heavens hear me!
PATROCLUS. Amen.
Enter ACHILLES
ACHILLES. Who's there?
PATROCLUS. Thersites, my lord.
ACHILLES. Where, where? O, where? Art thou come? Why, my cheese, my
digestion, why hast thou not served thyself in to my table so many meals? Come,
what's Agamemnon?
THERSITES. Thy commander, Achilles. Then tell me, Patroclus, what's Achilles?
PATROCLUS. Thy lord, Thersites. Then tell me, I pray thee, what's Thersites?
THERSITES. Thy knower, Patroclus. Then tell me, Patroclus, what art thou?
PATROCLUS. Thou must tell that knowest.
ACHILLES. O, tell, tell,
THERSITES. I'll decline the whole question. Agamemnon commands Achilles;
Achilles is my lord; I am Patroclus' knower; and Patroclus is a fool.
PATROCLUS. You rascal!
THERSITES. Peace, fool! I have not done.
ACHILLES. He is a privileg'd man. Proceed, Thersites.
THERSITES. Agamemnon is a fool; Achilles is a fool; Thersites is a fool; and,
as aforesaid, Patroclus is a fool.
ACHILLES. Derive this; come.
THERSITES. Agamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles; Achilles is a
fool to be commanded of Agamemnon; Thersites is a fool to serve such a fool; and
this Patroclus is a fool positive.
PATROCLUS. Why am I a fool?
THERSITES. Make that demand of the Creator. It suffices me thou art. Look
you, who comes here?
ACHILLES. Come, Patroclus, I'll speak with nobody. Come in with me, Thersites.
Exit
THERSITES. Here is such patchery, such juggling, and such knavery. All the
argument is a whore and a cuckold-a good quarrel to draw emulous factions and
bleed to death upon. Now the dry serpigo on the subject, and war and lechery
confound all! Exit
Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, NESTOR, DIOMEDES,
AJAX, and CALCHAS
AGAMEMNON. Where is Achilles?
PATROCLUS. Within his tent; but ill-dispos'd, my lord.
AGAMEMNON. Let it be known to him that we are here. He shent our messengers;
and we lay by Our appertainings, visiting of him. Let him be told so; lest,
perchance, he think We dare not move the question of our place Or know not what
we are.
PATROCLUS. I shall say so to him. Exit
ULYSSES. We saw him at the opening of his tent. He is not sick.
AJAX. Yes, lion-sick, sick of proud heart. You may call it melancholy, if you
will favour the man; but, by my head, 'tis pride. But why, why? Let him show us
a cause. A word, my lord.
[Takes AGAMEMNON aside]
NESTOR. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him?
ULYSSES. Achilles hath inveigled his fool from him.
NESTOR.Who, Thersites?
ULYSSES. He.
NESTOR. Then will Ajax lack matter, if he have lost his argument
ULYSSES. No; you see he is his argument that has his argument- Achilles.
NESTOR. All the better; their fraction is more our wish than their faction.
But it was a strong composure a fool could disunite!
ULYSSES. The amity that wisdom knits not, folly may easily untie.
Re-enter PATROCLUS
Here comes Patroclus.
NESTOR. No Achilles with him.
ULYSSES. The elephant hath joints, but none for courtesy; his legs are legs
for necessity, not for flexure.
PATROCLUS. Achilles bids me say he is much sorry If any thing more than your
sport and pleasure Did move your greatness and this noble state To call upon
him; he hopes it is no other But for your health and your digestion sake, An
after-dinner's breath.
AGAMEMNON. Hear you, Patroclus. We are too well acquainted with these
answers; But his evasion, wing'd thus swift with scorn, Cannot outfly our
apprehensions. Much attribute he hath, and much the reason Why we ascribe it to
him. Yet all his virtues, Not virtuously on his own part beheld, Do in our eyes
begin to lose their gloss; Yea, like fair fruit in an unwholesome dish, Are like
to rot untasted. Go and tell him We come to speak with him; and you shall not
sin If you do say we think him over-proud And under-honest, in self-assumption
greater Than in the note of judgment; and worthier than himself Here tend the
savage strangeness he puts on, Disguise the holy strength of their command, And
underwrite in an observing kind His humorous predominance; yea, watch His
pettish lunes, his ebbs, his flows, as if The passage and whole carriage of this
action Rode on his tide. Go tell him this, and ad That if he overhold his price
so much We'll none of him, but let him, like an engine Not portable, lie under
this report: Bring action hither; this cannot go to war. Axstirring dwarf we do
allowance give Before a sleeping giant. Tell him so.
PATROCLUS. I shall, and bring his answer presently.Exit
AGAMEMNON. In second voice we'll not be satisfied; We come to speak with him.
Ulysses, enter you. Exit ULYSSES
AJAX. What is he more than another?
AGAMEMNON. No more than what he thinks he is.
AJAX. Is he so much? Do you not think he thinks himself a better man than I
am?
AGAMEMNON. No question.
AJAX. Will you subscribe his thought and say he is?
AGAMEMNON. No, noble Ajax; you are as strong, as valiant, as wise, no less
noble, much more gentle, and altogether more tractable.
AJAX. Why should a man be proud? How doth pride grow? I know not what pride
is.
AGAMEMNON. Your mind is the clearer, Ajax, and your virtues the fairer. He
that is proud eats up himself. Pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own
chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the deed devours the deed in the
praise.
Re-enter ULYSSES
AJAX. I do hate a proud man as I do hate the engend'ring of toads.
NESTOR. [Aside] And yet he loves himself: is't not strange?
ULYSSES. Achilles will not to the field to-morrow.
AGAMEMNON. What's his excuse?
ULYSSES. He doth rely on none; But carries on the stream of his dispose,
Without observance or respect of any, In will peculiar and in self-admission.
AGAMEMNON. Why will he not, upon our fair request, Untent his person and
share the air with us?
ULYSSES. Things small as nothing, for request's sake only, He makes
important; possess'd he is with greatness, And speaks not to himself but with a
pride That quarrels at self-breath. Imagin'd worth Holds in his blood such
swol'n and hot discourse That 'twixt his mental and his active parts Kingdom'd
Achilles in commotion rages, And batters down himself. What should I say? He is
so plaguy proud that the death tokens of it Cry 'No recovery.'
AGAMEMNON. Let Ajax go to him. Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent. 'Tis
said he holds you well; and will be led At your request a little from himself.
ULYSSES. O Agamemnon, let it not be so! We'll consecrate the steps that Ajax
makes When they go from Achilles. Shall the proud lord That bastes his arrogance
with his own seam And never suffers matter of the world Enter his thoughts, save
such as doth revolve And ruminate himself-shall he be worshipp'd Of that we hold
an idol more than he? No, this thrice-worthy and right valiant lord Shall not so
stale his palm, nobly acquir'd, Nor, by my will, assubjugate his merit, As amply
titled as Achilles is, By going to Achilles. That were to enlard his fat-already
pride, And add more coals to Cancer when he burns With entertaining great
Hyperion. This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid, And say in thunder 'Achilles go
to him.'
NESTOR. [Aside] O, this is well! He rubs the vein of him.
DIOMEDES. [Aside] And how his silence drinks up this applause!
AJAX. If I go to him, with my armed fist I'll pash him o'er the face.
AGAMEMNON. O, no, you shall not go.
AJAX. An 'a be proud with me I'll pheeze his pride. Let me go to him.
ULYSSES. Not for the worth that hangs upon our quarrel.
AJAX. A paltry, insolent fellow!
NESTOR. [Aside] How he describes himself!
AJAX. Can he not be sociable?
ULYSSES. [Aside] The raven chides blackness.
AJAX. I'll let his humours blood.
AGAMEMNON. [Aside] He will be the physician that should be the patient.
AJAX. An all men were a my mind-
ULYSSES. [Aside] Wit would be out of fashion.
AJAX. 'A should not bear it so, 'a should eat's words first. Shall pride
carry it?
NESTOR. [Aside] An 'twould, you'd carry half.
ULYSSES. [Aside] 'A would have ten shares.
AJAX. I will knead him, I'll make him supple.
NESTOR. [Aside] He's not yet through warm. Force him with praises; pour in,
pour in; his ambition is dry.
ULYSSES. [To AGAMEMNON] My lord, you feed too much on this dislike.
NESTOR. Our noble general, do not do so.
DIOMEDES. You must prepare to fight without Achilles.
ULYSSES. Why 'tis this naming of him does him harm. Here is a man-but 'tis
before his face; Ixwill be silent.
NESTOR. Wherefore should you so? He is not emulous, as Achilles is.
ULYSSES. Know the whole world, he is as valiant.
AJAX. A whoreson dog, that shall palter with us thus! Would he were a Troyan!
NESTOR. What a vice were it in Ajax now-
ULYSSES. If he were proud.
DIOMEDES. Or covetous of praise.
ULYSSES. Ay, or surly borne.
DIOMEDES. Or strange, or self-affected.
ULYSSES. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet composure Praise him that
gat thee, she that gave thee suck; Fam'd be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature
Thrice-fam'd beyond, beyond all erudition; But he that disciplin'd thine arms to
fight- Let Mars divide eternity in twain And give him half; and, for thy vigour,
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield To sinewy Ajax. I will not praise thy
wisdom, Which, like a bourn, a pale, a shore, confines Thy spacious and dilated
parts. Here's Nestor, Instructed by the antiquary times- He must, he is, he
cannot but be wise; But pardon, father Nestor, were your days As green as Ajax'
and your brain so temper'd, You should not have the eminence of him, But be as
Ajax.
AJAX. Shall I call you father?
NESTOR. Ay, my good son.
DIOMEDES. Be rul'd by him, Lord Ajax.
ULYSSES. There is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles Keeps thicket. Please
it our great general To call together all his state of war; Fresh kings are come
to Troy. To-morrow We must with all our main of power stand fast; And here's a
lord-come knights from east to west And cull their flower, Ajax shall cope the
best.
AGAMEMNON. Go we to council. Let Achilles sleep. Light boats sail swift,
though greater hulks draw deep.
Exeunt ACT III. SCENE 1.
Troy. PRIAM'S palace
Music sounds within. Enter PANDARUS and a SERVANT
PANDARUS. Friend, you-pray you, a word. Do you not follow the young Lord
Paris?
SERVANT. Ay, sir, when he goes before me.
PANDARUS. You depend upon him, I mean?
SERVANT. Sir, I do depend upon the lord.
PANDARUS. You depend upon a notable gentleman; I must needs praise him.
SERVANT. The lord be praised!
PANDARUS. You know me, do you not?
SERVANT. Faith, sir, superficially.
PANDARUS. Friend, know me better: I am the Lord Pandarus.
SERVANT. I hope I shall know your honour better.
PANDARUS. I do desire it.
SERVANT. You are in the state of grace.
PANDARUS. Grace! Not so, friend; honour and lordship are my titles. What
music is this?
SERVANT. I do but partly know, sir; it is music in parts.
PANDARUS. Know you the musicians?
SERVANT. Wholly, sir.
PANDARUS. Who play they to?
SERVANT. To the hearers, sir.
PANDARUS. At whose pleasure, friend?
SERVANT. At mine, sir, and theirs that love music.
PANDARUS. Command, I mean, friend.
SERVANT. Who shall I command, sir?
PANDARUS. Friend, we understand not one another: I am to courtly, and thou
art too cunning. At whose request do these men play?
SERVANT. That's to't, indeed, sir. Marry, sir, at the request of Paris my
lord, who is there in person; with him the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of
beauty, love's invisible soul-
PANDARUS. Who, my cousin, Cressida?
SERVANT. No, sir, Helen. Could not you find out that by her attributes?
PANDARUS. It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not seen the Lady Cressida.
I come to speak with Paris from the Prince Troilus; I will make a complimental
assault upon him, for my business seethes.
SERVANT. Sodden business! There's a stew'd phrase indeed!
Enter PARIS and HELEN, attended
PANDARUS. Fair be to you, my lord, and to all this fair company! Fair
desires, in all fair measure, fairly guide them- especially to you, fair queen!
Fair thoughts be your fair pillow.
HELEN. Dear lord, you are full of fair words.
PANDARUS. You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen. Fair prince, here is
good broken music.
PARIS. You have broke it, cousin; and by my life, you shall make it whole
again; you shall piece it out with a piece of your performance.
HELEN. He is full of harmony.
PANDARUS. Truly, lady, no.
HELEN. O, sir-
PANDARUS. Rude, in sooth; in good sooth, very rude.
PARIS. Well said, my lord. Well, you say so in fits.
PANDARUS. I have business to my lord, dear queen. My lord, will you vouchsafe
me a word?
HELEN. Nay, this shall not hedge us out. We'll hear you sing, certainly-
PANDARUS. Well sweet queen, you are pleasant with me. But, marry, thus, my
lord: my dear lord and most esteemed friend, your brother Troilus-
HELEN. My Lord Pandarus, honey-sweet lord-
PANDARUS. Go to, sweet queen, go to-commends himself most affectionately to
you-
HELEN. You shall not bob us out of our melody. If you do, our melancholy upon
your head!
PANDARUS. Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet queen, i' faith.
HELEN. And to make a sweet lady sad is a sour offence.
PANDARUS. Nay, that shall not serve your turn; that shall it not, in truth,
la. Nay, I care not for such words; no, no. -And, my lord, he desires you that,
if the King call for him at supper, you will make his excuse.
HELEN. My Lord Pandarus!
PANDARUS. What says my sweet queen, my very very sweet queen?
PARIS. What exploit's in hand? Where sups he to-night?
HELEN. Nay, but, my lord-
PANDARUS. What says my sweet queen?-My cousin will fall out with you.
HELEN. You must not know where he sups.
PARIS. I'll lay my life, with my disposer Cressida.
PANDARUS. No, no, no such matter; you are wide. Come, your disposer is sick.
PARIS. Well, I'll make's excuse.
PANDARUS. Ay, good my lord. Why should you say Cressida? No, your poor
disposer's sick.
PARIS. I spy.
PANDARUS. You spy! What do you spy?-Come, give me an instrument. Now, sweet
queen.
HELEN. Why, this is kindly done.
PANDARUS. My niece is horribly in love with a thing you have, sweet queen.
HELEN. She shall have it, my lord, if it be not my Lord Paris.
PANDARUS. He! No, she'll none of him; they two are twain.
HELEN. Falling in, after falling out, may make them three.
PANDARUS. Come, come. I'll hear no more of this; I'll sing you a song now.
HELEN. Ay, ay, prithee now. By my troth, sweet lord, thou hast a fine
forehead.
PANDARUS. Ay, you may, you may.
HELEN. Let thy song be love. This love will undo us all. O Cupid, Cupid,
Cupid!
PANDARUS. Love! Ay, that it shall, i' faith.
PARIS. Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love.
PANDARUS. In good troth, it begins so. [Sings]
Love, love, nothing but love, still love, still more!
For, oh, love's bow
Shoots buck and doe;
The shaft confounds
Not that it wounds, But tickles still the sore. These lovers cry, O ho, they
die!
Yet that which seems the wound to kill Doth turn O ho! to ha! ha! he!
So dying love lives still. Oxho! a while, but ha! ha! ha! Oxho! groans out
for ha! ha! ha!-hey ho!
HELEN. In love, i' faith, to the very tip of the nose.
PARIS. He eats nothing but doves, love; and that breeds hot blood, and hot
blood begets hot thoughts, and hot thoughts beget hot deeds, and hot deeds is
love.
PANDARUS. Is this the generation of love: hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot
deeds? Why, they are vipers. Is love a generation of vipers? Sweet lord, who's
a-field today?
PARIS. Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the gallantry of Troy. I
would fain have arm'd to-day, but my Nell would not have it so. How chance my
brother Troilus went not?
HELEN. He hangs the lip at something. You know all, Lord Pandarus.
PANDARUS. Not I, honey-sweet queen. I long to hear how they spend to-day.
You'll remember your brother's excuse?
PARIS. To a hair.
PANDARUS. Farewell, sweet queen.
HELEN. Commend me to your niece.
PANDARUS. I will, sweet queen.Exit. Sound a retreat
PARIS. They're come from the field. Let us to Priam's hall To greet the
warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo you To help unarm our Hector. His stubborn
buckles, With these your white enchanting fingers touch'd, Shall more obey than
to the edge of steel Or force of Greekish sinews; you shall do more Than all the
island kings-disarm great Hector.
HELEN. 'Twill make us proud to be his servant, Paris; Yea, what he shall
receive of us in duty Gives us more palm in beauty than we have, Yea, overshines
ourself.
PARIS. Sweet, above thought I love thee. Exeunt
ACT III. SCENE 2.
Troy. PANDARUS' orchard
Enter PANDARUS and TROILUS' BOY, meeting
PANDARUS. How now! Where's thy master? At my cousin Cressida's?
BOY. No, sir; he stays for you to conduct him thither.
Enter TROILUS
PANDARUS. O, here he comes. How now, how now!
TROILUS. Sirrah, walk off. Exit Boy
PANDARUS. Have you seen my cousin?
TROILUS. No, Pandarus. I stalk about her door Like a strange soul upon the
Stygian banks Staying for waftage. O, be thou my Charon, And give me swift
transportance to these fields Where I may wallow in the lily beds Propos'd for
the deserver! O gentle Pandar, From Cupid's shoulder pluck his painted wings,
And fly with me to Cressid!
PANDARUS. Walk here i' th' orchard, I'll bring her straight. Exit
TROILUS. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round. Th' imaginary relish is so
sweet That it enchants my sense; what will it be When that the wat'ry palate
tastes indeed Love's thrice-repured nectar? Death, I fear me; Swooning
destruction; or some joy too fine, Too subtle-potent, tun'd too sharp in
sweetness, For the capacity of my ruder powers. Ixfear it much; and I do fear
besides That I shall lose distinction in my joys; As doth a battle, when they
charge on heaps The enemy flying.
Re-enter PANDARUS
PANDARUS. She's making her ready, she'll come straight; you must be witty
now. She does so blush, and fetches her wind so short, as if she were fray'd
with a sprite. I'll fetch her. It is the prettiest villain; she fetches her
breath as short as a new-ta'en sparrow. Exit
TROILUS. Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom. My heart beats thicker
than a feverous pulse, And all my powers do their bestowing lose, Like vassalage
at unawares encount'ring The eye of majesty.
Re-enter PANDARUS With CRESSIDA
PANDARUS. Come, come, what need you blush? Shame's a baby.-Here she is now;
swear the oaths now to her that you have sworn to me.- What, are you gone again?
You must be watch'd ere you be made tame, must you? Come your ways, come your
ways; an you draw backward, we'll put you i' th' fills.-Why do you not speak to
her?-Come, draw this curtain and let's see your picture. Alas the day, how loath
you are to offend daylight! An 'twere dark, you'd close sooner. So, so; rub on,
and kiss the mistress How now, a kiss in fee-farm! Build there, carpenter; the
air is sweet. Nay, you shall fight your hearts out ere I part you. The falcon as
the tercel, for all the ducks i' th' river. Go to, go to.
TROILUS. You have bereft me of all words, lady.
PANDARUS. Words pay no debts, give her deeds; but she'll bereave you o' th'
deeds too, if she call your activity in question. What, billing again? Here's
'In witness whereof the parties interchangeably.' Come in, come in; I'll go get
a fire. Exit
CRESSIDA. Will you walk in, my lord?
TROILUS. O Cressid, how often have I wish'd me thus!
CRESSIDA. Wish'd, my lord! The gods grant-O my lord!
TROILUS. What should they grant? What makes this pretty abruption? What too
curious dreg espies my sweet lady in the fountain of our love?
CRESSIDA. More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes.
TROILUS. Fears make devils of cherubims; they never see truly.
CRESSIDA. Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer footing than
blind reason stumbling without fear. To fear the worst oft cures the worse.
TROILUS. O, let my lady apprehend no fear! In all Cupid's pageant there is
presented no monster.
CRESSIDA. Nor nothing monstrous neither?
TROILUS. Nothing, but our undertakings when we vow to weep seas, live in
fire, cat rocks, tame tigers; thinking it harder for our mistress to devise
imposition enough than for us to undergo any difficulty imposed. This is the
monstruosity in love, lady, that the will is infinite, and the execution
confin'd; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.
CRESSIDA. They say all lovers swear more performance than they are able, and
yet reserve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection
of ten, and discharging less than the tenth part of one. They that have the
voice of lions and the act of hares, are they not monsters?
TROILUS. Are there such? Such are not we. Praise us as we are tasted, allow
us as we prove; our head shall go bare till merit crown it. No perfection in
reversion shall have a praise in present. We will not name desert before his
birth; and, being born, his addition shall be humble. Few words to fair faith:
Troilus shall be such to Cressid as what envy can say worst shall be a mock for
his truth; and what truth can speak truest not truer than Troilus.
CRESSIDA. Will you walk in, my lord?
Re-enter PANDARUS
PANDARUS. What, blushing still? Have you not done talking yet?
CRESSIDA. Well, uncle, what folly I commit, I dedicate to you.
PANDARUS. I thank you for that; if my lord get a boy of you, you'll give him
me. Be true to my lord; if he flinch, chide me for it.
TROILUS. You know now your hostages: your uncle's word and my firm faith.
PANDARUS. Nay, I'll give my word for her too: our kindred, though they be
long ere they are wooed, they are constant being won; they are burs, I can tell
you; they'll stick where they are thrown.
CRESSIDA. Boldness comes to me now and brings me heart. Prince Troilus, I
have lov'd you night and day For many weary months.
TROILUS. Why was my Cressid then so hard to win?
CRESSIDA. Hard to seem won; but I was won, my lord, With the first glance
that ever-pardon me. If I confess much, you will play the tyrant. Ixlove you
now; but till now not so much But I might master it. In faith, I lie; My
thoughts were like unbridled children, grown Too headstrong for their mother.
See, we fools! Why have I blabb'd? Who shall be true to us, When we are so
unsecret to ourselves? But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not; And yet,
good faith, I wish'd myself a man, Or that we women had men's privilege Of
speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue, For in this rapture I shall surely
speak The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence, Cunning in dumbness,
from my weakness draws My very soul of counsel. Stop my mouth.
TROILUS. And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence.
PANDARUS. Pretty, i' faith.
CRESSIDA. My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me; 'Twas not my purpose thus to
beg a kiss. Ixam asham'd. O heavens! what have I done? For this time will I take
my leave, my lord.
TROILUS. Your leave, sweet Cressid!
PANDARUS. Leave! An you take leave till to-morrow morning-
CRESSIDA. Pray you, content you.
TROILUS. What offends you, lady?
CRESSIDA. Sir, mine own company.
TROILUS. You cannot shun yourself.
CRESSIDA. Let me go and try. Ixhave a kind of self resides with you; But an
unkind self, that itself will leave To be another's fool. I would be gone. Where
is my wit? I know not what I speak.
TROILUS. Well know they what they speak that speak so wisely.
CRESSIDA. Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love; And fell so
roundly to a large confession To angle for your thoughts; but you are wise- Or
else you love not; for to be wise and love Exceeds man's might; that dwells with
gods above.
TROILUS. O that I thought it could be in a woman- As, if it can, I will
presume in you- To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love; To keep her
constancy in plight and youth, Outliving beauty's outward, with a mind That doth
renew swifter than blood decays! Or that persuasion could but thus convince me
That my integrity and truth to you Might be affronted with the match and weight
Of such a winnowed purity in love. How were I then uplifted! but, alas, Ixam as
true as truth's simplicity, And simpler than the infancy of truth.
CRESSIDA. In that I'll war with you.
TROILUS. O virtuous fight, When right with right wars who shall be most
right! True swains in love shall in the world to come Approve their truth by
Troilus, when their rhymes, Full of protest, of oath, and big compare, Want
similes, truth tir'd with iteration- As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,
As sun to day, as turtle to her mate, As iron to adamant, as earth to th'
centre- Yet, after all comparisons of truth, As truth's authentic author to be
cited, 'As true as Troilus' shall crown up the verse And sanctify the numbers.
CRESSIDA. Prophet may you be! If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,
When time is old and hath forgot itself, When waterdrops have worn the stones of
Troy, And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up, And mighty states characterless
are grated To dusty nothing-yet let memory From false to false, among false
maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood when th' have said 'As false As air, as
water, wind, or sandy earth, As fox to lamb, or wolf to heifer's calf, Pard to
the hind, or stepdame to her son'- Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of
falsehood, 'As false as Cressid.'
PANDARUS. 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 call'd 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.'
TROILUS. Amen.
CRESSIDA. Amen.
PANDARUS. 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, Bed, chamber, pander, to provide
this gear!Exeunt ACT III. SCENE 3.
The Greek camp
Flourish. Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, DIOMEDES, NESTOR, AJAX, MENELAUS, and
CALCHAS
CALCHAS. Now, Princes, for the service I have done, Th' advantage of the time
prompts me aloud To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind That, through
the sight I bear in things to come, Ixhave abandon'd Troy, left my possession,
Incurr'd a traitor's name, expos'd myself From certain and possess'd
conveniences To doubtful fortunes, sequest'ring from me all That time,
acquaintance, custom, and condition, Made tame and most familiar to my nature;
And here, to do you service, am become As new into the world, strange,
unacquainted- Ixdo beseech you, as in way of taste, To give me now a little
benefit Out of those many regist'red in promise, Which you say live to come in
my behalf.
AGAMEMNON. What wouldst thou of us, Troyan? Make demand.
CALCHAS. You have a Troyan prisoner call'd Antenor, 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 Antenor,
Ixknow, is such a wrest in their affairs That their negotiations all must slack
Wanting his manage; and they will almost Give us a prince of blood, a son of
Priam, In change of him. Let him be sent, great Princes, And he shall buy my
daughter; and her presence Shall quite strike off all service I have done In
most accepted pain.
AGAMEMNON. Let Diomedes bear him, And bring us Cressid hither. Calchas shall
have What he requests of us. Good Diomed, Furnish you fairly for this
interchange; Withal, bring word if Hector will to-morrow Be answer'd in his
challenge. Ajax is ready.
DIOMEDES. This shall I undertake; and 'tis a burden Which I am proud to bear.
Exeunt DIOMEDES and CALCHAS
ACHILLES and PATROCLUS stand in their tent
ULYSSES. Achilles stands i' th' entrance of his tent. Please it our general
pass strangely by him, As if he were forgot; and, Princes all, Lay negligent and
loose regard upon him. Ixwill come last. 'Tis like he'll question me Why such
unplausive eyes are bent, why turn'd on him? If so, I have derision med'cinable
To use between your strangeness and his pride, Which his own will shall have
desire to drink. It may do good. Pride hath no other glass To show itself but
pride; for supple knees Feed arrogance and are the proud man's fees.
AGAMEMNON. We'll execute your purpose, and put on Axform of strangeness as we
pass along. So do each lord; and either greet him not, Or else disdainfully,
which shall shake him more Than if not look'd on. I will lead the way.
ACHILLES. What comes the general to speak with me? You know my mind. I'll
fight no more 'gainst Troy.
AGAMEMNON. What says Achilles? Would he aught with us?
NESTOR. Would you, my lord, aught with the general?
ACHILLES. No.
NESTOR. Nothing, my lord.
AGAMEMNON. The better.
Exeunt AGAMEMNON and NESTOR
ACHILLES. Good day, good day.
MENELAUS. How do you? How do you? Exit
ACHILLES. What, does the cuckold scorn me?
AJAX. How now, Patroclus?
ACHILLES. Good morrow, Ajax.
AJAX. Ha?
ACHILLES. Good morrow.
AJAX. Ay, and good next day too. Exit
ACHILLES. What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles?
PATROCLUS. They pass by strangely. They were us'd to bend, To send their
smiles before them to Achilles, To come as humbly as they us'd to creep To holy
altars.
ACHILLES. What, am I poor of late? 'Tis certain, greatness, once fall'n out
with fortune, Must fall out with men too. What the declin'd is, He shall as soon
read in the eyes of others As feel in his own fall; for men, like butterflies,
Show not their mealy wings but to the summer; And not a man for being simply man
Hath any honour, but honour for those honours That are without him, as place,
riches, and favour, Prizes of accident, as oft as merit; Which when they fall,
as being slippery standers, The love that lean'd on them as slippery too, Doth
one pluck down another, and together Die in the fall. But 'tis not so with me:
Fortune and I are friends; I do enjoy At ample point all that I did possess Save
these men's looks; who do, methinks, find out Something not worth in me such
rich beholding As they have often given. Here is Ulysses. I'll interrupt his
reading. How now, Ulysses!
ULYSSES. Now, great Thetis' son!
ACHILLES. What are you reading?
ULYSSES. A strange fellow here Writes me that man-how dearly ever parted, How
much in having, or without or in- Cannot make boast to have that which he hath,
Nor feels not what he owes, but by reflection; As when his virtues shining upon
others Heat them, and they retort that heat again To the first giver.
ACHILLES. This is not strange, Ulysses. The beauty that is borne here in the
face The bearer knows not, but commends itself To others' eyes; nor doth the eye
itself- That most pure spirit of sense-behold itself, Not going from itself; but
eye to eye opposed Salutes each other with each other's form; For speculation
turns not to itself Till it hath travell'd, and is mirror'd there Where it may
see itself. This is not strange at all.
ULYSSES. I do not strain at the position- It is familiar-but at the author's
drift; Who, in his circumstance, expressly proves That no man is the lord of
anything, Though in and of him there be much consisting, Till he communicate his
parts to others; Nor doth he of himself know them for aught Till he behold them
formed in th' applause Where th' are extended; who, like an arch, reverb'rate
The voice again; or, like a gate of steel Fronting the sun, receives and renders
back His figure and his heat. I was much rapt in this; And apprehended here
immediately Th' unknown Ajax. Heavens, what a man is there! Axvery horse that
has he knows not what! Nature, what things there are Most abject in regard and
dear in use! What things again most dear in the esteem And poor in worth! Now
shall we see to-morrow- An act that very chance doth throw upon him- Ajax
renown'd. O heavens, what some men do, While some men leave to do! How some men
creep in skittish Fortune's-hall, Whiles others play the idiots in her eyes! How
one man eats into another's pride, While pride is fasting in his wantonness! To
see these Grecian lords!-why, even already They clap the lubber Ajax on the
shoulder, As if his foot were on brave Hector's breast, And great Troy
shrinking.
ACHILLES. 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?
ULYSSES. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for
oblivion, Axgreat-siz'd monster of ingratitudes. Those scraps are good deeds
past, which are devour'd As fast as they are made, forgot as soon As done.
Perseverance, dear my lord, Keeps honour bright. To have done is to hang Quite
out of fashion, like a rusty mail In monumental mock'ry. Take the instant way;
For honour travels in a strait so narrow - Where one but goes abreast. Keep then
the path, For emulation hath a thousand sons That one by one pursue; if you give
way, Or hedge aside from the direct forthright, Like to an ent'red tide they all
rush by And leave you hindmost; Or, like a gallant horse fall'n in first rank,
Lie there for pavement to the abject rear, O'er-run and trampled on. Then what
they do in present, Though less than yours in past, must o'ertop yours; For Time
is like a fashionable host, That slightly shakes his parting guest by th' hand;
And with his arms out-stretch'd, as he would fly, Grasps in the corner. The
welcome ever smiles, And farewell goes out sighing. O, let not virtue seek
Remuneration for the thing it was; For beauty, wit, High birth, vigour of bone,
desert in service, Love, friendship, charity, are subjects all To envious and
calumniating Time. One touch of nature makes the whole world kin- That all with
one consent praise new-born gawds, Though they are made and moulded of things
past, And give to dust that is a little gilt More laud than gilt o'er-dusted.
The present eye praises the present object. Then marvel not, thou great and
complete man, That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax, Since things in motion
sooner catch the eye Than what stirs not. The cry went once on thee, And still
it might, and yet it may again, If thou wouldst not entomb thyself alive And
case thy reputation in thy tent, Whose glorious deeds but in these fields of
late Made emulous missions 'mongst the gods themselves, And drave great Mars to
faction.
ACHILLES. Of this my privacy Ixhave strong reasons.
ULYSSES. 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.
ACHILLES. Ha! known!
ULYSSES. Is that a wonder? The providence that's in a watchful state Knows
almost every grain of Plutus' gold; Finds bottom in th' uncomprehensive deeps;
Keeps place with thought, and almost, like the gods, Do thoughts unveil in their
dumb cradles. There is a mystery-with whom relation Durst never meddle-in the
soul of state, Which hath an operation more divine Than breath or pen can give
expressure to. All the commerce that you have had with Troy As perfectly is ours
as yours, my lord; And better would it fit Achilles much To throw down Hector
than Polyxena. But it must grieve young Pyrrhus now at home, When fame shall in
our island sound her trump, And all the Greekish girls shall tripping sing
'Great Hector's sister did Achilles win; But our great Ajax bravely beat down
him.' Farewell, my lord. I as your lover speak. The fool slides o'er the ice
that you should break. Exit
PATROCLUS. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd you. Axwoman impudent and
mannish grown Is not more loath'd than an effeminate man In time of action. I
stand condemn'd for this; They think my little stomach to the war And your great
love to me restrains you thus. Sweet, rouse yourself; and the weak wanton Cupid
Shall from your neck unloose his amorous fold, And, like a dew-drop from the
lion's mane, Be shook to airy air.
ACHILLES. Shall Ajax fight with Hector?
PATROCLUS. Ay, and perhaps receive much honour by him.
ACHILLES. I see my reputation is at stake; My fame is shrewdly gor'd.
PATROCLUS. O, then, beware: Those wounds heal ill that men do give
themselves; Omission to do what is necessary Seals a commission to a blank of
danger; And danger, like an ague, subtly taints Even then when they sit idly in
the sun.
ACHILLES. Go call Thersites hither, sweet Patroclus. I'll send the fool to
Ajax, and desire him T' invite the Troyan lords, after the combat, To see us
here unarm'd. I have a woman's longing, An appetite that I am sick withal, To
see great Hector in his weeds of peace; To talk with him, and to behold his
visage, Even to my full of view.
Enter THERSITES
Axlabour sav'd!
THERSITES. A wonder!
ACHILLES. What?
THERSITES. Ajax goes up and down the field asking for himself.
ACHILLES. How so?
THERSITES. He must fight singly to-morrow with Hector, and is so
prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling that he raves in saying nothing.
ACHILLES. How can that be?
THERSITES. Why, 'a stalks up and down like a peacock-a stride and a stand;
ruminaies 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 man's undone for
ever; for if Hector break not his neck i' th' combat, he'll break't himself in
vainglory. 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's grown
a very land fish, languageless, a monster. A plague of opinion! A man may wear
it on both sides, like leather jerkin.
ACHILLES. Thou must be my ambassador to him, Thersites.
THERSITES. Who, I? Why, he'll answer nobody; he professes not answering.
Speaking is for beggars: he wears his tongue in's arms. I will put on his
presence. Let Patroclus make his demands to me, you shall see the pageant of
Ajax.
ACHILLES. 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-or-seven-times-honour'd Captain General of the Grecian army, et cetera,
Agamemnon. Do this.
PATROCLUS. Jove bless great Ajax!
THERSITES. Hum!
PATROCLUS. I come from the worthy Achilles-
THERSITES. Ha!
PATROCLUS. Who most humbly desires you to invite Hector to his tent-
THERSITES. Hum!
PATROCLUS. And to procure safe conduct from Agamemnon.
THERSITES. Agamemnon!
PATROCLUS. Ay, my lord.
THERSITES. Ha!
PATROCLUS. What you say to't?
THERSITES. God buy you, with all my heart.
PATROCLUS. Your answer, sir.
THERSITES. If to-morrow be a fair day, by eleven of the clock it will go one
way or other. Howsoever, he shall pay for me ere he has me.
PATROCLUS. Your answer, sir.
THERSITES. Fare ye well, with all my heart.
ACHILLES. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he?
THERSITES. No, but he's out a tune thus. What music will be in him when
Hector has knock'd out his brains I know not; but, I am sure, none; unless the
fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make catlings on.
ACHILLES. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him straight.
THERSITES. Let me carry another to his horse; for that's the more capable
creature.
ACHILLES. My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirr'd; And I myself see not
the bottom of it. Exeunt ACHILLES and PATROCLUS
THERSITES. 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 1.
Troy. A street
Enter, at one side, AENEAS, and servant with a
torch; at another, PARIS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR,
DIOMEDES the Grecian, and others, with torches
PARIS. See, ho! Who is that there?
DEIPHOBUS. It is the Lord Aeneas.
AENEAS. Is the Prince there in person? Had I so good occasion to lie long As
you, Prince Paris, nothing but heavenly business Should rob my bed-mate of my
company.
DIOMEDES. That's my mind too. Good morrow, Lord Aeneas.
PARIS. A valiant Greek, Aeneas -take his hand: Witness the process of your
speech, wherein You told how Diomed, a whole week by days, Did haunt you in the
field.
AENEAS. Health to you, valiant sir, During all question of the gentle truce;
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance As heart can think or courage
execute.
DIOMEDES. The one and other Diomed embraces. Our bloods are now in calm; and
so long health! But when contention and occasion meet, By Jove, I'll play the
hunter for thy life With all my force, pursuit, and policy.
AENEAS. And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly With his face backward. In
humane gentleness, Welcome to Troy! now, by Anchises' life, Welcome indeed! By
Venus' hand I swear No man alive can love in such a sort The thing he means to
kill, more excellently.
DIOMEDES. We sympathise. Jove let Aeneas live, If to my sword his fate be not
the glory, Axthousand complete courses of the sun! But in mine emulous honour
let him die With every joint a wound, and that to-morrow!
AENEAS. We know each other well.
DIOMEDES.We do; and long to know each other worse.
PARIS. This is the most despiteful'st gentle greeting The noblest hateful
love, that e'er I heard of. What business, lord, so early?
AENEAS. I was sent for to the King; but why, I know not.
PARIS. His purpose meets you: 'twas to bring this Greek To Calchas' house,
and there to render him, For the enfreed Antenor, the fair Cressid. Let's have
your company; or, if you please, Haste there before us. I constantly believe- Or
rather call my thought a certain knowledge- My brother Troilus lodges there
to-night. Rouse him and give him note of our approach, With the whole quality
wherefore; I fear We shall be much unwelcome.
AENEAS. That I assure you: Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece Than
Cressid borne from Troy.
PARIS. There is no help; The bitter disposition of the time Will have it so.
On, lord; we'll follow you.
AENEAS. Good morrow, all. Exit with servant
PARIS. And tell me, noble Diomed-faith, tell me true, Even in the soul of
sound good-fellowship- Who in your thoughts deserves fair Helen best, Myself or
Menelaus?
DIOMEDES. Both alike: He merits well to have her that doth seek her, Not
making any scruple of her soilure, With such a hell of pain and world of charge;
And you as well to keep her that defend her, Not palating the taste of her
dishonour, With such a costly loss of wealth and friends. He like a puling
cuckold would drink up The lees and dregs of a flat tamed piece; You, like a
lecher, out of whorish loins Are pleas'd to breed out your inheritors. Both
merits pois'd, each weighs nor less nor more; But he as he, the heavier for a
whore.
PARIS. You are too bitter to your country-woman.
DIOMEDES. She's bitter to her country. Hear me, Paris: For every false drop
in her bawdy veins AxGrecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple Of her
contaminated carrion weight AxTroyan hath been slain; since she could speak, She
hath not given so many good words breath As for her Greeks and Troyans suff'red
death.
PARIS. 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 ACT IV. SCENE 2. Troy. The court of
PANDARUS' house
Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA
TROILUS. Dear, trouble not yourself; the morn is cold.
CRESSIDA. Then, sweet my lord, I'll call mine uncle down; He shall unbolt the
gates.
TROILUS. Trouble him not; To bed, to bed! Sleep kill those pretty eyes, And
give as soft attachment to thy senses As infants' empty of all thought!
CRESSIDA. Good morrow, then.
TROILUS. I prithee now, to bed.
CRESSIDA. Are you aweary of me?
TROILUS. 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, Ixwould not
from thee.
CRESSIDA. Night hath been too brief.
TROILUS. 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.
CRESSIDA. Prithee tarry. You men will never tarry. Oxfoolish Cressid! I might
have still held off, And then you would have tarried. Hark! there's one up.
PANDARUS. [Within] What's all the doors open here?
TROILUS. It is your uncle.
Enter PANDARUS
CRESSIDA. A pestilence on him! Now will he be mocking. Ixshall have such a
life!
PANDARUS. How now, how now! How go maidenheads? Here, you maid! Where's my
cousin Cressid?
CRESSIDA. Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle. You bring me to do,
and then you flout me too.
PANDARUS. To do what? to do what? Let her say what. What have I brought you
to do?
CRESSIDA. Come, come, beshrew your heart! You'll ne'er be good, Nor suffer
others.
PANDARUS. Ha, ha! Alas, poor wretch! a poor capocchia! hast not slept
to-night? Would he not, a naughty man, let it sleep? A bugbear take him!
CRESSIDA. Did not I tell you? Would he were knock'd i' th' head! [One knocks]
Who's that at door? Good uncle, go and see. My lord, come you again into my
chamber. You smile and mock me, as if I meant naughtily.
TROILUS. Ha! ha!
CRESSIDA. Come, you are deceiv'd, I think of no such thing.
[Knock] How earnestly they knock! Pray you come in: Ixwould not for half Troy
have you seen here.
Exeunt TROILUS and CRESSIDA
PANDARUS. Who's there? What's the matter? Will you beat down the door? How
now? What's the matter?
Enter AENEAS
AENEAS. Good morrow, lord, good morrow.
PANDARUS. Who's there? My lord Aeneas? By my troth, Ixknew you not. What news
with you so early?
AENEAS. Is not Prince Troilus here?
PANDARUS. Here! What should he do here?
AENEAS. Come, he is here, my lord; do not deny him. It doth import him much
to speak with me.
PANDARUS. Is he here, say you? It's more than I know, I'll be sworn. For my
own part, I came in late. What should he do here?
AENEAS. 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, but yet go
fetch him hither; go.
Re-enter TROILUS
TROILUS. How now! What's the matter?
AENEAS. 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.
TROILUS. Is it so concluded?
AENEAS. By Priam, and the general state of Troy. They are at hand and ready
to effect it.
TROILUS. How my achievements mock me! Ixwill go meet them; and, my lord
Aeneas, We met by chance; you did not find me here.
AENEAS. Good, good, my lord, the secrets of neighbour Pandar Have not more
gift in taciturnity. Exeunt TROILUS and AENEAS
PANDARUS. Is't possible? No sooner got but lost? The devil take Antenor! The
young prince will go mad. A plague upon Antenor! I would they had broke's neck.
Re-enter CRESSIDA
CRESSIDA. How now! What's the matter? Who was here?
PANDARUS. Ah, ah!
CRESSIDA. Why sigh you so profoundly? Where's my lord? Gone? Tell me, sweet
uncle, what's the matter?
PANDARUS. Would I were as deep under the earth as I am above!
CRESSIDA. O the gods! What's the matter?
PANDARUS. Pray thee, get thee in. Would thou hadst ne'er been born! Ixknew
thou wouldst be his death! O, poor gentleman! A plague upon Antenor!
CRESSIDA. Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees I beseech you, what's the
matter?
PANDARUS. Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou art chang'd for
Antenor; thou must to thy father, and be gone from Troilus. 'Twill be his death;
'twill be his bane; he cannot bear it.
CRESSIDA. O you immortal gods! I will not go.
PANDARUS. Thou must.
CRESSIDA. I will not, uncle. I have forgot my father; Ixknow no touch of
consanguinity, No kin, no love, no blood, no soul so near me As the sweet
Troilus. O you gods divine, Make Cressid's name the very crown of falsehood, If
ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death, Do to this body what extremes
you can, But the strong base and building of my love Is as the very centre of
the earth, Drawing all things to it. I'll go in and weep-
PANDARUS. Do, do.
CRESSIDA. Tear my bright hair, and scratch my praised cheeks, Crack my clear
voice with sobs and break my heart, With sounding 'Troilus.' I will not go from
Troy.
Exeunt ACT IV.SCENE 3. Troy. A street before PANDARUS' house
Enter PARIS, TROILUS, AENEAS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR,
and DIOMEDES
PARIS. It is great morning; and the hour prefix'd For her delivery to this
valiant Greek Comes fast upon. Good my brother Troilus, Tell you the lady what
she is to do And haste her to the purpose.
TROILUS. Walk into her house. I'll bring her to the Grecian presently; And to
his hand when I deliver her, Think it an altar, and thy brother Troilus Axpriest,
there off'ring to it his own heart.Exit
PARIS. I know what 'tis to love, And would, as I shall pity, I could help!
Please you walk in, my lords. Exeunt ACT IV. SCENE 4.
Troy. PANDARUS' house
Enter PANDARUS and CRESSIDA
PANDARUS. Be moderate, be moderate.
CRESSIDA. Why tell you me of moderation? The grief is fine, full, perfect,
that I taste, And violenteth in a sense as strong As that which causeth it. How
can I moderate it? If I could temporize with my affections Or brew it to a weak
and colder palate, The like allayment could I give my grief. My love admits no
qualifying dross; No more my grief, in such a precious loss.
Enter TROILUS
PANDARUS. Here, here, here he comes. Ah, sweet ducks!
CRESSIDA. O Troilus! Troilus! [Embracing him]
PANDARUS. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too. 'O heart,'
as the goodly saying is,
O heart, 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 was never 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!
TROILUS. Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity That the bless'd gods,
as angry with my fancy, More bright in zeal than the devotion which Cold lips
blow to their deities, take thee from me.
CRESSIDA. Have the gods envy?
PANDARUS. Ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a case.
CRESSIDA. And is it true that I must go from Troy?
TROILUS. A hateful truth.
CRESSIDA. What, and from Troilus too?
TROILUS. From Troy and Troilus.
CRESSIDA. Is't possible?
TROILUS. And suddenly; where injury of chance Puts back leave-taking, 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 them, He fumbles up into a loose adieu, And scants us with a
single famish'd kiss, Distasted with the salt of broken tears.
AENEAS. [Within] My lord, is the lady ready?
TROILUS. Hark! you are call'd. Some say the Genius so Cries 'Come' to him
that instantly must die. Bid them have patience; she shall come anon.
PANDARUS. Where are my tears? Rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be
blown up by th' root?Exit
CRESSIDA. I must then to the Grecians?
TROILUS. No remedy.
CRESSIDA. A woeful Cressid 'mongst the merry Greeks! When shall we see again?
TROILUS. Hear me, my love. Be thou but true of heart-
CRESSIDA. I true! how now! What wicked deem is this?
TROILUS. Nay, we must use expostulation kindly, For it is parting from us.
Ixspeak not 'Be thou true' as fearing thee, For I will throw my glove to Death
himself That there's no maculation in thy heart; But 'Be thou true' say I to
fashion in My sequent protestation: be thou true, And I will see thee.
CRESSIDA. O, you shall be expos'd, my lord, to dangers As infinite as
imminent! But I'll be true.
TROILUS. And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear this sleeve.
CRESSIDA. And you this glove. When shall I see you?
TROILUS. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels To give thee nightly
visitation. But yet be true.
CRESSIDA. O heavens! 'Be true' again!
TROILUS. Hear why I speak it, love. The Grecian youths are full of quality;
They're loving, well compos'd with gifts of nature, And flowing o'er with arts
and exercise. How novelties may move, and parts with person, Alas, a kind of
godly jealousy, Which I beseech you call a virtuous sin, Makes me afeard.
CRESSIDA. O heavens! you love me not.
TROILUS. Die I a villain, then! In this I do not call your faith in question
So mainly as my merit. I cannot sing, Nor heel the high lavolt, nor sweeten
talk, Nor play at subtle games-fair virtues all, To which the Grecians are most
prompt and pregnant; But I can tell that in each grace of these There lurks a
still and dumb-discoursive devil That tempts most cunningly. But be not tempted.
CRESSIDA. Do you think I will?
TROILUS. No. But something may be done that we will not; And sometimes we are
devils to ourselves, When we will tempt the frailty of our powers, Presuming on
their changeful potency.
AENEAS. [Within] Nay, good my lord!
TROILUS. Come, kiss; and let us part.
PARIS. [Within] Brother Troilus!
TROILUS. Good brother, come you hither; And bring Aeneas and the Grecian with
you.
CRESSIDA. My lord, will you be true?
TROILUS. Who, I? Alas, it is my vice, my fault! Whiles others fish with craft
for great opinion, Ixwith great truth catch mere simplicity; Whilst some with
cunning gild their copper crowns, With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.
Enter AENEAS, PARIS, ANTENOR, DEIPHOBUS, and DIOMEDES
Fear not my truth: the moral of my wit Is 'plain and true'; there's all the
reach of it. Welcome, Sir Diomed! Here is the lady Which for Antenor we deliver
you; At the port, lord, I'll give her to thy hand, And by the way possess thee
what she is. Entreat her fair; and, by my soul, fair Greek, If e'er thou stand
at mercy of my sword, Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe As Priam is in
Ilion.
DIOMEDES. Fair Lady Cressid, So please you, save the thanks this prince
expects. The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek, Pleads your fair usage;
and to Diomed You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
TROILUS. Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously To shame the zeal of my
petition to the In praising her. I tell thee, lord of Greece, She is as far
high-soaring o'er thy praises As thou unworthy to be call'd her servant.
Ixcharge thee use her well, even for my charge; For, by the dreadful Pluto, if
thou dost not, Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard, I'll cut thy throat.
DIOMEDES. O, be not mov'd, Prince Troilus. Let me be privileg'd by my place
and message To be a speaker free: when I am hence I'll answer to my lust. And
know you, lord, I'll nothing do on charge: to her own worth She shall be priz'd.
But that you say 'Be't so,' Ixspeak it in my spirit and honour, 'No.'
TROILUS. Come, to the port. I'll tell thee, Diomed, This brave shall oft make
thee to hide thy head. Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk, To our own
selves bend we our needful talk.
Exeunt TROILUS, CRESSIDA, and DIOMEDES
[Sound trumpet]
PARIS. Hark! Hector's trumpet.
AENEAS. How have we spent this morning! The Prince must think me tardy and
remiss, That swore to ride before him to the field.
PARIS. 'Tis Troilus' fault. Come, come to field with him.
DEIPHOBUS. Let us make ready straight.
AENEAS. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity Let us address to tend on
Hector's heels. The glory of our Troy doth this day lie On his fair worth and
single chivalry. Exeunt
ACT IV. SCENE 5.
The Grecian camp. Lists set out
Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILLES, PATROCLUS,
MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and others
AGAMEMNON. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair, Anticipating time
with starting courage. Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy, Thou dreadful
Ajax, that the appalled air May pierce the head of the great combatant, And hale
him hither.
AJAX. Thou, trumpet, there's my purse. Now crack thy lungs and split thy
brazen pipe; Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek Out-swell the colic of
puff Aquilon'd. Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood: Thou
blowest for Hector. [Trumpet sounds]
ULYSSES. No trumpet answers.
ACHILLES. 'Tis but early days.
Enter DIOMEDES, with CRESSIDA
AGAMEMNON. Is not yond Diomed, with Calchas' daughter?
ULYSSES. 'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait: He rises on the toe. That
spirit of his In aspiration lifts him from the earth.
AGAMEMNON. Is this the lady Cressid?
DIOMEDES. Even she.
AGAMEMNON. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady.
NESTOR. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.
ULYSSES. Yet is the kindness but particular; 'Twere better she were kiss'd in
general.
NESTOR. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin. So much for Nestor.
ACHILLES. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady. Achilles bids you
welcome.
MENELAUS. I had good argument for kissing once.
PATROCLUS. But that's no argument for kissing now; For thus popp'd Paris in
his hardiment, And parted thus you and your argument.
ULYSSES. O deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns! For which we lose our
heads to gild his horns.
PATROCLUS. The first was Menelaus' kiss; this, mine-
[Kisses her again] Patroclus kisses you.
MENELAUS. O, this is trim!
PATROCLUS. Paris and I kiss evermore for him.
MENELAUS. I'll have my kiss, sir. Lady, by your leave.
CRESSIDA. In kissing, do you render or receive?
PATROCLUS. Both take and give.
CRESSIDA. I'll make my match to live, The kiss you take is better than you
give; Therefore no kiss.
MENELAUS. I'll give you boot; I'll give you three for one.
CRESSIDA. You are an odd man; give even or give none.
MENELAUS. An odd man, lady? Every man is odd.
CRESSIDA. No, Paris is not; for you know 'tis true That you are odd, and he
is even with you.
MENELAUS. You fillip me o' th' head.
CRESSIDA. No, I'll be sworn.
ULYSSES. It were no match, your nail against his horn. May I, sweet lady, beg
a kiss of you?
CRESSIDA. You may.
ULYSSES. I do desire it.
CRESSIDA. Why, beg then.
ULYSSES. Why then, for Venus' sake give me a kiss When Helen is a maid again,
and his.
CRESSIDA. I am your debtor; claim it when 'tis due.
ULYSSES. Never's my day, and then a kiss of you.
DIOMEDES. Lady, a word. I'll bring you to your father.
Exit with CRESSIDA
NESTOR. A woman of quick sense.
ULYSSES. Fie, fie upon her! There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out At every joint and motive of
her body. Oxthese encounters so glib of tongue That give a coasting welcome ere
it comes, And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts To every ticklish
reader! Set them down For sluttish spoils of opportunity, And daughters of the
game. [Trumpet within]
ALL. The Troyans' trumpet.
Enter HECTOR, armed; AENEAS, TROILUS, PARIS, HELENUS, and other Trojans, with
attendants
AGAMEMNON. Yonder comes the troop.
AENEAS. Hail, all the state of Greece! What shall be done To him that victory
commands? Or do you purpose Axvictor shall be known? Will you the knights Shall
to the edge of all extremity Pursue each other, or shall they be divided By any
voice or order of the field? Hector bade ask.
AGAMEMNON. Which way would Hector have it?
AENEAS. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.
ACHILLES. 'Tis done like Hector; but securely done, Axlittle proudly, and
great deal misprizing The knight oppos'd.
AENEAS. If not Achilles, sir, What is your name?
ACHILLES. If not Achilles, nothing.
AENEAS. Therefore Achilles. But whate'er, know this: In the extremity of
great and little Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector; The one almost as
infinite as all, The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well, And that which
looks like pride is courtesy. This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood; In love
whereof half Hector stays at home; Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to
seek This blended knight, half Troyan and half Greek.
ACHILLES. A maiden battle then? O, I perceive you!
Re-enter DIOMEDES
AGAMEMNON. Here is Sir Diomed. Go, gentle knight, Stand by our Ajax. As you
and Lord ]Eneas Consent upon the order of their fight, So be it; either to the
uttermost, Or else a breath. The combatants being kin Half stints their strife
before their strokes begin. [AJAX and HECTOR enter the lists]
ULYSSES. They are oppos'd already.
AGAMEMNON. What Troyan is that same that looks so heavy?
ULYSSES. The youngest son of Priam, a true knight; Not yet mature, yet
matchless; firm of word; Speaking in deeds and deedless in his tongue; Not soon
provok'd, nor being provok'd soon calm'd; His heart and hand both open and both
free; For what he has he gives, what thinks he shows, Yet gives he not till
judgment guide his bounty, Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath; Manly as
Hector, but more dangerous; For Hector in his blaze of wrath subscribes To
tender objects, but he in heat of action Is more vindicative than jealous love.
They call him Troilus, and on him erect Axsecond hope as fairly built as Hector.
Thus says Aeneas, one that knows the youth Even to his inches, and, with private
soul, Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.
[Alarum. HECTOR and AJAX fight]
AGAMEMNON. They are in action.
NESTOR. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!
TROILUS. Hector, thou sleep'st; Awake thee.
AGAMEMNON. His blows are well dispos'd. There, Ajax! [Trumpets cease]
DIOMEDES. You must no more.
AENEAS. Princes, enough, so please you.
AJAX. I am not warm yet; let us fight again.
DIOMEDES. As Hector pleases.
HECTOR. Why, then will I no more. Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's
son, Axcousin-german to great Priam's seed; The obligation of our blood forbids
Axgory emulation 'twixt us twain: Were thy commixtion Greek and Troyan so That
thou could'st say 'This hand is Grecian all, And this is Troyan; the sinews of
this leg All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood Runs on the dexter
cheek, and this sinister Bounds in my father's'; by Jove multipotent, Thou
shouldst not bear from me a Greekish member Wherein my sword had not impressure
made Of our rank feud; but the just gods gainsay That any drop thou borrow'dst
from thy mother, My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword Be drained! Let me
embrace thee, Ajax. By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms; Hector would
have them fall upon him thus. Cousin, all honour to thee!
AJAX. I thank thee, Hector. Thou art too gentle and too free a man. Ixcame to
kill thee, cousin, and bear hence Axgreat addition earned in thy death.
HECTOR. Not Neoptolemus so mirable, On whose bright crest Fame with her
loud'st Oyes Cries 'This is he' could promise to himself Axthought of added
honour torn from Hector.
AENEAS. There is expectance here from both the sides What further you will
do.
HECTOR. We'll answer it: The issue is embracement. Ajax, farewell.
AJAX. If I might in entreaties find success, As seld I have the chance, I
would desire My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.
DIOMEDES. 'Tis Agamemnon's wish; and great Achilles Doth long to see unarm'd
the valiant Hector.
HECTOR. Aeneas, call my brother Troilus to me, And signify this loving
interview To the expecters of our Troyan part; Desire them home. Give me thy
hand, my cousin; Ixwill go eat with thee, and see your knights.
AGAMEMNON and the rest of the Greeks come forward
AJAX. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.
HECTOR. The worthiest of them tell me name by name; But for Achilles, my own
searching eyes Shall find him by his large and portly size.
AGAMEMNON.Worthy all arms! as welcome as to one That would be rid of such an
enemy. But that's no welcome. Understand more clear, What's past and what's to
come is strew'd with husks And formless ruin of oblivion; But in this extant
moment, faith and troth, Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing, Bids thee
with most divine integrity, From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
HECTOR. I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.
AGAMEMNON. [To Troilus] My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you.
MENELAUS. Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting. You brace of warlike
brothers, welcome hither.
HECTOR. Who must we answer?
AENEAS. The noble Menelaus.
HECTOR. O you, my lord? By Mars his gauntlet, thanks! Mock not that I affect
the untraded oath; Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove. She's well,
but bade me not commend her to you.
MENELAUS. Name her not now, sir; she's a deadly theme.
HECTOR. O, pardon; I offend.
NESTOR. I have, thou gallant Troyan, seen thee oft, Labouring for destiny,
make cruel way Through ranks of Greekish youth; and I have seen thee, As hot as
Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed, Despising many forfeits and subduements, When
thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' th' air, Not letting it decline on the
declined; That I have said to some my standers-by 'Lo, Jupiter is yonder,
dealing life!' And I have seen thee pause and take thy breath, When that a ring
of Greeks have hemm'd thee in, Like an Olympian wrestling. This have I seen; But
this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel, Ixnever saw till now. I knew thy
grandsire, And once fought with him. He was a soldier good, But, by great Mars,
the captain of us all, Never like thee. O, let an old man embrace thee; And,
worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
AENEAS. 'Tis the old Nestor.
HECTOR. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle, That hast so long walk'd
hand in hand with time. Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.
NESTOR. I would my arms could match thee in contention As they contend with
thee in courtesy.
HECTOR. I would they could.
NESTOR. Ha! By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-morrow. Well,
welcome, welcome! I have seen the time.
ULYSSES. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here her base and
pillar by us.
HECTOR. I know your favour, Lord Ulysses, well. Ah, sir, there's many a Greek
and Troyan dead, Since first I saw yourself and Diomed In Ilion on your Greekish
embassy.
ULYSSES. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue. My prophecy is but half
his journey yet; For yonder walls, that pertly front your town, Yond towers,
whose wanton tops do buss the clouds, Must kiss their own feet.
HECTOR. I must not believe you. There they stand yet; and modestly I think
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost Axdrop of Grecian blood. The end
crowns all; And that old common arbitrator, Time, Will one day end it.
ULYSSES. So to him we leave it. Most gentle and most valiant Hector, welcome.
After the General, I beseech you next To feast with me and see me at my tent.
ACHILLES. I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysses, thou! Now, Hector, I have fed
mine eyes on thee; Ixhave with exact view perus'd thee, Hector, And quoted joint
by joint.
HECTOR. Is this Achilles?
ACHILLES. I am Achilles.
HECTOR. Stand fair, I pray thee; let me look on thee.
ACHILLES. Behold thy fill.
HECTOR. Nay, I have done already.
ACHILLES. Thou art too brief. I will the second time, As I would buy thee,
view thee limb by limb.
HECTOR. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er; But there's more in me
than thou understand'st. Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye?
ACHILLES. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body Shall I destroy
him? Whether there, or there, or there? That I may give the local wound a name,
And make distinct the very breach whereout Hector's great spirit flew. Answer
me, heavens.
HECTOR. It would discredit the blest gods, proud man, To answer such a
question. Stand again. Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly As to
prenominate in nice conjecture Where thou wilt hit me dead?
ACHILLES. I tell thee yea.
HECTOR. Wert thou an oracle to tell me so, I'd not believe thee. Henceforth
guard thee well; For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there; But, by the
forge that stithied Mars his helm, I'll kill thee everywhere, yea, o'er and
o'er. You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag. His insolence draws folly from
my lips; But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words, Or may I never-
AJAX. Do not chafe thee, cousin; And you, Achilles, let these threats alone
Till accident or purpose bring you to't. You may have every day enough of
Hector, If you have stomach. The general state, I fear, Can scarce entreat you
to be odd with him.
HECTOR. I pray you let us see you in the field; We have had pelting wars
since you refus'd The Grecians' cause.
ACHILLES. Dost thou entreat me, Hector? To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as
death; To-night all friends.
HECTOR. Thy hand upon that match.
AGAMEMNON. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent; There in the full
convive we; afterwards, As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall Concur
together, severally entreat him. Beat loud the tambourines, let the trumpets
blow, That this great soldier may his welcome know.
Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES
TROILUS. My Lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you, In what place of the field
doth Calchas keep?
ULYSSES. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus. There Diomed doth feast
with him to-night, Who neither looks upon the heaven nor earth, But gives all
gaze and bent of amorous view On the fair Cressid.
TROILUS. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much, After we part from
Agamemnon's tent, To bring me thither?
ULYSSES. You shall command me, sir. As gentle tell me of what honour was This
Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there That wails her absence?
TROILUS. O, sir, to such as boasting show their scars Axmock is due. Will you
walk on, my lord? She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth; But still sweet
love is food for fortune's tooth. Exeunt
ACT V. SCENE 1.
The Grecian camp. Before the tent of ACHILLES
Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS
ACHILLES. I'll heat his blood with Greekish wine to-night, Which with my
scimitar I'll cool to-morrow. Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.
PATROCLUS. Here comes Thersites.
Enter THERSITES
ACHILLES. How now, thou core of envy! Thou crusty batch of nature, what's the
news?
THERSITES. Why, thou picture of what thou seemest, and idol of idiot
worshippers, here's a letter for thee.
ACHILLES. From whence, fragment?
THERSITES. Why, thou full dish of fool, from Troy.
PATROCLUS. Who keeps the tent now?
THERSITES. The surgeon's box or the patient's wound.
PATROCLUS. Well said, Adversity! and what needs these tricks?
THERSITES. Prithee, be silent, boy; I profit not by thy talk; thou art said
to be Achilles' male varlet.
PATROCLUS. Male varlet, you rogue! What's that?
THERSITES. Why, his masculine whore. Now, the rotten diseases of the south,
the guts-griping ruptures, catarrhs, loads o' gravel in the back, lethargies,
cold palsies, raw eyes, dirt-rotten livers, wheezing lungs, bladders full of
imposthume, sciaticas, limekilns i' th' palm, incurable bone-ache, and the
rivelled fee- simple of the tetter, take and take again such preposterous
discoveries!
PATROCLUS. Why, thou damnable box of envy, thou, what meanest thou to curse
thus?
THERSITES. Do I curse thee?
PATROCLUS. Why, no, you ruinous butt; you whoreson indistinguishable cur, no.
THERSITES. No! Why art thou, then, exasperate, thou idle immaterial skein of
sleid silk, thou green sarcenet flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's
purse, thou? Ah, how the poor world is pest'red with such
water-flies-diminutives of nature!
PATROCLUS. Out, gall!
THERSITES. Finch egg!
ACHILLES. My sweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite From my great purpose in
to-morrow's battle. Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba, Axtoken from her
daughter, my fair love, Both taxing me and gaging me to keep An oath that I have
sworn. I will not break it. Fall Greeks; fail fame; honour or go or stay; My
major vow lies here, this I'll obey. Come, come, Thersites, help to trim my
tent; This night in banqueting must all be spent. Away, Patroclus! Exit with
PATROCLUS
THERSITES. With too much blood and too little brain these two may run mad;
but, if with too much brain and to little blood they do, I'll be a curer of
madmen. Here's Agamemnon, an honest fellow enough, and one that loves quails,
but he has not so much brain as ear-wax; and the goodly transformation of
Jupiter there, his brother, the bull, the primitive statue and oblique memorial
of cuckolds, a thrifty shoeing-horn in a chain, hanging at his brother's leg-to
what form but that he is, should wit larded with malice, and malice forced with
wit, turn him to? To an ass, were nothing: he is both ass and ox. To an ox, were
nothing: he is both ox and ass. To be a dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a toad, a
lizard, an owl, a put-tock, or a herring without a roe, I would not care; but to
be Menelaus, I would conspire against destiny. Ask me not what I would be, if I
were not Thersites; for I care not to be the louse of a lazar, so I were not
Menelaus. Hey-day! sprites and fires!
Enter HECTOR, TROILUS, AJAX, AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, NESTOR, MENELAUS, and
DIOMEDES, with lights
AGAMEMNON. We go wrong, we go wrong.
AJAX. No, yonder 'tis; There, where we see the lights.
HECTOR. I trouble you.
AJAX. No, not a whit.
Re-enter ACHILLES
ULYSSES. Here comes himself to guide you.
ACHILLES. Welcome, brave Hector; welcome, Princes all.
AGAMEMNON. So now, fair Prince of Troy, I bid good night; Ajax commands the
guard to tend on you.
HECTOR. Thanks, and good night to the Greeks' general.
MENELAUS. Good night, my lord.
HECTOR. Good night, sweet Lord Menelaus.
THERSITES. Sweet draught! 'Sweet' quoth 'a? Sweet sink, sweet sewer!
ACHILLES. Good night and welcome, both at once, to those That go or tarry.
AGAMEMNON. Good night. Exeunt AGAMEMNON and MENELAUS
ACHILLES. Old Nestor tarries; and you too, Diomed, Keep Hector company an
hour or two.
DIOMEDES. I cannot, lord; I have important business, The tide whereof is now.
Good night, great Hector.
HECTOR. Give me your hand.
ULYSSES. [Aside to TROILUS] Follow his torch; he goes to Calchas' tent; I'll
keep you company.
TROILUS. Sweet sir, you honour me.
HECTOR. And so, good night. Exit DIOMEDES; ULYSSES and TROILUS following
ACHILLES. Come, come, enter my tent. Exeunt all but THERSITES
THERSITES. That same Diomed's a false-hearted rogue, a most unjust knave; I
will no more trust him when he leers than I will a serpent when he hisses. He
will spend his mouth and promise, like Brabbler the hound; but when he performs,
astronomers foretell it: it is prodigious, there will come some change; the sun
borrows of the moon when Diomed keeps his word. I will rather leave to see
Hector than not to dog him. They say he keeps a Troyan drab, and uses the
traitor Calchas' tent. I'll after. Nothing but lechery! All incontinent
varlets!Exit ACT V. SCENE 2.
The Grecian camp. Before CALCHAS' tent
Enter DIOMEDES
DIOMEDES. What, are you up here, ho? Speak.
CALCHAS. [Within] Who calls?
DIOMEDES. Diomed. Calchas, I think. Where's your daughter?
CALCHAS. [Within] She comes to you.
Enter TROILUS and ULYSSES, at a distance; after them THERSITES
ULYSSES. Stand where the torch may not discover us.
Enter CRESSIDA
TROILUS. Cressid comes forth to him.
DIOMEDES. How now, my charge!
CRESSIDA. Now, my sweet guardian! Hark, a word with you.
[Whispers]
TROILUS. Yea, so familiar!
ULYSSES. She will sing any man at first sight.
THERSITES. And any man may sing her, if he can take her cliff; she's noted.
DIOMEDES. Will you remember?
CRESSIDA. Remember? Yes.
DIOMEDES. Nay, but do, then; And let your mind be coupled with your words.
TROILUS. What shall she remember?
ULYSSES. List!
CRESSIDA. Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more to folly.
THERSITES. Roguery!
DIOMEDES. Nay, then-
CRESSIDA. I'll tell you what-
DIOMEDES. Fo, fo! come, tell a pin; you are a forsworn-
CRESSIDA. In faith, I cannot. What would you have me do?
THERSITES. A juggling trick, to be secretly open.
DIOMEDES. What did you swear you would bestow on me?
CRESSIDA. I prithee, do not hold me to mine oath; Bid me do anything but
that, sweet Greek.
DIOMEDES. Good night.
TROILUS. Hold, patience!
ULYSSES. How now, Troyan!
CRESSIDA. Diomed!
DIOMEDES. No, no, good night; I'll be your fool no more.
TROILUS. Thy better must.
CRESSIDA. Hark! a word in your ear.
TROILUS. O plague and madness!
ULYSSES. You are moved, Prince; let us depart, I pray, Lest your displeasure
should enlarge itself To wrathful terms. This place is dangerous; The time right
deadly; I beseech you, go.
TROILUS. Behold, I pray you.
ULYSSES. Nay, good my lord, go off; You flow to great distraction; come, my
lord.
TROILUS. I prithee stay.
ULYSSES. You have not patience; come.
TROILUS. I pray you, stay; by hell and all hell's torments, Ixwill not speak
a word.
DIOMEDES. And so, good night.
CRESSIDA. Nay, but you part in anger.
TROILUS. Doth that grieve thee? O withered truth!
ULYSSES. How now, my lord?
TROILUS. By Jove, I will be patient.
CRESSIDA. Guardian! Why, Greek!
DIOMEDES. Fo, fo! adieu! you palter.
CRESSIDA. In faith, I do not. Come hither once again.
ULYSSES. You shake, my lord, at something; will you go? You will break out.
TROILUS. She strokes his cheek.
ULYSSES. Come, come.
TROILUS. Nay, stay; by Jove, I will not speak a word: There is between my
will and all offences Axguard of patience. Stay a little while.
THERSITES. How the devil luxury, with his fat rump and potato finger, tickles
these together! Fry, lechery, fry!
DIOMEDES. But will you, then?
CRESSIDA. In faith, I will, lo; never trust me else.
DIOMEDES. Give me some token for the surety of it.
CRESSIDA. I'll fetch you one. Exit
ULYSSES. You have sworn patience.
TROILUS. Fear me not, my lord; Ixwill not be myself, nor have cognition Of
what I feel. I am all patience.
Re-enter CRESSIDA
THERSITES. Now the pledge; now, now, now!
CRESSIDA. Here, Diomed, keep this sleeve.
TROILUS. O beauty! where is thy faith?
ULYSSES. My lord!
TROILUS. I will be patient; outwardly I will.
CRESSIDA. You look upon that sleeve; behold it well. He lov'd me-O false
wench!-Give't me again.
DIOMEDES. Whose was't?
CRESSIDA. It is no matter, now I ha't again. Ixwill not meet with you
to-morrow night. Ixprithee, Diomed, visit me no more.
THERSITES. Now she sharpens. Well said, whetstone.
DIOMEDES. I shall have it.
CRESSIDA. What, this?
DIOMEDES. Ay, that.
CRESSIDA. O all you gods! O pretty, pretty pledge! Thy master now lies
thinking on his bed Of thee and me, and sighs, and takes my glove, And gives
memorial dainty kisses to it, As I kiss thee. Nay, do not snatch it from me; He
that takes that doth take my heart withal.
DIOMEDES. I had your heart before; this follows it.
TROILUS. I did swear patience.
CRESSIDA. You shall not have it, Diomed; faith, you shall not; I'll give you
something else.
DIOMEDES. I will have this. Whose was it?
CRESSIDA. It is no matter.
DIOMEDES. Come, tell me whose it was.
CRESSIDA. 'Twas one's that lov'd me better than you will. But, now you have
it, take it.
DIOMEDES. Whose was it?
CRESSIDA. By all Diana's waiting women yond, And by herself, I will not tell
you whose.
DIOMEDES. To-morrow will I wear it on my helm, And grieve his spirit that
dares not challenge it.
TROILUS. Wert thou the devil and wor'st it on thy horn, It should be
challeng'd.
CRESSIDA. Well, well, 'tis done, 'tis past; and yet it is not; Ixwill not
keep my word.
DIOMEDES. Why, then farewell; Thou never shalt mock Diomed again.
CRESSIDA. You shall not go. One cannot speak a word But it straight starts
you.
DIOMEDES. I do not like this fooling.
THERSITES. Nor I, by Pluto; but that that likes not you Pleases me best.
DIOMEDES. What, shall I come? The hour-
CRESSIDA. Ay, come-O Jove! Do come. I shall be plagu'd.
DIOMEDES. Farewell till then.
CRESSIDA. Good night. I prithee come. Exit DIOMEDES Troilus, farewell! One
eye yet looks on thee; But with my heart the other eye doth see. Ah, poor our
sex! this fault in us I find, The error of our eye directs our mind. What error
leads must err; O, then conclude, Minds sway'd by eyes are full of turpitude.
Exit
THERSITES. A proof of strength she could not publish more, Unless she said
'My mind is now turn'd whore.'
ULYSSES. All's done, my lord.
TROILUS. It is.
ULYSSES. Why stay we, then?
TROILUS. To make a recordation to my soul Of every syllable that here was
spoke. But if I tell how these two did coact, Shall I not lie in publishing a
truth? Sith yet there is a credence in my heart, An esperance so obstinately
strong, That doth invert th' attest of eyes and ears; As if those organs had
deceptious functions Created only to calumniate. Was Cressid here?
ULYSSES. I cannot conjure, Troyan.
TROILUS. She was not, sure.
ULYSSES. Most sure she was.
TROILUS. Why, my negation hath no taste of madness.
ULYSSES. Nor mine, my lord. Cressid was here but now.
TROILUS. Let it not be believ'd for womanhood. Think, we had mothers; do not
give advantage To stubborn critics, apt, without a theme, For depravation, to
square the general sex By Cressid's rule. Rather think this not Cressid.
ULYSSES. What hath she done, Prince, that can soil our mothers?
TROILUS. Nothing at all, unless that this were she.
THERSITES. Will 'a swagger himself out on's own eyes?
TROILUS. This she? No; this is Diomed's Cressida. If beauty have a soul, this
is not she; If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimonies, If sanctimony be the
god's delight, If there be rule in unity itself, This was not she. O madness of
discourse, That cause sets up with and against itself! Bifold authority! where
reason can revolt Without perdition, and loss assume all reason Without revolt:
this is, and is not, Cressid. Within my soul there doth conduce a fight Of this
strange nature, that a thing inseparate Divides more wider than the sky and
earth; And yet the spacious breadth of this division Admits no orifex for a
point as subtle As Ariachne's broken woof to enter. Instance, O instance! strong
as Pluto's gates: Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven. Instance, O
instance! strong as heaven itself: The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd,
and loos'd; And with another knot, five-finger-tied, The fractions of her faith,
orts of her love, The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy relics Of her
o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.
ULYSSES. May worthy Troilus be half-attach'd With that which here his passion
doth express?
TROILUS. Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well In characters as red as
Mars his heart Inflam'd with Venus. Never did young man fancy With so eternal
and so fix'd a soul. Hark, Greek: as much as I do Cressid love, So much by
weight hate I her Diomed. That sleeve is mine that he'll bear on his helm; Were
it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill My sword should bite it. Not the dreadful
spout Which shipmen do the hurricano call, Constring'd in mass by the almighty
sun, Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptune's ear In his descent than shall my
prompted sword Falling on Diomed.
THERSITES. He'll tickle it for his concupy.
TROILUS. O Cressid! O false Cressid! false, false, false! Let all untruths
stand by thy stained name, And they'll seem glorious.
ULYSSES. O, contain yourself; Your passion draws ears hither.
Enter AENEAS
AENEAS. I have been seeking you this hour, my lord. Hector, by this, is
arming him in Troy; Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home.
TROILUS. Have with you, Prince. My courteous lord, adieu. Fairwell, revolted
fair!-and, Diomed, Stand fast and wear a castle on thy head.
ULYSSES. I'll bring you to the gates.
TROILUS. Accept distracted thanks.
Exeunt TROILUS, AENEAS. and ULYSSES
THERSITES. Would I could meet that rogue Diomed! I would croak like axraven;
I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me anything for the intelligence
of this whore; the parrot will not do more for an almond than he for a
commodious drab. Lechery, lechery! Still wars and lechery! Nothing else holds
fashion. A burning devil take them! Exit
ACT V. SCENE 3.
Troy. Before PRIAM'S palace
Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE
ANDROMACHE. When was my lord so much ungently temper'd To stop his ears
against admonishment? Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.
HECTOR. You train me to offend you; get you in. By all the everlasting gods,
I'll go.
ANDROMACHE. My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.
HECTOR. No more, I say.
Enter CASSANDRA
CASSANDRA. Where is my brother Hector?
ANDROMACHE. Here, sister, arm'd, and bloody in intent. Consort with me in
loud and dear petition, Pursue we him on knees; for I have dreamt Of bloody
turbulence, and this whole night Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of
slaughter.
CASSANDRA. O, 'tis true!
HECTOR. Ho! bid my trumpet sound.
CASSANDRA. No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother!
HECTOR. Be gone, I say. The gods have heard me swear.
CASSANDRA. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows; They are polluted
off'rings, more abhorr'd Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
ANDROMACHE. O, be persuaded! Do not count it holy To hurt by being just. It
is as lawful, For we would give much, to use violent thefts And rob in the
behalf of charity.
CASSANDRA. It is the purpose that makes strong the vow; But vows to every
purpose must not hold. Unarm, sweet Hector.
HECTOR. Hold you still, I say. Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate. Life
every man holds dear; but the dear man Holds honour far more precious dear than
life.
Enter TROILUS
How now, young man! Mean'st thou to fight to-day?
ANDROMACHE. Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
Exit CASSANDRA
HECTOR. No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth; Ixam to-day i' th'
vein of chivalry. Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, And tempt not
yet the brushes of the war. Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy, I'll
stand to-day for thee and me and Troy.
TROILUS. Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you Which better fits a lion
than a man.
HECTOR. What vice is that, good Troilus? Chide me for it.
TROILUS. When many times the captive Grecian falls, Even in the fan and wind
of your fair sword, You bid them rise and live.
HECTOR. O, 'tis fair play!
TROILUS. Fool's play, by heaven, Hector.
HECTOR. How now! how now!
TROILUS. For th' love of all the gods, Let's leave the hermit Pity with our
mother; And when we have our armours buckled on, The venom'd vengeance ride upon
our swords, Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth!
HECTOR. Fie, savage, fie!
TROILUS. Hector, then 'tis wars.
HECTOR. Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.
TROILUS. Who should withhold me? Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
Beck'ning with fiery truncheon my retire; Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees, Their
eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears; Nor you, my brother, with your true
sword drawn, Oppos'd to hinder me, should stop my way, But by my ruin.
Re-enter CASSANDRA, with PRIAM
CASSANDRA. Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast; He is thy crutch; now if
thou lose thy stay, Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee, Fall all
together.
PRIAM. Come, Hector, come, go back. Thy wife hath dreamt; thy mother hath had
visions; Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt
To tell thee that this day is ominous. Therefore, come back.
HECTOR. Aeneas is a-field; And I do stand engag'd to many Greeks, Even in the
faith of valour, to appear This morning to them.
PRIAM. Ay, but thou shalt not go.
HECTOR. I must not break my faith. You know me dutiful; therefore, dear sir,
Let me not shame respect; but give me leave To take that course by your consent
and voice Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam.
CASSANDRA. O Priam, yield not to him!
ANDROMACHE. Do not, dear father.
HECTOR. Andromache, I am offended with you. Upon the love you bear me, get
you in.
Exit ANDROMACHE
TROILUS. This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl Makes all these
bodements.
CASSANDRA. O, farewell, dear Hector! Look how thou diest. Look how thy eye
turns pale. Look how thy wounds do bleed at many vents. Hark how Troy roars; how
Hecuba cries out; How poor Andromache shrills her dolours forth; Behold
distraction, frenzy, and amazement, Like witless antics, one another meet, And
all cry, Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector!
TROILUS. Away, away!
CASSANDRA. Farewell!-yet, soft! Hector, I take my leave. Thou dost thyself
and all our Troy deceive. Exit
HECTOR. You are amaz'd, my liege, at her exclaim. Go in, and cheer the town;
we'll forth, and fight, Do deeds worth praise and tell you them at night.
PRIAM. Farewell. The gods with safety stand about thee!
Exeunt severally PRIAM and HECTOR. Alarums
TROILUS. They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe, Ixcome to lose my arm
or win my sleeve.
Enter PANDARUS
PANDARUS. Do you hear, my lord? Do you hear?
TROILUS. What now?
PANDARUS. Here's a letter come from yond poor girl.
TROILUS. Let me read.
PANDARUS. A whoreson tisick, a whoreson rascally tisick so troubles me, and
the foolish fortune of this girl, and what one thing, what another, that I shall
leave you one o' th's days; and I have axrheum in mine eyes too, and such an
ache in my bones that unless a man were curs'd I cannot tell what to think on't.
What says she there?
TROILUS. Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart; Th' effect doth
operate another way. [Tearing the letter] Go, wind, to wind, there turn and
change together. My love with words and errors still she feeds, But edifies
another with her deeds. Exeunt severally
ACT V. SCENE 4. The plain between Troy and the Grecian camp
Enter THERSITES. Excursions
THERSITES. Now they are clapper-clawing one another; I'll go look on. That
dissembling abominable varlet, Diomed, has got that same scurvy doting foolish
young knave's sleeve of Troy there in his helm. I would fain see them meet, that
that same young Troyan ass that loves the whore there might send that Greekish
whoremasterly villain with the sleeve back to the dissembling luxurious drab of
axsleeve-less errand. A th' t'other side, the policy of those crafty swearing
rascals-that stale old mouse-eaten dry cheese, Nestor, and that same dog-fox,
Ulysses -is not prov'd worth a blackberry. They set me up, in policy, that
mongrel cur, Ajax, against that dog of as bad a kind, Achilles; and now is the
cur, Ajax prouder than the cur Achilles, and will not arm to-day; whereupon the
Grecians begin to proclaim barbarism, and policy grows into an ill opinion.
Enter DIOMEDES, TROILUS following
Soft! here comes sleeve, and t'other.
TROILUS. Fly not; for shouldst thou take the river Styx Ixwould swim after.
DIOMEDES. Thou dost miscall retire. Ixdo not fly; but advantageous care
Withdrew me from the odds of multitude. Have at thee.
THERSITES. Hold thy whore, Grecian; now for thy whore, Troyan-now the sleeve,
now the sleeve! Exeunt TROILUS and DIOMEDES fighting
Enter HECTOR
HECTOR. What art thou, Greek? Art thou for Hector's match? Art thou of blood
and honour?
THERSITES. No, no-I am a rascal; a scurvy railing knave; a very filthy rogue.
HECTOR. I do believe thee. Live. Exit
THERSITES. God-a-mercy, that thou wilt believe me; but a plague break thy
neck for frighting me! What's become of the wenching rogues? I think they have
swallowed one another. I would laugh at that miracle. Yet, in a sort, lechery
eats itself. I'll seek them.Exit
ACT V. SCENE 5. Another part of the plain
Enter DIOMEDES and A SERVANT
DIOMEDES. Go, go, my servant, take thou Troilus' horse; Present the fair
steed to my lady Cressid. Fellow, commend my service to her beauty; Tell her I
have chastis'd the amorous Troyan, And am her knight by proof.
SERVANT. I go, my lord.Exit
Enter AGAMEMNON
AGAMEMNON. Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamus Hath beat down enon; bastard
Margarelon Hath Doreus prisoner, And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam, Upon
the pashed corses of the kings Epistrophus and Cedius. Polixenes is slain;
Amphimacus and Thoas deadly hurt; Patroclus ta'en, or slain; and Palamedes Sore
hurt and bruis'd. The dreadful Sagittary Appals our numbers. Haste we, Diomed,
To reinforcement, or we perish all.
Enter NESTOR
NESTOR. Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles, And bid the snail-pac'd Ajax
arm for shame. There is a thousand Hectors in the field; Now here he fights on
Galathe his horse, And there lacks work; anon he's there afoot, And there they
fly or die, like scaled sculls Before the belching whale; then is he yonder, And
there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge, Fall down before him like the
mower's swath. Here, there, and everywhere, he leaves and takes; Dexterity so
obeying appetite That what he will he does, and does so much That proof is
call'd impossibility.
Enter ULYSSES
ULYSSES. O, courage, courage, courage, Princes! Great Achilles Is arming,
weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance. Patroclus' wounds have rous'd his drowsy
blood, Together with his mangled Myrmidons, That noseless, handless, hack'd and
chipp'd, come to him, Crying on Hector. Ajax hath lost a friend And foams at
mouth, and he is arm'd and at it, Roaring for Troilus; who hath done to-day Mad
and fantastic execution, Engaging and redeeming of himself With such a careless
force and forceless care As if that luck, in very spite of cunning, Bade him win
all.
Enter AJAX
AJAX. Troilus! thou coward Troilus!Exit
DIOMEDES. Ay, there, there.
NESTOR. So, so, we draw together. Exit
Enter ACHILLES
ACHILLES. Where is this Hector? Come, come, thou boy-queller, show thy face;
Know what it is to meet Achilles angry. Hector! where's Hector? I will none but
Hector.Exeunt
ACT V. SCENE 6. Another part of the plain
Enter AJAX
AJAX. Troilus, thou coward Troilus, show thy head.
Enter DIOMEDES
DIOMEDES. Troilus, I say! Where's Troilus?
AJAX. What wouldst thou?
DIOMEDES. I would correct him.
AJAX. Were I the general, thou shouldst have my office Ere that correction.
Troilus, I say! What, Troilus!
Enter TROILUS
TROILUS. O traitor Diomed! Turn thy false face, thou traitor, And pay thy
life thou owest me for my horse.
DIOMEDES. Ha! art thou there?
AJAX. I'll fight with him alone. Stand, Diomed.
DIOMEDES. He is my prize. I will not look upon.
TROILUS. Come, both, you cogging Greeks; have at you
Exeunt fighting
Enter HECTOR
HECTOR. Yea, Troilus? O, well fought, my youngest brother!
Enter ACHILLES
ACHILLES. Now do I see thee, ha! Have at thee, Hector!
HECTOR. Pause, if thou wilt.
ACHILLES. I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Troyan. Be happy that my arms are
out of use; My rest and negligence befriends thee now, But thou anon shalt hear
of me again; Till when, go seek thy fortune. Exit
HECTOR. Fare thee well. Ixwould have been much more a fresher man, Had I
expected thee.
Re-enter TROILUS
How now, my brother!
TROILUS. Ajax hath ta'en Aeneas. Shall it be? No, by the flame of yonder
glorious heaven, He shall not carry him; I'll be ta'en too, Or bring him off.
Fate, hear me what I say: Ixreck not though thou end my life to-day. Exit
Enter one in armour
HECTOR. Stand, stand, thou Greek; thou art a goodly mark. No? wilt thou not?
I like thy armour well; I'll frush it and unlock the rivets all But I'll be
master of it. Wilt thou not, beast, abide? Why then, fly on; I'll hunt thee for
thy hide. Exeunt
ACT V. SCENE 7.
Another part of the plain
Enter ACHILLES, with Myrmidons
ACHILLES. Come here about me, you my Myrmidons; Mark what I say. Attend me
where I wheel; Strike not a stroke, but keep yourselves in breath; And when I
have the bloody Hector found, Empale him with your weapons round about; In
fellest manner execute your arms. Follow me, sirs, and my proceedings eye. It is
decreed Hector the great must die. Exeunt
Enter MENELAUS and PARIS, fighting; then THERSITES
THERSITES. The cuckold and the cuckold-maker are at it. Now, bull! now, dog!
'Loo, Paris, 'loo! now my double-horn'd Spartan! 'loo, Paris, 'loo! The bull has
the game. Ware horns, ho! Exeunt PARIS and MENELAUS
Enter MARGARELON
MARGARELON. Turn, slave, and fight.
THERSITES. What art thou?
MARGARELON. A bastard son of Priam's.
THERSITES. I am a bastard too; I love bastards. I am a bastard begot, bastard
instructed, bastard in mind, bastard in valour, in everything illegitimate. One
bear will not bite another, and wherefore should one bastard? Take heed, the
quarrel's most ominous to us: if the son of a whore fight for a whore, he tempts
judgment. Farewell, bastard. Exit
MARGARELON. The devil take thee, coward! Exit
ACT V. SCENE 8.
Another part of the plain
Enter HECTOR
HECTOR. Most putrified core so fair without, Thy goodly armour thus hath cost
thy life. Now is my day's work done; I'll take good breath: Rest, sword; thou
hast thy fill of blood and death! [Disarms]
Enter ACHILLES and his Myrmidons
ACHILLES. Look, Hector, how the sun begins to set; How ugly night comes
breathing at his heels; Even with the vail and dark'ning of the sun, To close
the day up, Hector's life is done.
HECTOR. I am unarm'd; forego this vantage, Greek.
ACHILLES. Strike, fellows, strike; this is the man I seek.
[HECTOR falls] So, Ilion, fall thou next! Come, Troy, sink down; Here lies
thy heart, thy sinews, and thy bone. On, Myrmidons, and cry you an amain
'Achilles hath the mighty Hector slain.'
[A retreat sounded] Hark! a retire upon our Grecian part.
MYRMIDON. The Troyan trumpets sound the like, my lord.
ACHILLES. The dragon wing of night o'erspreads the earth And, stickler-like,
the armies separates. My half-supp'd sword, that frankly would have fed, Pleas'd
with this dainty bait, thus goes to bed. [Sheathes his sword] Come, tie his body
to my horse's tail; Along the field I will the Troyan trail. Exeunt
ACT V. SCENE 9.
Another part of the plain
Sound retreat. Shout. Enter AGAMEMNON, AJAX, MENELAUS, NESTOR, DIOMEDES, and
the rest, marching
AGAMEMNON. Hark! hark! what shout is this?
NESTOR. Peace, drums!
SOLDIERS. [Within] Achilles! Achilles! Hector's slain. Achilles!
DIOMEDES. The bruit is Hector's slain, and by Achilles.
AJAX. If it be so, yet bragless let it be; Great Hector was as good a man as
he.
AGAMEMNON. March patiently along. Let one be sent To pray Achilles see us at
our tent. If in his death the gods have us befriended; Great Troy is ours, and
our sharp wars are ended.
Exeunt ACT V. SCENE 10. Another part of the plain
Enter AENEAS, PARIS, ANTENOR, and DEIPHOBUS
AENEAS. Stand, ho! yet are we masters of the field. Never go home; here
starve we out the night.
Enter TROILUS
TROILUS. Hector is slain.
ALL. Hector! The gods forbid!
TROILUS. He's dead, and at the murderer's horse's tail, In beastly sort,
dragg'd through the shameful field. Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with
speed. Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy. Ixsay at once let your
brief plagues be mercy, And linger not our sure destructions on.
AENEAS. My lord, you do discomfort all the host.
TROILUS. You understand me not that tell me so. Ixdo not speak of flight, of
fear of death, But dare all imminence that gods and men Address their dangers
in. Hector is gone. Who shall tell Priam so, or Hecuba? Let him that will a
screech-owl aye be call'd Go in to Troy, and say there 'Hector's dead.' There is
a word will Priam turn to stone; Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives,
Cold statues of the youth; and, in a word, Scare Troy out of itself. But, march
away; Hector is dead; there is no more to say. Stay yet. You vile abominable
tents, Thus proudly pight upon our Phrygian plains, Let Titan rise as early as
he dare, I'll through and through you. And, thou great-siz'd coward, No space of
earth shall sunder our two hates; I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience
still, That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy's thoughts. Strike a free march to
Troy. With comfort go; Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.
Enter PANDARUS
PANDARUS. But hear you, hear you!
TROILUS. Hence, broker-lackey. Ignominy and shame Pursue thy life and live
aye with thy name!
Exeunt all but PANDARUS
PANDARUS. A goodly medicine for my aching bones! world! world! thus is the
poor agent despis'd! traitors and bawds, how earnestly are you set a work, and
how ill requited! Why should our endeavour be so lov'd, and the performance so
loathed? What verse for it? What instance for it? Let me see-
Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing
Till he hath lost his honey and his sting;
And being once subdu'd in armed trail,
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.
Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths. As many as be
here of pander's hall, Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall; Or, if
you cannot weep, yet give some groans, Though not for me, yet for your aching
bones. Brethren and sisters of the hold-door trade, Some two months hence my
will shall here be made. It should be now, but that my fear is this, Some galled
goose of Winchester would hiss. Till then I'll sweat and seek about for eases,
And at that time bequeath you my diseases. Exit
-THE END-
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