diff --git "a/res/troilus_and_cressida.txt" "b/res/troilus_and_cressida.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/res/troilus_and_cressida.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,5664 @@ +Troilus and Cressida +by William Shakespeare + + +Characters in the Play +====================== +PROLOGUE + +The Trojans +PRIAM, king of Troy +CASSANDRA, Priam's daughter, a soothsayer +Priam's sons + TROILUS + HECTOR + PARIS + HELENUS + DEIPHOBUS + BASTARD +ANDROMACHE, Hector's wife +Trojan leaders + AENEAS + ANTENOR +TROILUS'S BOY +TROILUS'S MAN +PARIS'S SERVINGMAN +CRESSIDA +CALCHAS, her father +PANDARUS, her uncle +ALEXANDER, her servant + +The Greeks +Greek leaders + AGAMEMNON, the general + NESTOR + ULYSSES + DIOMEDES + MENELAUS, brother to Agamemnon + AJAX + ACHILLES +HELEN, Menelaus's wife and queen +PATROCLUS, Achilles' favorite companion +MYRMIDONS, Achilles' soldiers +THERSITES, cynical critic +DIOMEDES' SERVINGMAN +Other Trojans and Greeks, Common Soldiers of Troy and Greece, Trumpeters, Attendants, Torchbearers + +A never writer to an ever reader: news. + +Eternal reader, you have here a new play, never staled +with the stage, never clapperclawed with the palms of +the vulgar, and yet passing full of the palm comical, for +it is a birth of your brain that never undertook anything +comical vainly. And were but the vain names of comedies +changed for the titles of commodities, or of plays +for pleas, you should see all those grand censors, that +now style them such vanities, flock to them for the +main grace of their gravities, especially this author’s +comedies, that are so framed to the life that they serve +for the most common commentaries of all the actions +of our lives, showing such a dexterity and power of wit +that the most displeased with plays are pleased with +his comedies. And all such dull and heavy-witted +worldlings as were never capable of the wit of a comedy, +coming by report of them to his representations, +have found that wit there that they never found in +themselves and have parted better witted than they +came, feeling an edge of wit set upon them more than +ever they dreamed they had brain to grind it on. So +much and such savored salt of wit is in his comedies +that they seem, for their height of pleasure, to be born +in that sea that brought forth Venus. Amongst all there +is none more witty than this; and had I time, I would +comment upon it, though I know it needs not, for so +much as will make you think your testern well +bestowed, but for so much worth as even poor I know +to be stuffed in it. It deserves such a labor as well as the +best comedy in Terence or Plautus. And believe this, +that when he is gone and his comedies out of sale, you +will scramble for them and set up a new English +Inquisition. Take this for a warning, and at the peril of +your pleasure’s loss, and judgment’s, refuse not nor like +this the less for not being sullied with the smoky breath +of the multitude, but thank fortune for the scape it +hath made amongst you, since by the grand possessors’ +wills I believe you should have prayed for them rather +than been prayed. And so I leave all such to be prayed +for, for the states of their wits’ healths, that will not +praise it. Vale. + + +[Enter the Prologue in armor.] + + +PROLOGUE +In Troy there lies the scene. From isles of Greece +The princes orgulous, their high blood chafed, +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 ravished 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 warlike fraughtage. Now on Dardan plains +The fresh and yet unbruised Greeks do pitch +Their brave pavilions. Priam's six-gated city-- +Dardan and Timbria, Helias, Chetas, Troien, +And Antenorides--with massy staples +And corresponsive and fulfilling bolts, +Spar up the sons of Troy. +Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits +On one and other side, Trojan and Greek, +Sets all on hazard. And hither am I come, +A prologue armed, 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. +[Prologue exits.] + + +ACT 1 +===== + +Scene 1 +======= +[Enter Pandarus and Troilus.] + + +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 Trojan 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 unpracticed 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 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 the oven, and the baking. Nay, you must stay +the cooling too, or you may chance 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! "When she comes"? When is she +thence? + +PANDARUS Well, she looked 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, +I have, as when the sun doth light a-scorn, +Buried this sigh in wrinkle of a smile; +But sorrow that is couched 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 I did. 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 drowned, +Reply not in how many fathoms deep +They lie indrenched. 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; +Handiest 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 plowman. 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 labor for my travail, ill thought +on of her, and ill thought on of you; gone between +and between, but small thanks for my labor. + +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 o' 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. [He exits.] + +[Sound alarum.] + +TROILUS +Peace, you ungracious clamors! Peace, rude sounds! +Fools on both sides! Helen must needs be fair +When with your blood you daily paint her thus. +I cannot fight upon this argument; +It is too starved a subject for my sword. +But Pandarus--O gods, how do you plague me! +I cannot come to Cressid but by Pandar, +And he's as tetchy to be wooed to woo +As she is stubborn-chaste against all suit. +Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphnes 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 called 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 today? + +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 gored with Menelaus' horn. +[Alarum.] + +AENEAS +Hark what good sport is out of town today! + +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. +[They exit.] + +Scene 2 +======= +[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 fixed, today was moved. +He chid Andromache and struck his armorer; +And, like as there were husbandry in war, +Before the sun rose he was harnessed 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 +A lord of Trojan 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 robbed many beasts +of their particular additions. He is as valiant as the +lion, churlish as the bear, slow as the elephant, a +man into whom nature hath so crowded humors +that his valor is crushed 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 everything, 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 coped 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 armed 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 he +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 favor-- +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 praised his complexion above Paris'. + +CRESSIDA Why, Paris hath color enough. + +PANDARUS So he has. + +CRESSIDA Then Troilus should have too much. If she +praised him above, his complexion is higher than +his. He having color enough, and the other higher, +is too flaming a 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 compassed 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 marvellous +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 +laughed that her eyes ran o'er-- + +CRESSIDA With millstones. + +PANDARUS And Cassandra laughed-- + +CRESSIDA But there was a more temperate fire under +the pot of her eyes. Did her eyes run o'er too? + +PANDARUS And Hector laughed. + +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 +laughed too. + +PANDARUS They laughed 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 blushed, and Paris so +chafed, and all the rest so laughed that it passed. + +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 an +'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. +[They cross the stage; Alexander exits.] + +CRESSIDA Speak not so loud. + +[Enter Aeneas and crosses the stage.] + + + +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. + +[Enter Antenor and crosses the stage.] + + + +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. + +[Enter Hector and crosses the stage.] + + + +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 he 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. + +[Enter Paris and crosses the stage.] + + +Yonder comes Paris, yonder comes Paris! Look you +yonder, niece. Is 't not a gallant man too? Is 't not? +Why, this is brave now. Who said he came hurt +home today? 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. + +[Enter Helenus and crosses the stage.] + + + +CRESSIDA Who's that? + +PANDARUS That's Helenus. I marvel where Troilus is. +That's Helenus. I think he went not forth today. +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. + +[Enter Troilus and crosses the stage.] + + + +CRESSIDA What sneaking fellow comes yonder? + +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 hacked 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. + +[Enter Common Soldiers and cross the stage.] + + + +CRESSIDA Here comes more. + +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 minced man; and then to be baked 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 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, I can 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's 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. [Boy exits.] +I doubt he be hurt.--Fare you 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. +[Pandarus exits.] +Words, vows, gifts, tears, and love's full sacrifice +He offers in another's enterprise; +But more in Troilus thousandfold 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 beloved knows naught that knows not this: +Men prize the thing ungained 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; ungained, beseech. +Then though my heart's content firm love doth bear, +Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear. +[She exits.] + +Scene 3 +======= +[Sennet. Enter Agamemnon, Nestor, Ulysses, Diomedes, +Menelaus, with others.] + + +AGAMEMNON +Princes, what grief hath set the jaundice o'er your +cheeks? +The ample proposition that hope makes +In all designs begun on Earth below +Fails in the promised largeness. Checks and disasters +Grow in the veins of actions highest reared, +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 abashed behold our works +And call them shames, which are indeed naught 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 affined 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-ribbed bark through liquid mountains cut, +Bounding between the two moist elements, +Like Perseus' horse. Where's then the saucy boat +Whose weak untimbered sides but even now +Corrivaled greatness? Either to harbor fled +Or made a toast for Neptune. Even so +Doth valor's show and valor's worth divide +In storms of Fortune. For in her ray and brightness +The herd hath more annoyance by the breese +Than by the tiger, but when the splitting wind +Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks, +And flies flee under shade, why, then the thing of +courage, +As roused with rage, with rage doth sympathize, +And with an accent tuned in selfsame key +Retorts to chiding Fortune. + +ULYSSES Agamemnon, +Thou great commander, nerves and bone of Greece, +Heart of our numbers, soul and only sprite, +In whom the tempers and the minds of all +Should be shut up, hear what Ulysses speaks. +Besides th' applause and approbation, +The which, [(to Agamemnon)] most mighty for thy +place and sway, +[(To Nestor)] And thou most reverend for thy +stretched-out life, +I give 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, hatched in silver, +Should with a bond of air, strong as the axletree +On which heaven rides, knit all the Greekish ears +To his experienced 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 lacked 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 center +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 enthroned and sphered +Amidst the other, whose med'cinable eye +Corrects the influence of evil planets, +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 shaked, +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 primogeneity and due of birth, +Prerogative of age, crowns, scepters, laurels, +But by degree stand in authentic place? +Take but degree away, untune that string, +And hark what discord follows. Each thing meets +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 disdained +By him one step below, he by the next, +That next by him beneath; so every step, +Exampled 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 discovered +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 live-long day +Breaks scurril jests, +And with ridiculous and silly 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 stretched footing and the scaffollage, +Such to-be-pitied and o'erwrested seeming +He acts thy greatness in; and when he speaks, +'Tis like a chime a-mending, with terms unsquared +Which from the tongue of roaring Typhon dropped +Would seem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff, +The large Achilles, on his pressed bed lolling, +From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause, +Cries "Excellent! 'Tis Agamemnon right. +Now play me Nestor; hem and stroke thy beard, +As he being dressed to some oration." +That's done, as near as the extremest ends +Of parallels, as like as 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 Valor 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-willed 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-- +A slave 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 enemy's weight-- +Why, this hath not a fingers 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, with a Trumpeter.] + + +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' arm +'Fore all the Greekish host, which with one voice +Call Agamemnon head and general. + +AENEAS +Fair leave and large security. How may +A stranger to those most imperial looks +Know them from eyes of other mortals? + +AGAMEMNON How? + +AENEAS +Ay. I ask 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 Trojan scorns us, or the men of Troy +Are ceremonious courtiers. + +AENEAS +Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarmed, +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--great +Jove's accord-- +Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Aeneas. +Peace, Trojan. Lay thy finger on thy lips. +The worthiness of praise distains his worth +If that the praised 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 naught privately that comes from Troy. + +AENEAS +Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him. +I bring 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, Trojan, 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 +A prince 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 honor higher than his ease, +That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril, +That knows his valor 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 Trojans 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 tomorrow with his trumpet call, +Midway between your tents and walls of Troy, +To rouse a Grecian that is true in love. +If any come, Hector shall honor 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, [to Aeneas] +Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man +When Hector's grandsire sucked. He is old now, +But if there be not in our Grecian host +A 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 vambrace put my withered brawns +And, meeting him, will tell him that my lady +Was fairer than his grandam and as chaste +As may be in the world. His youth in flood, +I'll prove this troth 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, sir. +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. +[All but Ulysses and Nestor exit.] + +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 cropped +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 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 his honor off +If not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat, +Yet in the trial much opinion dwells, +For here the Trojans taste our dear'st repute +With their fin'st palate. And, trust to me, Ulysses, +Our imputation shall be oddly poised +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 mass +Of things to come at large. It is supposed +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 distilled +Out of our virtues, who, miscarrying, +What heart receives from hence a conquering part +To steel a strong opinion to themselves?-- +Which entertained, 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 +First show foul wares and think perchance they'll sell; +If not, the luster of the better shall exceed +By showing the worse first. Do not consent +That ever Hector and Achilles meet, +For both our honor and our shame in this +Are dogged 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 share 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 foiled, +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 employed 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 tar the mastiffs on, as 'twere a bone. +[They exit.] + + +ACT 2 +===== + +Scene 1 +======= +[Enter Ajax and Thersites.] + + +AJAX Thersites! + +THERSITES Agamemnon--how if he had boils, full, all +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. I see none now. + +AJAX Thou bitchwolf'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 unsalted 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 proclaimed 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 pound 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 +asinego may tutor thee, thou scurvy-valiant ass. +Thou art here but to thrash Trojans, 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 +whosomever 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 +bobbed 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 menaces him.] + +ACHILLES Nay, good Ajax. + +THERSITES Has not so much wit-- + +ACHILLES, [to Ajax] 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, [to Ajax] What's the quarrel? + +AJAX I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenor 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; he 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 moldy ere your grandsires had nails on +their toes--yoke you like draft-oxen and make +you plow 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 hanged like clodpolls ere I +come any more to your tents. I will keep where +there is wit stirring and leave the faction of fools. +[He exits.] + +PATROCLUS A good riddance. + +ACHILLES, [to Ajax] +Marry, this, sir, is proclaimed through all our host: +That Hector, by the fifth hour of the sun, +Will with a trumpet 'twixt our tents and Troy +Tomorrow 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. [Achilles and Patroclus exit.] + +AJAX O, meaning you? I will go learn more of it. +[He exits.] + +Scene 2 +======= +[Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris and Helenas.] + + +PRIAM +After so many hours, lives, speeches spent, +Thus once again says Nestor from the Greeks: +"Deliver Helen, and all damage else-- +As honor, loss of time, travel, expense, +Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is consumed +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 called +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 honor 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 reason, +Because your speech hath none that tell 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 employed is perilous, +And reason flies the object of all harm. +Who marvels, then, when Helenus beholds +A Grecian 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 disorbed? Nay, if we talk of reason, +Let's shut our gates and sleep. Manhood and honor +Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their +thoughts +With this crammed 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; +And the will dotes that is attributive +To what infectiously itself affects +Without some image of th' affected merit. + +TROILUS +I take today 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 choose? There can be no evasion +To blench from this and to stand firm by honor. +We turn not back the silks upon the merchant +When we have soiled 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 bellied his sails; +The seas and winds, old wranglers, took a truce +And did him service. He touched the ports desired, +And for an old aunt whom the Greeks held captive, +He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and +freshness +Wrinkles Apollo's and makes pale the morning. +Why keep we her? The Grecians keep our aunt. +Is she worth keeping? Why, she is a pearl +Whose price hath launched above a thousand ships +And turned crowned 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 clapped 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 prized +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, Trojans, cry! + +PRIAM What noise? What shriek is this? + +TROILUS +'Tis our mad sister. I do know her voice. + +CASSANDRA, [within] Cry, Trojans! + +HECTOR It is Cassandra. + +[Enter Cassandra raving.] + + +CASSANDRA +Cry, Trojans, 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 elders, +Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry, +Add to my clamors. Let us pay betimes +A moiety of that mass of moan to come. +Cry, Trojans, cry! Practice your eyes with tears. +Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilium stand. +Our firebrand brother Paris burns us all. +Cry, Trojans, cry! A Helen and a woe! +Cry, cry! Troy burns, or else let Helen go. [She exits.] + +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 brainsick raptures +Cannot distaste the goodness of a quarrel +Which hath our several honors all engaged +To make it gracious. For my private part, +I am no more touched 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 off +All fears attending on so dire a project. +For what, alas, can these my single arms? +What propugnation is in one man's valor +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 +Wiped off in honorable keeping her. +What treason were it to the ransacked 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 bestowed or death unfamed +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 glozed--but superficially, not much +Unlike young men, whom Aristotle thought +Unfit to hear moral philosophy. +The reasons you allege do more conduce +To the hot passion of distempered 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 rendered 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-ordered 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 returned. 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'ertheless, +My sprightly 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 touched the life of our design! +Were it not glory that we more affected +Than the performance of our heaving spleens, +I would not wish a drop of Trojan blood +Spent more in her defense. But, worthy Hector, +She is a theme of honor and renown, +A spur 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 promised 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. +I have a roisting challenge sent amongst +The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks +Will strike amazement to their drowsy spirits. +I was advertised their great general slept, +Whilst emulation in the army crept. +This, I presume, will wake him. +[They exit.] + +Scene 3 +======= +[Enter Thersites, alone.] + + +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 I could +beat him whilst he railed 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 enginer! 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 you take not that little, little, less than +little wit from them that they have, which short-armed +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! + +PATROCLUS, [within] Who's there? Thersites? Good +Thersites, come in and rail. + +THERSITES If I could 'a remembered a gilt counterfeit, +thou couldst not have slipped 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 +a tutor, 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. + +[Enter Patroclus.] + +Where's Achilles? + +PATROCLUS What, art thou devout? Wast thou in +prayer? + +THERSITES Ay. The heavens hear me! + +PATROCLUS Amen. + +ACHILLES, [within] Who's there? + +PATROCLUS Thersites, my lord. + +ACHILLES, [within] Where? Where? O, where? + +[Enter Achilles.] + +[To Thersites.] 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, [to Patroclus] He is a privileged 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. + +[Enter at a distance Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, +Diomedes, Ajax, and Calchas.] + +Look you, who comes here? + +ACHILLES Patroclus, I'll speak with nobody.--Come in +with me, Thersites. [He exits.] + +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! +[He exits.] + +AGAMEMNON, [to Patroclus] Where is Achilles? + +PATROCLUS +Within his tent, but ill-disposed, my lord. + +AGAMEMNON +Let it be known to him that we are here. +He shent our messengers, and we lay by +Our appertainments, 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. [He exits.] + +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 favor the man, but, by my +head, 'tis pride. But, why, why? Let him show us a +cause.--A word, my lord. +[He and Agamemnon walk 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. + +[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, [to Agamemnon] +Achilles bids me say he is much sorry +If anything 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, winged 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, and 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 overproud +And underhonest, 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 course and time, his ebbs and flows, as if +The passage and whole carriage of this action +Rode on his tide. Go tell him this, and add +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." +A stirring dwarf we do allowance give +Before a sleeping giant. Tell him so. + +PATROCLUS +I shall, and bring his answer presently. + +AGAMEMNON +In second voice we'll not be satisfied; +We come to speak with him.--Ulysses, enter you. +[Ulysses exits, with Patroclus.] + +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. + +AJAX I do hate a proud man as I hate the engendering +of toads. + +NESTOR, [aside] +And yet he loves himself. Is 't not strange? + +[Enter Ulysses.] + + +ULYSSES +Achilles will not to the field tomorrow. + +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 th' air with us? + +ULYSSES +Things small as nothing, for request's sake only, +He makes important. Possessed he is with greatness +And speaks not to himself but with a pride +That quarrels at self-breath. Imagined worth +Holds in his blood such swoll'n and hot discourse +That 'twixt his mental and his active parts +Kingdomed 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 worshipped +Of that we hold an idol more than he? +No. This thrice-worthy and right valiant lord +Shall not so stale his palm, nobly acquired, +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 to Diomedes] +O, this is well; he rubs the vein of him. + +DIOMEDES, [aside to Nestor] +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 he be proud with me, I'll feeze 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 humorous blood. + +AGAMEMNON, [aside] He will be the physician that +should be the patient. + +AJAX An all men were of my mind-- + +ULYSSES, [aside] Wit would be out of fashion. + +AJAX --he should not bear it so; he should eat swords +first. Shall pride carry it? + +NESTOR, [aside] An 'twould, you'd carry half. + +ULYSSES, [aside] He 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, [to Agamemnon] +Our noble general, do not do so. + +DIOMEDES, [to Agamemnon] +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; +I will 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 Trojan! + +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, [to Ajax] +Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet +composure. +Praise him that gat thee, she that gave thee suck; +Famed be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature +Thrice famed beyond, beyond thy erudition; +But he that disciplined thine arms to fight, +Let Mars divide eternity in twain +And give him half; and for thy vigor, +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 tempered, +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 ruled 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. Tomorrow +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. +[They exit.] + + +ACT 3 +===== + +Scene 1 +======= +[Music sounds within. Enter Pandarus and Paris's +Servingman.] + + +PANDARUS Friend, you, pray you, a word. Do you not +follow the young Lord Paris? + +MAN Ay, sir, when he goes before me. + +PANDARUS You depend upon him, I mean. + +MAN Sir, I do depend upon the Lord. + +PANDARUS You depend upon a notable gentleman. I +must needs praise him. + +MAN The Lord be praised! + +PANDARUS You know me, do you not? + +MAN Faith, sir, superficially. + +PANDARUS Friend, know me better. I am the Lord +Pandarus. + +MAN I hope I shall know your Honor better. + +PANDARUS I do desire it. + +MAN You are in the state of grace? + +PANDARUS Grace? Not so, friend. "Honor" and "Lordship" +are my titles. What music is this? + +MAN I do but partly know, sir. It is music in parts. + +PANDARUS Know you the musicians? + +MAN Wholly, sir. + +PANDARUS Who play they to? + +MAN To the hearers, sir. + +PANDARUS At whose pleasure, friend? + +MAN At mine, sir, and theirs that love music. + +PANDARUS Command, I mean, friend. + +MAN Who shall I command, sir? + +PANDARUS Friend, we understand not one another. I +am too courtly and thou art too cunning. At whose +request do these men play? + +MAN 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 visible +soul. + +PANDARUS Who, my cousin Cressida? + +MAN No, sir, Helen. Could not you find out that by her +attributes? + +PANDARUS It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not +seen the Lady Cressid. I come to speak with Paris +from the Prince Troilus. I will make a complimental +assault upon him, for my business seethes. + +MAN Sodden business! There's a stewed phrase indeed. + +[Enter Paris and Helen with Attendants.] + + +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 tonight? + +HELEN Nay, but, my lord-- + +PANDARUS What says my sweet queen? My cousin will +fall out with you. + +HELEN, [to Paris] 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. [An Attendant gives him 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. + Love, love, nothing but love, still love, still more! + For, O, 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. + "O ho!" awhile, but "Ha ha ha!" + "O ho!"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 +afield today? + +PARIS Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the +gallantry of Troy. I would fain have armed today, +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 sped today.--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. [He exits.] +[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 touched, +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. +[They exit.] + +Scene 2 +======= +[Enter Pandarus and Troilus's Man, meeting.] + + +PANDARUS How now? Where's thy master? At my +cousin Cressida's? + +MAN No, sir, he stays for you to conduct him thither. + +[Enter Troilus.] + + +PANDARUS O, here he comes.--How now, how now? + +TROILUS, [to his Man] Sirrah, walk off. [Man exits.] + +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 those fields +Where I may wallow in the lily beds +Proposed 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. +[Pandarus exits.] + +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 taste indeed +Love's thrice-repured nectar? Death, I fear me, +Swooning destruction, or some joy too fine, +Too subtle-potent, tuned too sharp in sweetness +For the capacity of my ruder powers. +I fear 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. + +[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 frayed with +a spirit. I'll fetch her. It is the prettiest villain. She +fetches her breath as short as a new-ta'en sparrow. +[Pandarus exits.] + +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. + +[Enter Pandarus, and Cressida veiled.] + + +PANDARUS, [to Cressida] 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. +[Cressida offers to leave.] What, are you gone again? +You must be watched ere you be made tame, must +you? Come your ways; come your ways. An you +draw backward, we'll put you i' th' thills.--Why +do you not speak to her?--Come, draw this curtain +and let's see your picture. [He draws back her veil.] +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. [(They kiss.)] 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. [(They kiss.)] What, billing +again? Here's "In witness whereof the parties +interchangeably--." Come in, come in. I'll go get a fire. +[Pandarus exits.] + +CRESSIDA Will you walk in, my lord? + +TROILUS O Cressid, how often have I wished me thus! + +CRESSIDA "Wished," 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 cherubins; 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, eat 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 confined, 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? + +[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, [to Cressida] 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 be wooed, they +are constant being won. They are burrs, 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 loved 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. +I love 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 blabbed? Who shall be true to us +When we are so unsecret to ourselves? +But though I loved you well, I wooed you not; +And yet, good faith, I wished 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. +[They kiss.] + +PANDARUS Pretty, i' faith! + +CRESSIDA, [to Troilus] +My lord, I do beseech you pardon me. +'Twas not my purpose thus to beg a kiss. +I am ashamed. 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 tomorrow +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. +I have 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, +I am 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, +Wants similes, truth tired 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' center"-- +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 water drops have worn the stones of Troy +And blind oblivion swallowed 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 they've 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 called to the world's +end after my name: call them all panders. Let all +constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids, +and all brokers-between panders. Say "Amen." + +TROILUS Amen. + +CRESSIDA Amen. + +PANDARUS Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber +with a bed, which bed, because it shall not +speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death. +Away. [Troilus and Cressida exit.] +And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here +Bed, chamber, pander to provide this gear. +[He exits.] + +Scene 3 +======= +[Flourish. Enter Ulysses, Diomedes, Nestor, +Agamemnon, Calchas, Menelaus, and Ajax.] + + +CALCHAS +Now, princes, for the service I have done you, +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, +I have abandoned Troy, left my possessions, +Incurred a traitor's name, exposed myself, +From certain and possessed 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. +I do 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, Trojan, make demand? + +CALCHAS +You have a Trojan prisoner called Antenor +Yesterday took. Troy holds him very dear. +Oft have you--often have you thanks therefor-- +Desired my Cressid in right great exchange, +Whom Troy hath still denied; but this Antenor, +I know, 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 tomorrow +Be answered in his challenge. Ajax is ready. + +DIOMEDES +This shall I undertake, and 'tis a burden +Which I am proud to bear. [He exits with 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. +I will come last. 'Tis like he'll question me +Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turned on +him. +If so, I have derision medicinable +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 +A form 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 looked on. I will lead the way. + +[They pass before Achilles and Patroclus. Ulysses +remains in place, reading.] + + + +ACHILLES +What, comes the General to speak with me? +You know my mind: I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy. + +AGAMEMNON, [to Nestor] +What says Achilles? Would he aught with us? + +NESTOR, [to Achilles] +Would you, my lord, aught with the General? + +ACHILLES No. + +NESTOR Nothing, my lord. + +AGAMEMNON The better. [Agamemnon and Nestor exit.] + +ACHILLES, [to Menelaus] Good day, good day. + +MENELAUS How do you? How do you? [He exits.] + +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. [He exits.] + +ACHILLES +What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles? + +PATROCLUS +They pass by strangely. They were used to bend, +To send their smiles before them to Achilles, +To come as humbly as they use 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 declined 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 honor, but honor for those honors +That are without him--as place, riches, and favor, +Prizes of accident as oft as merit, +Which, when they fall, as being slippery slanders, +The love that leaned 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 traveled and is mirrored 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 the applause +Where they're 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! +A very 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 tomorrow-- +An act that very chance doth throw upon him-- +Ajax renowned. 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 shrieking. + +ACHILLES +I do believe it, for they passed 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, +A great-sized monster of ingratitudes. +Those scraps are good deeds past, which are devoured +As fast as they are made, forgot as soon +As done. Perseverance, dear my lord, +Keeps honor bright. To have done is to hang +Quite out of fashion like a rusty mail +In monumental mock'ry. Take the instant way, +For honor 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 turn aside from the direct forthright, +Like to an entered 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'errun 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 outstretched as he would fly, +Grasps in the comer. Welcome ever smiles, +And Farewell goes out sighing. Let not virtue seek +Remuneration for the thing it was, +For beauty, wit, +High birth, vigor 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 newborn gauds, +Though they are made and molded of things past, +And give to dust that is a little gilt +More laud than gilt o'erdusted. +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, +I have 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 Pluto's gold, +Finds bottom in the uncomprehensive deep, +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 islands 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. +[He exits.] + +PATROCLUS +To this effect, Achilles, have I moved you. +A woman impudent and mannish grown +Is not more loathed than an effeminate man +In time of action. I stand condemned 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 dewdrop from the lion's mane, +Be shook to air. + +ACHILLES Shall Ajax fight with Hector? + +PATROCLUS +Ay, and perhaps receive much honor by him. + +ACHILLES +I see my reputation is at stake; +My fame is shrewdly gored. + +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 Trojan lords after the combat +To see us here unarmed. 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.] + +A labor saved. + +THERSITES A wonder! + +ACHILLES What? + +THERSITES Ajax goes up and down the field, asking for +himself. + +ACHILLES How so? + +THERSITES He must fight singly tomorrow with Hector +and is so prophetically proud of an heroical cudgeling +that he raves in saying nothing. + +ACHILLES How can that be? + +THERSITES Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock-- +a stride and a stand; ruminates like an hostess +that hath no arithmetic but her brain to set +down her reckoning; bites his lip with a politic regard, +as who should say "There were wit in this +head an 'twould out"--and so there is, but it lies +as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not +show without knocking. The man's undone forever, +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 a +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 unarmed to my tent, and to procure safe-conduct +for his person of the magnanimous and +most illustrious, six-or-seven-times-honored captain +general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon, +et cetera. Do this. + +PATROCLUS, [to Thersites, who is playing Ajax] 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 say you to 't? + +THERSITES God b' wi' you, with all my heart. + +PATROCLUS Your answer, sir. + +THERSITES If tomorrow 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 you well with all my heart. +[He pretends to exit.] + +ACHILLES Why, but he is not in this tune, is he? + +THERSITES No, but he's out of tune thus. What music +will be in him when Hector has knocked out his +brains I know not. But I am sure none, unless the +fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make catlings on. + +ACHILLES Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him +straight. + +THERSITES Let me bear another to his horse, for that's +the more capable creature. + +ACHILLES +My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirred, +And I myself see not the bottom of it. +[Achilles and Patroclus exit.] + +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. +[He exits.] + + +ACT 4 +===== + +Scene 1 +======= +[Enter at one door Aeneas with a Torchbearer, at +another Paris, Deiphobus, Antenor, Diomedes and +Grecians 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 bedmate 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 armed, 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 human 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 sympathize. Jove, let Aeneas live, +If to my sword his fate be not the glory, +A thousand complete courses of the sun! +But in mine emulous honor let him die +With every joint a wound and that tomorrow. + +AENEAS We know each other well. + +DIOMEDES +We do, and long to know each other worse. + +PARIS +This is the most despiteful gentle greeting, +The noblest hateful love, that e'er I heard of. +[To Aeneas.] 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. [(Aside to Aeneas.)] I constantly +believe-- +Or, rather, call my thought a certain knowledge-- +My brother Troilus lodges there tonight. +Rouse him, and give him note of our approach, +With the whole quality whereof. I fear +We shall be much unwelcome. + +AENEAS, [aside to Paris] That I assure you. +Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece +Than Cressid borne from Troy. + +PARIS, [aside to Aeneas] There is no help. +The bitter disposition of the time +Will have it so.--On, lord, we'll follow you. + +AENEAS Good morrow, all. +[Aeneas exits with the Torchbearer.] + +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 dishonor, +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 pleased to breed out your inheritors. +Both merits poised, each weighs nor less nor more; +But he as he, the heavier for a whore. + +PARIS +You are too bitter to your countrywoman. + +DIOMEDES +She's bitter to her country. Hear me, Paris: +For every false drop in her bawdy veins +A Grecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple +Of her contaminated carrion weight +A Trojan hath been slain. Since she could speak, +She hath not given so many good words breath +As for her Greeks and Trojans suffered death. + +PARIS +Fair Diomed, you do as chapmen do, +Dispraise the thing that they desire to buy. +But we in silence hold this virtue well: +We'll not commend that not intend to sell. +Here lies our way. +[They exit.] + +Scene 2 +======= +[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, +Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows, +And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer, +I would 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. +O foolish 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. + +CRESSIDA +A pestilence on him! Now will he be mocking. +I shall have such a life! + +[Enter Pandarus.] + + +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! Ah, poor capocchia! +Has 't not slept tonight? Would he not--a +naughty man--let it sleep? A bugbear take him! + +CRESSIDA, [to Troilus] +Did not I tell you? Would he were knocked 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 deceived. I think of no such thing. +[Knock.] +How earnestly they knock! Pray you, come in. +I would not for half Troy have you seen here. +[Troilus and Cressida exit.] + +PANDARUS Who's there? What's the matter? Will you +beat down the door? + +[Enter Aeneas.] + +How now? What's the matter? + +AENEAS Good morrow, lord, good morrow. + +PANDARUS Who's there? My Lord Aeneas? By my troth, +I knew 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 Ho, 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. + +[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 +Delivered 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! +I will 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 nature +Have not more gift in taciturnity. +[Troilus and Aeneas exit.] + +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! + +[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! I knew 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 changed for Antenor. Thou must to +thy father and be gone from Troilus. 'Twill be his +death; 'twill be his bane. He cannot bear it. + +CRESSIDA +O you immortal gods! I will not go. + +PANDARUS Thou must. + +CRESSIDA +I will not, uncle. I have forgot my father. +I know 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 center 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. +[They exit.] + +Scene 3 +======= +[Enter Paris, Troilus, Aeneas, Deiphobus, Antenor, +and Diomedes.] + + +PARIS +It is great morning, and the hour prefixed +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 +A priest there off'ring to it his own heart. [He exits.] + +PARIS I know what 'tis to love, +And would, as I shall pity, I could help.-- +Please you walk in, my lords? +[They exit.] + +Scene 4 +======= +[Enter Pandarus and Cressida, weeping.] + + +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 affection +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, [embracing Troilus] O Troilus, Troilus! + +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 strained a purity +That the blest 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, 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, jostles roughly by +All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips +Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents +Our locked embrasures, strangles our dear vows +Even in the birth of our own laboring 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 thiev'ry up, he knows not how. +As many farewells as be stars in heaven, +With distinct breath and consigned kisses to them, +He fumbles up into a loose adieu +And scants us with a single famished kiss, +Distasted with the salt of broken tears. + +AENEAS, [within] My lord, is the lady ready? + +TROILUS +Hark, you are called. Some say the genius +Cries so 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 the root. +[He exits.] + +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. +I speak not "Be thou true" as fearing thee, +For I will throw my glove to Death himself +That there is 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 exposed, 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? +[They exchange love-tokens.] + +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, +Their loving well composed, with gift of nature +flowing, +And swelling o'er with arts and exercise. +How novelty 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-discursive 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. +[They kiss.] + +PARIS, [within] +Brother Troilus! + +TROILUS, [calling] 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, +I with great truth catch mere simplicity. +Whilst some with cunning gild their copper crowns, +With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare. +Fear not my truth. The moral of my wit +Is "plain and true"; there's all the reach of it. + +[Enter Aeneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus, and +Diomedes.] + +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 Ilium. + +DIOMEDES Fair Lady Cressid, +So please you, save the thanks this prince expects. +The luster 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 thee +In praising her. I tell thee, lord of Greece, +She is as far high-soaring o'er thy praises +As thou unworthy to be called her servant. +I charge 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 moved, Prince Troilus. +Let me be privileged 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 prized; but that you say "Be 't so," +I speak it in my spirit and honor: "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. +[Cressida, Diomedes, and Troilus exit.] + +[Sound trumpet within.] + +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. +[They exit.] + +Scene 5 +======= +[Enter Ajax, armed, Achilles, Patroclus, Agamemnon, +Menelaus, Ulysses, Nestor, etc. and Trumpeter.] + + +AGAMEMNON, [to Ajax] +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. +[He gives money to Trumpeter.] +Now crack thy lungs and split thy brazen pipe. +Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek +Outswell the colic of puffed Aquilon. +Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood. +Thou blowest for Hector. [Sound trumpet.] + +ULYSSES +No trumpet answers. + +ACHILLES 'Tis but early days. + +[Enter Cressida and Diomedes.] + + +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. +[He kisses her.] + +NESTOR +Our general doth salute you with a kiss. + +ULYSSES +Yet is the kindness but particular. +'Twere better she were kissed in general. + +NESTOR +And very courtly counsel. I'll begin. [He kisses her.] +So much for Nestor. + +ACHILLES +I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady. +Achilles bids you welcome. [He kisses her.] + +MENELAUS +I had good argument for kissing once. + +PATROCLUS, [stepping between Menelaus and Cressida] +But that's no argument for kissing now, +For thus popped Paris in his hardiment +And parted thus you and your argument. +[He kisses her.] + +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. +Patroclus kisses you. [He kisses her again.] + +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? + +MENELAUS +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 two. + +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. +[Diomedes and Cressida talk aside.] + +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. +O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue, +That give accosting welcome ere it comes +And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts +To every tickling reader! Set them down +For sluttish spoils of opportunity +And daughters of the game. +[Diomedes and Cressida exit.] +[Flourish.] + +ALL +The Trojan's trumpet. + +[Enter all of Troy: Hector, armed, Paris, Aeneas, +Helenus, Troilus, and 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 +A victor 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. + +AGAMEMNON +'Tis done like Hector. + +ACHILLES But securely done, +A little proudly, and great deal misprizing +The knight opposed. + +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, +Valor 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 Trojan and half Greek. + +ACHILLES +A maiden battle, then? O, I perceive you. + +[Enter Diomedes.] + + +AGAMEMNON +Here is Sir Diomed.--Go, gentle knight; +Stand by our Ajax. As you and Lord Aeneas +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. + +[Hector and Ajax enter the lists.] + +ULYSSES They are opposed already. + +AGAMEMNON +What Trojan 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 provoked, nor being provoked soon calmed, +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 +A second 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 Ilium thus translate him to me. +[Alarum. The fight begins.] + +AGAMEMNON They are in action. + +NESTOR Now, Ajax, hold thine own! + +TROILUS Hector, thou sleep'st. Awake thee! + +AGAMEMNON +His blows are well disposed.--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, +A cousin-german to great Priam's seed. +The obligation of our blood forbids +A gory emulation 'twixt us twain. +Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so +That thou couldst say "This hand is Grecian all, +And this is Trojan; 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 borrowd'st 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 honor to thee! [They embrace.] + +AJAX I thank thee, Hector. +Thou art too gentle and too free a man. +I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence +A great addition earned in thy death. + +HECTOR +Not Neoptolemus so mirable-- +On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st "Oyez" +Cries "This is he"--could promise to himself +A thought of added honor 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. +[They embrace again.] + +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 unarmed the valiant Hector. + +HECTOR +Aeneas, call my brother Troilus to me, +And signify this loving interview +To the expecters of our Trojan part; +Desire them home. +[Aeneas speaks to Trojans, who exit; he then +returns with Troilus.] +[To Ajax.] Give me thy hand, my cousin. +I will go eat with thee and see your knights. +[Agamemnon and the rest come forward.] + +AJAX +Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here. + +HECTOR, [to Aeneas] +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 strewed with husks +And formless ruin of oblivion; +But in this extant moment, faith and troth, +Strained 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-famed lord of Troy, no less to you. + +MENELAUS +Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting: +You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither. + +HECTOR, [to Aeneas] +Who must we answer? + +AENEAS The noble Menelaus. + +HECTOR +O, you, my lord? By Mars his gauntlet, thanks! +Mock not that I affect th' 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 Trojan, seen thee oft, +Laboring 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 subduments, +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 hemmed thee in, +Like an Olympian wrestling. This have I seen. +But this thy countenance, still locked in steel, +I never 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, [to Hector] 'Tis the old Nestor. + +HECTOR +Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle +That hast so long walked hand in hand with time. +Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee. +[They embrace.] + +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 tomorrow. +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 favor, Lord Ulysses, well. +Ah, sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead +Since first I saw yourself and Diomed +In Ilium, 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, +Yon 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 +A drop 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; +I have with exact view perused 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 endeavor 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, [to Achilles] +I pray you, let us see you in the field. +We have had pelting wars since you refused +The Grecians' cause. + +ACHILLES Dost thou entreat me, Hector? +Tomorrow do I meet thee, fell as death; +Tonight 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 taborins; let the trumpets blow, +That this great soldier may his welcome know. +[Flourish.] +[All but Troilus and Ulysses exit.] + +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 tonight, +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 honor was +This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there +That wails her absence? + +TROILUS +O sir, to such as boasting show their scars +A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord? +She was beloved, she loved; she is, and doth; +But still sweet love is food for Fortune's tooth. +[They exit.] + + +ACT 5 +===== + +Scene 1 +======= +[Enter Achilles and Patroclus.] + + +ACHILLES +I'll heat his blood with Greekish wine tonight, +Which with my scimitar I'll cool tomorrow. +Patroclus, let us feast him to the height. + +PATROCLUS +Here comes Thersites. + +[Enter Thersites.] + + +ACHILLES How now, thou core of envy? +Thou crusty botch 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. +[Achilles takes the letter and moves aside to read it.] + +PATROCLUS Who keeps the tent now? + +THERSITES The surgeon's box or the patient's wound. + +PATROCLUS Well said, adversity. And what need 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, whissing +lungs, bladders full of impostume, 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 means 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 sleave-silk, thou green sarsenet +flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's purse, +thou? Ah, how the poor world is pestered with such +waterflies, diminutives of nature! + +PATROCLUS Out, gall! + +THERSITES Finch egg! + +ACHILLES, [coming forward] +My sweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite +From my great purpose in tomorrow's battle. +Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba, +A token 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; honor, 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. [He exits with Patroclus.] + +THERSITES With too much blood and too little brain, +these two may run mad; but if with too much brain +and too 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 earwax. 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 puttock, 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. + +[Enter Hector, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon, Ulysses, +Nestor, Menelaus, and Diomedes, with lights.] + +Heyday! Sprites and fires! + +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. + +[Enter Achilles.] + + +ULYSSES, [to Hector] Here comes himself to guide you. + +ACHILLES +Welcome, brave Hector. Welcome, princes all. + +AGAMEMNON, [to Hector] +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, [aside] Sweet draught. "Sweet," quoth he? +Sweet sink, sweet sewer. + +ACHILLES +Good night and welcome, both at once, to those +That go or tarry. + +AGAMEMNON Good night. +[Agamemnon and Menelaus exit.] + +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 honor me. + +HECTOR +And so, good night. +[Diomedes exits, followed by Troilus and Ulysses.] + +ACHILLES Come, come, enter my tent. +[Achilles, Ajax, Nestor, and Hector exit.] + +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 +Trojan drab and uses the traitor Calchas his tent. +I'll after. Nothing but lechery! All incontinent varlets! +[He exits.] + +Scene 2 +======= +[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, and then, +apart from them, Thersites.] + + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] +Stand where the torch may not discover us. + +[Enter Cressida.] + + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +Cressid comes forth to him. + +DIOMEDES How now, my charge? + +CRESSIDA +Now, my sweet guardian. Hark, a word with you. +[She whispers to him.] + +TROILUS, [aside] Yea, so familiar? + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] She will sing any man at +first sight. + +THERSITES, [aside] And any man may sing her, if he +can take her clef. 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, [aside] What should she remember? + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] List! + +CRESSIDA +Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more to folly. + +THERSITES, [aside] Roguery! + +DIOMEDES Nay, then-- + +CRESSIDA I'll tell you what-- + +DIOMEDES +Foh, foh, come, tell a pin! You are forsworn. + +CRESSIDA +In faith, I cannot. What would you have me do? + +THERSITES, [aside] 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, [aside] Hold, patience! + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] How now, Trojan? + +CRESSIDA Diomed-- + +DIOMEDES +No, no, good night. I'll be your fool no more. + +TROILUS, [aside] Thy better must. + +CRESSIDA Hark, a word in your ear. +[She whispers to him.] + +TROILUS, [aside] O plague and madness! + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] +You are moved, prince. Let us depart, I pray you, +Lest your displeasure should enlarge itself +To wrathful terms. This place is dangerous; +The time right deadly. I beseech you, go. + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +Behold, I pray you. + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] Nay, good my lord, go off. +You flow to great distraction. Come, my lord. + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +I prithee, stay. + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] You have not patience. Come. + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +I pray you, stay. By hell and all hell's torments, +I will not speak a word. + +DIOMEDES +And so good night. [He starts to leave.] + +CRESSIDA Nay, but you part in anger. + +TROILUS, [aside] Doth that grieve thee? O withered +truth! + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] +How now, my lord? + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] By Jove, I will be patient. + +CRESSIDA +Guardian! Why, Greek! + +DIOMEDES Foh foh! Adieu. You palter. + +CRESSIDA +In faith, I do not. Come hither once again. + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] +You shake, my lord, at something. Will you go? +You will break out. + +TROILUS, [aside] She strokes his cheek! + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] Come, come. + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +Nay, stay. By Jove, I will not speak a word. +There is between my will and all offenses +A guard of patience. Stay a little while. + +THERSITES, [aside] 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, la. Never trust me else. + +DIOMEDES +Give me some token for the surety of it. + +CRESSIDA I'll fetch you one. [She exits.] + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] +You have sworn patience. + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] Fear me not, my lord. +I will not be myself nor have cognition +Of what I feel. I am all patience. + +[Enter Cressida with Troilus's sleeve.] + + +THERSITES, [aside] Now the pledge, now, now, now! + +CRESSIDA, [giving the sleeve] Here, Diomed. Keep this +sleeve. + +TROILUS, [aside] O beauty, where is thy faith? + +ULYSSES, [aside to Troilus] My lord-- + +TROILUS, [aside to Ulysses] +I will be patient; outwardly I will. + +CRESSIDA +You look upon that sleeve? Behold it well. +He loved me--O false wench!--Give 't me again. +[She snatches the sleeve from Diomedes.] + +DIOMEDES Whose was 't? + +CRESSIDA +It is no matter, now I ha 't again. +I will not meet with you tomorrow night. +I prithee, Diomed, visit me no more. + +THERSITES, [aside] 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. +[He grabs the sleeve, and she tries to retrieve it.] + +DIOMEDES Nay, do not snatch it from me. + +CRESSIDA +He that takes that doth take my heart withal. + +DIOMEDES +I had your heart before. This follows it. + +TROILUS, [aside] 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 loved 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 +Tomorrow will I wear it on my helm +And grieve his spirit that dares not challenge it. + +TROILUS, [aside] +Wert thou the devil and wor'st it on thy horn, +It should be challenged. + +CRESSIDA +Well, well, 'tis done, 'tis past. And yet it is not. +I will not keep my word. + +DIOMEDES Why, then, farewell. +Thou never shalt mock Diomed again. +[He starts to leave.] + +CRESSIDA +You shall not go. One cannot speak a word +But it straight starts you. + +DIOMEDES I do not like this fooling. + +TROILUS, [aside] +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 plagued. + +DIOMEDES +Farewell, till then. + +CRESSIDA Good night. I prithee, come.-- +[He exits.] +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 swayed by eyes are full of turpitude. [She exits.] + +THERSITES, [aside] +A proof of strength she could not publish more, +Unless she said "My mind is now turned 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 co-act, +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, Trojan. + +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 believed 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, [aside] Will he 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 gods' delight, +If there be rule in unity itself, +This is 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 slipped, dissolved, and +loosed, +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 given to Diomed. + +ULYSSES +May worthy Troilus be half attached +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 +Inflamed with Venus. Never did young man fancy +With so eternal and so fixed 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 composed by Vulcan's skill, +My sword should bite it. Not the dreadful spout +Which shipmen do the hurricano call, +Constringed in mass by the almighty sun, +Shall dizzy with more clamor Neptune's ear +In his descent than shall my prompted sword +Falling on Diomed. + +THERSITES, [aside] 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, [to Troilus] +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.-- +Farewell, 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. +[Troilus, Aeneas, and Ulysses exit.] + +THERSITES Would I could meet that rogue Diomed! I +would croak like a raven; 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! +[He exits.] + +Scene 3 +======= +[Enter Hector, armed, and Andromache.] + + +ANDROMACHE +When was my lord so much ungently tempered +To stop his ears against admonishment? +Unarm, unarm, and do not fight today. + +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, armed 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, [calling out] Ho! Bid my trumpet sound! + +CASSANDRA +No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother! + +HECTOR +Begone, I say. The gods have heard me swear. + +CASSANDRA +The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows. +They are polluted off'rings more abhorred +Than spotted livers in the sacrifice. + +ANDROMACHE, [to Hector] +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 honor keeps the weather of my fate. +Life every man holds dear, but the dear man +Holds honor far more precious-dear than life. + +[Enter Troilus, armed.] + +How now, young man? Meanest thou to fight today? + +ANDROMACHE +Cassandra, call my father to persuade. +[Cassandra exits.] + +HECTOR +No, faith, young Troilus, doff thy harness, youth. +I am today 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 today 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 armors buckled on, +The venomed 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 today. + +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'er-galled with recourse of tears; +Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn +Opposed to hinder me, should stop my way, +But by my ruin. + +[Enter Priam and Cassandra.] + + +CASSANDRA, [indicating Hector] +Lay hold upon him, Priam; hold him fast. +He is thy crutch. Now if thou loose 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 afield, +And I do stand engaged to many Greeks, +Even in the faith of valor, 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. +[Andromache exits.] + +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 dolor 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. [She exits.] + +HECTOR +You are amazed, 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! +[Hector and Priam exit at separate doors.] +[Alarum.] + +TROILUS +They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe, +I come to lose my arm or win my sleeve. + +[Enter Pandarus, with a paper.] + + +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. [He reads.] + +PANDARUS A whoreson phthisic, a whoreson rascally +phthisic so troubles me, and the foolish fortune of +this girl, and what one thing, what another, that I +shall leave you one o' these days. And I have a +rheum in mine eyes too, and such an ache in my +bones that, unless a man were cursed, 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. +Go, wind, to wind! There turn and change together. +[He tears up the paper and throws the pieces in the air.] +My love with words and errors still she feeds, +But edifies another with her deeds. +[They exit.] + +Scene 4 +======= +[Alarum. Excursions. Enter Thersites.] + + +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 +Trojan ass that loves the whore there might send +that Greekish whoremasterly villain with the sleeve +back to the dissembling luxurious drab, of a sleeveless +errand. O' 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 proved not 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 today, whereupon the Grecians begin to +proclaim barbarism, and policy grows into an ill +opinion. + +[Enter Diomedes, and Troilus pursuing him.] + +Soft! Here comes sleeve and t' other. +[Thersites moves aside.] + +TROILUS, [to Diomedes] +Fly not, for shouldst thou take the river Styx +I would swim after. + +DIOMEDES Thou dost miscall retire. +I do not fly, but advantageous care +Withdrew me from the odds of multitude. +Have at thee! [They fight.] + +THERSITES Hold thy whore, Grecian! Now for thy +whore, Trojan! Now the sleeve, now the sleeve! +[Diomedes and Troilus exit fighting.] + +[Enter Hector.] + + +HECTOR +What art thou, Greek? Art thou for Hector's match? +Art thou of blood and honor? + +THERSITES No, no, I am a rascal, a scurvy railing +knave, a very filthy rogue. + +HECTOR I do believe thee. Live. [He exits.] + +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. +[He exits.] + +Scene 5 +======= +[Enter Diomedes and Servingman.] + + +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 chastised the amorous Trojan +And am her knight by proof. + +MAN I go, my lord. [He exits.] + +[Enter Agamemnon.] + + +AGAMEMNON +Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamas +Hath beat down Menon; bastard Margareton +Hath Doreus prisoner, +And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam +Upon the pashed corses of the kings +Epistrophus and Cedius. Polyxenes is slain, +Amphimachus and Thoas deadly hurt, +Patroclus ta'en or slain, and Palamedes +Sore hurt and bruised. The dreadful Sagittary +Appals our numbers. Haste we, Diomed, +To reinforcement, or we perish all. + +[Enter Nestor, with Soldiers bearing the body of +Patroclus.] + + +NESTOR +Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles, +And bid the snail-paced Ajax arm for shame. +[Soldiers exit with Patroclus's body.] +There is a thousand Hectors in the field. +Now here he fights on Galathe his horse, +And here lacks work; anon he's there afoot +And there they fly or die, like scaled schools +Before the belching whale; then is he yonder, +And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge, +Fall down before him like a 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 called impossibility. + +[Enter Ulysses.] + + +ULYSSES +O, courage, courage, princes! Great Achilles +Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance. +Patroclus' wounds have roused his drowsy blood, +Together with his mangled Myrmidons, +That noseless, handless, hacked and chipped, come +to him, +Crying on Hector. Ajax hath lost a friend +And foams at mouth, and he is armed and at it, +Roaring for Troilus, who hath done today +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! [He exits.] + +DIOMEDES Ay, there, there! [He exits.] + +NESTOR So, so, we draw together. + +[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. +[He exits, with the others.] + +Scene 6 +======= +[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 the 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 both! + +[Enter Hector.] + +[Troilus exits, fighting Diomedes and Ajax.] + +HECTOR +Yea, Troilus? O, well fought, my youngest brother! + +[Enter Achilles.] + + +ACHILLES +Now do I see thee. Ha! Have at thee, Hector! +[They fight.] + +HECTOR Pause if thou wilt. + +ACHILLES +I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan. +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. [He exits.] + +HECTOR Fare thee well. +I would have been much more a fresher man +Had I expected thee. + +[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! +I reck not though I end my life today. +[He exits.] + +[Enter one in Greek armor.] + + +HECTOR +Stand, stand, thou Greek! Thou art a goodly mark. +No? Wilt thou not? I like thy armor well. +I'll frush it and unlock the rivets all, +But I'll be master of it. [The Greek exits.] +Wilt thou not, beast, abide? +Why then, fly on. I'll hunt thee for thy hide. +[He exits.] + +Scene 7 +======= +[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. +[They exit.] + +Scene 8 +======= +[Enter Thersites; then Menelaus fighting Paris.] + + +THERSITES The cuckold and the cuckold-maker are at +it. Now, bull! Now, dog! Loo, Paris, loo! Now, my +double-horned Spartan! Loo, Paris, loo! The bull +has the game. Ware horns, ho! +[Paris and Menelaus exit, fighting.] + +[Enter Bastard.] + + +BASTARD Turn, slave, and fight. + +THERSITES What art thou? + +BASTARD A bastard son of Priam's. + +THERSITES I am a bastard too. I love bastards. I am +bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind, +bastard in valor, 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. [He exits.] + +BASTARD The devil take thee, coward! +[He exits.] + +Scene 9 +======= +[Enter Hector, with the body of the Greek in armor.] + + +HECTOR +Most putrefied core, so fair without, +Thy goodly armor thus hath cost thy life. +Now is my day's work done. I'll take my breath. +Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of blood and death. +[He begins to disarm.] + +[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 unarmed. Forgo this vantage, Greek. + +ACHILLES +Strike, fellows, strike! This is the man I seek. +[The Myrmidons kill Hector.] +So, Ilium, fall thou next! Come, Troy, sink down! +Here lies thy heart, thy sinews, and thy bone. +On, Myrmidons, and cry you all amain +"Achilles hath the mighty Hector slain." +[Retreat sounded from both armies.] +Hark! A retire upon our Grecian part. + +A MYRMIDON +The Trojan trumpets sound the like, my lord. + +ACHILLES +The dragon wing of night o'erspreads the Earth +And, stickler-like, the armies separates. +My half-supped sword, that frankly would have fed, +Pleased with this dainty bait, thus goes to bed. +[He sheathes his sword.] +Come, tie his body to my horse's tail; +Along the field I will the Trojan trail. +[They exit with the bodies.] + +Scene 10 +======== +[Sound retreat. Enter Agamemnon, Ajax, Menelaus, +Nestor, Diomedes, and the rest, marching to the beat of +drums. Shout within.] + + +AGAMEMNON Hark, hark, what shout is this? + +NESTOR Peace, drums! [The drums cease.] + +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. +[They exit, marching.] + +Scene 11 +======== +[Enter Aeneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus, and Trojan +soldiers.] + + +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, dragged through the shameful field. +Frown on, you heavens; effect your rage with speed. +Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smite at Troy! +I say 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. +I do 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 called +Go into Troy and say their 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 pitched upon our Phrygian plains, +Let Titan rise as early as he dare, +I'll through and through you! And, thou great-sized +coward, +No space of earth shall sunder our two hates. +I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still, +That moldeth 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! Ignomy and shame +Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name! +[All but Pandarus exit.] + +PANDARUS A goodly medicine for my aching bones! O +world, world, world! Thus is the poor agent despised. +O traitors and bawds, how earnestly are +you set a-work, and how ill requited! Why should +our endeavor be so loved 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 subdued in armed tail, + Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail. +Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted +cloths: +As many as be here of panders' 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. +[He exits.] \ No newline at end of file