Troi. Why, my negation hath no taste of madness. Ulyff. Nor mine, my lord: Creffid was here but now. Troi. Let it not be believ'd' for womanhood!

Think, we had mothers; do not give advantage

To ftubborn critics-apt, without a theme,
For depravation-to fquare the general sex
By Creffid's rule: rather think this not Creffid.

Uly. What hath fhe done, prince, that can foil our mothers?

Troi. Nothing at all, unless that this were fhe.

Ther. Will he fwagger himself out on's own eyes?
Troi. This fhe? no, this is Diomed's Creffida:
If beauty have a foul, this is not she;

If fouls guide vows, if vows be fanctimony,
If fanctimony be the gods' delight,

If there be rule in unity itself,

This is not fhe. O'madness of discourse,

That cause fets up with and against itself!
Bi-fold authority! where reafon can revolt
Without perdition, and lofs affume all reafon
Without revolt; this is, and is not, Creffid!
Within my foul there doth commence a fight
Of this ftrange nature, that a thing infeparate
Divides far wider than the sky and earth;
And yet the fpacious breadth of this divifion
Admits no orifice for a point, as subtle

for womanhood!]-the fake of the fex.

* rule in unity itself,]—certainty that one individual cannot be two diftinct perfons.

1 madness of discourse, &c.]—extravagant course of reasoning, where. in the arguments reciprocally fupport and confute each other; where reason can be irrational and ftill reafon, and madness rational and fill madness; and probability appears on both fides of the affertion, that this is, and is not Creffida. This is a contradiction, which I cannot reconcile, that my union with Creffida, a thing, which I deemed indiffoluble, fhould be fo extenfively divided, and yet with such subtilty, that the immenfe feparation fhould efcape difcernment. VOL. III.

I

As

As is Arachne's broken woof, to enter.
Instance, O inftance! ftrong as Pluto's gates;
Creffid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven :
Instance, O inftance! ftrong as heaven itself;
The bonds of heaven are flipp'd, diffolv'd, and loos'd;
And with another knot, "five-finger-tied,

The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,

The fragments, fcraps, the bits, and greafy reliques
Of her o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.

W

Ulyff. May worthy Troilus be half attach'd With that which here his paffion doth express?

Troi. Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well
In characters as red as Mars his heart

Inflam'd with Venus: never did young man fancy
With fo eternal, and fo fix'd a foul.

Hark, Greek;-As much as I do Creffid love,
So much by weight hate I her Diomed:

That fleeve is mine, that he'll bear on his helm;
Were it a cafque compos'd by Vulcan's skill,
My fword fhould bite it: not the dreadful fpout,
Which shipmen do the hurricano call,

Conftring'd in mafs by the almighty fun,
Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptune's ear
In his descent, than fhall my prompted fword
Falling on Diomed.

a

Ther. He'll tickle it for his concupy.

Troi. O Creffid! O falfe Creffid! falfe, falfe, falfe!

"five-finger-tied,]-by giving her hand to Diomed.

o'er-eaten faith,]-vows already plighted-the faithlefs are faid

to eat their words.

* May worthy Troilus]-Can Troilus feel half he utters. fancy]-love.

Spout,]-the water spout fhall not fall with more noife and vio. lence into the ocean, than fhall the blow, aimed by my vengeance, light on Diomed.

* He'll tickle it for bis concupy.]—He'll pay him off for his gallantry.

Let

Let all untruths ftand by thy ftained name;

And they'll feem glorious.

Ulyff. O, contain yourself;

Your paffion draws ears hither.

Enter Eneas.

Ene. I have been feeking you this hour, my lord:
Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy;

Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct
Troi. Have with you, prince:

adieu :

you

home.

-My courteous lord,

Farewell, revolted fair!—and, Diomed,

b

Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head!
Ulyff. I'll bring you to the gates.

Troi, Accept diftracted thanks.

[Exeunt Troilus, Eneas, and Ulyffes. Ther. 'Would, I could meet that rogue Diomed! I would croak like a raven; I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me any thing for the intelligence of this whore the parrot will not do more for an almond, than he for a commodious drab. Lechery, lechery; ftill, wars and lechery; nothing else holds fashion: A burning devil take them! [Exit.

SCENE III.

The Palace of Troy.

Enter Hector, and Andromache.

And. When was my lord fo much ungently temper'd,

To stop his ears against admonishment?

Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.

b a caftle]-a clofe helmet of uncommon proof.

TITUS ANDRONICUS, A& III. S. 1. Mar.

Hell. You train me to offend you; get you in:

By all the everlasting gods, I'll

go.

And. My dreams will, fure, prove ominous to-day.
Heat. No more, I say.

Enter Caffandra.

Caf. Where is my brother Hector?

And. Here, fifter; arm'd, and bloody in intent: Confort with me in loud and dear petition,

Pursue we him on knees; for I have dreamt

d

Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night

Hath nothing been but fhapes and forms of flaughter. Caf. O, it is true.

Heat. Ho! bid my trumpet found!

Caf. No notes of fally, for the heavens, fweet brother. Helt. Begone, I fay: the gods have heard me fwear. Caf. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows; They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd Than spotted livers in the facrifice.

And. O! be perfuaded: Do not count it holy

To hurt by being juft: it is as lawful,

For we would give much, to ufe violent thefts, And rob in the behalf of charity.

Caf. It is the purpose, that makes strong the vow ; But vows, to every purpose, must not hold :

Unarm, fweet Hector.

Helt. Hold you still, I fay;

Mine honour keeps the weather of &

my fate:
"

Life every man holds dear; but the dear man
Holds honour far more precious-dear than life.-

• train me]-provoke me.

& Have nothing feen.

For we would give, &c.]-To fteal in order to feem liberal. It is the purpofe, &c.]-The effence of a lawful vow is the lawfulness of its object, and 'tis that alone can make it binding.

ibe weather]the upper hand.

b dear man]-valuable, man of worth.

Enter

Enter Troilus.

How now, young man? mean'ft thou to fight to-day? And. Caffandra, call my father to perfuade.

[Exit Caffandra. Hea. No, 'faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;

I am to-day i'the vein of chivalry:

Let grow thy finews '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 ftand, to-day, for thee, and me, and Troy.
Troi. Brother, you have a vice of

Which better fits a lion than a man.

mercy in you,

Heat. What vice is that, good Troilus? chide me for it.

Troi. When many times the captive Grecians fall,

Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,

You bid them rife, and live.

Heat. O, 'tis fair play.

Troi. Fool's play, by heaven, Hector,
Het. How now? how now?

Troi. For the love of all the gods,

Let's leave the hermit pity with our mother;
And when we have our armours buckled on,
The venom'd vengeance ride upon our fwords;
Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth.
Heat. Fie, favage, fie!

Troi. Hector, then 'tis wars.

Heat. Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day,

Troi. Who fhould withhold me?

Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars

Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire;
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,

rein them from ruth.]-check, withhold them from pity.