The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare

For I will throw my glove to death himself,
That there's no maculation in thy heart:
But be thou true, say I, to fashion in
My sequent + protestation; be thou true,
And I will see thee.

Cres. Oh! you shall be expos'd, my lord,
dangers

As infinite as imminent! but, I'll be true. Tro. And I'll grow friend with danger. this sleeve.

Wear

Cres. And you this glove. When shall I see you?

Tro. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels,

To give thee nightly visitation.

But yet, be true.

Cres. O heavens !-be true again?

Tro. Hear why I speak it, love:

The Grecian youths are full of quality;

Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.

Dio. Oh! be not mov'd, prince Troilus :
Let me be privileg'd by my place and message,
To be a speaker free; When I am hence,

to I'll answer to my lust: And know you, lord,
I'll nothing do on charge: To her own worth
She shall be priz'd; but that you say-be't so,
I'll speak it in my spirit and honour,-no.
Tro. Come, to the port.-I'll tell thee, Dio
med,
[head.-
This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy
Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk,
To our own selves bend we our needful talk.
[Exeunt TROILUS, CRESSIDA, and DIOMED.
[Trumpet heard.
Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet.
Ene. How have we spent this morning!

They're loving, well compos'd, with gifts of na- The prince must think me tardy and remiss,

ture 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.

Cres. O heavens! you love me not.
Tro. 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 aud dumb-discoursive devil,
That tempts most cunningly: but be not tempt-
ed.

Cres. Do you think I will?

Tro. 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,
Presting on their changeful potency.

Ene. Within.] Nay, good my lord,-
Tro. Come, kiss; and let us part.
Par. [Within.] Brother Troilus !
Tro. Good brother, come you hither;
And bring Æneas and, the Grecian, with you.
Cres. My lord, will you be true?

Tro. Who, 1? alas, it is my vice, my fault:
While 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 ÆNEAS, 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 lion.

Dio. Fair lady Cressid,

So please you, save the thanks this prince ex-
pects:

The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek,
Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed

You shall be mistress and command him wholly.
Tro. Grecian, thou dost not use me courte-
ously,

To shame the zeel 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 call'd her servant.

I charge thee, use her well, even for my charge;
For by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,

• Spot. + Following. 1 Highly accomplished.

A dance.

Gate.

That swore to ride before him to the field.
Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault: Come, come, to field

with him.

Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILI ES, PATROCLUS, MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and others.

Agam. Here art thou in appointment + fresh
aud 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 thither.

Ajax. Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.
Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:
Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek
Out-swell the colic of puff'd Aquilon:
Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout
blood;

Thon blow'st for Hector.

[Trumpet sounds.

Ulyss. No trumpet answers.
Achil. 'Tis but early days.

Agam. Is not you Diomed, with Calchas'

daughter?

Nest. Our general doth salute you with a kiss. Ulyss. Yet is the kindness but particular; "Twere better she were kiss'd in general,

Nest. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin.So much for Nestor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips fair lady:

Achilles bids you welcome,

Men. I had good argument for kissing once.
Patr. But that's no argument for kissing now
For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment;
And parted thus you and your argument.
Ulyss. O deadly gall, and theme of all our

Cres. In kissing do you render or receive?
Patr Both take and give.

Cres. I'll make my match to live,

The kiss you take is better than you give :
Therefore no kiss.

Men. I'll give you boot, I'll give you three
for one.

Cres. You're an odd man; give even or give

none.

'tis

Men. Au odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cres. No, Paris is not; for, you know
true,

That you are odd, and he is even with you,
Men. You fillip me o'the head.
Cres. No, I'll be sworn.

Ulyss. It were no match, you nail against his
horn.-

May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you?

Cres. You may.

Ulyss. I do desire It.

Cres. Why, beg then.

Or else a breath; the combatants being kın, Half stints + their strife before their strokes begin.

[AJAX and HECTOR enter the lists Ulyss. They are oppos'd already.

Agam. What Trojan is that saine that looks so heavy?

Ulyss. the youngest son of Priam, a true
knight;

Not yet mature, yet matchless; firm of word;
Speaking in deeds and deedless in his tongue;
Not soon provok'd, nor, being provok'd, soon
calm'd:

His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has, he gives, what thinks, he
shows;

Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor diguifies 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,

Ulyss. Why then, for Venus' sake, give me Is more vindicative than jealous love :

a kiss,

When Helen is a maid again, and his.

Cres. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.
Ulyss. Never's my day, and then a kiss of
you.

Dio. Lady, a word;-I'll bring you to your
father. [DIOMED leads out CRESSIDA.
Nest. A woman of quick sense.
Ulyss. Fie, fie upon her!
There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip;
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look
At every joint and motive of her body.
Oh! these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! set them down
For sluttish spoils of opportunity,

Lout

Dio. You must no more. [Trumpets ceasè.
Ene. Princes, enough, so please you.

Ajax. I am not warm yet, let us fight again.
Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hect. Why then will I no more :

And daughters of the game. [Trumpet within. Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,

All. The Trojan's trumpet.

Agam. Yonder comes the troop.

Enter HECTOR, armed; ENEAS, TROILUS,
and other Trojans, with Attendants.
Ene. Hail, all the state of Greece! what shall
be done
[pose,
To him that victory commands? Or do you pur-
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.

Agam. Which way would Hector have it?
Ene. He cares not, he'll obey conditions.
Achil. 'Tis done like Hector; but securely
done.

A litle proudly, and great deal misprising
The knight oppos'd.

Ene. If not Achilles, Sir,

What is your name?

Achil. If not Achilles, nothing.

A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory ** emulation 'twixt us twain:
Were they commixtion Greek and Trojan so,
That thou could'st say-This hand is Grecian
And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg [all,
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 should'st not bear from me a Greekish

member

Wherein my sword had not impressure made
Of our rank feud: But the just gods gainsay,
Than any drop thou borrow'st from thy mother
My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword
Be drain'd! Let me embrace thee, Ajax :
By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms;
Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
Cousin, all honour to thee!

Ajax. I thank thee, Hector :
Thou art too gentle, and too free a man ;

Ene. Therefore Achilles : But, whate'er, I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence

know this;

In the extremity of great and little,

Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
The one almost as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that, which looks like pride, is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan, and half
Greek.

Achil. A maiden battle then ?-Oh! I perceive

you.

Re-enter DIOMED.

Agam. Here is Sir Diomed :-Go, gentle
knight,

Stand by our Ajax: as you and lord Æneas
Consent upon the order of their fight,

So be it; either to the uttermost,

• Motion.

And signify this loving interview
To the expecters of our Trojan part; [sin;
Desire them home.-Give me thy hand, my cou-
I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.
Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us
here.

Hect. 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.
Agam. Worthy of 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 stew'd with
And formless ruin of oblivion;
[husks,

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,

From heart of every heart, great Hector, wel

Agam. My well fam'd lord of Troy, no less to [To TROILUS.

you.

Men. Let me confrm my princely brother's greeting;

You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither. Hect. Whom must we answer?

Men. The noble Menelaus.

Hect. O you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks!

Mock not, that I affect the untraded + oath ; Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove :

She's well, but bade me not commend her to you. Men. Name her not now, Sir; she's a deadly theme.

Hect. Oh! pardon; I offend.

Nest. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee Labouring for destiny, make cruel way (oft, Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have seen thee,

As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword
i'the air,

Not letting it decline on the declin'd; §
That I have said to some my standers-by
Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!
And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd
thee in,

Like an Olympian wrestling: This have I seen;
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel,
I never saw till now. 1 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: Let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
Ene. 'Tis the old Nestor.

Hect. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle, [time:-Thou hast so long walk'd hand in hand with Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee. Nest. I would my arms could match thee in contention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy.
Heet. I would they could.

Nest. Ha!

[row.

By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-inow. Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time

Ulyss. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here her base and pillar by us.

Hect. I know your favour, lord Ulysses, well. Ah! Sir, there's many a Greek and Trojau dead, Since first I saw yourself and Diomed In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy. Ulyss. Sir, I foretold you then what would

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town, Yon towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,

Must kiss their own feet.

Hect. 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.

Ulyss. 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.
Achil. I shall forestall thee, lord Ulysses,
thou !-

Now, Hector, I bave fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted* joint by joint.

Hect. Is this Achilles ?

Achil. I am Achilles.

Hect. Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on

thee.

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?

Achil. I tell thee, yea.

Hect. 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 bis helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.-
You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag,
His insolence draws folly from my lips;
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never-

Ajax. Do not chafe thee, cousin ;—
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone
Till accident or purpose bring you to't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have stomach; the general state, I fear
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.

Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the field; We have had pelting wars, siuce you refus’d The Grecians' cause.

Achil. Dost thou entreat me, Hector ?
To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death;
To-night all friends.

Hect. Thy hand upon that match.
Agam. 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 tabourines, let the trumpets
blow,

That this great soldier may his welcome know.

[Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES. Tro. My lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you In what place of the field doth Calchas keep? Ulyss. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus:

There Diomed doth feast with him to-night; Who neither looks upon the heaven, nor earth, But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view On the fair Cressid.

Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much,

After we part from Agamemnon's tent,
To bring me thither?

Ulyss. You shall command me, Sir.
As gentle tell me, of what honour was

Come, come, Thersites, help to trim my tent. This night in banqueting must all be spent. Away, Patroclus.

[Exeunt ACHILLES and PATROCLUS. Ther. 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 ear

This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover wax: And the goodly transformation of Jupiter there

That wails her absence?

Tro. O Sir, to such as boasting show their

scars,

A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord? She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth : But, still, sweet love is food for fortune's tooth. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SOENE I.-The Grecian Camp.-Before ACHILLES' Tent.

Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS.

Achil. I'll beat his blood with Greekish wine to-night,

Which with my scimitar I'll cool to-morrow.Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.

Patr. Here comes Thersites.

Enter THERSITES.

Achil. How now, thou core of envy? Thou crusty batch of nature, what's the news? Ther. Why, thou picture of what thou seemest, and idol of idiot-worshippers, here's a letter for thee.

Achil. From whence, fragment?

Ther. Why, thou full dish of fool, from Troy. Patr. Who keeps the tent now?

Ther. The surgeon's box, or the patient's wound.

Patr. Well said, Adversity! and what need these tricks?

Ther. Pr'ythee be silent, boy; I profit not by thy talk: thou art thought to be Achilles' male varlet.

Patr. Male varlet, you rogue! what's that? Ther. Why, his masculine whore. Now the rotten diseases of the south, the guts-griping, ruptures, catarrhs, loads o'gravel i'the back, lethargies, cold palsies, raw eyes, dirt-rotten livers, wheezing lungs, bladders full of imposthume, sciaticas, limekilns i'the palm, incurable bone-ache, and the rivelled fee-simple of the tetter; take and take again such preposterous discoveries!

Patr. Why thou damnable box of envy, thou, what meanest thou to curse thus ?

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 Jarded 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, on owl, a puttock, or a herring without a row, I would not care: but to be Menelaus,-1 would conspire against destiny. Ask me not what I would be, if I were not Thersites; for I care not to be the louse of a lazar, so I were not Menelaus.-Hey-day ! spirits and fires !

Enter HECTOR, TROILUS, AJAX, AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, NESTOR, MENELAUS, and DIOMED, with Lights.

Agam. We go wrong, we go wrong.
Ajax. No, yonder 'tis ;

There, where we see the lights.
Hect. I trouble you.

Ajax. No, not a whit.

Ulyss. Here comes himself to guide you.

And welcome, both to those that go, or tarry.
Agam. Good night.

[Exeunt AGAMEMNON and MENELAUS. Achil. Old Nestor tarries; and you too, DioKeep Hector company an hour or two. [med, Dio. I cannot, lord; I have important busi

ness.

[Hector. The tide whereof is now,-Good night, great Hect. Give me your hand.

Ulyss, Follow his torch, he goes To Calchas' tent; I'll keep you company. [Aside to TROILUS Tro. Sweet Sir, you honour me. Hect. And so good night.

[Exit DIOMED; ULYSSES and TROILUS following.

Achil. Come, come, enter my tent.

[Exeunt ACHILLES, HECTOR, AJAX, and NESTOR.

Ther. 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 Brabler the hound; but when he performs, astronomers foretel 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' tent: I'll after.-Nothing but lechery! all incontinent varlets! [Exit.

There is between my will and all offences

A guard of patience :-stay a little while. Ther. How the devil luxury, with his fat rump and potatoe finger, tickles these together! Fry, lechery, fry!

Dio. But will you then?

Cres. In faith, I will, la; never trust me else.
Dio. Give me some token for the surety of it.
Cres. I'll fetch you one.

Ulyss. You have sworn patience.
Tro. Fear me not, my lord;

I will not be myself, nor have cognition *
Of what I feel I am all patience.

Re-enter CRESSIDA.

[Exit.

Ther. Now the pledge; now, now, now!
Cres. Here, Diomed, keep this sleeve.
Tro. O beauty! where's thy faith?
Ulyss. My lord,-

Tro. I will be patient: outwardly I will.
Cres. You look upon that sleeve; Behold it
well.-

He loved me-O false wench!-Giv't me again. Dio. Who was't?

Cres. No matter, now I hav't again.

I will not meet with you to-morrow night:

I pr'ythee Diomed, visit me no more.
Ther. Now she sharpens ;-Well said, whet

Cres. Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more stone. to folly.

Ther. Roguery!

Dio. Nay, then,

Cres. I'll tell you what :

Dio. Pho! pho! come, tell a pin: You are!

forsworn.

Cres. In faith, I cannot what would you have

Dio. I shall have it. Cres. What, this? Dio. Ay, that.

Cres. Oh! all you gods!-0 pretty pretty pledge!

Thy master now lies thinking in his bed
of thee and me; and sighs, and takes my glove,
And gives memorial dainty kisses to it,
As I kiss thee.-Nay, do not snatch it from me;
He that takes that, must take my heart withal.
Dio. I had your heart before, this follows it.
Tro. I did swear patience.

Cres. You shall not have it, Diomed; 'faith you shall not:

I'll give you something else,

Dio. I will have this; Whose was it?
Cres. 'Tis no matter.

Dio. Come, tell me whose it was.

Cres. 'Twas one's that loved me better thau you will.

But now you have it, take it.

Dio. Whose was it?

Cres. By all Diana's waiting-women yonder,† And by herself, I will not tell you whose.

Dio. To morrow will I wear it on my helin; And grieve his spirit that dares not challenge it. Tro. Wert thou the devil, and wor'st on thy It should be challenged. [horn,

Cres. Well, well, 'tis done, 'tis past ;-And yet it is not;

I will not keep my word.

Dio. Why then, farewell;

Thou never shalt mock Diomed again.

Cres. You shall not go :-One cannot speak a

word,

But it straight starts you.

Dio. I do not like this fooling.

Ther. Nor I, by Pluto: but that that likes not

you, pleases me best.

Dio. What, shall I come? the hour?
Cres. Ay, come :-O Jove !-

Do come:-1 shall be plagu'd.
Dio. Farewell till then.

Cres. Good night. I pr'ythee, come.

[Exit DIOMEDES. Troilus, farewell! one eye yet looks on thee; But with my heart the other eye doth see. Ah! poor our sex! this fault in us I find, The error of our eye directs our mind: What error leads, must err; O then, conclude, Minds, sway'd by eyes, are full of turpitude. [Exit CRESSIDA.

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The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare, Volume 9