The Dramatic Works of W. Shakespeare

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 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' tent: I'll after.-Nothing but lechery! all incontinent varlets! [Exit.

SCENE II.-Before Calchas' Tent.

Ulyss. List!

She strokes his cheek!

Tro. Ulyss. Come, come. Tro. Nay, stay; by Jove, I will not speak a word: 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.

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

[Exit.

My lord,

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

Cres. Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more to He lov'd me-O false wench!-Give't me again.

Cres.

Dio.

What, this?

Ay, that. Cres. O, all you gods!-O 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.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.

Tro. Wert thou the devil, and wor'st it on thy horn,
It should be challenged.

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.
I do not like this fooling.
Dio.
Ther. Nor I, by Pluto; but that that likes not
you, pleases me best.

Dio. What, shall I come? the hour?
Cres.

Instance, O instance! strong as Pluto's gates;
As is Arachne's broken woof, to enter.
Instance, O instance! strong as heaven itself;
Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven:
The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd, and loos'd;
And with another knot, five-finger-tied,
The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,
The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy relics
Of her o'er-eaten faith are bound to Diomed.
Ulyss. May worthy Troilus be half attach'd
With that which here his passion doth express.

Tro. 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'
Ay, come:-O Jove! With so eternal and so fix'd a soul.
Hark, Greek ;-As much as I do Cressid love,
So much by weight hate I her Diomed:
That sleeve is mine, that he'll bear on his helm;
Were it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill,
My sword should bite it: not the dreadful spout,
Which shipmen do the hurricano call,

Do come:-I shall be plagued.
Farewell till then.
Dio.
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.
Ther. A proof of strength she could not publish

more,

Unless she said, My mind is now turn'd whore.
Ulyss. All's done, my lord.

Tro.

Ulyss

It is.
Why stay we then?
Tro. 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 the attest of eyes and ears;
As if those organs had deceptious functions,
Created only to calumniate.

Was Cressid here?

Ulyss.

I cannot conjure, Trojan.

Most sure she was.

Tro. She was not, sure.
Ulyss.
Tro. Why, my negation hath no taste of madness.
Ulyss. Nor mine, my lord: Cressid was here but

now.

Tro. Let it not be believ'd for womanhood!
Think, we had mothers; do not give advantage
To stubborn critics-apt, without a theme,
For depravation,-to square the general sex
By Cressid's rule: rather think this not Cressid.
Ulyss. What hath she done, prince, that can soil
our mothers?

Tro. Nothing at all, unless that this were she.
Ther. Will he swagger himself out on's own eyes.
Tro. This she? no, this is Diomed's Cressida:
If beauty have a soul, this is not she;
If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimony,
If sanctimony be the gods' delight,
If there be rule in unity itself,
O madness of discourse,
This was not she.
That cause sets up with and against itself!
Bi-fold 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 commence 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 orifice for a point, as subtle
2 For the sake of
Remembrance.

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.

Ther. He'll tickle it for his concupy."

Tro. O Cressid! O false Cressid! false, false, false!
Let all untruths stand by thy stained name,
And they'll seem glorious.

O, contain yourself;
Ulyss.
Your passion draws ears hither.
Enter ENEAS.

Ene. 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.
Tro. Have with you, prince:-My courteous
lord, adieu :

Farewell, revolted fair!-and, Diomed,
Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head!
Ulyss. I'll bring you to the gates.
Tro. Accept distracted thanks.

[Exeunt TROILUS, ENEAS, and ULYSSES.
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 in-
more for an almond, than he for a commodious
telligence of this whore: the parrot will not do
drab. Lechery, lechery; still, wars and lechery;
nothing else holds fashion: A burning devil take
[Exit.
them!

SCENE III.-Troy. Before Priam's Palace.
Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE.

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

To stop his ears against admonishment?
Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.

Hect. You train me to offend you: get you in:
By all the everlasting gods, I'll go.

And. My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the
day.
Hect. No more, I say.

Cas.

Enter CASSANDRA.

Where is my brother Hector?
And. Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent:
Consort with me in loud and dear petition,
Pursue we him on knees; for I have dream'd
Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night
Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.
Cas. O, it is true.
Hect.

Ho! bid my trumpet sound!
• Concupiscenco.

• Cynics.

4 Love.

s Compressed.

Cas. No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother.

Hect. Begone, I say: the gods have heard me

swear.

Cas. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish' vows; They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.

And. 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.

Cas. It is the purpose that makes strong the vow; But vows, to every purpose, must not hold: Unarm, sweet Hector.

Hect.
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.

How now, young man, mean'st thou to fight to-day?
And. Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
[Exit CASSANDRA.
Hect. No, 'faith, young Troilus; doff thy har-

ness, youth,

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

Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, And tempt not yet the brushes of the war. Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy, I'll stand, to-day, for thee, and me, and Troy.

Tro. Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you Which better fits a lion, than a man.

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

Tro. When many times the captive Grecians fall, Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword, You bid them rise, and live.

Hect. O,'tis fair play. Tro.

Fool's play, by heaven, Hector. Hect. How now? how now? Tro. For the love of all the gods, Let's leave the hermit pity with our mother; And when we have our armors buckled on, The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords; Spur them to ruthful" work, rein them from ruth.' Hect. Fye, savage, fye! Tro. Hector, then 'tis wars. Hect. Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day. Tro. Who should withhold me? Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire; Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees, Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears; Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn, Oppos'd to hinder me, should stop my way, But by my ruin.

Re-enter CASSANDRA, with PRIAM.

Cas. Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast: He is thy crutch; now if thou lose thy stay, Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee, Fall all together.

Pri.

Come, Hector, come, go back:
Thy wife hath dream'd; 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.

Hect.
Eneas is a-field;
And I do stand engaged to many Greeks,
Even in the faith of valor, to appear
This morning to them.

Pri.

But thou shalt Rueful, woful.

not go.

1 Mercy.

Hect. 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. Cas. O Priam, yield not to him. And. Do not, dear father. Hect. Andromache, I am offended with you: Upon the love you bear me, get you in. [Exit ANDROMACHE. Tro. This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl, Makes all these bodements.

Cas. 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 dolors forth! Behold, destruction, frenzy, and amazement, Like witless antics, one another meet,

And all cry-Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector! Tro. Away!-Away!

Cas. Farewell. Yet soft:-Hector, I take my leave;

Thou dost thy self and all our Troy deceive. [Erit.

Hect. You are amaz'd, my liege, at her exclaim; Go in, and cheer the town: we'll forth and fight: Do deeds worth praise, and tell you them at night. Pri. Farewell: the gods with safety stand about thee!

[Exeunt severally PRIAM and HECTOR. Alarums.

Tro. They are at it; hark! Proud Diomed, believe, I come to lose my arm, or win my sleeve. As TROILUS is going out, enter, from the other side,

PANDARUS.

Pan. Do you hear, my lord? do you hear?
Tro. What now?

Pon. Here's a letter from yon' poor girl.
Tro. Let me read.

Pan. 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? Tro. Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart; [Tearing the Letter. The effect doth operate another way.Go wind, to wind, there turn and change together. My love with words and errors still she feeds; But edifies another with her deeds.

[Exeunt severally.

SCENE IV.-Between Troy and the Grecian Camp.

Alarums: Excursions. Enter THERSITES. Ther. Now they are clapper-clawing one another; I'll go look on. That dissembling abominable var let, Diomed, has got that same scurvy, doting, fool ish 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 whoremaster villain with the sleeve, back to the dissembling luxurious drab, on a sleeve less errand. O'the other side, The policy of those crafty swearing rascals,-that stale old mouse-eaten dry cheese, Nestor; and that same dog-fox Ulysses, is not proved worth a black-berry:-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

SCENE VI.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.

not arm to-day: Whereupon the Grecians begin to | Together with his mangled Myrmidons,
proclaim barbarism, and policy grows into an ill
opinion. Soft! here come sleeve, and t'other.

Enter DIOMEDES, TROILUS following.

Tro. Fly not; for, shouldst thou take the river
Styx,

I would swim after.

Dio.

Thou dost miscall retire:
I do not fly; but advantageous care
Withdrew me from the odds of multitude:
Have at thee!

Ther. Hold thy whore, Grecian!-now for thy whore, Trojan!--now the sleeve, now the sleeve! [Exeunt TROILUS and DIOMEDES, fighting. Enter HECTOR.

Hect. What art thou, Greek? art thou for Hec-
tor's match?

Art thou of blood, and honor?

Ther. No, no, I am a rascal; a scurvy railing knave; a very filthy rogue.

[Exit.

Hect. I do believe thee;-live. Ther. 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. [Exit. I'll seek them.

SCENE V-The same.

Enter DIOMEDES and a Servant.

Dio. Go, go, my servant, take thou Troilus' horse;
Present the fair steed to my lady Cressid:
Fellow, commend my service to her beauty;
Tell her, I have chastis'd the amorous Trojan,
And am her knight by proof.

Serv.

I go, my lord. [Exit Servant.
Enter AGAMEMNON.

Agam. Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamus
Hath beat down Menon: bastard Margarelon
Hath Doreus prisoner:

And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam,'
Upon the pashed' corses of the kings
Epistrophus and Cedius: Polixenes is slain;
Amphimachus, and Thoas, deadly hurt;
Patroclus ta'en or slain; and Palamedes
Sore hurt and bruis'd: the dreadful Sagittary
Appals our numbers; haste we, Diomed,
To reinforcement, or we perish all.

Enter NESTOR.

Nest. Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles:
And bid the snail-paced Ajax arm for shame.-
There is a thousand Hectors in the field;
Now here he fights on Galathe his horse,
And there lacks work; anon, he's there afoot,
And there they fly, or die, like scaled sculls"
Before the belching whale; then is he yonder,
And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge,
Fall down before him, like the mower's swath:
Here, there, and every where, 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.

Ulyss. O, courage, courage, princes! great Achilles
Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance:
Patroclus' wounds have rous'd his drowsy blood,
3 Bruised, crushed.
2 Lance.

Shoal of fish.

to him,
That noseless, handless, hack'd and chipp'd, come

Crying on Hector. Ajax hath lost a friend,
And foams at mouth, and he is arm'd, and at it,
Mad and fantastic execution;
Roaring for Troilus; who hath done to-day

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.

[Exit.
Ajax. Troilus! thou coward Troilus!
Ay, there, there.
Dio.
Nest. So, so, we draw together.
Enter ACHILLES.

Achil

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.

SCENE VI.-Another Part of the Field.
Enter AJAX.

Ajax. Troilus, thou coward Troilus, show thy
head!

Enter DIOMEDES.

Dio. Troilus, I say! where's Troilus?
What wouldst thou?
Ajax.

Dio. I would correct him.

Ajax. Were I the general, thou shouldst have

my office,

Ere that correction:-Troilus, I say! what, Troilus!

Enter TROILUS.

Tro. O traitor Diomed!-turn thy false face, thou traitor,

And pay thy life thou ow'st me for my horse!

Dio. Ha! art thou there?

Ajax. I'll fight with him alone: stand, Diomed.
Dio. He is my prize, I will not look upon.
Tro. Come both, you cogging Greeks; have at
[Exeunt, fighting.
you both.

Enter HECTOR.

Hect. Yea, Troilus? O, well fought, my youngest brother!

Enter ACHILLES.

Achil. Now do I see thee: Ha!-Have at thee,
Hector.

Hect. Pause, if thou wilt.

Achil. I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan.
Be happy that my arms are out of use:
My rest and negligence befriend thee now,
But thou anon shalt hear of me again;
Till when, go seek thy fortune.

Hect.

[Exit.

Fare thee well:-
I would have been much more a fresher man,
Had I expected thee.-How now, my brother?
Re-enter TROILUS..

Tro. Ajax hath ta'en Æneas; Shall it be?
He shall not carry him; I'll be taken too,
No, by the flame of yonder glorious heaven,
Or bring him off:-Fate, hear me what I say!
I reck not though I end my life to-day.
Enter one in sumptuous Armor.

[Exit.

Hect. Stand, stand, thou Greek? thou art a good

ly mark:

No? wilt thou not?-I like thy armor well;

Lying.

• Prevail over.

Care.

Ther. The cuckold, and the cuckold-maker are at it: Now, bull! now, dog! 'Loo, Paris, 'loo! now my double-henned sparrow! 'Loo, Paris, 'loo! The bull has the game :-'ware horns, ho!

[Exeunt PARIS and MENELAUS.

Enter MARGARELON.

Mar. Turn, slave, and fight.

Ther. What art thou?

Mar. A bastard son of Priam's.

Ther. I am a bastard too; I love bastards: I am a bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind, bastard in valor, in every thing 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.

Mar. The devil take thee, coward! [Exeunt.

SCENE IX. Another Part of the Field.
Enter HECTOR.

Hect. Most putrefied core, so fair without, Thy goodly armor thus hath cost thy life. Now is my day's work done; I'll take good breath; Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of blood and death! [Puts off his Helmet, and hangs his Shield behind him.

Enter ACHILLES and Myrmidons. Achil. 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. Hect. I am unarm'd; forego this vantage, Greek. Achil. Strike, fellows, strike; this is the man I seek. [HECTOR falls. So Ilion, fall thou next! now, 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! [A Retreat sounded. Hark! a retreat upon our Grecian part. Myr. The Trojan trumpets sound the like, my

lord.

Come, tie his body to my horse's tail;
Along the field I will the Trojan trail. [Exeunt.
SCENE X.-The same.

Enter AGAMEMNON, AJAX, MENELAUS, NESTOR, DIOMEDES, and others, marching. Shouts within.

Agam. Hark! hark! what shout is that?
Nest.

[Within.]

Peace, drums.

Achilles!

Achilles! Hector's slain! Achilles!

Dio. 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.

Agam. March patiently along:-Let one be sent To pray Achilles see us at our tent.— If in his death the gods have us befriended, Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended. [Exeunt marching.

SCENE XI.-Another Part of the Field.

Enter ENEAS and Trojans. Ene. Stand, ho! yet are we masters of the field: Never go home; here starve we out the night. Enter TROILUS.

Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed! Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy! I say, at once let your brief plagues be mercy, And linger not our sure destructions on!

Ene. My lord, you do discomfort all the host.
Tro. 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 call'd,
Go in to Troy, and say there-Hector's dead:
There is a word will Priam turn to stone;

Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives,
Cold statues of the youth; and, in a word,
Scare Troy out of itself. But, march, away;
Hector is dead; there is no more to say.
Stay yet; You vile abominable tents,
Thus proudly pight upon our Phrygian plains,
Let Titan rise as early as he dare,
I'll through and through you!-And thou, great-
siz'd coward!

No space of earth shall sunder our two hates:
I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still,
That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy thoughts.—
Strike a free march to Troy!-with comfort go:
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.
[Exeunt ENEAS and Trojans.
As TROILUS is going out, enter, from the other
side, PANDARUS.

Pan. But hear you, hear you!
Tro. Hence, broker lackey! ignomy' and shame
Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name!
[Exit TROILUS.

Pan. A goodly med'cine 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

2 Noise, rumor. Pitched, fixed. • Ignominy.

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