The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (book suggestions TXT) 📖

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. Exit PARIS. I know what ‘tis to love,

And would, as I shall pity, I could help!

Please you walk in, my lords. Exeunt

ACT IV. SCENE 4.

Troy. PANDARUS’ house

 

Enter PANDARUS and CRESSIDA

 

PANDARUS. Be moderate, be moderate.

CRESSIDA. Why tell you me of moderation?

The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste, And violenteth in a sense as strong

As that which causeth it. How can I moderate it?

If I could temporize with my affections Or brew it to a weak and colder palate, The like allayment could I give my grief.

My love admits no qualifying dross;

No more my grief, in such a precious loss.

 

Enter TROILUS

 

PANDARUS. Here, here, here he comes. Ah, sweet ducks!

CRESSIDA. O Troilus! Troilus! [Embracing him]

PANDARUS. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too. ‘O

heart,’ as the goodly saying is,

O heart, heavy heart,

Why sigh’st thou without breaking?

where he answers again

Because thou canst not ease thy smart By friendship nor by speaking.

There was never a truer rhyme. Let us cast away nothing, for we may live to have need of such a verse. We see it, we see it. How now, lambs!

TROILUS. Cressid, I love thee in so strain’d a purity That the bless’d gods, as angry with my fancy, More bright in zeal than the devotion which Cold lips blow to their deities, take thee from me.

CRESSIDA. Have the gods envy?

PANDARUS. Ay, ay, ay; ‘tis too plain a case.

CRESSIDA. And is it true that I must go from Troy?

TROILUS. A hateful truth.

CRESSIDA. What, and from Troilus too?

TROILUS. From Troy and Troilus.

CRESSIDA. Is’t possible?

TROILUS. And suddenly; where injury of chance Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents

Our lock’d embrasures, strangles our dear vows Even in the birth of our own labouring breath.

We two, that with so many thousand sighs Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves With the rude brevity and discharge of one.

Injurious time now with a robber’s haste Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how.

As many farewells as be stars in heaven, With distinct breath and consign’d kisses to them, He fumbles up into a loose adieu,

And scants us with a single famish’d kiss, Distasted with the salt of broken tears.

AENEAS. [Within] My lord, is the lady ready?

TROILUS. Hark! you are call’d. Some say the Genius so Cries ‘Come’ to him that instantly must die.

Bid them have patience; she shall come anon.

PANDARUS. Where are my tears? Rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by th’ root? Exit CRESSIDA. I must then to the Grecians?

TROILUS. No remedy.

CRESSIDA. A woeful Cressid ‘mongst the merry Greeks!

When shall we see again?

TROILUS. Hear me, my love. Be thou but true of heart-CRESSIDA. I true! how now! What wicked deem is this?

TROILUS. Nay, we must use expostulation kindly, For it is parting from us.

I speak not ‘Be thou true’ as fearing thee, For I will throw my glove to Death himself That there’s no maculation in thy heart; But ‘Be thou true’ say I to fashion in My sequent protestation: be thou true, And I will see thee.

CRESSIDA. O, you shall be expos’d, my lord, to dangers As infinite as imminent! But I’ll be true.

TROILUS. And I’ll grow friend with danger. Wear this sleeve.

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

TROILUS. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels To give thee nightly visitation.

But yet be true.

CRESSIDA. O heavens! ‘Be true’ again!

TROILUS. Hear why I speak it, love.

The Grecian youths are full of quality; They’re loving, well compos’d with gifts of nature, And flowing o’er with arts and exercise.

How novelties may move, and parts with person, Alas, a kind of godly jealousy,

Which I beseech you call a virtuous sin, Makes me afeard.

CRESSIDA. O heavens! you love me not.

TROILUS. Die I a villain, then!

In this I do not call your faith in question So mainly as my merit. I cannot sing, Nor heel the high lavolt, nor sweeten talk, Nor play at subtle games-fair virtues all, To which the Grecians are most prompt and pregnant; But I can tell that in each grace of these There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil That tempts most cunningly. But be not tempted.

CRESSIDA. Do you think I will?

TROILUS. No.

But something may be done that we will not; And sometimes we are devils to ourselves, When we will tempt the frailty of our powers, Presuming on their changeful potency.

AENEAS. [Within] Nay, good my lord!

TROILUS. Come, kiss; and let us part.

PARIS. [Within] Brother Troilus!

TROILUS. Good brother, come you hither; And bring Aeneas and the Grecian with you.

CRESSIDA. My lord, will you be true?

TROILUS. Who, I? Alas, it is my vice, my fault!

Whiles others fish with craft for great opinion, I with great truth catch mere simplicity; Whilst some with cunning gild their copper crowns, With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.

 

Enter AENEAS, PARIS, ANTENOR, DEIPHOBUS, and DIOMEDES

 

Fear not my truth: the moral of my wit Is ‘plain and true’; there’s all the reach of it.

Welcome, Sir Diomed! Here is the lady Which for Antenor we deliver you;

At the port, lord, I’ll give her to thy hand, And by the way possess thee what she is.

Entreat her fair; and, by my soul, fair Greek, If e’er thou stand at mercy of my sword, Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe As Priam is in Ilion.

DIOMEDES. Fair Lady Cressid,

So please you, save the thanks this prince expects.

The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek, Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.

TROILUS. Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously To shame the zeal of my petition to the In praising her. I tell thee, lord of Greece, She is as far high-soaring o’er thy praises As thou unworthy to be call’d her servant.

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 mov’d, Prince Troilus.

Let me be privileg’d by my place and message To be a speaker free: when I am hence I’ll answer to my lust. And know you, lord, I’ll nothing do on charge: to her own worth She shall be priz’d. But that you say ‘Be’t so,’

I speak it in my spirit and honour, ‘No.’

TROILUS. Come, to the port. I’ll tell thee, Diomed, This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head.

Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk, To our own selves bend we our needful talk.

Exeunt TROILUS, CRESSIDA, and DIOMEDES

[Sound trumpet]

PARIS. Hark! Hector’s trumpet.

AENEAS. How have we spent this morning!

The Prince must think me tardy and remiss, That swore to ride before him to the field.

PARIS. ‘Tis Troilus’ fault. Come, come to field with him.

DEIPHOBUS. Let us make ready straight.

AENEAS. Yea, with a bridegroom’s fresh alacrity Let us address to tend on Hector’s heels.

The glory of our Troy doth this day lie On his fair worth and single chivalry. Exeunt

ACT IV. SCENE 5.

The Grecian camp. Lists set out

 

Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILLES, PATROCLUS, MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and others

 

AGAMEMNON. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair, Anticipating time with starting courage.

Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy, Thou dreadful Ajax, that the appalled air May pierce the head of the great combatant, And hale him hither.

AJAX. Thou, trumpet, there’s my purse.

Now crack thy lungs and split thy brazen pipe; Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek Out-swell the colic of puff Aquilon’d.

Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood: Thou blowest for Hector. [Trumpet sounds]

ULYSSES. No trumpet answers.

ACHILLES. ‘Tis but early days.

 

Enter DIOMEDES, with CRESSIDA AGAMEMNON. Is not yond Diomed, with Calchas’ daughter?

ULYSSES. ‘Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait: He rises on the toe. That spirit of his In aspiration lifts him from the earth.

AGAMEMNON. Is this the lady Cressid?

DIOMEDES. Even she.

AGAMEMNON. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady.

NESTOR. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.

ULYSSES. Yet is the kindness but particular; ‘Twere better she were kiss’d in general.

NESTOR. And very courtly counsel: I’ll begin.

So much for Nestor.

ACHILLES. I’ll take that winter from your lips, fair lady.

Achilles bids you welcome.

MENELAUS. I had good argument for kissing once.

PATROCLUS. But that’s no argument for kissing now; For thus popp’d Paris in his hardiment, And parted thus you and your argument.

ULYSSES. O deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns!

For which we lose our heads to gild his horns.

PATROCLUS. The first was Menelaus’ kiss; this, mine-

[Kisses her again]

Patroclus kisses you.

MENELAUS. O, this is trim!

PATROCLUS. Paris and I kiss evermore for him.

MENELAUS. I’ll have my kiss, sir. Lady, by your leave.

CRESSIDA. In kissing, do you render or receive?

PATROCLUS. Both take and give.

CRESSIDA. I’ll make my match to live,

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

MENELAUS. I’ll give you boot; I’ll give you three for one.

CRESSIDA. You are an odd man; give even or give none.

MENELAUS. An odd man, lady? Every man is odd.

CRESSIDA. No, Paris is not; for you know ‘tis true That you are odd, and he is even with you.

MENELAUS. You fillip me o’ th’ head.

CRESSIDA. No, I’ll be sworn.

ULYSSES. It were no match, your nail against his horn.

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

CRESSIDA. You may.

ULYSSES. I do desire it.

CRESSIDA. Why, beg then.

ULYSSES. Why then, for Venus’ sake give me a kiss When Helen is a maid again, and his.

CRESSIDA. I am your debtor; claim it when ‘tis due.

ULYSSES. Never’s my day, and then a kiss of you.

DIOMEDES. Lady, a word. I’ll bring you to your father.

Exit with CRESSIDA NESTOR. A woman of quick sense.

ULYSSES. Fie, fie upon her!

There’s language in her eye, her cheek, her lip, Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out At every joint and motive of her body.

O these encounters so glib of tongue

That give a coasting welcome ere it comes, And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts To every ticklish reader! Set them down For sluttish spoils of opportunity,

And daughters of the game. [Trumpet within]

ALL. The Troyans’ trumpet.

 

Enter HECTOR, armed; AENEAS, TROILUS, PARIS, HELENUS, and other Trojans, with attendants AGAMEMNON. Yonder comes the troop.

AENEAS. Hail, all the state of Greece! What shall be done To him that victory commands? Or do you purpose 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.

ACHILLES. ‘Tis done like Hector; but securely done, A little proudly, and great deal misprizing The knight oppos’d.

AENEAS. If not