CRES.

O, heavens! you love me not. TROIL. 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.
CRES. Do you think I will?
TROIL. 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.
ENE. [Without.] Nay, good my lord,-
Come, kiss; and let us part.
PAR. [Without.] Brother Troilus !

TROIL.

TROIL.

Good brother, come you hither; And bring Eneas and the Grecian with you. CRES. My lord, will you be true?

TROIL. 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.

(*) First folio, affraid.

a They're loving, well compos'd with gifts of nature,-] The folio reads, guift; the line is omited in the quarto.

b And flowing o'er, &c.] The folio reads, " Flowing and swelling o'er," &c; but one or other of the words was certainly intended to be cancelled.

e I'll answer to my lust:] Lust," in its ancient sense of

Enter ENEAS, 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 Ilion.

Dio. Fair lady Cressid, So please you, save the thanks this prince expects: The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek, Pleads fair your * usage; and to Diomed You shall be mistress, and command him wholly. TROIL. Grecian, thou dost not use me cour

teously,

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 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!

Dio. 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'll speak it in my spirit and honour,-No.

TROIL. Come, to the port.-I'll tell thee,

Diomed,

daughter?

[Trumpet sounds.

'Tis but early days. Diomed, with Calchas'

ULYSS. '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.

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

NEST. Our general doth salute you with a kiss. ULYSS. Yet is the kindness but particular;

'T were better, she were kiss'd in general.

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

[lady: ACHIL. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair 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

ULYSS. It were no match, your nail against his

horn.

May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you? CRES. You may.

ULYSS.

CRES.

I do desire it.

Why, beg, then.b ULYSS. Why, then, for Venus' sake, give me 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. [Exit with CRESSIDA. NEST. A woman of quick sense. ULYSS.

Fie, fic 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 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. ALL. The Trojans' trumpet! AGAM.

[Trumpet without.

Yonder comes the troop.

ENE. Therefore Achilles: but, whate'er, 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?-O, I perceive

you.

Re-enter DIOMedes.

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,

Or else a breath :" the combatants being kin,
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 same that looks so
heavy?
[knight;

ULYSS. The youngest son of Priam, a true 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 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 Æneas; one that knows the youth Even to his inches, and, with private soul, Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me. [Alarum. HECTOR and AJAX fight.(3) AGAM. They are in action. NEST. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!

TROIL.

Awake thee!

Hector, thou sleep'st;

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:-
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 could'st 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 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,
That any drop thou borrow'dst 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 honour to thee!

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.

HECT. Not Neoptolemus so mirable (On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st O

yes

Cries, This is he,) could* promise to himself
A thought of added honour torn from Hector.
ENE. There is expectance here from both the
sides,

What further you will do.
HECT.
We'll answer it;
The issue is embracement :-Ajax, farewell.
AJAX. If I might in entreaties find success
(As seld I have the chance), I would desire
My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wish: and great
Achilles

Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector. HECT. Æneas, call my brother Troilus to me: And signify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part; Desire them home.-Give me thy hand, my cousin :

I will go eat with thee, and see your knights. AJAX. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us [name; HECT. The worthiest of them tell me name by

here.