Troilus And Cressida

1 Enter Pandarus and Cressida.
2 PANDARUS.
3 Be moderate, be moderate.
4 CRESSIDA.
5 Why tell you me of moderation?
6 The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste,
7 And violenteth in a sense as strong
8 As that which causeth it. How can I moderate it?
9 If I could temporize with my affections
10 Or brew it to a weak and colder palate,
11 The like allayment could I give my grief.
12 My love admits no qualifying dross;
13 No more my grief, in such a precious loss.
14 Enter Troilus.
15 PANDARUS.
16 Here, here, here he comes. Ah, sweet ducks!
17 CRESSIDA.
18 [_Embracing him_.] O Troilus! Troilus!
19 PANDARUS.
20 What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too. ‘O heart,’ as
21 the goodly saying is,—
22 O heart, heavy heart,
23 Why sigh’st thou without breaking?
24 where he answers again
25 Because thou canst not ease thy smart
26 By friendship nor by speaking.
27 There was never a truer rhyme. Let us cast away nothing, for we may
28 live to have need of such a verse. We see it, we see it. How now,
29 lambs!
30 TROILUS.
31 Cressid, I love thee in so strain’d a purity
32 That the bless’d gods, as angry with my fancy,
33 More bright in zeal than the devotion which
34 Cold lips blow to their deities, take thee from me.
35 CRESSIDA.
36 Have the gods envy?
37 PANDARUS.
38 Ay, ay, ay, ay; ’tis too plain a case.
39 CRESSIDA.
40 And is it true that I must go from Troy?
41 TROILUS.
42 A hateful truth.
43 CRESSIDA.
44 What! and from Troilus too?
45 TROILUS.
46 From Troy and Troilus.
47 CRESSIDA.
48 Is’t possible?
49 TROILUS.
50 And suddenly; where injury of chance
51 Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by
52 All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips
53 Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents
54 Our lock’d embrasures, strangles our dear vows
55 Even in the birth of our own labouring breath.
56 We two, that with so many thousand sighs
57 Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves
58 With the rude brevity and discharge of one.
59 Injurious time now with a robber’s haste
60 Crams his rich thiev’ry up, he knows not how.
61 As many farewells as be stars in heaven,
62 With distinct breath and consign’d kisses to them,
63 He fumbles up into a loose adieu,
64 And scants us with a single famish’d kiss,
65 Distasted with the salt of broken tears.
66 AENEAS.
67 [_Within_.] My lord, is the lady ready?
68 TROILUS.
69 Hark! you are call’d. Some say the Genius
70 Cries so to him that instantly must die.
71 Bid them have patience; she shall come anon.
72 PANDARUS.
73 Where are my tears? Rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown
74 up by my throat!
75 [_Exit_.]
76 CRESSIDA.
77 I must then to the Grecians?
78 TROILUS.
79 No remedy.
80 CRESSIDA.
81 A woeful Cressid ’mongst the merry Greeks!
82 When shall we see again?
83 TROILUS.
84 Hear me, my love. Be thou but true of heart.
85 CRESSIDA.
86 I true? How now! What wicked deem is this?
87 TROILUS.
88 Nay, we must use expostulation kindly,
89 For it is parting from us.
90 I speak not ‘Be thou true’ as fearing thee,
91 For I will throw my glove to Death himself
92 That there’s no maculation in thy heart;
93 But ‘Be thou true’ say I to fashion in
94 My sequent protestation: be thou true,
95 And I will see thee.
96 CRESSIDA.
97 O! you shall be expos’d, my lord, to dangers
98 As infinite as imminent! But I’ll be true.
99 TROILUS.
100 And I’ll grow friend with danger. Wear this sleeve.
101 CRESSIDA.
102 And you this glove. When shall I see you?
103 TROILUS.
104 I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels
105 To give thee nightly visitation.
106 But yet be true.
107 CRESSIDA.
108 O heavens! ‘Be true’ again!
109 TROILUS.
110 Hear why I speak it, love.
111 The Grecian youths are full of quality;
112 They’re loving, well compos’d, with gifts of nature,
113 Flowing and swelling o’er with arts and exercise.
114 How novelty may move, and parts with person,
115 Alas, a kind of godly jealousy,
116 Which, I beseech you, call a virtuous sin,
117 Makes me afear’d.
118 CRESSIDA.
119 O heavens! you love me not!
120 TROILUS.
121 Die I a villain then!
122 In this I do not call your faith in question
123 So mainly as my merit. I cannot sing,
124 Nor heel the high lavolt, nor sweeten talk,
125 Nor play at subtle games; fair virtues all,
126 To which the Grecians are most prompt and pregnant;
127 But I can tell that in each grace of these
128 There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil
129 That tempts most cunningly. But be not tempted.
130 CRESSIDA.
131 Do you think I will?
132 TROILUS.
133 No.
134 But something may be done that we will not;
135 And sometimes we are devils to ourselves,
136 When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
137 Presuming on their changeful potency.
138 AENEAS.
139 [_Within_.] Nay, good my lord!
140 TROILUS.
141 Come, kiss; and let us part.
142 PARIS.
143 [_Within_.] Brother Troilus!
144 TROILUS.
145 Good brother, come you hither;
146 And bring Aeneas and the Grecian with you.
147 CRESSIDA.
148 My lord, will you be true?
149 TROILUS.
150 Who, I? Alas, it is my vice, my fault!
151 Whiles others fish with craft for great opinion,
152 I with great truth catch mere simplicity;
153 Whilst some with cunning gild their copper crowns,
154 With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.
155 Fear not my truth: the moral of my wit
156 Is plain and true; there’s all the reach of it.
157 Enter Aeneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus and Diomedes.
158 Welcome, Sir Diomed! Here is the lady
159 Which for Antenor we deliver you;
160 At the port, lord, I’ll give her to thy hand,
161 And by the way possess thee what she is.
162 Entreat her fair; and, by my soul, fair Greek,
163 If e’er thou stand at mercy of my sword,
164 Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe
165 As Priam is in Ilion.
166 DIOMEDES.
167 Fair Lady Cressid,
168 So please you, save the thanks this prince expects.
169 The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek,
170 Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed
171 You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
172 TROILUS.
173 Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously
174 To shame the zeal of my petition to thee
175 In praising her. I tell thee, lord of Greece,
176 She is as far high-soaring o’er thy praises
177 As thou unworthy to be call’d her servant.
178 I charge thee use her well, even for my charge;
179 For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
180 Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
181 I’ll cut thy throat.
182 DIOMEDES.
183 O, be not mov’d, Prince Troilus.
184 Let me be privileg’d by my place and message
185 To be a speaker free: when I am hence
186 I’ll answer to my lust. And know you, lord,
187 I’ll nothing do on charge: to her own worth
188 She shall be priz’d. But that you say ‘Be’t so,’
189 I speak it in my spirit and honour, ‘No.’
190 TROILUS.
191 Come, to the port. I’ll tell thee, Diomed,
192 This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head.
193 Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk,
194 To our own selves bend we our needful talk.
195 [_Exeunt Troilus, Cressida and Diomedes_.]
196 [_Sound trumpet_.]
197 PARIS.
198 Hark! Hector’s trumpet.
199 AENEAS.
200 How have we spent this morning!
201 The Prince must think me tardy and remiss,
202 That swore to ride before him to the field.
203 PARIS.
204 ’Tis Troilus’ fault. Come, come to field with him.
205 DEIPHOBUS.
206 Let us make ready straight.
207 AENEAS.
208 Yea, with a bridegroom’s fresh alacrity
209 Let us address to tend on Hector’s heels.
210 The glory of our Troy doth this day lie
211 On his fair worth and single chivalry.
212 [_Exeunt_.]