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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 helm;
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.

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
As is Arachne's broken woof, to enter.
Instance, O instance! strong as Pluto's gates;
Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of hea-

ven:

Instance, O instance! strong as heaven itself; The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd, and loos'd;

And with another knot, five-finger tied,

Ther. Nor I, by Pluto: but that that likes The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,

not you, pleases me best.

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

Do come:-I 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. 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. It is.

Ulyss. 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 credences 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.

Tro. She was not sure.

Ulyss. Most sure she was.

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!tt Think, we had mothers; do not give advantage

The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy

reliques

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 In characters as red as Mars his heart [well Inflam'd with Venus: never did young man fancy

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 casquet compos'd by Vulcan's skill,
My sword should bite it: not the dreadful
spout,

Which shipmen do the hurricano call
Constring'dt in mass by the almighty sun,
Shall dizzy with more clamour 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.

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

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To stubborn critics‡‡-apt, without a theme,
For depravation,-to square the general sex
By Cressid's rule: rather think this not Cres-med!

sid.

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 CresIf beauty have a soul, this is not she; [sida: If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimony, If sanctimony be the gods' delight, If there be rule in unity itself, This was not she. O madness of discourse, That cause sets up with and against itself! Bifold authority! where reason can revolt

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[Exeunt TROILUS, ENEAS, and ULYSSES. Ther. 'Would, I could meet that rogue DioI would croak like a raven; I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me any thing for the intelligence of this whore: the parrot will not do more for an almond, than he for a commodious drab. Lechery, holds fashion: A burning devil take them! lechery; still, wars and lechery; nothing else

[Exit.

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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 honour keeps the weather of my fate: Life every man holds dear; but the dear man Holds honour far more precious-deart 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; dofft thy
harness, 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 Which better fits a lion than a man. [you, 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 armours buckled on,
The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords;
Spur them to ruthfuls work, rein them from
ruth.||

Hect. Fie, savage, fie!
Tro. Hector, then 'tis wars.

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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 engag'd to many Greeks,
Even in the faith of valour, to appear
This morning to them.

Pri. But thou shalt not go.

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 Makes all these bodements. [girl

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 dolours

forth!

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Tro. Let me read. Pan. A whoreson ptisick, a whoreson rascally ptisick so troubles me, and the foolish fortune of this girl; and what one thing, what another, that 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 toge

ther.

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; Ill go look on. That dissembling abominable varlet, Diomed, has got that same scurvy doting foolish 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 whoremasterly villain, with the sleeve, back to the dissembling luxurious drab, on a sleeveless erraud. 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 blackberry:-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 not arm to-day: whereupon the Grecians begin to proclaim barbarism, and policy grows into an ill opinion. Soft! here come sleeve, and t'other.

Enter DIOMEDES, TROILUS following. Tro. Fly not; for, should'st 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 Hector's match?

Art thou of blood, and honour? 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. I'll seek them.'

SCENE V.-The saune.

Enter DIOMEDES and a SERVANT.

[Exit.

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Nest. Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles;
And bid the snail-pac'd 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,
Before the belching whale; then is he yonder,
And there they fly, or die, like scaled scullst
Fall down before him, like the mower's swath:
And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge,
Here, there, and every where, he leaves, and
Dexterity so obeying appetite,
[takes;

That proof is call'd impossibility.
That what he will, he does; and does so much,

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

Dio. I would correct him.

* Lance. Killer.

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:-'ware

[Exeunt PARIS and MENELAUS.

Ajax. Were I the general, thou should'st Paris, 'loo! The bull has the game:have my office, [Troilus! horns, ho! Ere that correction:-Troilus, I say! what,

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?

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: 1

Ajax. I'll fight with him alone: stand, Dio-am a bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard

med.

Dio. He is my prize, I will not look upon.* Tro. Come both, you coggingt Greeks; have at you both. [Exeunt, fighting.

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

Enter one in sumptuous Armour.

Hect. Stand, stand, thou Greek; thou art a goodly mark:

No? wilt thou not?-I like thy armour well;
I'll frush it, and unlock the rivets all,
But I'll be master of it :-Wilt thou not, beast,
abide?

Why then, fly on, I'll hunt thee for thy hide.
[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.-The same.

Enter ACHILLES, with Myrmidons. Achil. Come here about me, you my Myrmidons;

Mark what I say.-Attend me where I wheel: Strike not a stroke, but keep yourselves in breath;

And when I have the bloody Hector found,
Empale him with your weapons round about;
In fellest manner execute ¶ your arms.
Follow me, Sirs, and my proceedings eye:
It is decreed-Hector the great must die.

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in mind, bastard in valour, in every thing illegitimate, One bear will not bite another, and quarrel's most ominous to us: if the son of a wherefore should one bastard? Take heed, the whore fight for a whore, he tempts judgement: Farewell, bastard,

Mar. The devil take thee, coward! [Exeunt. SCENE IX.-Another part of the Field. Enter HECTOR.

Hect. Most putrified core, so fair without, Thy goodly armour thus hath cost thy life. Now is my day's work done; I'll take good breath': [death! Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of blood and [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 veil 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; [bone.Here lies thy heart, thy sinews, and thy 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.

Achil. The dragon wing of night o'erspreads the earth,

And, stickler+ like, the armies separates.
My half-supp'd sword, that frankly would

have fed,

Pleas'd with this dainty bit, thus goes to bed.[Sheaths his sword.

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. Peace, drums.

[Within] 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. Agum. March patiently along:-Let one be

sent

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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 NEAS and TROJANS.

Ene. Stand, ho! yet are we masters of the field:

Never go home; here starve we out the night. Enter TROILUS.

Tro. Hector is slain.

All. Hector?-The gods forbid !

Tro. He's dead; and at the murderer's horse's tail, [field.In beastly sort, dragg'd through the shameful Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed! [Troy! Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at 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; + Pitched, fixed.

* Ever.

I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still, That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy thoughts.

[go: Strike a free march to Troy!-with comfort 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 ayet 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 our endeavour be so loved, and the performance so loathed? what verse for it? what instance for it?-Let me

see:

Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing,
Till he hath lost his honey and his sting:
And being once subdued in armed tail,
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.-
Good traders in the flesh, set this in your
painted cloths.

Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall:
As many as be here of pander's hall,
Or, if you cannot weep, yet give soine groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aching bones.
Brethren, and sisters, of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will shall here be
made;

It should be now, but that my fear is this,-
Some galled goose of Winchester would hiss:
Till then I'll sweat, and seek about for eases;
And, at that time, bequeath you my diseases.

* Ignominy.

[Exit.

+ Ever. ↑ Canvas hangings for rooms, painted with emblems and mottos.

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