With the first glance that ever-Pardon me ;- Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue; The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence, Tro. And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence. Cres. My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me ;' I am asham'd ;-O heavens! what have I done?— Tro. Your leave, sweet Cressid? Pan. Leave an you take leave till to-morrow morn ing, Cres. Pray you, content you. Cres. Let me go and try: I have a kind of self resides with you; But an unkind self, that itself will leave, To be another's fool. I would be gone : Where is my wit? I know not what I speak. Tro. Well know they what they speak, that speak so wisely. Cres.Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love; And fell so roundly to a large confession, To angle for your thoughts: But you are wise; [7] Cressida's meaning is this: "Perchance I fell too roundly to confes sion, in order to angle for your thoughts; but you are not so easily taken in; you are too wise, or too indifferent; for to be wise and love, exceeds man's might." M. MASON. Tro. O, that I thought it could be in a woman, Might be affronted with the match and weight Tro. O virtuous fight, When right with right wars who shall be most right! As iron to adamant, as earth to the center,- As truth's authentic author to be cited, 2 As true as Troilus shall crown up the verse, 3 Cres. Prophet may you be ! If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth, When time is old and hath forgot itself, When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy, And mighty states characterless are grated To dusty nothing; yet let memory, [8] I wish "my integrity might be met and matched with such equality and force of pure unmingled love." JOHNS. [9] Compare, that is, comparison. STEEV. [i] Plantage to the moon-alluding to the common opinion of the influence the moon has over what is planted or sown, which was therefore done in the increase: From false to false, among false maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood! when they have said-as false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf, Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son; Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood, Pan. Go to, a bargain made : seal it, seal it; I'll be the witness.-Here I hold your hand; here, my cousin's. If ever you prove false one to another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end after my name, call them all-Pandars; let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids, and all brokersbetween Pandars! say, Amen. Tro. Amen. Cres. Amen. Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber and a bed, which bed, because it shall not speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death away. And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here, Bed, chamber, Pandar to provide this geer! [Exeunt. SCENE III. The Grecian Camp. Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, DIOMEDES, NESTOR, AJAX, MENELAUS, and CALCHAS. Cal. Now, princes, for the service I have done you, The advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind, That, through the sight I bear in things, to Jove I have abandon'd Troy, left my possession, Incurr'd a traitor's name; expos'd myself, From certain and possess'd conveniences, To doubtful fortunes; séquest'ring from me all That time, acquaintance, custom, and condition, Made tame and most familiar to my nature; And here, to do you service, am become As new into the world, strange, unacquainted: I do beseech you, as in way of taste, To give me now a little benefit, Out of those many register'd in promise, Aga. What wouldst thou of us, Trojan? make demand. Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear. Aga. Let Diomedes bear him, And bring us Cressid hither; Calchas shall have As if he were forgot ;—and, princes all, Lay negligent and loose regard upon him : I will come last: 'Tis like, he'll question me, Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turn'd on him : To use between your strangeness and his pride, Achil. What, comes the general to speak with me? You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy. Aga. What says Achilles? would he aught with us? [4] Wrest means an instrument for tuning the harp by drawing up the strings. To wrest is to wind. The form of the wrest may be seen in some of the old illuminated service books, wherein David is represented playing on his harp. DOUCE. Nest. Would you, my lord, aught with the general? Achil, No. Nest. Nothing, my lord. Aga. The better. [Exeunt AGAM. and NEST. Achil. Good day, good day. Men. How do you? how do you? [Exit MENELAUS. Achil. What, does the cuckold scorn me? Ajax. How now, Patroclus? Achil. Good-morrow, Ajax. Ajax. Ha? Achil. Good-morrow. Ajax. Ay; and good next day too. [Exit AJAX. Achil. What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles? Patr. They pass by strangely: they were us'd to bend, To send their smiles before them to Achilles ; To come as humbly, as they us'd to creep To holy altars. Achil. What, am I poor of late? 'Tis certain, greatness, once fallen out with fortune, As feel in his own fall for men, like butterflies, Hath any honour; but honour for those honours Which when they fall, as being slippery standers, At ample point all that I did possess, Save these men's looks; who do, methinks, find out I'll interrupt his reading. How now, Ulysses? Ulyss. Now, great Thetis' son? Achil. What are you reading? Ulyss. A strange fellow here Writes me, That man,-how dearly ever parted,5 How much in having, or without, or in,— [5] However excellently endowed; with however dear or precious parts enriched or adorned. JOHNS. |