The wife I chose? there can be no evasion Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes pale the morning. Pri. Hect. It is Cassandra. Enter CASSANDRA, raving. Cas. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand eyes, And I will fill them with prophetick tears. Hect. Peace, sister, peace. Cas. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled elders, Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry, strains Of divination in our sister work Some touches of remorse? or is your blood So madly hot, that no discourse of reason, Nor fear of bad success in a bad cause, Can qualify the same? Tro. Why, brother Hector, We may not think the justness of each act Such and no other than event doth form it; Nor once deject the courage of our minds, Because Cassandra's mad; her brain-sick raptures Cannot distaste the goodness of a quarrel, Which hath our several honours all engag'd To make it gracious. For my private part, I am no more touch'd than all Priam's sons: And Jove forbid, there should be done amongst us Such things as might offend the weakest spleen To fight for and maintain! Par. Else might the world convince of levity Pri. Par. Sir, I propose not merely to myself On terms of base compulsion? Can it be, Should once set footing in your generous bosoms? Hect. Paris, and Troilus, you have both said well; The reasons, you allege, do more conduce Of nature, and of nations, speak aloud To have her back return'd: Thus to persist But makes it much more heavy. Hector's opinion For 'tis a cause that hath no mean dependance Tro. Why, there you touch'd the life of our design: -a Ther. How now, Thersites? what, lost in the labyrinth of thy fury? Shall the elephant Ajax carry it thus? he beats me, and I rail at him: O worthy satisfaction! 'would it were otherwise; that I could beat him, whilst he railed at me: 'Sfoot, I'll learn to conjure and raise devils, but I'll see some issue of my spiteful execrations. Then there's Achilles, rare engineer. If Troy be not taken till these two undermine it, the walls will stand till they fall of themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art Jove the king of gods; and, Mercury, lose all the serpentine craft of thy Caduceus; if ye take not that little little less-than-little wit from them that they have! which short-armed ignorance itself knows is so abundant scarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a spider, without drawing their massy irons, and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or, rather, the bone-ache! for that, methinks, is the curse dependant on those that war for a placket. I have said my prayers; and devil, envy, say Amen. What, ho! my lord Achilles ! Enter PATROCLUS. Patr. Who's there? Thersites? good Thersites, come in and rail. Ther. Agamemnon is a fool; Achilles is a fool; Thersites is a fool; and, as aforesaid, Patroclus is a fool. Achil. Derive this; come. Ther. Agamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles; Achilles is a fool to be commanded of Agamemnon; Thersites is a fool to serve such a fool and Patroclus is a fool positive. Patr. Why am I a fool? Ther. Make that demand of the prover. - It suffices me, thou art. Look you, who comes here? Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, NESTOR, DIOMEDEs, and AJAX. Achil. Patroclus, I'll speak with nobody :- Come in with me, Thersites. [Exit. Ulyss. We saw him at the opening of his tent; He is not sick. but, by my head, 'tis pride: But why, why? let him show us a cause. A word, my lord. Ther. If I could have remembered a gilt counterfeit, thou wouldest not have slipped out of my con- Ajax. Yes, lion-sick, sick of proud heart: you templation: but it is no matter; Thyself upon thy-may call it melancholy, if you will favour the man; self! The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! heaven bless thee from a tutor, and discipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy direction till thy death! then if she, that lays thee out, says-thou art a fair corse, I'll be sworn and sworn upon't, she never shrouded any but lazars. Amen. Where's Achilles? Patr. What, art thou devout? wast thou in prayer? Ther. Ay; The heavens hear me ! [Takes AGAMEMNON aside. Nest. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him? Ulyss. He. Nest. Then will Ajax lack matter, if he have lost his argument. Ulyss. No; you see, he is his argument, that has his argument; Achilles. Nest. All the better; their fraction is more our wish, than their faction: But it was a strong composure, a fool could disunite. Ulyss. The amity, that wisdom knits not, folly may easily untie. Here comes Patroclus, Re-enter PATROCLUS. Nest. No Achilles with him. Ulyss. The elephant hath joints, but none for courtesy: his legs are legs for necessity, not for flexure. Patr. Achilles bids me say he is much sorry, If any thing more than your sport and pleasure Agam. Hear you, Patroclus; We are too well acquainted with these answers: But his evasion, wing'd thus swift with scorn, Cannot outfly our apprehensions. Much attribute he hath; and much the reason We come to speak with him: And you shall not sin, If you do say -we think him over-proud, Here tend the savage strangeness he puts on; We'll none of him; but let him, like an engine Bring action hither, this cannot go to war: Patr. I shall; and bring his answer presently. [Exit. Agam. No, noble Ajax; you are as strong, as valiant, as wise, no less noble, much more gentle, and altogether more tractable. Ajax. Why should a man be proud? How doth pride grow? I know not what pride is. Agam. Your mind's the clearer, Ajax, and your virtues the fairer. He that is proud, eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the deed, devours the deed in the praise. Ajar. I do hate a proud man, as I hate the engendering of toads. Nest. And yet he loves himself: Is it not strange? Re-enter ULYSSES. Without observance or respect of any, Ulyss. Things small as nothing, for request's sake only, He makes important: Possess'd he is with greatness; Let Ajax go to him. — Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent : 'Tis said, he holds you well; and will be led, At your request, a little from himself. Ulyss. O Agamemnon, let it not be so! That bastes his arrogance with his own seam ; Let me go to him. Ulyss. Not for the worth that hangs upon our quarrel. Ajar. A paltry, insolent fellow, How he describes [Aside. The raven [Aside. I will let his humours blood. Agam. He'll be physician, that should be the patient. Ajax. An all men Were o'my mind, [Aside. Ulyss. Achilles will not to the field to-morrow. Agam. What's his excuse? Ulyss. He doth rely on none; But carries on the stream of his dispose, Thrice-fam'd, beyond all erudition : To sinewy Ajax. I will not praise thy wisdom, He must, he is, he cannot but be wise ;- Shall I call you father? Dio. Be rul'd by him, lord Ajax. Ulyss. There is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles Keeps thicket. Please it our great general To call together all his state of war; ACT III. SCENE I. Troy. A Room in Priam's Palace. Enter PANDARUS and a Sorvant. Pan. Friend! you! pray you, a word: Do not you follow the young lord Paris? Serv. Ay, sir, when he goes before me. Pan. You do depend upon a noble gentleman; I must needs praise him. Serv. The lord be praised! Pan. You know me, do you not? Serv. 'Faith, sir, superficially. Pan. Friend, know me better; I am the lord Pandarus. Serv. I hope, I shall know your honour better. Pan. I do desire it. Serv. You are in the state of grace. [Musick within. Pan. Grace! not so, friend; honour and lordship are my titles: - What musick is this? Serv. I do but partly know, sir; it is musick in parts. Pan. Know you the musicians? Serv. Wholly, sir. with him, the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love's invisible soul, Pan. Who, my cousin Cressida ? Serv. No, sir, Helen; Could you not find out that by her attributes? Pan. It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not seen the lady Cressida. I come to speak with Paris from the prince Troilus: I will make a complimental assault upon him, for my business seeths. Serv. Sodden business! there's a stewed phrase, indeed! Enter PARIS and HELEN, attended. Pan. Fair be to you, my lord, and to all this fair company! fair desires, in all fair measure, fairly guide them! especially to you, fair queen! fair thoughts be your fair pillow! Helen. Dear lord, you are full of fair words. Pan. You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen.— Fair prince, here is good broken musick. Par. You have broke it, cousin and, by my life, you shall make it whole again; you shall piece it out with a piece of your performance : — Nell, he is full of harmony. Pan. Well, sweet queen, you are pleasant with me.- But (marry) thus, my lord, My dear lord, and most esteemed friend, your brother Troilus Helen. My lord Pandarus; honey-sweet lord, — - Pan. Go to, sweet queen, go to: commends himself most affectionately to you. Helen. You shall not bob us out of our melody; If you do, our melancholy upon your head! Pan. Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet queen, i' faith. Helen. And to make a sweet lady sad, is a sour offence. Pan. Nay, that shall not serve your turn; that shall it not, in truth, la. Nay, I care not for such words: no, no. - And, my lord, he desires you, that, if the king call for him at supper, you will make his excuse. Helen. My lord Pandarus, Pan. What says my sweet queen, my very very sweet queen? Par. What exploit's in hand? where sups he tonight? Helen. Nay, but my lord, Pan. What says my sweet queen? · My cousin will fall out with you. You must not know where he sups. Par. I'll lay my life, with my disposer Cressida. Pan. No, no, no such matter, you are wide; come, your disposer is sick. Par. Well, I'll make excuse. Pan. Ay, good my lord. Why should you say Cressida? no, your poor disposer's sick. Par. I spy. me an instrument. Pan. Is this the generation of love? hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot deeds? Why, they are vipers: Is love a generation of vipers? Sweet lord, who's afield to-day? Par Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the gallantry of Troy: I would fain have armed to-night, but my Nell would not have it so. How chance my brother Troilus went not? Helen. He hangs the lip at something; - you know all, lord Pandarus. Pan. Not I, honey-sweet queen. I long to hear how they sped to-day. You'll remember your brother's excuse? Par. To a hair. To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo you Yea, what he shall receive of us in duty, Pan. You spy! what do you spy? - Now, sweet queen. Helen. Why, this is kindly done. Pan. My niece is horribly in love with a thing you have, sweet queen. Helen. She shall have it, my lord, if it be not my lord Paris. Pan. He! no, she'll none of him; they two are twain. Helen. Falling in, after falling out, may make them three. Pan. Come, come, I'll hear no more of this; I'll sing you a song now. Helen. Ay, ay, pr'ythee now. By my troth, sweet lord, thou hast a fine forehead. Pan. Ay, you may, you may. Helen. Let thy song be love: this love will undo us all. O, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid! Pan. Love! ay, that it shall, i' faith. Par. Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love. Pan. In good troth, it begins so : Love, love, nothing but love, still more! For, oh, love's bow Shoots buck and doe: The shaft confounds, Not that it wounds, But tickles still the sore. These lovers cry Oh! oh! they die! So dying love lives still: Oh! oh! a while, but ha! ha! ha! Oh! oh! groans out for ha! ha! ha! Hey ho! Helen. In love, i' faith, to the very tip of the nose. Par. He eats nothing but doves, love; and that breeds hot blood, and hot blood begets hot thoughts, and hot thoughts beget hot deeds, and hot deeds is love. straight. Pan. Walk here i'the orchard, I'll bring her [Exit PANDARUS. Tro. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round. The imaginary relish is so sweet That it enchants my sense; What will it be, Re-enter PANDARUS. Pan. She's making her ready, she'll come straight : |