Troi. You cannot shun yourself,

Cre. Let me go and try :

310

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 speak I know not what.
Troi. Well know they what they speak, that speak
so wisely,

Cre. Perchance, my lord, I shew more craft than

love;

And fell so roundly to a large confession,

321

To angle for your thoughts: But you are wise;
Or else you love not; For to be wise, and love,
Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.
Troi. O, that I thought it could be in a woman
(As, if it can, I will presume in you),
To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;
To keep her constancy in plight and youth,
Out-living beauties outward, with a mind
That doth renew swifter than blood decays!
Or, that persuasion could but thus convince me,-
That my integrity and truth to you

Might be affronted with the match and weight

Of such a winnow'd purity in love;

How were I then uplifted! but, alas,

I am as true as truth's simplicity,

And simpler than the infancy of truth.

Cre. In that I'll war with you.

Troi. O virtuous fight,

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When right with right wars who shall be most right:

True

True swains in love shall, in the world come,

Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes,
Full of protest, of oath, and big compare,
Want similies, truth tir'd with iteration,-
As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,
As sun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as earth to the centre,-
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,

As truth's authentic author to be cited,
As true as Troilus shall crown up the verse,
And sanctify the numbers.

Cre. Prophet may you be!

If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,
When time is old and hath forgot itself,

When water-drops have worn the stones of Troy,
And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up,

And mighty states characterless are grated
To dusty nothing; yet let mémory,

340

351

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 step-dame to her son;

Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood, As false as Cressid.

360 Pan. Go to, a bargain made: seal it, seal it; I'll be the witness. Here I hold your hand; here, my If ever you prove false to one another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's

cousin's.

3

end

let

end after my name, call them all-Pandars all inconstant men be Troilus's, all false women Cressids, and all brokers-between Pandars ! say,

amen.

Troi. Amen.

Cre. Amen.

370

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will shew you a bedchamber; which bed, because it shall not speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death: away. And Cupid grant all tongue-ty'd maidens here, Bed, chamber, Pandar to provide this gear!

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The Grecian Camp. Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, DIOMED, NESTOR, AJAX, MENELAUS, and CALCHAS.

881

Cal. Now, princes, for the service I have done you, The advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompence. Appear it to your mind, That, through the sight I bear in things, to Jove I have abandon'd Troy, left my possessions, Incurr'd a traitor's name; expos'd myself, From certain and possest conveniences, To doubtful fortunes; sequestring 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 registred in promise,

Which, you say, live to come in my behalf.

390

Aga. What wouldst thou of us, Trojan? make demand.

Cal. You have a Trojan prisoner, call'd Antenor, Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear. Oft have you (often have you thanks therefore) Desir'd my Cressid in right great exchange, Whom Troy hath still deny'd: But this Antenor, I know, is such a wrest in their affairs," That their negotiations all must slack, Wanting his manage; and they will almost Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam, In change of him: let him be sent, great princes, And he shall buy my daughter; and her presence Shall quite strike off all service I have done, In most accepted pain.

Aga. Let Diomedes bear him,

400

410

And bring us Cressid hither; Calchas shall have
What he requests of us.-Good Diomed,
Furnish you fairly for this enterchange :
Withal, bring word-if Hector will to-morrow
Be answer'd in his challenge; Ajax is ready.
Diom. This shall I undertake; and 'tis a burden
Which I am proud to bear.

[Exit DIOMED, and CALCHAS.

Enter ACHILLES, and PATROCLUS, before their

Tent.

Ulyss. Achilles stands i' the entrance of his tent : Please it our general to pass strangely by him, 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:

If so, I have derision med'cinable,

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To use between your strangeness and his pride,
Which his own will shall have desire to drink;
It may do good: pride hath no other glass
To shew itself, but pride; for supple knees
Feed arrogance, and are the proud man's fees.
Aga. We'll execute your purpose, and put on
A form of strangeness as we pass along ;-
So do each lord; and either greet him not,
Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more 430
Than if not look'd on. I will lead the way.

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?

Nest. Would you, my lord, aught with the general?

Achil. No.

Nest. Nothing, my lord.

Aga.