Cre. They fay, all lovers fwear more performance than they are able, and yet referve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection of ten, and difcharging less than the tenth part of one. They that have the voice of lions, and the act of hares, are they not monsters?

Troi. Are there fuch? fuch are not we: Praise us as we are tafted, allow us as we prove; our head fhall go bare, 'till merit crown it: no perfection in reverfion fhall have a praife in prefent : we will not name defert, before his birth; and be

Gre. Will you walk in, my lord?
Re-enter Pandarus.

Pan. Come, come, what need you blufhing born, his addition fhall be humble 4. Few fhame's a baby. Here the is now: fwear the words to fair faith: Troilus fhall be fuch to Creffid, oaths now to her, that you have fworn to me.—as what envy can fay worft, fhall be a mock for What, are you gone again? you must be watch'd his truth; and what truth can fpeak trueft, not ere you be made tame 1, muft you? Come your truer than Troilus. ways, come your ways; an you draw backward, we'll put you i' the files 2.-Why do you not fpeak to her !--Come, draw this curtain, and let's fee your picture. Alas the day, how loth you are to offend day-light! an 'twere dark, you'd clofe fooner. So, fo; rub on, and kifs the miftrefs. How now, a kifs in fee-farm! build there, carpenter; the air is fweet. Nay, you fhall Pan. I thank you for that; if my lord get a fight your hearts out, ere I part you. The faul-boy of you, you'll give him me: Be true to my con as the tercel, for all the ducks i' the river 3: lord; if he flinch, chide me for it. go to, go to.

Troi. You have bereft me of all words, lady. Pan. Words pay no debts, give her deeds: but she'll bereave you of the deeds too, if the call your activity in queftion. What, billing again? here's-In witness whereof the parties interchangeabiy-Come in, come in; I'll go get a fire. [Exit Pandarus.

Cre. Will you walk in, my lord? Troi. O Cretfida, how often have I wifh'd me thus ?

Cre. With'd, my lord?-The gods grant!my lord!

Troi. What should they grant? what makes this pretty abruption? What too curious dreg efpies my fweet lady in the fountain of our love?

Cre. More dregs than water, if my fears have

eyes.

Gre. Blind fear, that feeing reafon leads, finds fafer footing than blind reafon tumbling without fear: To fear the wortt, oft cures the worst.

Pan. What, blufhing ftill? have you not done talking yet?

Cre. Well, uncle, what folly I commit, I dedicate to you.

Troi. You know now your hoftages; your uncle's word, and my firm faith.

Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kindred, though they be long ere they are woo'd, they are conftant, being won: they are burrs, I can tell you; they'll flick where they are thrown.

Gre. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me
heart :-

Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day,
For many weary months.

Troi. Why was my Creffid then so hard to win?
Cre. Hard to feem won; but I was won, my
lord,
-Pardon me :-

With the firft glance that ever-
If I confefs much, you will play the tyrant.
I love you now; but not, 'till now, fo much
But I might matter it :- -in faith, I lye;

Troi. Fears make devils of cherubims; they My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown never fee truly. Too headstrong for their mother: See, we fools! Why have I blabb'd? who shall be true to us, When we are fo unfecret to ourfelves? But though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not; Troi. O, let my lady apprehend no fear: in all And yet, good faith, I with'd myself a man; Cupid's pageant there is prefented no moniter. Or, that we women had men's privilege Cre. Nor nothing monitrous neither? Of fpeaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue; Trei. Nothing, but our undertakings; when For, in this rapture, I fhall furely speak we vow to weep feas, live in fire, eat rocks, The thing I fhall repent. See, fee, your filence, tame tygers; thinking harder for our mittrels Cunning in dumbnefs, from my weakness draws to devife impofition enough, than for us to under- My very foul of counfel: Stop my mouth. go any difficulty impofed. This is the monftruofity in love, lady,-that the will is infinite, and the execution contin'd; that the defire is boundless, and the act a flave to limit.

Troi. And fhall, albeit fweet mufick iffues thence.
Pan. Pretty, i'faith.

Cre. My lord, I do befeech you, pardon me; 'Twas not my purpose, thus to beg a kifs:

I Alluding to the manner of taming hawks. 2 Alluding to the custom of putting men fufpected of cowardice in the middle places. 3 Pandarus means, that he' match his niece against her lover for any bett. The terrel is the male hawk; by the faulcon we generally understand the female. 4 We will give him no high or pompous titles,

Pan. Leave an you take leave 'till to-morrow morning,

Cre. Pray you, content you.
Troi. What offends you, lady?
Cre. Sir, mine own company.
Troi. You cannot fhun yourfelf.
Cre. Let me go and try :

I have a kind of felf refides with you;
But an unkind felf, that itfelf will leave,
To be another's fool. I would be gone :-
Where is my wit? I fpeak I know not what.
Troi. Well know they what they fpeak, that
fpeak fo wifely.

Cre. Perchance, my lord, I fhew more craft
than love;

And fell fo roundly to a large confeffion,
To angle for your thoughts: But you are wife;
Or elfe you love not; For to be wife, 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 prefume in you)
To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;
To keep her conftancy in plight and youth,

Out-living beauties outward, with a mind
That doth renew fwifter than blood decays!

From falfe to falfe, among falfe maids in love, [falfe
Upbraid my falfhood! when they have faid-a5
As air, as water, wind, or fandy earth,

As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,
Pard to the hind, or ftep-dame to her ion;
Yea, let them fay, to ftick the heart of falfhood,
As falfe as Creflid.

Pan. Go to, a bargain made: feal it, feal it; I'll be the witnefs.Here I hold your hand; here, my coufin's. If ever you prove falfe to one another, fince I have taken fuch 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 inconftant men be Troilus's, all falfe women Creflids, and all brokers-between Pandars! fay amen.

Troi. Amen.
Cre. Amen.

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will fhew you a bed-chamber; which bed, because it fhall not fpeak of your pretty encounters, prefs it to death: away.

And Cupid grant all tongue-ty'd maidens here,
Bed, chamber, Pandar to provide this geer!

SCENE
The Grecian Camp.

III,

[Exeunt.

Or that perfuafion could but thus convince me, Enter Agamemnon, Ulyffes, Diomed, Neftor, Ajax, That my integrity and truth to you

Might be affronted with the match and weight
Of fuch a winnow'd purity in love;
How were I then uplifted! but, alas,

I am as tine as truth's fimplicity,

And fimpler than the infancy of truth.

Cre. In that I'll war with you.

Troi. O virtuous fight,

Menelaus, and Calebas.

Cal. Now, princes, for the fervice I have done
you,

The advantage of the time prompts me aloud
To call for recompence. Appear it to your mind,
That, through the fight I bear in things, to Jove
[right! I have abandon'd Troy, left my poffeilions,

When right with right wars who shall be most | Incurr'd a traitor's name; expos'd myself,
True fwains in love fhall, in the world to come,
Approve their truths by Troilus: when their
rhymes,

Full of proteft, of oath, and big compare,
Want fimilies, truth tir'd with iteration,
As true as fteel 2, as plantage 3 to the moon,
As fun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as earth to the center,-
Yet after all comparisons of truth,
As truth's authentic author to be cited,

As true as Troilus fhall crown up the verfe,
And fanctify the numbers.

Cre. Prophet may you be!

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

From certain and poffeft conveniences,
To doubtful fortunes; fequeftring from me all
That time, acquaintance, cuftom, and condition,
Made tame and moft familiar to my nature;
And here, to do you fervice, am become
As new into the world, ftrange, unacquainted;
I do befeech you, as in way of taste,
To give me now a little benefit,
Out of thofe many register'd in promise,
Which, you fay, live to come in my behalf.
Aga. What would'st thon of us, Trojan ? make
demand.

Cal. You have a Trojan prifoner, call'd Antenor,
Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear.
Oft have you (often have you thanks therefore)

When water-drops have worn the ftones of Troy, Defir'd my Creifid in right great exchange,

And blind oblivion fwallow'd cities up,

And mighty ftates characterlefs are grated
To dufty nothing; yet let memory,

Whom Troy hath ftill deny'd: But this Antenor,
I know, is fuch a wreft in their affairs,
That their negociations all must slack,

II with, " my integrity might be met and matched with fuch equality and force of pure un mingled love." 2 This is an ancient proverbial fimile. 3 Formerly neither fowing, planting, nor grafting, were ever undertaken without a fcrupulous attention to the increafe or waning of the moon, as may be proved by the following quotation from Scott's Difcoverie of Witchcraft: "The poore husbandman perceiveth that the increate of the moone maketh plants fruitfull: to as in the full moone they are in the belt ftrength; decaieing in the wane; and in the conjunction to utterlie wither and vade."

Wanting

Wanting his manage; and they will almost
Give us a prince of blood, a fon of Priam,
In change of him: let him be fent, great princes,
And he thall buy my daughter; and her prefence
Shall quite ftrike off all fervice I have done,
In most accepted pain 1.

Aga. Let Diomedes bear him,
And bring us Creifid hither; Calchas fhall have
What he requests of us.-Good Diomed,
Furnith you fairly for this enterchange:
Withal, bring word-if Hector will to-morrow
Be antwer'd in his challenge: Ajax is ready.
Diom. This fhail I undertake; and 'tis a burden
Which I am proud to bear.

[Exit Diomed, and Calchas.
Enter Achilles and Patroclus, before their tent.
Uly. Achilles ftands i' the entrance of his tent :-
Pleate it our general to pafs ftrangely by him,
As if he were forgot ;—and, princes all,
Lay negligent and loofe regard upon him :-

I will come laft: 'Tis like, he'll question me,
Why fuch unplaufive eyes are bent, why turn'd

on him:

If fo, I have derifion med'cinable,

To ufe between your ftrangeness and his pride,
Which his own will fhall have defire to drink;
It may do good: pride hath no other glafs
To fhew itfelf, but pride; for fupple knees
Feed arrogance, and are the proud man's fees.
Aga. We'll execute your purpose, and put on
A form of strangenefs as we país along ;-
So do each lord; and either greet him not,
Or elfe difdainfully, which fhall thake him more
Than if not look'd on. I will lead the way.
Acbil. What, comes the general to fpeak with

me?

You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy.
Aga. What fays Achilles? would he aught with
[ral?
Neft. Would you, my lord, aught with the gene-

us ?

Achil. No.

Neft. Nothing, my lord ?

1

Aga. The better.

Achil. Good day, good day.

Men. How do you? how do you?

Acbil. What, does the cuckold fcorn me?
Ajax. How now, Patroclus?

Achil. Good morrow, Ajax.

Ajax. Ha?

Achil. Good morrow.

Ajax. Ay, and good next day too.

He shall as foon read in the eyes of others,
As feel in his own fall: for men, like butterflies,
Shew not their mealy wings, but to the fummer;
And not a man, for being fimply man,
Hath any honour; but 's honour'd for thofe honours
That are without him, as place, riches, favour,
Prizes of accident as of as merit:

Which when they fall, as being flippery standers,
The love that lean'd on them as flippery too,
Doth one pluck down another, and together
Die in the fall. But 'tis not fo with me:
Fortune and I are friends; I do enjoy
At ample point all that I did poffefs,
[out
Save thefe men's looks; who do, methinks, find
Something in me not worth that rich beholding
As they have often given. Here is Ulyffes;
I'll interrupt his reading.- -How now, Ulyffes?
Ulyff. Now, great Thetis' fon?
Acbil. What are you reading?
Uly. A ftrange fellow here
Writes me, That man-how dearly ever parted2,
How much in having, or without, or in,
Cannot make boaft to have that which he hath,
Nor feels not what he owes, but by reflection;
As when his virtues fhining upon others
Heat them, and they retort that heat again
To the first giver.

Abil. This is not ftrange, Ulyffes.
The beauty that is borne here in the face,
The bearer knows not, but commends itself
To others' eyes: nor doth the eye tf if
(That most pure fpirit of fenfe) behold itself,
Not going from itfelf; but eye to eye oppos'd
Salutes each other with each other's form.
For fpeculation turns not to itself,
'Till it hath travell'd, and is marry'd there
Where it may fee itfelf: this is not ftrange at all.
Uly. I do not ftrain at the pofition,
It is familiar; but at the author's drift :
Who, in his circumftance 3, exprefsly proves-
That no man is the lord of any thing,
(Though in and of him there is much confifting)
'Till he communicate his parts to others:
Nor doth he of himself know them for aught
'Till he behold them form'd in the applaufe
Where they are extended; which, like an arch,
reverberates

The voice again; or like a gate of steel
Fronting the fun, receives and renders back
His figure and his heat. I was much rapt in this;

[Exeunt. And apprehended here immediately

Acbil, What mean thefe fellows? know they The unknown 4 Ajax.

not Achilles ?

[bend, Heavens, what a man is there! a very horfe;

Patr. They pafs by strangely: they were us'd to That has he knows not what. Nature, what things To fend their fmiles before them to Achilles ;

To come as humbly, as they us'd to creep
To holy altars.

there are,

Moft abject in regard, and dear in ufe!
What things again moft dear in the esteem,
And poor in worth! Now fhall we fee to-morrow

Achil. What, am I poor of late? 'Tis certain, Greatnefs, once fallen out with fortune, An act that very chance doth throw upon him, Muft fall out with men too: What the declin'd is, Ajax renown'd. O heavens, what fome men do,

1 i. e. Her prefence fhall ftrike off, or recompenfe the fervice I have done, even in thefe labours which were most accepted. 2 i. c. however excellently endowed, with however dear or precious parts enriched or adorned. 3 i. e. in the detail or circumduction of his argument. 4 Ajax, who has abilities which were never brought into view or ule,

While fome men leave to do!

How fome men creep in faittish fortune's hall,
While others play the ideots in her eyes!
How one man eats into another's pride,
While pride is feafting in his wantonneis !

To fee thefe Grecian lords!--why, even already
They clap the lubber Ajax on the shoulder;
As if his foot were on brave Hector's breaft,
And great Troy thrinking.

[vour'd

Abil. I do believe it: for they pass'd by me,
As mifers do by beggars; neither gave to me
Good word, nor look: What, are my deeds forgot?
Ul. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,
Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,
A great-fiz'd montter of ingratitudes:
Thofe fcraps are good deed's paft; which are de-
As faft as they are made, forgot as foon
As done: Perfeverance, dear my lord,
Keeps honour bright: To have done, is to hang
Quite out of fashion, like a rutty mail

In monumental mockery. Take the inftant way;
For honour travels in a freight to narrow,
Where one but goes abreaft: keep then the path:
For emulation hath a thouftand fons,
That one by one purfue; If you give way,
Or hedge afide from the direct forthright,
Like to an entred tide, they all ruth by,
And leave you hindmost ;—

Or like a gallant horfe fallen in first rank,
Lie there for pavement to the abject rear,
O'errun and trampled on : Then what they do in

prefent,

The providence that's in a watchful state,
Knows almost every grain of Pluto's gold;
Finds bottom in the uncomprehensive deeps;
Keeps place with thought; and almost, like the
gods,

Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles.
There is a myftery (with whom relation
Durft never meddle 4) in the foul of itate;
Which hath an operation more divine,
Than breath, or pen, can give expretfure to:
All the commerce that you have had with Troy,
As perfectly is ours, as yours, my lord;
And better would it fit Achilles much,
To throw down Hector, than Polyxena:
But it muft grieve young Pyrrhus now at home,
When Fame fhall in our iflands found her trump;
And all the Greekifh giris fhali tripping fing,-
"Great Hector's fifter did Achilles win;
"But our great Ajax bravely beat down him.”
Farewell, my lord: I as your lover speak ;
The fool flides o'er the ice that you should break.
[Exit.
Patr. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd you:
A woman impudent and mannish grown

Though lefs than yours in paft, muft o'er-top yours: Is not more loath'd than an effeminate man
For time is like a fashionable hoft,

That flightly shakes his parting guest by the hand;
And with his arms out-ftretch'd, as he would fly,
Grafps in the comer: Welcome ever fmiles,
And farewel goes out fighing. O, let not virtue feek
Remuneration for the thing it was; for beauty, wit,
High birth, vigour of bone, defert in fervice,
Love, friendship, charity, are fubjects all
To envious and calumniating time.

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,-|
That all, with one confent, praise new-born gawds,
Though they are made and moulded of things paft;
And thew to duft, that is a little gilt,
More laud than gilt o'er-dufted.

The prefent eye praifes the prefent object :
Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax;
Since things in motion fooner catch the eye,
Than what not firs. The cry went once on thee,
And ftill it might, and yet it may again,
If thou wouldít not entomb thyself alive,
And cafe thy reputation in thy tent;
Whofe glorious deeds, but in thefe fields of late,
Made emulous miffions 2 'mong ft the godsthemfelves,
And drave great Mars to faction.

In time of action. I ftand condemn'd for this:
They think, my little ftomach to the war,
And your great love to me, reftrains you thus :
Sweet, route yourself; and the weak wanton Cupid
Shall from your neck unloofe his amorous fold,
And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane,
Be thook to air.

Acbil. Shall Ajax fight with Hector? [by him.
Patr. Ay; and, perhaps, receive much honour
Achil. 1 fee, my reputation is at ftake;
My fame is fhrewdly gor'd.

Patr. O, then beware;

[felves:

Thofe wounds heal ill, that men do give them-
Omiffion to do what is neceffary

Seals a commiffion to a blank of danger 5;
And danger, like an ague, fubtly taints
Even then when we fit idly in the fun.

Achil. Go call Therfites hither, fweet Patroclus:
I'll fend the fool to Ajax, and defire him
To invite the Trojan lords after the combat,
To fee us here unarm'd: I have a woman's longing,
An appetite that I am fick withal,
To fee great Hector in his weeds of peace;
To talk with him, and to behold his vifage,
Even to my full of view. A labour fav'd !

1. To creep is to keep out of fight, from whatever motive. The meaning is, Some men keep out of notice in the hail of fortune, while others, though they but play the ideot, are always in her eye, in the way of diftinction. 2 The meaning of miffion, Dr. Johnfon fays, feems to be dispatches of the gods from heaven about mortal bulinefs, fuch as often happened at the fiege of Troy.

3 Polyxena, in the act of marrying whom, he was afterwards killed by Paris. 4 i. e. There is a fecret adminiftration of affairs, which no flory was ever able to difcover. si. e. By neglecting our duty we common or enable that danger of difhonour, which could not reach us before, to lay hold upon us.

Patr. And to procure fafe conduct from Aga-
Ther. Agamemnon ?
Pat. Ay, my lord.
Ther. Ha!

Patr. What fay you to't?

Ther. God be wi' you, with all my heart.
Patr. Your anfwer, fir.

Ther. Why, he talks up and down like a peacock, a ftride, and a ftand: ruminates, like an hoftefs, that hath no arithmetic but her brain to fet down her reckoning: bites his lip with a politic regard, as who should fay-there were wit in this head, an 'twould out; and fo there is; but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not fhow without knocking. The man's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the combat, he'll break it himself in vain-glory. The fhall pay for me ere he has me. He knows not me: I faid, Good-morrow, Ajax ; and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the general? He's grown a very land-fith, languagelefs, a monfter.

A plague of opinion! a man may wear it on both fides, like a leather jerkin.

Achil. Thou must be my embaffador to him, Therfites.

Ther. Who, I? why, he'll anfwer no body; he profeffes not anfwering; fpeaking is for beggars; he wears his tongue in his arms. I will put on his prefence; let Patroclus make demands to me, you shall fee the pageant of Ajax.

Ther. If to-morrow be a fair day, by eleven o'clock, it will go one way or other; howsoever,

Patr. Your answer, fir.

Ther. Fare you well, with all my heart.

Acbil. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he? Ther. No, but he's out o' tune thus. What mufick will be in him when Hector has knock'd out his brains, I know not: But, I am fure, none; unless the fidler Apollo get his finews to make catlings 2 on. [ftraight.

Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him Ther. Let me bear another to his horfe; for that's the more capable creature. [ftirr'd; Achil. My mind is troubled, like a fountain And I myself fee not the bottom of it.

Acbil. To him, Patroclus: Tell him,-I hum[Exeunt Achilles, and Patroclus. bly defire the valiant Ajax to invite the moft va- Ther. 'Would the fountain of your mind were lorous Hector to come unarmed to my tent; and to clear again, that I might water an afs at it! I had procure fafe conduct for his perfon, of the magnani- rather be a tick in a fheep, than fuch a valiant mous, and moft illuftrious, fix-or-feven-times-ho- lignorance.

[Exit.

With a fly look. 2 A catling fignifies a fmall lute-firing made of catgut. • Question here means intercourfe, interchange of converfation.