§ 36. TROILUS AND CRESSIDA. Love in a brave young Soldier. That find fuch cruel battle here within? The Greeks are ftrong, and skilful to their Fierce to their skill, and to their fiercenefs valiant; O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus- me, Take but degree away, untune that string, So doubly feconded with will and power, Conduct in War superior to Action. That do contrive how many hands shall strike, So that the ram, that batters down the wall, Adverfity the Trial of Man. -Why then, you princes, Do you with cheeks abafh'd behold our works, Achilles defcribed by Ulyffes. The great Achilles-whom opinion crowns And with ridiculous and awkward action He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon, Ihat's done as near as the extremeft ends age Sir Valour dies; cries-" O! enough, Patroclus, | That were to enlard his fat-already pride, And add more coals to Cancer, when he burns I afk, that I might waken reverence, And bid the check be ready with a blush Modeft as morning, when the coldly eyes The youthful Phoebus. Doubt. The wound of peace is furety, Surety fecure; but modeft doubt is call'd The beacon of the wife, the tent that fearches To the bottom of the worst. Pleasure and Revenge. Pleasure, and revenge, Have ears more deaf than adders to the voice The Subtlety of Ulysses, and Strpidity of Ajax. Ajax. I do hate a proud man, as I hate the engendering of toads." Neft. Yet he loves himfelf: is it not strange? Uly. He doth rely on none; Aga. Why will he not, upon our fair request, Untent his perfon, and share the air with us? U. Things fimnall as nothing, for requeft's fake only, He makes important: poffeft he is with greatness; Aga. Let Ajax go to him. Dear lord, go you, and greet him in his tent : "Tis faid, he holds you well; and will be led, At your requcft, a little from himfelf. U O Agamemnon, let it not be fo! We'll confecrate the fteps that Ajax makes, When they go from Achilles: thall the proud lord, That baftes his arrogance with his own feam, And never fuffers matter of the world Enter his thoughts, fave fuch as do revolve And ruminate himfelf-fhall he be worthipp'd Of that we hold an idol more than he ? No. this thrice-worthy and right valiant lord Muft not fo ftale his palm, nobly acquir'd; Nor, by my will, affubiugate his merit, As amply titled as Achilles is, by going to Achilles: [Afide. Dio. And how his filence drinks up this applaufe! [Afide. Ajax. If I go to him, with my armed hift I'll path him o'er the face. Aga. O no, you shall not go. Ajax. An he be proud with me, I'll pheefe his pride: let me go to him. Ulf. Not for the worth that hangs upon our quarrel. Ajax. A paltry, infolent fellow! Ajax. I'll let his humours blood. [Afide. [Afide. Aga. He'll be the physician that should be the patient. Ajax. An all men were o' my mindUlyf. Wit would be out of fashion. Ajax. He fhould not bear it fo; [Afide. [Afide. [afide. He thould cat fwords first: shall pride carry it? Nest. An 'twould, you'd carry half. [ Afide. Ulyf. He would have ten fhares. Ajax. I will knead him, I'll make him fupple. Neft. He is not yet through warm; force him with praifes, pour in, pour in; his ambition is dry. [Afide. Uly. My lord,you feed too much on this diflike. Neft. Our noble general, do not do fo. Dio. Youmuft prepare to fight without Achilles. Ulf. Why, 'tis this naming of him does him Here is a man-but 'tis before his face- [harm. I will be filent. Neft. Wherefore fhould you fo? He is not emulous, as Achilles is. Ulyf. Know the whole world, he is as valiant. Neft. What a vice were it in Ajax now— Dio. Or ftrange, or felf-affected? Ulf. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet compofure; Praife him that got thee, fhe that gave thee fuck: 1 But pardon, father Neftor; were your days Ajax. Shall I call you father? Dio. Be rul'd by him, lord Ajax. Ulyf. There is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles Keeps thicket; pleafe it our great general To call together all his ftate of war; Fresh kings are come to Troy: to-morrow, friends, We must with all our main of pow'r stand fast, And here's a lord-come knights from east to west, And cull their flow'r, Ajax fhall cope the best. Aga. Go we to council. Let Achilles fleep Light boats fail fwift, tho' greater hulks draw deep. [Excunt. An expecting Lever. No, Pandarus: I stalk about her door, I am giddy; expectation whirls me round. That it enchants my sense; what will it be, My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulfe; to come Confiancy in Love protefied. Troilus. True fwains in love fhall in the world [rhimes, Approve their truths by Troilus: when their Full of proteft, of oath, and big compare, Want fimiles: truth tried with iterationAs true as fteel, as plantage to the moon, As fun to day, as turtle to her mate, As iron to adamant, as earth to the centreYet, after all comparifons of truth, As truth's authentic author to be cited, As true as Troilus, shall crown up the verse, And fanctify the numbers. Cref. Prophet may you be ! If I be falle, or fwerve a hair from truth, Upbraid my falfehood! when they have faid-as falfe Fride cures Pride. To fhew itfelf, but pride; for fupple knees 'Tis certain, greatneis, once fallen out with for tunc, Muft fall out with men too: what the declin'd is, Hath any honour; but honour for thofe honours Honour, continued Acts necessary to preferve its [vour'd which are de Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, In monumental mockery. Take the inftant way; Or, like a gallant horse fall'n in first rank, Tho' leis than yours in paft, muft o'er-top yours. That flightly shakes his parting guest by the hand; One touch of nature makes the whole world kin That all, with one confent, praise new-born gawds, Love fheok off by a Soldier. Sweet, roufe yourself; and the weak, wanton Cupid Shall from your neck unloof his am'rous fold And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane, Be fhook to air. Lovers parting in the Morning. Troil. O Creffida! but that the buty day, Wak'd by the lark, has rous'd the ribald crows, And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer, I would not from thee Cref. Night hath been too brief. Trail. Bethrew the witch! with venomouswights the ftays, As tediously as hell; but flies the grafps of love With wings more momentary fwift than thought. Lovers Farewel. Injurious time now, with a robber's hafte, Crams his rich thicvery up, he knows not how: As many farewels as be ftars in heaven, With diftinct breath and confign'd kiffes to them, He fumbles up into a loofe adieu; And fcants us with a fingle famish'd kifs, Diftafted with the falt of broken tears. Troilus's Character of the Grecian Youths The Grecial youths are full of quality, They're loving, well compos'd, with gifts of nature flowing, And fwelling o'er with arts and exercife; (Which, I beseech you, call a virtuous fin) To every ticklish reader! fet them down The Character of Troilus. The youngest fon of Priam, a true knight; Not yet mature, yet matchlefs; firm of word; Speaking in deeds, and deedlefs in his tongue; Not foon provok'd,nor,being provok'd, foon calm'd: His heart and hand both open, and both free; For what he has, he gives; what thinks, he fhews; Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty, Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath: Manly as Hector, but more dangerous; For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, fubfcribes To tender objects; but he, in heat of action, Is more vindicative than jealous love. Hector in Battle. I have, thou gallant Trojan, feen thee oft, Labouring for deftiny, make cruel way Thro' ranks of Greekish youths: and I have seen thee, As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed, Achilles furveying Hector. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body Shall I deftroy him? whether there, there, there; That I may give the local wound a name; And make diftinct the very breach, whereout Hector's great fpirit flew. Answer me, heavens! Honour more dear than Life. Mine honour keeps the weather, of my fate; Life every man holds dear; but the brave man Holds honour far more precious-dear than life. Pity to be difcarded in War. 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! Raf Vows. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows; They are polluted cfferings, more abhorr'd Than fpotted livers in the facrifice. PATHETIC PATHETIC I fee thee here, and fcarce believe mine eyes. Dor. 'Tis the firit juftice thou haft ever done me; Then, tho I loathe this woman's war of tongue, Yet fhall my caufe of vengeance first be clear: And, Honour, be thou judge. Seb. Honour befriend us both. Beware, I warn thee yet to tell thy griefs In terms becoming majefty to hear: I warn thee thus, because I know thy temper Is infolent and haughty to fuperiors: How often haft thou brav'd my peaceful court, Fill'd it with noify brawls, and windy boasts; And with past service, nauscously repeated, Reproach'd even me, thy prince! Dor. And well I might, whenyou forgot reward, The part of Heaven in kings: for punishment Is hangman's work, and drudgery for devils. I muft and will reproach thee with my fervice, Tyrant (it irks me fo to call my prince), But juft refentment and hard ufage coin'd Th'unwilling word; and, grating as it is, Take it, for 'tis thy due. Seb. How, tyrant! Dor. Tvrant! PIECES. | And hurried me from hopes of heaven to hell; Seb. Thy old prefumptuous arrogance again, Thy hungry minions thought their rights invaded, Heaven That thing, that nothing but a cringe and fmile; That woman, but more daub'd; or, if a man, Corrupted to a woman; thy man-mistress. Seb. All falfe as hell, or thou. Dor. Yes; full as falfe As that I ferv'd thee fifteen hard campaigns, And pitch'd thy standard in those foreign fields: By me thy greatnefs grew, thy years grew with it. But thy ingratitude outgrew them both. Seb. I fee to what thou tend'ft; but tell me firft, If thofe great acts were done alone for me; If love produc'd not fome, and pride the reft? Dor. Why, love does all that's noble here below: But all th' advantage of that love was thine: For, coming fraughted back, in either hand With palm and olive, victory and peace, I was indeed prepar'd to afk my own (For Violante's vows were mine before): Thy malice had prevention, ere I fpoke; And afk'd me Violante for Henriquez. Seb. I meant thee a reward of greater worth. Dor. Where juftice wanted, could reward be hop'd? Could the robb'd paffenger expect a bounty From thofe rapacious hands whoftripp'd him first? Seb. He had my promife, ere I knew thy love. Dor. My fervices deferv'd thou fhouldft revoke it. Seb. |