Which for Antenor we deliver you:[1981]
At the port, lord, I'll give her to thy hand; 110
And by the way possess thee what she is.
Entreat her fair; and, by my soul, fair Greek,
If e'er thou stand at mercy of my sword,
Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe
As Priam is in Ilion.
So please you, save the thanks this prince expects:
The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek,
Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed[1983]
You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
To shame the zeal of my petition to thee[1984]
In praising her: I tell thee, lord of Greece,[1985]
She is as far high-soaring o'er thy praises
As thou unworthy to be call'd her servant.
I charge thee use her well, even for my charge; 125
For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.[1986]
Let me be privileged by my place and message
To be a speaker free; when I am hence, 130
I'll answer to my lust: and know you, lord,[1987]
I'll nothing do on charge: to her own worth
She shall be prized; but that you say 'Be't so,'
I'll speak it in my spirit and honour 'No!'[1988]
This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head.
Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk,
To our own selves bend we our needful talk.
[Exeunt Troilus, Cressida, and Diomedes. [A trumpet sounds.[1990]
The prince must think me tardy and remiss, 140
That swore to ride before him to the field.[1991]
Scene V. The Grecian camp. Lists set out.
Enter Ajax, armed; Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, Menelaus, Ulysses, Nestor, and others.[1996]
Anticipating time with starting courage.[1997]
Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax, that the appalled air
May pierce the head of the great combatant[1998] 5
And hale him hither.[1998]
Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:
Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek[2000]
Outswell the colic of puff'd Aquilon:[2001]
Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood; 10
Thou blow'st for Hector. [Trumpet sounds.[2002]
He rises on the toe: that spirit of his[2005] 15
In aspiration lifts him from the earth.
Enter Diomedes, with Cressida.[2006]
'Twere better she were kiss'd in general.[2010][2011]
For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment,[2014]
And parted thus you and your argument.[2009][2015]
For which we lose our heads to gild his horns.
Patroclus kisses you.[2016]
The kiss you take is better than you give;[2019]
Therefore no kiss.[2019]
That you are odd, and he is even with you.
May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you?
When Helen is a maid again, and his.[2023] 50
[Exit with Cressida.[2026]
There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,[2027] 55
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive of her body.
O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,[2028]
That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,[2029]
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts 60
To every ticklish reader! set them down[2030]
For sluttish spoils of opportunity[2031]
And daughters of the game. [Trumpet within.[2032]
Flourish. Enter Hector, armed; Æneas, Troilus, and other Trojans, with Attendants.[2033]
To him that victory commands? or do you purpose[2035]
A victor shall be known? will you the knights
Shall to the edge of all extremity
Pursue each other, or shall they be divided[2036]
By any voice or order of the field?[2037] 70
Hector bade ask.[2037]
A little proudly, and great deal misprizing[2038][2040]
The knight opposed.[2041]
What is your name?
In the extremity of great and little,[2042]
Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;[2043]
The one almost as infinite as all, 80
The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,[2044]
And that which looks like pride is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek[2045] 85
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.
Re-enter Diomedes.[2046]
[Ajax and Hector enter the lists.[2050]
Not yet mature, yet matchless, firm of word,[2054]
Speaking in deeds and deedless in his tongue,[2055]
Not soon provoked nor being provoked soon calm'd;
His heart and hand both open and both free;[2056] 100
For what he has he gives, what thinks he shows;[2056]
Yet gives he not till judgement guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath;[2057]
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;
For Hector in his blaze of wrath subscribes 105
To tender objects, but he in heat of action[2058]
Is more vindicative than jealous love:[2059]
They call him Troilus, and on him erect
A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus says Æneas; one that knows the youth 110
Even to his inches, and with private soul
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.
[Alarum. Hector and Ajax fight.[2060]
Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son, 120
A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
The obligation of our blood forbids
A gory emulation 'twixt us twain:
Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so,[2065]
That thou couldst say 'This hand is Grecian all, 125
And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg
All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood[2066]
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
Bounds in my father's;' by Jove multipotent,
Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish member 130
Wherein my sword had not impressure made
Of our rank feud: but the just gods gainsay[2067]
That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,[2068]
My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword
Be drained! Let me embrace thee, Ajax:[2069] 135
By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms;
Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
Cousin, all honour to thee!
Thou art too gentle and too free a man:
I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence 140
A great addition earned in thy death.
On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyes
Cries 'This is he,' could promise to himself[2071]
A thought of added honour torn from Hector. 145
What further you will do.
The issue is embracement: Ajax, farewell.[2072]
As seld I have the chance—I would desire 150
My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.
Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.
And signify this loving interview 155
To the expecters of our Trojan part;
Desire them home. Give me thy hand, my cousin;
I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.[2073]
But for Achilles, my own searching eyes[2074]
Shall find him by his large and portly size.
That would be rid of such an enemy;
But that's no welcome: understand more clear,[2076] 165
What's past and what's to come is strew'd with husks[2076]
And formless ruin of oblivion;[2076]
But in this extant moment, faith and troth,[2076]
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,[2076][2077]
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,[2076] 170
From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither. 175
Mock not, that I affect the untraded oath;[2080]
Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove:[2081]
She's well, but bade me not commend her to you. 180
Labouring for destiny, make cruel way
Through ranks of Greekish youth; and I have seen thee, 185
As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,[2082]
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' the air,[2083]
Not letting it decline on the declined,
That I have said to some my standers by[2084] 190
'Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!'
And I have seen thee pause and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,[2085]
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;[2086]
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel, 195
I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
And once fought with him: he was a soldier good;
But, by great Mars the captain of us all,
Never like thee. Let an old man embrace thee;[2087]
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents. 200
That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time:
Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.
As they contend with thee in courtesy.[2088]
By this white beard, I'ld fight with thee to-morrow:
Well, welcome, welcome!—I have seen the time.[2090] 210
When we have here her base and pillar by us.[2091]
Ah, sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
Since first I saw yourself and Diomed 215
In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.[2092]
My prophecy is but half his journey yet;
For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,[2093]
Yond towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,[2094] 220
Must kiss their own feet.
There they stand yet; and modestly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost
A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all,
And that old common arbitrator, Time,[2095] 225
Will one day end it.[2095]
Most gentle and most valiant Hector, welcome:
After the general, I beseech you next
To feast with me and see me at my tent.
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perused thee, Hector,[2097]
And quoted joint by joint.[2097][2098]
As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.[2102]
But there's more in me than thou understand'st. 240
Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye?
Shall I destroy him? whether there, or there, or there?[2103]
That I may give the local wound a name,
And make distinct the very breach whereout 245
Hector's great spirit flew: answer me, heavens!
To answer such a question: stand again:
Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly
As to prenominate in nice conjecture 250
Where thou wilt hit me dead?
I'ld not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well;
For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
But, by the forge that stithied Mars his helm,[2105] 255
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.
You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag;
His insolence draws folly from my lips;
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never—
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone
Till accident or purpose bring you to't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,[2106]
If you have stomach: the general state, I fear,
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.[2107] 265
We have had pelting wars since you refused[2108]
The Grecians' cause.[2108]
To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death;[2109]
To-night all friends.[2109]
[Exeunt all but Troilus and Ulysses.[2113]