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Troilus and Cressida (Quarto 1, 1609)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: W. L. Godshalk
Peer Reviewed
155
Enter Cressid and her man.
Cres. Who were those went by?
Man. Queene Hecuba, and Hellen.
Cres. And whether goe they?
Man. Vp to the Easterne tower,
160Whose hight commands as subiect all the vaile,
To see the battell: Hector whose pacience,
Is as a vertue fixt, to day was mou'd:
Hee chid Andromache and strooke his armorer,
And like as there were husbandry in warre
165Before the Sunne rose, hee was harnest lyte,
And to the field goes he; where euery flower
Did as a Prophet weepe what it foresawe,
In Hectors wrath.
Cres. What was his cause of anger.
170Man. The noise goes this, there is amonge the Greekes,
A Lord of Troian bloud, Nephew to Hector,
They call him Aiax.
Cres.Good; and what of him.
175Man. They say hee is a very man per se and stands alone.
Cres. So do all men vnlesse the are dronke, sicke, or haue no
legges.
Man. This man Lady, hath rob'd many beasts of their par-
ticular additions, hee is as valiant as the Lyon, churlish as
180the Beare, slowe as the Elephant: a man into whome nature
hath so crowded humors, that his valour is crusht into folly,
his folly sauced with discretion: there is no man hath a ver-
tue, that he hath not a glimpse of, nor any mā an attaint, but
he carries some staine of it. Hee is melancholy without cause
185and merry against the haire, hee hath the ioynts of euery
thing, but euery thing so out of ioynt, that hee is a gowtie
Briareus, many hands, & no vse: or purblinde Argus, al eyes,
and no sight.
Cres. But how should this man that makes me smile, make
190Hector angry.
Man They say hee yesterday cop't Hector in the battell
and stroke him downe, the disdaine and shame whereof
hath euer since kept Hector fasting and waking.
195Cres. Who comes here.
Man Maddam your vncle Pandarus.
Cres. Hectors a gallant man.
Man As may be in the world Lady.
Pand. Whats that? whats that?
200Cres. Good morrow vncle Pandarus.
Pan. Good morrow cozen Cressid: what doe you talke of?
good morrow Alexander: how doe you cozen? when were
you at Illum?
Cres. This morning vncle.
205Pan. What were you talking of when I came? was Hector
arm'd and gon ere yea came to Illium, Hellen was not vp
was she?
Cres. Hector was gone but Hellen was not vp?
Pan. E'ene so, Hector was stirring early.
210Cres. That were wee talking of, and of his anger.
Pan: Was he angry? Cres: So he saies here.
Pan: True hee was so; I know the cause to, heele lay about
him to day I can tel them that, & ther's Troylus wil not come
215farre behind him, let them take heede of Troylus; I can tell
them that too.
Cres. What is he angry too?
Pan: Who Troylus? Troylus is the better man of the two:
220Cres: Oh Iupiter ther's no comparison.
Pan: What not betweene Troylus and Hector? do you know
a man if you see him?
Cres: I, if I euer saw him before and knew him:
Pan: Well I say Troylus is Troylus:
225Cres. Then you say as I say, for I am sure hee is not Hector.
Pan. No nor Hector is not Troylus in some degrees.
Cres. Tis iust, to each of them he is himselfe.
Pan. Himselfe, alas poore Troylus I would he were.
230Cres. So he is.
Pan. Condition I had gone bare-foot to India.
Cres. He is not Hector.
Pan. Himselfe? no? hee's not himselfe, would a were him-
selfe, well the Gods are aboue, time must friend or end well
235Troylus well, I would my heart were in her body; no, Hector
is not a better man then Troylus.
Cres. Excuse me. Pand. He is elder.
Cres. Pardon me, pardon me.
240Pand. Th'others not eome too't, you shall tell me another
tale when th'others come too't, Hector shall not haue his
will this yeare.
Cres. He shall not neede it if he haue his owne.
Pand. Nor his qualities.
245Cres. No matter. Pand. Nor his beautie.
Cres. Twould not become him, his own's better.
Pan: You haue no iudgement neece; Hellen her selfe
swore th'other day that Troylus for a browne fauour (for so
250tis I must confesse) not browne neither.
Cres. No, but browne.
Pand. Faith to say truth, browne and not browne.
Cres. To say the truth, true and not true.
Pand. She praisd his complexion aboue Paris,
255Cres. Why Paris hath colour inough. Pand. So he has.
Cres. Then Troylus should haue too much, if shce praizd
him aboue, his complexion is higher then his, hee
hauing colour enough, and the other higher, is too flaming
260a praise for a good complexion, I had as lieue Helens golden
tongue had commended Troylus for a copper nose.
Pand. I sweare to you I thinke Helen loues him better then
Cres. Then shees a merry greeke indeed.
265Pand. Nay I am sure she dooes, she came to him th'other
day into the compast window, and you know hee has not
past three or foure haires on his chinne.
Cres. Indeed a Tapsters Arithmetique may soone bring
his particulars therein to a totall.
270Pand. Why he is very yong, and yet will hc within three
pound lifte as much as his brother Hector.
Cres. Is he so yong a man, and so old a lifter.
Pand. But to prooue to you that Hellen loues him, shee
eame and puts mee her white hand to his clouen chin.
275Cres. Iuno haue mercy, how came it clouen?
Pan. Why, you know tis dimpled,
I thinke his smyling becomes him better then any man in
all Phrigia.
Cres. Oh he smiles valianty.
280Pan. Dooes hee not?
Cres. Oh yes, and twere a clowd in Autumne.
Pan. Why go to then, but to proue to you that Hellen
loues Troylus.
Cres. Troylus wil stand to thee proofe if youle prooue it so.
Pan. Troylus, why hee esteemes her no more then I e-
steeme an addle egge:
Cres. If you loue an addle egge as well as you loue an idle
head you would eate chickens ith shell.
290Pan. I cannot chuse but laugh to thinke how she ticled
his chin, indeed shee has a maruel's white hand I must needs
confesse.
Cres. Without the rack.
Pan. And shee takes vpon her to spie a white heare on
295his chinne.
Cres. Alas poore chin many a wart is ritcher.
Pan. But there was such laughing, Queene Hecuba laught
that her eyes ran ore.
Cres. With milstones.
300Pan. And Cassandra laught.
Cres. But there was a more temperate fire vnder the por
of her eyes: did her eyes run ore to?
Pan. And Hector laught.
Cres. At what was all this laughing.
305Pan. Marry at the white heare that Hellen spied on Troy-
lus chin.
Cres. And t'had beene a greene heare I should haue
laught too.
Pan. They laught not so much at the heare as at his pret-
310ty answere.
Cres, What was his answere?
Pan. Quoth shee heere's but two and fifty heires on your
chinne; and one of them is white.
Cres. This is her question.
315Pan. Thats true, make no question of that, two and fiftie
heires quoth hee, and one white, that white heire is my fa-
ther, and all the rest are his sonnes. Iupiter quoth shee, which
of these heires is Paris my husband? the forked one quoth
he, pluckt out and giue it him: but there was such laughing,
320and Hellen so blusht, and Paris so chaf't, and all the rest so
laught that it past.
Cres. So let it now for it has beene a great while going by.
Pan. Wel cozen I tould you a thing yesterday, think on't.
Cres. So I doe.
Pan. Ile be sworne tis true, he will weepe you an'twere a
man borne in Aprill.
Sound a retreate.
Cres. And Ile spring vp in his teares an'twere a nettle a-
330gainst May.
Pan. Harke they are comming from the field, shall we
stand vp here and see them as they passe toward Ilion, good
Neece do, sweete Neece Cresseida.
Cres. At your pleasure.
335Pan. Heere, here, here's an excellent place, here wee may
see most brauely, ile tell you them all by their names, as they
passe by, but marke Troylus aboue the rest.
Enter Æneas.
Cres. Speake not so lowde.
340Pan. Thats Æneas, is not that a braue man, hees one of
the flowers of Troy I can tell you, but marke Troylus, you shal
see anon.
Cres. Who's that?
Enter Antenor.
345Pan. Thats Antenor, he has a shrow'd wit I can tell you,
and hee's man good enough, hees one o'th soundest iudge-
ments in Troy whosoeuer, and a proper man of person, when
comes Troylus, ile shew you Troylus anon, if hee see me, you
shall see him nod at mee.
350Cres. Will he giue you the nod:
Pan. You shall see:
Crcs. If he do the ritch shall haue more.
Enter Hector.
Pan. Thats Hector, that, that, looke you that, thers a fel-
355low! goe thy way Hector, ther's a braue man Neece, O braue
Hector, looke how hee lookes, theres a countenance, ist not a
braue man?
Cres. O a braue man.
Pan: Is a not? it dooes a man heart good, looke you what
360hacks are on his helmet, looke you yonder, do you see, looke
you there, thers no iesting, thers laying on, takt off, who will
as they say, there be hacks.
Cres. Be those with swords.
Enter Paris.
365Pan: Swords, any thing he cares not, and the diuell come to
him, its all one, by Gods lid it dooes ones heart good. Yon-
der comes Paris, yonder comes Paris, looke yee yonder
Neece, ist not a gallant man to, ist not, why this is braue now,
who said he came hurt home to day. Hee's not hurt, why this
370will do Hellens heart good now ha? would I could see Troy-
lus now, you shall see Troylus anon.
Cres. Whose that?
Enter Helenus:
375Pan. Thats Helenus, I maruell where Troylus is, thats He-
lenus, I thinke he went not forth to day, thats Helenus.
Cres: Can Helenus fight vncle?
Pan: Helenus no: yes heele fight indifferent, well, I maruell
380where Troylus is; harke doe you not here the people crie
Troylus? Helenus is a priest;
Cres: What sneaking fellow comes yonder?
Enter Troylus.
Panda: Where? yonder? thats Deiphobus. Tis Troylus!
385theres a man Neece, hem? braue Troylus the Prince of
chiualrie.
Cres. Peace for shame peace.
Pan. Marke him, note him: O braue Troylus, looke well
vpon him Neece, looke you how his sword is bloudied, and
390his helme more hackt then Hectors, and how hee lookes, and
how hee goes? O admirable youth, hee neuer saw three and
twenty, go thy way Troylus, go thy way, had I a sister were a
grace, or a daughter a Goddesse, hee should take his choiee,
O admirable man! Paris? Paris is durt to him, and I warrant
395Hellen to change would giue an eye to boote.
Cres. Here comes more.
Pa. Asses, fooles, doults, chaff & bran, chaff & bran, porredge
400after meate, I could liue and die in the eyes of Troylus, nere
looke, nere looke, the Eagles are gonne, crowes and dawes,
crowes and dawes, I had rather bee such a man as Troylus,
then Agamemnon and all Greece.
Cres. There is amongst the Greekes Achilles a better
405man then Troylus.
Pan. Achilles, a dray-man, a porter, a very Cammell.
Cres. Well, well:
Pan. Well, well, why haue you any discretion, haue you
any eyes, doe you know what a man is? is not birth, beauty,
410good shape, discourse, man-hood, learning, gentlenesse, ver-
tue youth, liberallity and such like, the spice & salt that sea-
son a man.
Cres. I a minst man, and then to bee bak't with no date in
the pie, for then the mans date is out:
415Pan. You are such a woman a man knowes not at what
ward you lie:
Cres: Vpon my backe to defend my bellie, vpon my wit
to defend my wiles, vpon my secrecy to defend mine hones-
ty, my maske to defend my beauty, and you to defend all
420these: and at al these wards I lie, at a thousand watches.
Pan. Say one of your watches.
Cres. Nay Ile watch you for that; and thats one of the
chiefest of them two: If I cannot ward what I would not
425haue hit: I can watch you for telling how I tooke the blowe
vnlesse it swell past hiding, and then its past watching:
Pan: You are such another:
Enter Boy:
430Boy: Sir my Lord would instantlie speake with you.
Pan: Where?
Boy: At your owne house there he vnarmes him:
Pan. Good boy tell him I come, I doubt he be hurt, fare ye
well good Neice:
Cres: Adiew vncle:
Pan: I wilbe with you Neice by and by:
Cres: To bring vncle: Pan: I a token from Troylus:
Cres: By the same token you are a Bawde,
440Words, vowes, guifts, teares and loues full sacrifize:
He offers in anothers enterprize,
But more in Troylus thousand fould I see,
Then in the glasse of Pandars praise may bee:
Yet hold l off: women are angels woing,
445,,Things woone are done, ioyes soule lies in the dooing.
That shee belou'd, knows naught that knows not this,
,,Men price the thing vngaind more then it is,
That she was neuer yet that euer knew
Loue got so sweet, as when desire did sue,
450Therefore this maxim out of loue I teach,
"Atchiuement is command; ungaind beseech,
Then though my hearts content firme loue doth beare,
Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appeare.
Exit.