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Troilus and Cressida (Quarto 1, 1609)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: W. L. Godshalk
Peer Reviewed
Enter. Pandarus Troylus, man.
Pand: How now wher's thy maister, at my Cousin Cressidas?
1635Man: No sir stayes for you to conduct him thether.
Pand: O heere he comes? how now, how now?
Troy: Sirra walke off.
Pand: Haue you seene my Cousine?
1640Troy: No Pandarus, I stalke about her dore
Like to a strange soule vpon the Stigian bankes
Staying for waftage. O be thou my Charon.
And giue me swift transportance to these fieldes,
VVhere I may wallow in the lilly beds
1645Propos'd for the deseruer. O gentle Pandar,
From Cupids shoulder plucke his painted wings,
And flye with me to Cressid.
Pand: VValke heere ith'Orchard, Ile bring her straight.
1650Troy: I am giddy; expectation whirles me round,
Th'ymaginary relish is so sweete,
That it inchaunts my sence: what will it be
When that the watry pallats taste indeed
Loues thrice repured Nectar? Death I feare me
1655Sounding distruction, or some ioy to fyne,
To subtill, potent, tun'd to sharp in sweetnesse
For the capacity of my ruder powers;
I feare it much, and I doe feare besides
That I shall loose distinction in my ioyes
1660As doth a battaile, when they charge on heapes
The enemy flying.
Pand. Shees making her ready, sheele come straight, you
must be witty now, she does so blush, and fetches her wind so
short as if shee were fraid with a spirite: Ile fetch her; it is the
1665prettiest villaine, she fetches her breath as short as a new tane
sparrow.
Troy: Euen such a passion doth imbrace my bosome,
My heart beats thicker then a feauorous pulse,
And all my powers do their bestowing loose
1670Like vassalage at vnwares encountring
the eye of maiesty.
Enter pandar and Cressid.
Pand. Come, come, what need you blush?
Shames a babie; heere shee is now, sweare the othes now to
1675her that you haue sworne to me: what are you gone againe,
you must be watcht ere you be made tame, must you? come
your waies come your waies, and you draw backward weele
put you ith filles: why doe you not speake to her. Come
draw this curtaine, and lets see your picture; alasse the day?
1680how loath you are to offend daylight; and twere darke youd
close sooner: so so, rub on and kisse the mistresse; how now
a kisse in fee-farme: build there Carpenter, the ayre is sweet.
Nay, you shall fight your hearts out ere I part you. The faul-
con, as the tercell: for all the ducks ith riuer: go too, go too.
Troy: You haue bereft me of all wordes Lady.
Pand: Words pay no debts; giue her deeds: but sheele be-
reaue you ath' deeds too if she call your actiuity in question:
what billing again: heeres in witnesse whereof the parties in-
1690terchangeably. Come in come in Ile go get a fire?
Cres. Will you walke in my Lord?
Troy. O Cressed how often haue I wisht me thus.
Cres. Wisht my Lord? the gods graunt? O my Lord?
1695Troy. What should they graunt? what makes this pretty ab-
ruption: what to curious dreg espies my sweete lady in the
fountaine of our loue?
Cres. More dregs then water if my teares haue eyes.
Troy. Feares make diuels of Cherubins, they neuer see truly.
Cres. Blind feare that seeing reason leads, finds safer foo-
ting, then blind reason, stumbling without feare: to feare
the worst oft cures the worse.
Troy. O let my Lady apprehend no feare,
1705In all Cupids pageant there is presented no monster.
Cres. Nor nothing monstrous neither.
Troy. Nothing but our vndertakings, when wee vow to
weepe seas, liue in fire, eate rockes, tame Tygers, thin-
king it harder for our mistresse to deuise imposition ynough
1710then for vs to vndergoe any difficulty imposed. --
This the monstruosity in loue Lady, that the will is infinite
and the execution confind, that the desire is boundlesse, and
the act a slaue to lymite.
Cres. They say all louers sweare more performance then
1715they are able, and yet reserue an ability that they neuer
performe: vowing more then the perfection of ten: and dis-
charging lesse then the tenth part of one. They that haue
the voyce of Lyons, and the act of Hares are they not mon-
sters?
1720Troy. Are there such: such are not we; Praise vs as wee
are tasted, allow vs as we proue: our head shall goe bare till
merit louer part no affection in reuersion shall haue a praise
in present: we will not name desert before his birth, and be-
ing borne, his addition shall bee humble: few wordes
1725to faire faith. Troylus shall be such to Cressid, as what en-
uy can say worst shall bee a mocke for his truth, and what
truth can speake truest not truer then Troylus.
Cres. Will you walke in my Lord?
Pand. What blushing still, haue you not done talking yet?
Cres. VVell Vncle what folly I commit I dedicate to
you.
1735Pand. I thanke you for that, if my Lord gette a boy of you,
youle giue him me: be true to my Lord, if he flinch chide me
for it.
Troy: You know now your hostages, your Vncles word and
my firme faith.
1740Pand. Nay Ile giue my word for her too: our kindred
though they be long ere they bee woed, they are constant
being wonne, they are burres I can tell you, theyle sticke
where they are throwne.
Cres. Bouldnesse comes to me now and brings me heart:
1745Prince Troylus I haue loued you night and day, for many
weary moneths.
Troy: Why was my Cressid then so hard to wyn?
Cres: Hard to seeme wonne: but I was wonne my Lord
With the first glance; that euer pardon me
1750If I confesse much you will play the tyrant,
I loue you now, but till now not so much
But I might maister it; in faith I lye,
My thoughts were like vnbrideled children grone
Too headstrong for their mother: see wee fooles,
1755VVhy haue I blab'd: who shall be true to vs
VVhen we are so vnsecret to ourselues.
But though I loue'd you well, I woed you not,
And yet good faith I wisht my selfe a man;
Or that we women had mens priuiledge
1760Of speaking first. Sweete bid me hold my tongue,
For in this rapture I shall surely speake
The thing I shall repent: see see your sylence
Comming in dumbnesse, from my weaknesse drawes
My very soule of councell. Stop my mouth.
1765Troy: And shall, albeit sweet musique issues thence.
Pand. Pretty yfaith.
Cres. My Lord I doe beseech you pardon me,
Twas not my purpose thus to begge a kisse:
I am asham'd; O Heauens what haue I done!
1770For this time will I take my leaue my Lord.
Troy: Your leaue sweete Cressid:
Pan: Leaue: and you take leaue till to morrow morning.
Cres: Pray you content you. Troy:What offends you Lady?
Cres. sir mine own company.
Troy: You cannot shun your selfe.
Cres: Let me goe and try:
I haue a kind of selfe recids with you:
1780But an vnkinde selfe, that it selfe will leaue,
To be anothers foole. I would be gone:
Where is my wit? I know not what I speake,
Tro. Well know they what they speake, that speake so
1785Cres. Perchance my Lord I show more craft then loue,
And fell so roundly to a large confession.
To angle for your thoughts, but you are wise,
Or else you loue not: for to be wise and loue,
Exceeds mans might that dwells with gods aboue,
1790Tro. O that I thought it could be in a woman.
As if it can I will presume in you,
To feed for age her lampe and flames of loue.
To keepe her constancy in plight and youth.
Out-liuing beauties outward, with a mind,
1795That doth renew swifter then blood decays,
Or that persuasion could but thus conuince me,
That my integrity and truth to you,
Might be affronted with the match and waight,
Of such a winnowed purity in loue,
1800How were I then vp-lifted! but alasse,
I am as true as truths simplicity,
And simpler then the infancy of truth.
Cres. In that ile war with you, Tro. O vertuous fight,
1805When right with right warres who shalbe most right,
True swains in loue shall in the world to come
Approue their trueth by Troylus, when their rimes,
Full of protest, of oath and big compare,
Wants simele's truth tyrd with iteration.
1810As true as steele, as plantage to the moone.
As sunne to day: as turtle to her mate,
As Iron to Adamant: as Earth to th' Center,
After all comparisons of truth.
(As truths anthentique author to be cited)
1815As true as Troylus, shall croune vp the verse,
And sanctifie the nombers,
Cres. Prophet may you bee,
If I bee falce or swarue a hayre from truth,
When time is ould or hath forgot it selfe,
1820When water drops haue worne the stones of Troy,
And blind obliuion swallowd Citties vp.
And mighty states character-les are grated,
To dusty nothing, yet let memory,
From falce to falce among falce mayds in loue,
1825Vpbraid my falcehood, when th'haue said as falce,
As ayre, as water, wind or sandy earth,
As Fox to Lambe; or Wolfe to Heifers Calfe,
Pard to the Hind, or stepdame to her Sonne,
Yea let them say to sticke the heart of falsehood,
1830As false as Cressid.
Pand. Go to a bargaine made, seale it, seale it ile bee the
witnes here I hold your hand, here my Cozens, if euer you
proue false one, to another since I haue taken such paine to
bring you together let all pittifull goers betweene be cald
1835to the worlds end after my name, call them all Panders, let
all constant men be Troylusses all false woemen Cressids, and
all brokers betweene panders; say Amen.
Tro. Amen. Cre. Amen.
Pan. Amen.
Wherevpon I will shew you a Chamber, which bed be-
cause it shall not speake of your prety encounters presse it to
death; away.
Exeunt.
1845And Cupid grant all tong-tide maydens here,
Bed, chamber, Pander to prouide this geere.
Exit.