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Troilus and Cressida (Quarto 1, 1609)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: W. L. Godshalk
Peer Reviewed
Enter Hector and Andromache.
And. When was my Lord so much vngently temperd,
To stop his eares against admonishment:
3200Vnarme, vnarme, and do not fight to day.
Hect. You traine me to offend you, get you in,
By all the euerlasting gods Ile go.
And. My dreames will sure prooue ominous to the day.
Hect. No more I say.
3204.1
Enter Cassandra.
3205Cas. Where is my brothet Hector?
And, Here sister, arm'd and bloody in intenr,
Consort with me in lowd and deere petition,
Pursue we him on knees: for I haue dreamt
Of bloudy turbulence, and this whole night
3210Hath nothing beene but shapes and formes of slaughter.
Cass, O tis true.
Hect. Ho? bid my trumpet sound.
Cres. No notes of sallie for the heauens sweete brother.
Hect. Begon I say, the gods haue heard me sweare.
3215Cas. The gods are deafe to hotte and peeuish vowes,
They are polluted offrings more abhord,
Then spotted liuers in the sacrifice.
And. O be perswaded, do not count it holy,
It is the purpose that makes strong the vow,
But vowes to euery purpose must not hold:
Vnarme sweet Hector.
3225Hect, Hold you still I say,
Mine honor keepes the weather of my fate:
Life euery man holds deere but the deere man,
Holds honor farre more precious deere then life,
Enter Troylus.
3230How now yong man, meanest thou to fight to day.
And. Cassandra call my father to perswade.Exit Cassan.
Hect. No faith yong Troylus, doffe thy harnesse youth,
I am to day ith' vaine of chiualrie,
3235Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,
And tempt not yet the brushes of the warre.
Vnarme thee go, and doubt thou not braue boy,
Ile stand to day for thee and me and Troy.
Troyl. Brother, you haue a vice of mercy in you,
3240Which better fits a Lion then a man.
Hector. What vice is that? good Troylus chide mee
3241.1for it.
Troyl. When many times the captiue Grecian falls,
Euen in the fanne and winde of your faire sword,
You bid them rise and liue.
3245Hect. O tis faire play.
Troyl. Fooles play by heauen Hector.
Hect. How now? how now?
Troyl. For th'loue of all the gods
Lets leaue the Hermit Pitty with our Mother,
3250And when we haue our armors buckled on,
The venomd vengeance ride vpon our swords,
Spur them to ruthfull worke, raine them from ruth.
Hect. Fie sauage, fie.
Troy. Hector then 'tis warres.
3255Hect. Troylus I wouldnot haue you fight to day.
Troyl. Who should with-hold me?
Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars,
Beckning with fierie trunchion my retire,
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
3260Their eyes ore-galled with recourse of teares,
Nor you my brother, with your true sword drawne,
Opposd to hinder me, should stop my way,
Enter Priam and Cassandra.
3265Cass. Lay hold vpon him, Priam hold him fast,
He is thy crutch: now if thou loose thy stay,
Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee,
Fall all together.
Priam. Come Hector, come, go back,
3270Thy wife hath dreamt, thy mother hath had visions,
Cassandra doth foresee, and I my selfe,
Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt,
To tell thee that this day is ominous:
Therefore come back.
3275Hec. Æneas is afield,
And I do stand, engagd to many Greekes,
Euen in the faith of valour to appeare,
This morning to them.
Priam I but thou shalt not goe.
3280Hec. I must not breake my faith,
You know me dutifull, therefore deere sir,
Let me not shame respect, but giue me leaue
To take that course by your consent and voice,
Which you do here forbid me royall Priam.
3285Cass. O Priam yeeld not to him.
And. Do not deere father.
Hec. Andromache I am offended with you,
Vpon the loue you beare me get you in.
Exit Androm.
3290Troy. This foolish dreaming superstitious girle,
Makes all these bodements.
Cas. O farewell deere Hector.
Looke how thou dy'est looke how thy eye turnes pale.
Looke how thy wounds do bleed at many vents,
3295Harke how Troy roares, how Hecuba cries out,
How poore Andromache shrils her dolours foorth,
Behold, destruction, frenzie, and amazement,
Like witlesse antiques one another meete,
And all crie Hector, Hectors dead, O Hector.
3300Troyl. Away, away.
Cas. Farewell, yet soft:Hector I take my leaue,
Thou do'st thy selfe and all our Troy deceaue?
Hec. You are amaz'd my liege, at her exclaime,
Goe in and cheere the towne,
3304.1Weele forth and fight,
3305Do deeds worth praise, and tell you them at night.
Priam. Farewell, the gods with safetie stand about thee.
Alarum.
Troyl. They are at it harke, proud Diomed beleeue.
I come to loose my arme, or winne my sleeue.
3310
Enter Pandar.
Pand. Do you heere my Lord, do you heere.
Troyl. What now?
Pand. Heer's a letter come from yond poore girle.
Troy. Let me read,
3315Pand. A whorson tisick, a whorson rascally tisick, so
troubles me, and the foolish fortune of this girle, and what
one thing, what another, that I shall leaue you one ath's
dayes: and I haue a rheume in mine eyes too, and such an
ache in my bones, that vnlesse a man were curst I cannot
3320tell what to thinke on't. What sayes she there?
Troy. Words, words, meere words, no matter frō the heart,
Th'effect doth operate another way.
3325Go winde to winde, there turne and change together:
My loue with words and errors still she feedes,
But edifies another with her deedes.
Exeunt.