SCENE III.

The same. Before Pandarus' House.

Enter PARIS, TROILUS, ENEAS, DEIPHOBUS,
ANTENOR, and DIOMEDES.

Par. It is great morning; and the hour prefix'd Of her delivery to this valiant Greek

Comes fast upon:-Good my brother Troilus,
Tell you the lady what she is to do,

And haste her to the purpose.

Tro.

Walk in to her house;

I'll bring her to the Grecian presently:

And to his hand when I deliver her,

Think it an altar; and thy brother Troilus

A priest, there offering to it his own heart. [Exit.
Par. I know what 'tis to love;

And 'would, as I shall pity, I could help!—
Please you, walk in, my lords.

Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

The same. A Room in Pandarus' House.

Enter PANDARUS and CRESSIDA.

Pan. Be moderate, be moderate.
Cres. Why tell you me of moderation?

The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste,

And violenteth in a sense as strong

As that which causeth it: How can I moderate it?

If I could temporize with my affection,

Or brew it to a weak and colder palate,

6

- great morning;] Grand jour; a Gallicism.

VOL. VII.

DD

The like allayment could I give my grief:
My love admits no qualifying dross:

No more my grief, in such a precious loss.

Enter TROILUS.

Pan. Here, here, here he comes.-Ah sweet ducks!

Cres. O Troilus! Troilus!

[Embracing him. Pan. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too: O heart, as the goodly saying.

is,

o heart, o heavy heart,

Why sigh'st thou without breaking?

where he answers again,

Because thou canst not ease thy smart,
By friendship, nor by speaking.

There never was a truer rhyme. Let us cast away
nothing, for we may live to have need of such a
verse; we see it, we see it.-How now, lambs?
Tro. Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity,
That the blest gods-as angry with my fancy,
More bright in zeal than the devotion which
Cold lips blow to their deities,-take thee from me.
Cres. Have the gods envy?

Pan. Ay, ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a case.
Cres. And is it true, that I must go from Troy?
Tro. A hateful truth.

Cres.

What, and from Troilus too?

Tro. From Troy, and Troilus.
Cres.

Is it possible?

Tro. And suddenly; where injury of chance
Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by
All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips
Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents

Our lock'd embrasures, strangles our dear vows
Even in the birth of our own labouring breath:
We two, that with so many thousand sighs

Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves
With the rude brevity and discharge of one.
Injurious time now, with a robber's haste,
Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how:
As many farewells as be stars in heaven,

With distinct breath and consign'd kisses' to them,
He fumbles up into a loose adieu;

And scants us with a single famish'd kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken tears."

Ene. [Within.] My lord! is the lady ready?
Tro. Hark! you are call'd: Some say, the Genius so
Cries, Come! to him that instantly must die.—
Bid them have patience; she shall come anon.

Pan. Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by the root?

[Exit PANDARUS.

Cres. I must then to the Greeks?
Tro.

No remedy. Cres. A woeful Cressid 'mongst the merry Greeks! When shall we see again?

Tro. Hear me, my love: Be thou but true of

heart,

Cres. I true! how now? what wicked deem' is

this?

Tro. Nay, we must use expostulation kindly,
For it is parting from us:

I speak not, be thou true, as fearing thee;
For I will throw my glove to death' himself,

7 consign'd kisses-] Consign'd means sealed; from consigno, Lat.

8 Distasted with the salt of broken tears.] i. e. of tears to which we are not permitted to give full vent, being interrupted and suddenly torn from each other. The poet was probably thinking of broken sobs, or broken slumbers.

9 what wicked deem-] Deem (a word now obsolete) signifies, opinion, surmise.

For I will throw my glove to death-] That is, I will challenge death himself in defence of thy fidelity.

That there's no maculation in thy heart:
But, be thou true, say I, to fashion in
My sequent protestation; be thou true,
And I will see thee.

Cres. O, you shall be expos'd, my lord, to dangers As infinite as imminent! but, I'll be true.

Tro. And I'll grow friend with danger.

this sleeve.

Wear

Cres. And you this glove. When shall I see you? Tro. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels,

To give thee nightly visitation.

But yet, be true.

Cres.

O heavens!-be true, again?

Tro. Hear why I speak it, love;

The Grecian youths are full of quality;

They're loving, well compos'd, with gifts of nature flowing,

And swelling o'er with arts and exercise;
How novelty may move, and parts with person,
Alas, a kind of godly jealousy

(Which, I beseech you, call a virtuous sin,)
Makes me afeard.

Cres.

O heavens! you love me not.

Tro. Die I a villain then!

In this I do not call your faith in question,
So mainly as my merit: I cannot sing,
Nor heel the high lavolt, nor sweeten talk,
Nor play at subtle games; fair virtues all,

2

To which the Grecians are most prompt and pregnant:
But I can tell, that in each grace of these
There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil,

That tempts most cunningly: but be not tempted.
Cres. Do you think, I will?

Tro. No.

But something may be done, that we will not:

the high lavolt,] The lavolta was a dance.

And sometimes we are devils to ourselves,

When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
Presuming on their changeful potency.

Ene. [Within.] Nay, good my lord,

Tro.

Come, kiss; and let us part.

Par. [Within.] Brother Troilus!

Tro.
And bring Æneas, and the Grecian, with you.
Cres. My lord, will you be true?

Good brother, come you hither;

Tro. Who I alas, it is my vice, my fault:
While others fish with craft for great opinion,
I with great truth catch mere simplicity;

3

Whilst some with cunning gild their copper crowns,
With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.
Fear not my truth; the moral of my wit
Is-plain, and true,-there's all the reach of it.

Enter ENEAS, PARIS, ANTENOR, DEIPHOBUS, and
DIOMEDES.

Welcome, sir Diomed! here is the lady,
Which for Antenor we deliver you:

At the port, lord, I'll give her to thy hand;
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.

Dio.

Fair lady Cressid,

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

3

catch mere simplicity;] The meaning, I think, is, while others, by their art, gain high estimation, I, by honesty, obtain a plain simple approbation. JOHNSON.

5

At the port,] The port is the gate.

possess thee what she is.] I will make thee fully under

stand. The sense of the word possess is frequent in our author.