Troi. O Creffida, how often have I wifh'd me thus! Cre. Wifh'd, my lord?-The gods grant!-O my lord!

X

Troi. What fhould they grant? what makes this pretty abruption? What too curious dreg espies my fweet lady in the fountain of our love?

Cre. More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes.

Troi. Fears make devils of cherubims; they never fee truly.

Cre. Blind fear, that feeing reafon leads, finds fafer footing than blind reafon ftumbling without fear: To fear the worst, oft cures the worst.

Troi. O, let my lady apprehend no fear: in all Cupid's pageant there is prefented no monster.

Cre. Nor nothing monftrous neither?

Troi. Nothing, but our undertakings; when we vow to weep feas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame tygers; thinking it harder for our mistress to devife impofition enough, than for us to undergo any difficulty impofed. This is the monftruofity in love, lady,-that the will is infinite, and the execution confin'd; that the defire is boundless, and the act a flave to limit.

Cre. They fay, all lovers fwear more performance than they are able, and yet referve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection of ten, and difcharging less than the tenth part of one. have the voice of lions, and the act of hares, monsters ?

They that

are they not

Troi. Are there fuch? fuch are not we: Praise us as we are tafted, allow us as we prove; our head fhall go bare, 'till merit crown it: no perfection in reverfion fhall have a praise in prefent: we will not name defert, before

too curious dreg]-minute earthy particle.

pageant-drama.

his birth; and, being born, his addition fhall be humble. Few words to fair faith: Troilus fhall be fuch to Creffid, as what envy can say worst, fhall be a mock for his truth; and what truth can speak truest, not truer than Troilus.

Cre. Will you walk in, my lord?

Re-enter Pandarus.

Pan. What, blushing still? have you not done talking yet?

Cre. Well, uncle, what folly I commit, I dedicate to

you.

Pan. I thank you for that; if my lord get a boy of you, you'll give him me: Be true to my lord; if he flinch, chide me for it.

Troi. You know now your hoftages; your uncle's word, and my firm faith.

Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kindred, though they be long ere they are woo'd, they are conftant, being won :

b

they are burrs, I can tell you;

they'll stick where they are thrown.

Cre. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me

heart:

Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day,

For many weary months.

Troi. Why was my Creffid then fo hard to win?
Cre. Hard to feem won; but I was won, my lord,
With the first glance that ever-Pardon me ;-
If I confefs much, you will play the tyrant.

I love you now; but not, 'till now, fo much

z bis addition shall be humble.]—we'll give him no pompous titles.

a

a mock for]-but a groundless attack upon, a mere mockery of

his truth; fhall not be able to impeach it.

they are burrs,]" I am a kind of burr, I fhall fick." MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Vol. I. p. 346. Lucio.

But

But I might mafter it :-in faith, I lye;

My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown
Too headstrong for their mother: See, we fools!
Why have I blabb'd? who fhall be true to us,
When we are fo unfecret to ourselves?

But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not;
And yet, good faith, I wish'd myself a man;
Or, that we women had men's privilege

Of speaking firft. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue;
For, in this rapture, I fhall furely speak
The thing I fhall repent. See, fee, your filence,
Cunning in dumbness, from my weakness draws
My very foul of counfel: Stop my mouth.

Troi. And fhall, albeit fweet mufick iffues thence.
Pan. Pretty, i'faith.

Cre. My lord, I do befeech you, pardon me; 'Twas not my purpose, thus to beg a kifs :

I am afham'd ;-O heavens! what have I done?

For this time will I take my leave, my lord.

Troi. Your leave, fweet Creffid?

Pan. Leave! an you take leave 'till to-morrow morn ing,

Cre. Pray you, content you.
Troi. What offends you, lady?
Cre. Sir, mine own company.
Troi. You cannot fhun yourself.
Cre. Let me go and try:

I have a kind of felf refides with you;
But an unkind felf, that itself will leave,
To be another's fool. I would be gone:
Where is my wit? I speak I know not what.

Troi. Well know they what they fpeak, that speak fa wifely.

Cre. Perchance, my lord, I fhew more craft than love; VOL. III.

F

And

And fell fo roundly to a large confeffion,
To angle for your thoughts: But you are wife;
'Or else you love not; For to be wife, and love,
Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.
Troi. O, that I thought it could be in a woman,
(As, if it can, I will prefume in you)

d

To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;
To keep her conftancy in plight and youth,
Out-living beauties outward, with a mind
That doth renew fwifter than blood decays!
Or, that perfuafion could but thus convince me,—
That my integrity and truth to you

Might be affronted with the match and weight
Of fuch a winnow'd purity in love;
How were I then uplifted! but, alas,
I am as true as truth's fimplicity,
And fimpler than the infancy of truth.
Cre. In that I'll war with you.

Troi. O virtuous fight,

When right with right wars who fhall be moft right! True fwains in love fhall, in the world to come, Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes, Full of proteft, of oath, and big compare,

h

Want fimilies of truth, tir'd with iteration,

As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,
As fun to day, as turtle to her mate,

And then you. din plight and youth,]-plighted in her youth. e renew jwifter than blood decays !]-its attachment fafter than appetite weakens it. be affronted]-be met and equalled.

& the infancy of truth.]-ere it had learnt worldly policy. h with iteration,]-with repeating the following vouchers.

i as feel, as plantage to the moon,]-as the mirror, which reflects faithfully every object that is placed before-the next words allude to the moon's fuppofed influence on the production and growth of plants,

&c.

As

k

As iron to adamant, as earth to the center,
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,

'As truth's authentic author to be cited,
As true as Troilus fhall crown up the verfe,
And fanctify the numbers.

Cre. Prophet may you be!

If I be falfe, or fwerve a hair from truth,
"When time is old and hath forgot itself,
When water-drops have worn the ftones of Troy,
And blind oblivion fwallow'd cities up,
And mighty ftates characterlefs are grated
To dufty nothing; yet let memory,

From falfe to falfe, among false maids in love,
Upbraid my falfehood! when they have faid-as falfe
As air, as water, wind, or fandy earth,

As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,

Pard to the hind, or step-dame to her fon;
Yea, let them fay, to stick the heart of falfhood,
As falfe as Creffid.

Pan. Go to, a bargain made: feal it, feal it; I'll be the witnefs. Here I hold your hand; here, my coufin's. If ever you prove falfe to one another, fince I have taken fuch pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end after my name, call them all-Pandars; let all "inconstant men be Troilus's, all falfe women Creffids, and all brokersbetween Pandars! fay, amen.

Troi. Amen.

Cre. Amen.

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will fhew you a chamber,

adamant,]-the magnet.

As truth's authentic author]-As the very text of truth in love; as one whose proteftations were true to a proverb.

When]-O then, when.

n

inconftant]-conftant.