The same.

SCENE IV.

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 temporise with my affection,

Or brew it to a weak and colder palate,

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.'
Let us cast away

There never was a truer rhyme.

nothing, for we may live to have need of such a verse: we see it, we see it. How now, lambs ?

Troi. Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity, That the bless'd 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? Troi. A hateful truth.

Cres.

What, and from Troilus too?

Troi. From Troy and Troilus.
Cres.

Is it possible?

Troi. 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 laboring 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'd1 kisses to them,
He fumbles up into a loose adieu;

1 Sealed.

And scants us with a single famish'd kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken 1 tears.

En. [within.] My lord! is the lady ready?
Troi. Hark! you are call'd. Some say,

Genius so

the

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

Troi. Hear me, my love: be thou but true of

heart,

Cres. I true? how now? what wicked deem 2 is this?

Troi. 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,
That there's no maculation 3 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 exposed, my lord, to dangers

1 Interrupted.

2 Surmise.

3 Spot, taint.

As infinite as imminent! but I'll be true.

Troi. And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear this sleeve.

Cres. And you this glove. When shall I see

you?

Troi. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels,

To give thee nightly visitation.

But yet, be true.

Cres.

O heavens !-be true, again?

Troi. Hear why I speak it, love :—

The Grecian youths are full of quality; 1

They're loving, well composed, 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.

Troi. 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,

To which the Grecians are most prompt and preg

nant:

But I can tell, that in each grace of these

There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil,

1 Highly accomplished.

2 An old dance.

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

Troi. No:

But something may be done, that we will not:
And sometimes, we are devils to ourselves,
When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
Presuming on their changeful potency.

En. [within.] Nay, good my lord,

Troi.

Come, kiss; and let us part.

Par. [within.] Brother Troilus! Troi. Good brother, come you hither; And bring Æneas and the Grecian with you. Cres. My lord, will you be true?

Troi. Who, I? alas, it is my vice, my fault. While others fish with craft for great opinion, I with great truth catch mere simplicity; 1

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 3 thee what she is.

1 i. e. I by honesty obtain a plain, simple approbation.
2 Gate.

3 Inform.