out fear. To fear the worst, oft cures the worse.
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 diffi culty impofed. This is the monftrofity in love, Lady, that the will is in inite, 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 perfec tion of ten, and difcharging less than the tenth part of one. They that have the voice of lions, and the act of hares, are they not monsters?

Toi Are there fuch? fuch are not we. Praise us as we are tafted, allow us as we prove our head thall go bare till merit crown it; no perfection in reverfion fhall have a praife in prefent; we will not name defert before his birth, and, being born, his addition fhall be humble; few words to fair faith. Troilus fhall be fuch to Crellida, as what envy can fav worft, fhall be a mock for his truth, and what truth can speak trueft, not truer than Troilus. Cre. Will you walk in, my Lord?

Pan. What, blushing fill? 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 finch, chide me for it.

t

1. You know now your hostages; your unch's word d and my firm faith

Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kins

dred, though they be long ere they are woo'd, they are conftant, being won. 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.

Tro. 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
But I might mafter it in faith I lie
My thoughts were, like unbridled children,
Too headstrong for their mother
Why have I blabb'd? who fhall be true to us,
When we are fo unfecret to ourselves?

grown

See, we fools!

But though I fov'd you well, I woo'd you not;
And yet, good faith, I with'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 dumbnefs, from my weakness draws My very foul of counlel. Stop my mouth."

7 roi And fhall, albeit fweet music iflues thence. Pan. Pretty, i'faith.

[Kiffing ► Cre. My Lord, I do befeech you, pardon me, 'Twas not my purpose thus to beg

a kifs

I am afham'd; heav'ns, 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 morning

Cre. Pray you content you.

Trei. What offends you, Lady?

Cre. Sir, mine own company.
Troi. You cannot thun yourfelf.
Cre. Let me go and try.

I have a kind of leif refides with vou:
But an unkind felf that telf will leare,
To be another's fool. Where is my wit?

I would be gone. I fpeak I know not what. Troi. Well know they what they speak that speak fo wifely.

Cre. Perchance, my Lord, I fhew more craft than And fell fo roundly to a large confellion,

love,
To angle for your thoughts: but you are wife,
Or elfe you love not; 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,

To feed for ay 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.
Gre. In that I'll war with you.

Troi. O virtuous fight!

When Right with Right wars who shall be most 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,
Want fimilies: Truth, tir'd with iteration,
As true as feel, as plantage to the moon,
. As fun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as earth to th' centre;
Yet after all comparisons of truth,

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

Cre. Prophet may you be !

If I be falfe, or fwerve a hair from truth,

-as floodage to the moon. Revifal.

Troilus, fays he, fhall crown the verfe, as a man to be cited as the authentic author of truth, as one whofe roteftations were true to a proverb. Johnjen.

When Time is old and hath forgot itself,

When water-drops have worn the stones of Troy,
And blind Oblivion fwallow'd cities up,
And mighty ftates characterlefs are grated
To dutty Nothing; yet let Memory,

From falle to falle, among falie maids in love,
Upbraid my falfehood! when they've faid, as falíe
As air, as water, as wind, as fandy earth,
As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,
Pard to the hind, or ftep-dame to her fon;
Yea, let them fay, to ttick the heart of faliehood,
As falfe as Cretiid

Pan. Go to, a bargain made. Seal it, feal it, I' be the witnefs. Here I hold your hand; here my coufin's. If ever you prove faife to one another, fince I have taken fuch pains to bring you to gether, let all pitiful goers-between be call'd to the world's end after my name; call them all Panders. Let all inconstant men be Troilus's, all falfe women. Greffida's, and all brokers between Panders. Say, Amen,

Troi. Amen!
Cre. Amen!

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will fhew you a bedchamber; which bed, because it fhall not speak of your pretty encounters, prefs it to death. Away.. And Cupid grant all tongue-ty'd maidens here, Bed, chamber, and Pandar to provide this geer! [Exeunt.

Changes to the Grecian Camp.

Enter Agamemnon, Ulyffes, Diomedes, Neftor, Ajax, Menelaus, and Calchas.

Cal. Now, Princes, for the fervice I have done you, Th' advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompence. Appear it to your mind That, through the fight I bear in things, to Jove I have abandon'd Troy, left my poffeffion, Incurr'd a traitor's name, expos'd myself,

From certain and poffefs'd conveniences,

To doubtful fortunes; fequeftring from me all.
That time, acquaintance, custom, and condition,
Made tame and most familiar to my nature;
And here, to do you fervice, am become
As new into the world, ftrange, unacquainted.
I do befeech you, as in way of tafte,
To give me now a little benefit,

Out of those many regiftred in promife,
Which, you fay, live to come in my behalf.

Agam. What wouldst thou of us, Trojans? make demand.

Cal. You have a Trojan prifoner, call'd Antenor, Yesterday took: Troy holds him very dear. Oft have you, often have you, thanks therefore, Defir'd my Creflid in right-great exchange, Whom Troy hath ftill deny'd; but this Antenor, I know, is fuch a wreft in their affairs, That their negotiations all must slack, Wanting his manage, and they will almoft Give us a prince o' th' blood, a fon of Priam, In change of him. Let him be fent, great Princes, And he shall buy my daughter, and her prefence Shall quite ftrike off all fervice I have done, In most accepted pain *.

Agom. Let Diomedes bear him,

And bring us Creflid hither; Calchas fhall have
What he requests of us. Good Diomede,
Furnith you fairly for this interchange;
Withal, bring word, if Hector will to-morrow
Be anfwer'd in his challenge. Ajax is ready.
Dio This thall I undertake, and 'tis a burden
Which I am proud to bear.

Enter Achilles and Patroclus before their tent.
Ulr

Achilles ftands i' th' entrance of his tent 3 Please it our General 10 pais ftrangely by him,

Her prefence, fays Calchas, fhall strike off, or recomperce the service I have done, even in the e labours which were most accepted. Johnson.