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 consigned kisses to them,
He fumbles up into a loose adieu;
And scants us with a single famished kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken tears.

Ene. [within]. My lord! is the lady ready?
Tro. Hark! you are called: 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. Cres. I must then to the Grecians?

Tro.

No remedy.

Cres. A woful 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,
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 exposed, my lord, to dangers As infinite as imminent! but I'll be true.

Tro. And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear

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
You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
Tro. Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously,
To shame the zeal of my petition to thee,
In praising her. I tell thee, lord of Greece,
She is as far high-soaring o'er thy praises,
As thou unworthy to be called her servant.
I charge thee, use her well, even for my charge;
For by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.

Dio. O, be not moved, prince Troilus :
Let me be privileged by my place and message
To be a speaker free; when I am hence,
I'll answer to my lust: and know you, lord,
I'll nothing do on charge: to her own worth
She shall be prized; but that you say "be 't so,"
I speak it in my spirit and honour-no.

Tro. Come, to the port.-I tell thee, Diomed, This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head.

Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk, To our own selves bend we our needful talk. [Exeunt TROILUS, CRESSIDA, and DIOMEDES. [Trumpet heard. Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet. Ene. How have we spent this morning! The prince must think me tardy and remiss, That swore to ride before him to the field. Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault. Come, come, to field with him.

Dei. Let us make ready straight.

Ene. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity, Let us address to tend on Hector's heels: The glory of our Troy doth this day lie On his fair worth and single chivalry. [Exeunt.

SCENE V.-The Grecian Camp. Lists set out. Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILLES, PATROCLUS, MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and others.

Agam. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair,

Anticipating time with starting courage.
Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air
May pierce the head of the great combatant,
And hale him hither.

Ajax. Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.
Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:
Blow, villain, till thy spheréd bias cheek
Outswell the colick of puffed Aquilon:
Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood:
Thou blow'st for Hector. [Trumpet sounds.

Ulys. No trumpet answers.
Achil.

"Tis but early days.

Ulys. Yet is the kindness but particular; "T were better she were kissed in general.

Nes. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin.So much for Nestor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady:

Achilles bids you welcome.

Men. I had good argument for kissing once. Patr. But that's no argument for kissing now: For thus popped Paris in his hardiment; And parted thus you and your argument.

Ulys. O, deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns! For which we lose our heads, to gild his horns. Patr.The first was Menelaus' kiss ;-this, mine: Patroclus kisses you.

Ulys. Why then, for Venus' sake, give me a kiss When Helen is a maid again, and his.

Cres. I am your debtor; claim it when 't is due.
Ulys. Never's my day,—and then a kiss of you.
Dio. Lady, a word: I'll bring you to your
father. [DIOMEDES leads out CRESSIDA.
Nes. A woman of quick sense.
Fie, fie upon her!

Ulys.
There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive of her body.
O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! set them down
For sluttish spoils of opportunity,
And daughters of the game. [Trumpet within.
All. The Trojan's trumpet.

Agam. Yonder comes the troop.

Enter HECTOR, armed; ENEAS, TROILUS, and other Trojans, with Attendants.

Ene. Hail, all the state of Greece! What shall be done to him

That victory commands? Or do you purpose
A victor shall be known? Will you, the knights
Shall to the edge of all extremity

Pursue each other; or shall they be divided
By any voice or order of the field?
Hector bade ask.

Agam. Which way would Hector have it?
Ene. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.
Achil. 'Tis done like Hector, but securely done;
A little proudly, and great deal misprising
The knight opposed.

Achil

If not Achilles, nothing.

Ene. Therefore Achilles: but whate'er, know
this;-

In the extremity of great and little,
Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
The one almost as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that which looks like pride, is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector, comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden battle, then? O, I perceive you.

Re-enter DIOMEDES.

Agam. Here is sir Diomed:-Go, gentle knight, Stand by our Ajax: as you and lord Æneas Consent upon the order of their fight, So be it; either to the uttermost,

Or else a breath: the combatants being kin, Half stints their strife before their strokes begin. [AJAX and HECTOR enter the lists. Ulys. They are opposed already. Agam. What Trojan is that same that looks so heavy?

Ulys. The youngest son of Priam; a true knight; Not yet mature, yet matchless; firm of word; Speaking in deeds, and deedless in his tongue; Not soon provoked, nor, being provoked, soon calmed :

His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has he gives, what thinks, he shews;
Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath;
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;
For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love:

They call him Troilus; and on him erect
A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus says Æneas: one that knows the youth
Even to his inches, and, with private soul,
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.
[Alarum. HECTOR and AJAX fight.

Agam. They are in action.

Nes. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!
Tro. Hector, thou sleep'st: awake thee!
Agam. His blows are well disposed :-there,
Ajax!

Dio. You must no more.
Ene.

[Trumpets cease. Princes, enough, so please you. Ajax. I am not warm yet; let us fight again. Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hect.

Why then, will I no more :-
Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,
A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory emulation 'twixt us twain:
Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so
That thou couldst say, “This hand is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg
All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
Bounds-in my father's;" by Jove multipotent,
Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish

And signify this loving interview
To the expecters of our Trojan part;
Desire them home.-Give me thy hand, my
cousin ;

I will go eat with thee, and see your knights. Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.

Hect. The worthiest of them tell me, name by

name;

But for Achilles, my own searching eyes
Shall find him by his large and portly size.

Agam. Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one
That would be rid of such an enemy:
But that's no welcome: understand more clear,
What's past, and what's to come, is strewed with
husks

And formless ruin of oblivion;

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
Strained purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,

From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, most imperious Aga-

Hect. O, pardon; I offend.

Nes. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft,
Labouring for destiny, make cruel way
Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have seen
thee,

As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
And seen thee scorning forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i'the air,
Not letting it decline on the declined;
That I have said to some, my standers-by,
"Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!"
And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemmed thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;
But this thy countenance, still locked in steel,
I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
And once fought with him: he was a soldier good;
But by great Mars, the captain of us all,
Never like thee: let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.

Ene. 'Tis the old Nestor. Hect. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle, That hast so long walked hand in hand with time: Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.

Nes. I would my arms could match thee in contention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy.

Hect. I would they could.

Nest. Ha! by this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-morrow.

Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time

Ulys. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here her base and pillar by us. Hect. I know your favour, lord Ulysses, well. Ah, sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead, Since first I saw yourself and Diomed In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

Ulys. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue; My prophecy is but half his journey yet; For yonder walls, that pertly front your town, Yon towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds, Must kiss their own feet.

Hect. I must not believe you: There they stand yet; and modestly I think, The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all : And that old common arbitrator, Time, Will one day end it.

Hect.

Nay, I have done already.

Achil. Thou art too brief; I will the second time, As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb. Hect.O, like a book of sport thou 'lt read me o'er; But there's more in me than thou understand'st. Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye? Achil. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body

Shall I destroy him? whether there, there, or there?

That I may give the local wound a name,
And make distinct the very breach whereout
Hector's great spirit flew : answer me, heavens!
Hect. It would discredit the blessed gods, proud

man,

To answer such a question: stand again :
Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly,
As to prenominate in nice conjecture,
Where thou wilt hit me dead?
I tell thee, yea.

Achil.

Hect. Wert thou an oracle to tell me so, I'll not believe thee. Henceforth, guard thee well;

For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
But, by the forge that stithied Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee everywhere, yea, o'er and o’er.—
You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag;
His insolence draws folly from my lips;
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never-

Ajax. Do not chafe thee, cousin :
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
Till accident or purpose bring you to't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
│If you have stomach; the general state, I fear,
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.

Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the field; We have had pelting wars since you refused The Grecians' cause.

Achil.

Dost thou entreat me, Hector? To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death; To-night, all friends,

Hect. Thy hand upon that match.
Agam. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my
tent;

There in the full convive we: afterwards,
As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall
Concur together, severally entreat him.-
Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow,
That this great soldier may his welcome know.

[Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES. Tro. My lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you, In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

Ulys. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus: There Diomed doth feast with him to-night; Who neither looks upon the heaven nor earth, But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view On the fair Cressid.

Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much, After we part from Agamemnon's tent, To bring me thither?

Ulys. You shall command me, sir. As gentle tell me, of what honour was This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there, That wails her absence?

Tro. O, sir, to such as boasting shew their scars, A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord? She was beloved, she loved; she is, and doth : But still, sweet love is food for Fortune's tooth.

[Exeunt.