Part 22

Pan. Pretty, i’ faith.

Cre. My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me; ’Twas not my purpose thus to beg a kiss. I am asham’d. O heavens! what have I done? For this time will I take my leave, my lord.

Troy. Your leave, sweet Creſſid!

Pan. Leave! An you take leave till to-morrow morning-

Cre. Pray you, content you.

Troy. What offends you, lady?

Cre. Sir, mine own company.

Troy. You cannot shun yourself.

Cre. Let me go and try. I have a kind of self resides with you; But an unkind self, that itself will leave To be another’s fool. I would be gone. Where is my wit? I know not what I speak.

Troy. Well know they what they speak that speak so wisely.

Cre. Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love; And fell so roundly to a large confession To angle for your thoughts; but you are wise- Or else you love not; for to be wise and love Exceeds man’s might; that dwells with gods above.

Troy. O that I thought it could be in a woman- As, if it can, I will presume in you- To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love; To keep her constancy in plight and youth, Outliving beauty’s outward, with a mind That doth renew swifter than blood decays! Or that persuasion could but thus convince me That my integrity and truth to you Might be affronted with the match and weight Of such a winnowed purity in love. How were I then uplifted! but, alas, I am as true as truth’s simplicity, And simpler than the infancy of truth.

Cre. In that I’ll war with you.

Troy. O virtuous fight, When right with right wars who shall be most right! True swains in love shall in the world to come Approve their truth by Troylus, when their rhymes, Full of protest, of oath, and big compare, Want similes, truth tir’d with iteration- As true as steel, as plantage to the moon, As sun 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 Troylus’ shall crown up the verse And sanctify the numbers.

Cre. Prophet may you be! If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth, When time is old and hath forgot itself, When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy, And blind oblivion swallow’d cities up, And mighty states characterless are grated To dusty nothing-yet let memory From false to false, among false maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood when th’ have said ‘As false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, As fox to lamb, or wolf to heifer’s calf, Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son’- Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood, ‘As false as Creſſid.’

Pan. Go to, a bargain made; seal it, seal it; I’ll be the witness. Here I hold your hand; here my cousin’s. If ever you prove false one to another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers- between be call’d to the world’s end after my name-call them all Pandars; let all constant men be Troyluses, all false women Creſſids, and all brokers between Pandars. Say ‘Amen.’

Troy. Amen.

Cre. Amen.

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber and a bed; which bed, because it shall not speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death. Away! And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here, Bed, chamber, pander, to provide this gear! Exeunt

Flourish. Enter Agamemnon, Vlyſſes, Diomedes, Nestor, Aiax, Menelaus, and Chalcas

Cal. Now, Princes, for the service I have done, Th’ advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind That, through the sight I bear in things to come, I have abandon’d Troy, left my possession, Incurr’d a traitor’s name, expos’d myself From certain and possess’d conveniences To doubtful fortunes, sequest’ring from me all That time, acquaintance, custom, and condition, Made tame and most familiar to my nature; And here, to do you service, am become As new into the world, strange, unacquainted- I do beseech you, as in way of taste, To give me now a little benefit Out of those many regist’red in promise, Which you say live to come in my behalf.

Agam. What wouldst thou of us, Troian? Make demand.

Cal. You have a Troian prisoner call’d Antenor, Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear. Oft have you-often have you thanks therefore- Desir’d my Creſſid in right great exchange, Whom Troy hath still denied; but this Antenor, I know, is such a wrest in their affairs That their negotiations all must slack Wanting his manage; and they will almost Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam, In change of him. Let him be sent, great Princes, And he shall buy my daughter; and her presence Shall quite strike off all service I have done In most accepted pain.

Agam. Let Diomedes bear him, And bring us Creſſid hither. Calchas shall have What he requests of us. Good Diomed, Furnish you fairly for this interchange; Withal, bring word if Hector will to-morrow Be answer’d in his challenge. Aiax is ready.

Diom. This shall I undertake; and ’tis a burden Which I am proud to bear. Exeunt Diomedes and Chalcas

Achilles and Patroclus stand in their tent

Vlyſ. Achilles stands i’ th’ entrance of his tent. Please it our general pass strangely by him, As if he were forgot; and, Princes all, Lay negligent and loose regard upon him. I will come last. ’Tis like he’ll question me Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turn’d on him? If so, I have derision med’cinable To use between your strangeness and his pride, Which his own will shall have desire to drink. It may do good. Pride hath no other glass To show itself but pride; for supple knees Feed arrogance and are the proud man’s fees.

Agam. We’ll execute your purpose, and put on A form of strangeness as we pass along. So do each lord; and either greet him not, Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more Than if not look’d on. I will lead the way.