| ACT IV SCENE IV | The same. Pandarus' house. | |
| [Enter PANDARUS and CRESSIDA] |
| PANDARUS | Be moderate, be moderate. |
| CRESSIDA | 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? | 5 |
| If I could temporize 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. | 10 |
| PANDARUS | Here, here, here he comes. |
[Enter TROILUS] |
| Ah, sweet ducks! |
| CRESSIDA | O Troilus! Troilus! |
| [Embracing him] |
| PANDARUS | What a pair of spectacles is here! |
| Let me embrace too. 'O heart,' as the goodly saying is, | 15 |
| '--O heart, heavy heart, |
| Why sigh'st thou without breaking? |
| where he answers again, |
| 'Because thou canst not ease thy smart |
| By friendship nor by speaking.' | 20 |
| There was never a truer rhyme. Let us cast away |
| nothing, for we may live to have need of such a |
| verse: we see it, we see it. How now, lambs? |
| TROILUS | Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity, |
| That the bless'd gods, as angry with my fancy, | 25 |
| More bright in zeal than the devotion which |
| Cold lips blow to their deities, take thee from me. |
| CRESSIDA | Have the gods envy? |
| PANDARUS | Ay, ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a case. |
| CRESSIDA | And is it true that I must go from Troy? | 30 |
| TROILUS | A hateful truth. |
| CRESSIDA | What, and from Troilus too? |
| TROILUS | From Troy and Troilus. |
| CRESSIDA | Is it possible? |
| TROILUS | And suddenly; where injury of chance | 35 |
| 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 labouring breath: | 40 |
| 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: | 45 |
| As many farewells as be stars in heaven, |
| With distinct breath and consign'd kisses to them, |
| He fumbles up into a lose adieu, |
| And scants us with a single famish'd kiss, |
| Distasted with the salt of broken tears. | 50 |
| AENEAS | [Within] My lord, is the lady ready?
|
| TROILUS | Hark! you are call'd: some say the Genius so |
| Cries 'come' to him that instantly must die. |
| Bid them have patience; she shall come anon. |
| PANDARUS | Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind, or | 55 |
| my heart will be blown up by the root. |
| [Exit] |
| CRESSIDA | I must then to the Grecians? |
| TROILUS | No remedy. |
| CRESSIDA | A woful Cressid 'mongst the merry Greeks! |
| When shall we see again? | 60 |
| TROILUS | Hear me, my love: be thou but true of heart,-- |
| CRESSIDA | I true! how now! what wicked deem is this? |
| TROILUS | Nay, we must use expostulation kindly, |
| For it is parting from us: |
| I speak not 'be thou true,' as fearing thee, | 65 |
| 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. | 70 |
| CRESSIDA | O, you shall be exposed, my lord, to dangers |
| As infinite as imminent! but I'll be true. |
| TROILUS | And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear this sleeve. |
| CRESSIDA | And you this glove. When shall I see you? |
| TROILUS | I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels, | 75 |
| To give thee nightly visitation. |
| But yet be true. |
| CRESSIDA | O heavens! 'be true' again! |
| TROILUS | Hear while I speak it, love: |
| The Grecian youths are full of quality; | 80 |
| 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-- | 85 |
| Makes me afeard. |
| CRESSIDA | O heavens! you love me not. |
| TROILUS | Die I a villain, then! |
| In this I do not call your faith in question |
| So mainly as my merit: I cannot sing, | 90 |
| Nor heel the high lavolt, nor sweeten talk, |
| Nor play at subtle games; fair virtues all, |
| To which the Grecians are most prompt and pregnant: |
| But I can tell that in each grace of these |
| There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil | 95 |
| That tempts most cunningly: but be not tempted. |
| CRESSIDA | Do you think I will? |
| TROILUS | No. |
| But something may be done that we will not: |
| And sometimes we are devils to ourselves, | 100 |
| When we will tempt the frailty of our powers, |
| Presuming on their changeful potency. |
| AENEAS | [Within] Nay, good my lord,--
|
| TROILUS | Come, kiss; and let us part. |
| PARIS | [Within] Brother Troilus!
| 105 |
| TROILUS | Good brother, come you hither; |
| And bring AEneas and the Grecian with you. |
| CRESSIDA | My lord, will you be true? |
| TROILUS | Who, I? alas, it is my vice, my fault: |
| Whiles others fish with craft for great opinion, | 110 |
| I with great truth catch mere simplicity; |
| 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. | 115 |
[
Enter AENEAS, 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 thee what she is. |
| Entreat her fair; and, by my soul, fair Greek, | 120 |
| If e'er thou stand at mercy of my sword, |
| Name Cressida and thy life shall be as safe |
| As Priam is in Ilion. |
| DIOMEDES | Fair Lady Cressid, |
| So please you, save the thanks this prince expects: | 125 |
| The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek, |
| Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed |
| You shall be mistress, and command him wholly. |
| TROILUS | Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously, |
| To shame the zeal of my petition to thee | 130 |
| In praising her: I tell thee, lord of Greece, |
| She is as far high-soaring o'er thy praises |
| As thou unworthy to be call'd her servant. |
| I charge thee use her well, even for my charge; |
| For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not, | 135 |
| Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard, |
| I'll cut thy throat. |
| DIOMEDES | O, be not moved, Prince Troilus: |
| Let me be privileged by my place and message, |
| To be a speaker free; when I am hence | 140 |
| 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'll speak it in my spirit and honour, 'no.' |
| TROILUS | Come, to the port. I'll tell thee, Diomed, | 145 |
| 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 within] |
| PARIS | Hark! Hector's trumpet. |
| AENEAS | How have we spent this morning! | 150 |
| The prince must think me tardy and remiss, |
| That sore to ride before him to the field. |
| PARIS | 'Tis Troilus' fault: come, come, to field with him. |
| DEIPHOBUS | Let us make ready straight. |
| AENEAS | Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity, | 155 |
| 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] |
Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: Scenes and Commentary