Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
Say, I am merry: come to me again,

And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

ACT V. SCENE V.

Antony. This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators, save only he,

Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar;
He only, in a general honest thought

And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements

So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, This was a man!

Octavius. According to his virtue let us use him With all respect, and rites of burial;

Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie
Most like a soldier, order'd honourably.-
So, call the field to rest, and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.

TROILUS, Son of Priam.

CRESSIDA, Daughter to Calchas.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Troilus.

PANDARUS! I tell thee, Pandarus,

When I do tell thee, There my hopes lie
drown'd,

Reply not in how many fathoms deep
They lie indrench'd. I tell thee, I am mad
In Cressid's love; Thou answer'st, She is fair;
Pour'st in the open ulcer of my heart

Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice;
Handlest in thy discourse, O, that her hand,

In whose comparison all whites are ink,

Writing their own reproach; to whose soft seizure
The cygnet's down is harsh, and spirit of sense
Hard as the palm of ploughman! This thou tell❜st me,
As true thou tell'st me, when I say--I love her;
But, saying thus, instead of oil and balm.

Thou lay'st in every gash that love hath given me
The knife that made it.

Troilus. Peace, you ungracious clamours! peace, rude

sounds!

Fools on both sides! Helen must needs be fair,
When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
I cannot fight upon this argument;

It is too starv'd a subject for my sword.

But, Pandarus-O gods, how you do plague me !
I cannot come to Cressid, but by Pandar,
And he's as tetchy to be woo'd to woo,
As she is stubborn-chaste against all suit.
Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphne's love,
What Cressid is, what Pandar, and what we?
Her bed is India; there she lies, a pearl :
Between our Ilium, and where she resides,
Let it be call'd the wild and wandering flood;
Ourself, the merchant; and this sailing Pandar
Our doubtful hope, our convoy, and our bark.

SCENE II.

Cressida. Words, vows, griefs, tears, and love's full sacrifice

He offers in another's enterprise;

But more in Troilus thousand fold I see

Than in the glass of Pandar's praise may be;
Yet hold I off. Women are angels, wooing;
Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing;
That she belov'd knows nought, that knows not this,-
Men prize the thing ungain'd more than it is:

That she was never yet, that ever knew

Love got so sweet, as when desire did sue :
Therefore this maxim out of love I teach,—
Achievement is command: ungain'd, beseech;

Then though my heart's content firm love doth bear,
Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear.

ACT II. SCENE II.

Troilus. Why, there you touch'd the life of our design : Were it not glory that we more affected

Than the performance of our heaving spleens,

I would not wish a drop of Trojan blood
Spent more in her defence.

But, worthy Hector,

She is a theme of honour and renown,

A spur to valiant and magnanimous deeds,
Whose present courage may beat down our foes,
And fame, in time to come, canonize us;
For, I presume, brave Hector would not lose

So rich advantage of a promis'd glory,

As smiles upon the forehead of this action,
For the wide world's revenue.

ACT III. SCENE I.

Paris. They are come from field; let us to Priam's hall,
To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo you
To help unarm our Hector: his stubborn buckles,
With these your white enchanting fingers touch'd,
Shall more obey, than to the edge of steel

Or force of Greekish sinews; you shall do more
Than all the island kings, disarm great Hector.

Helen. 'Twill make us proud to be his servant, Paris.

Yea, what he shall receive of us in duty,

Give us more palm in beauty than we have;
Yea, overshines ourself.

Paris. Sweet, above thought I love thee.

SCENE II.

Troilus. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.

The imaginary relish is so sweet

That it enchants my sense; what will it be,
When that the watery palate tastes indeed
Love's thrice-reputed nectar? death, I fear me;
Swooning destruction; or some joy too fine,
Too subtle-potent, tun'd too sharp in sweetness
For the capacity of my ruder powers:

I fear it much; and I do fear besides
That I shall lose distinction in my joys;
As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps
The enemy flying.

Troilus. Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom ;

My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse;
And all my powers do their bestowing lose,
Like vassalage at unawares encountering

The eye of majesty.

*

*

*

Cressida. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me

heart :

Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day

For many weary months.

Troilus. Why was my Cressid then so hard to win? Cressida. Hard to seem won; but I was won, my lord, With the first glance that ever-Pardon me :—

If I confess much, you will play the tyrant.

I love you now; but not, till now, so much
But I might master it :—in faith, I lie;

My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown