Tro. What should they grant? what makes this pretty abruption? What too curious dreg espies my sweet lady in the fountain of our love? Cres. More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes. Tro. Fears make devils cherubins; they never see truly. Cres. Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer footing than blind reason stumbling without fear: To fear the worst, oft cures the worst. Tro. O, let my lady apprehend no fear: in all Cupid's pageant there is presented no monster. Cres. Nor nothing monstrous neither? Tro. Nothing, but our undertakings; when we vow to weep seas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame tigers; thinking it harder for our mistress. to devise imposition enough, than for us to undergo any difficulty imposed. This is the monstruosity in love, lady,— that the will is infinite, and the execution confined; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit. Cres. They say, all lovers swear more performance than they are able, and yet reserve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection of ten, and discharging less than the tenth part of one. They that have the voice of lions, and the act of hares, are they not monsters? Tro. Are there such? such are not we: Praise us as we are tasted, allow us as we prove; our head shall go bare, till merit crown it: no perfection in reversion shall have a praise in present: we will not name desert, before his birth; and, being born, his addition shall be humble. Few words to fair faith: Troilus shall be such to Cressid, as what envy can his addition shall be humble.] We will give him no high or pompous titles. JOHNSON. 8 say worst, shall be a mock for his truth; and what truth can speak truest, not truer than Troilus. Cres. Will you walk in, my lord? Re-enter PANDARUS. Pan. What, blushing still? have you not done talking yet? Cres. 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 flinch, chide me for it. Tro. You know now your hostages; your uncle's word, and my firm faith. Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kindred, though they be long ere they are wooed, they are constant, being won: they are burs, I can tell you; they'll stick where they are thrown. Cres. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me heart : Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day Tro. Why was my Cressid then so hard to win? My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown Too headstrong for their mother: See, we fools! Why have I blabb'd? who shall be true to us, what envy can say worst, shall be a mock for his truth;] i. e. shall be only a mock for his truth. Even malice (for such is the meaning of the word envy) shall not be able to impeach his truth, or attack him in any other way, except by ridiculing hin for his constancy. When we are so unsecret to ourselves? But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not; Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue; The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence, Tro. And shall, albeit sweet musick issues thence. Cres. 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. Tro. Your leave, sweet Cressid? Pan. Leave! an you take leave till to-morrow morning, Cres. Pray you, content you. Tro. What offends you, lady? You cannot shun Cres. Let me go and try: I have a kind of self resides with you: Cres. Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love; And fell so roundly to a large confession, (As, if it can, I will presume in you,) O virtuous fight, Might be affronted with the match and weight As truth's authentick author to be cited,3 As true as Troilus shall crown up the verse, Cres. Prophet may you be! Might be affronted with the match -] I wish " my integrity might be met and matched with such equality and force of pure unmingled love." JOHNSON. 1 And simpler than the infancy of truth,] This is fine; and means, "Ere truth, to defend itself against deceit in the commerce of the world, had, out of necessity, learned worldly policy." -compare,] i. e. comparison. 2 3 As truth's authentick author to be cited,] Troilus shall crown the verse, as a man to be cited as the authentick author of truth, as one whose protestations were true to a proverb. crown up - i. e. conclude it. If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth, From false to false, among false maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood! when they have said-as false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood, 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 called to the world's end after my name, call them all-Pandars; let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids, and all brokers-between Pandars! say, amen. Tro. Amen. Cres. 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, [Exeunt. |