The Illustrated Works of Shakespeare/Illustrated Works of Shakespeare, The (1990)(Animated Pixels)[!][CDTV-PC].iso/shakes/text/22/01_02

Text File | 1991-04-10 | 14KB | 435 lines

Scene 2. Troy. A Street.
 Enter CRESSIDA and her man ALEXANDER.

Cressida    Who were those went by?

Alexander                            Queen Hecuba and Helen.

Cressida    And whither go they?

Alexander                            Up to the eastern tower,
    Whose height commands as subject all the vale,
    To see the battle. Hector, whose patience
    Is as a virtue fixed, today was moved:
    He chid Andromache and struck his armourer;
    And, like as there were husbandry in war,
    Before the sun rose he was harnessed light,
    And to the field goes he, where every flower
    Did as a prophet weep what it foresaw
    In Hector's wrath.

Cressida                        What was his cause of anger?

Alexander    The noise goes this: there is among the Greeks
    A lord of Trojan blood, nephew to Hector;
    They call him Ajax.

Cressida                            Good; and what of him?

Alexander    They say he is a very man per se,
    And stands alone.

Cressida    So do all men, unless they are drunk, sick, or have no legs.

Alexander    This man, lady, hath robbed many beasts of their particular
    additions: he is as valiant as the lion, churlish as the
    bear, slow as the elephant; a man into whom nature hath so
    crowded humours that his valour is crushed into folly, his
    folly sauced with discretion. There is no man hath a virtue
    that he hath not a glimpse of, nor any man an attaint but he
    carries some stain of it. He is melancholy without cause,
    and merry against the hair; he hath the joints of every
    thing, but everything so out of joint that he is a gouty
    Briareus, many hands and no use, or purblind Argus, all eyes
    and no sight.

Cressida    But how should this man that makes me smile make Hector
    angry?

Alexander    They say he yesterday coped Hector in the battle and struck
    him down, the disdain and shame whereof hath ever since kept
    Hector fasting and waking.

                             Enter PANDARUS.

Cressida    Who comes here?

Alexander    Madam, your uncle Pandarus.

Cressida    Hector's a gallant man.

Alexander    As may be in the world, lady.

Pandarus    What's that? What's that?

Cressida    Good morrow, uncle Pandarus.

Pandarus    Good morrow, cousin Cressid. What do you talk of? Good
    morrow, Alexander. How do you, cousin? When were you at
    Ilium?

Cressida    This morning, uncle.

Pandarus    What were you talking of when I came? Was Hector armed and
    gone ere ye came to Ilium? Helen was not up, was she?

Cressida    Hector was gone but Helen was not up?

Pandarus    E'en so. Hector was stirring early.

Cressida    That were we talking of, and of his anger.

Pandarus    Was he angry?

Cressida    So he says here.

Pandarus    True, he was so; I know the cause too. He'll lay about him
    today, I can tell them that; and there's Troilus will not
    come far behind him. Let them take heed of Troilus, I can
    tell them that too.

Cressida    What, is he angry too?

Pandarus    Who, Troilus? Troilus is the better man of the two.

Cressida    O Jupiter! - there's no comparison.

Pandarus    What, not between Troilus and Hector? Do you know a man if
    you see him?

Cressida    Ay, if I ever saw him before and knew him.

Pandarus    Well, I say Troilus is Troilus.

Cressida    Then you say as I say; for I am sure he is not Hector.

Pandarus    No, nor Hector is not Troilus in some degrees.

Cressida    'Tis just to each of them - he is himself.

Pandarus    Himself? Alas poor Troilus, I would he were.

Cressida    So he is.

Pandarus    Condition I had gone barefoot to India.

Cressida    He is not Hector.

Pandarus    Himself? No, he's not himself. Would a' were himself! Well,
    the gods are above; time must friend or end. Well, Troilus,
    well, I would my heart were in her body. No, Hector is not a
    better man than Troilus.

Cressida    Excuse me.

Pandarus    He is elder.

Cressida    Pardon me, pardon me.

Pandarus    Th'other's not come to't; you shall tell me another tale
    when th'other's come to't. Hector shall not have his will
    this year.

Cressida    He shall not need it if he have his own.

Pandarus    Nor his qualities.

Cressida    No matter.

Pandarus    Nor his beauty.

Cressida    'Twould not become him; his own's better.

Pandarus    You have no judgement, niece. Helen herself swore th'other
    day that Troilus for a brown favour - for so 'tis, I must
    confess - not brown neither-

Cressida    No, but brown.

Pandarus    Faith, to say truth, brown and not brown.

Cressida    To say the truth, true and not true.

Pandarus    She praised his complexion above Paris'.

Cressida    Why, Paris hath colour enough.

Pandarus    So he has.

Cressida    Then Troilus should have too much. If she praised him above,
    his complexion is higher than his - he having colour enough,
    and the other higher, is too flaming a praise for a good
    complexion. I had as lief Helen's golden tongue had
    commended Troilus for a copper nose.

Pandarus    I swear to you, I think Helen loves him better than Paris.

Cressida    Then she's a merry Greek indeed.

Pandarus    Nay, I am sure she does. She came to him th'other day into
    the compassed window, and you know he has not past three or
    four hairs on his chin-

Cressida    Indeed, a tapster's arithmetic may soon bring his
    particulars therein to a total.

Pandarus    Why, he is very young; and yet will he within three pound
    lift as much as his brother Hector.

Cressida    Is he so young a man, and so old a lifter?

Pandarus    But to prove to you that Helen loves him, she came and puts
    me her white hand to his cloven chin.

Cressida    Juno have mercy, how came it cloven?

Pandarus    Why, you know 'tis dimpled - I think his smiling becomes him
    better than any man in all Phrygia.

Cressida    O he smiles valiantly.

Pandarus    Does he not?

Cressida    O yes, and 'twere a cloud in autumn.

Pandarus    Why, go to then. But to prove to you that Helen loves
    Troilus-

Cressida    Troilus will stand to the proof if you'll prove it so.

Pandarus    Troilus? - why, he esteems her no more than I esteem an
    addle egg.

Cressida    If you love an addle egg as well as you love an idle head,
    you would eat chickens i'th' shell.

Pandarus    I cannot choose but laugh to think how she tickled his chin.
    Indeed, she has a marvellous white hand, I must needs
    confess-

Cressida    Without the rack.

Pandarus    And she takes upon her to spy a white hair on his chin.

Cressida    Alas, poor chin! Many a wart is richer.

Pandarus    But there was such laughing! Queen Hecuba laughed that her
    eyes ran o'er-

Cressida    With millstones.

Pandarus    And Cassandra laughed-

Cressida    But there was a more temperate fire under the pot of her
    eyes. Did her eyes run o'er too?

Pandarus    And Hector laughed.

Cressida    At what was all this laughing?

Pandarus    Marry, at the white hair that Helen spied on Troilus' chin.

Cressida    And't had been a green hair, I should have laughed too.

Pandarus    They laughed not so much at the hair as at his pretty
    answer.

Cressida    What was his answer?

Pandarus    Quoth she: "Here's but two-and-fifty hairs on your chin, and
    one of them is white".

Cressida    This is her question?

Pandarus    That's true, make no question of that. "Two-and-fifty hairs"
    quoth he "and one white: - that white hair is my father, and
    all the rest are his sons." - "Jupiter," quoth she "which of
    these hairs is Paris my husband?" "The forked one;" quoth he
    "pluck't out and give it him." But there was such laughing,
    and Helen so blushed, and Paris so chafed, and all the rest
    so laughed, that it passed.

Cressida    So let it now, for it has been a great while going by.

Pandarus    Well, cousin, I told you a thing yesterday. Think on't.

Cressida    So I do.

Pandarus    I'll be sworn 'tis true: he will weep you an 'twere a man
    born in April.

Cressida    And I'll spring up in his tears an 'twere a nettle against
    May.
                                                [Sound a retreat.

Pandarus    Hark, they are coming from the field. Shall we stand up here
    and see them as they pass toward Ilium? Good niece, do,
    sweet niece Cressida.

Cressida    At your pleasure.

Pandarus    Here, here, here's an excellent place; here we may see most
    bravely. I'll tell you them all by their names as they pass
    by; but mark Troilus above the rest.

                 Enter AENEAS, and passes over the stage.

Cressida    Speak not so loud.

Pandarus    That's Aeneas. Is not that a brave man? He's one of the
    flowers of Troy, I can tell you; but mark Troilus, you shall
    see anon.

                Enter ANTENOR, and passes over the stage.

Cressida    Who's that?

Pandarus    That's Antenor. He has a shrewd wit, I can tell you, and
    he's a man good enough; he's one o'th' soundest judgement in
    Troy whosoever, and a proper man of person. When comes
    Troilus? I'll show you Troilus anon; if he see me, you shall
    see him nod at me.

Cressida    Will he give you the nod?

Pandarus    You shall see.

Cressida    If he do, the rich shall have more.

                 Enter HECTOR, and passes over the stage.

Pandarus    That's Hector, that, that, look you - that there's a fellow!
    - Go thy way, Hector! - There's a brave man, niece. O brave
    Hector! Look how he looks - there's a countenance! Is't not
    a brave man?

Cressida    O, a brave man.

Pandarus    Is a' not? It does a man's heart good. Look you what hacks
    are on his helmet! - look you yonder, do you see? Look you
    there - there's no jesting: there's laying on, take't off
    who will, as they say. There be hacks.

Cressida    Be those with swords?

Pandarus    Swords, anything, he cares not; and the devil come to him,
    it's all one. By God's lid it does one's heart good.

                 Enter PARIS, and passes over the stage.

    Yonder comes Paris, yonder comes Paris. Look ye yonder,
    niece, is't not a gallant man too, is't not? Why, this is
    brave now: who said he came hurt home today? He's not hurt.
    Why, this will do Helen's heart good now, ha? Would I could
    see Troilus now! You shall see Troilus anon.

                Enter HELENUS, and passes over the stage.

Cressida    Who's that?

Pandarus    That's Helenus - I marvel where Troilus is - That's Helenus
    -  I think he went not forth today - That's Helenus.

Cressida    Can Helenus fight, uncle?

Pandarus    Helenus? - no; yes, he'll fight indifferent well. I marvel
    where Troilus is. Hark, do you not hear the people cry
    "Troilus"? Helenus is a priest.

Cressida    What sneaking fellow comes yonder?

                Enter TROILUS, and passes over the stage.

Pandarus    Where? Yonder? That's Deiphobus. - 'Tis Troilus! There's a
    man, niece - hem? Brave Troilus, the prince of chivalry!

Cressida    Peace; for shame, peace!

Pandarus    Mark him, note him. O brave Troilus! Look well upon him,
    niece; look you how his sword is bloodied and his helm more
    hacked than Hector's; and how he looks, and how he goes. O
    admirable youth! He ne'er saw three-and-twenty. - Go thy
    way, Troilus, go thy way! - Had I a sister were a grace, or
    a daughter a goddess, he should take his choice. O admirable
    man! Paris? Paris is dirt to him, and, I warrant, Helen to
    change would give an eye to boot.

             Enter Common SOLDIERS, and pass over the stage.

Cressida    Here come more.

Pandarus    Asses, fools, dolts; chaff and bran, chaff and bran;
    porridge after meat. I could live and die i'th' eyes of
    Troilus. Ne'er look, ne'er look, the eagles are gone - crows
    and daws, crows and daws. I had rather be such a man as
    Troilus than Agamemnon and all Greece.

Cressida    There is among the Greeks Achilles, a better man than
    Troilus.

Pandarus    Achilles? - a drayman, a porter, a very camel.

Cressida    Well, well.

Pandarus    Well, well? Why, have you any discretion? Have you any eyes?
    Do you know what a man is? Is not birth, beauty, good shape,
    discourse, manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth,
    liberality, and so forth, the spice and salt that seasons a
    man?

Cressida    Ay, a minced man - and then to be baked with no date in the
    pie, for then the man's date's out.

Pandarus    You are such a woman, a man knows not at what ward you lie.

Cressida    Upon my back to defend my belly, upon my wit to defend my
    wiles, upon my secrecy to defend mine honesty, my mask to
    defend my beauty, and you to defend all these; and at all
    these wards I lie at a thousand watches.

Pandarus    Say one of your watches.

Cressida    Nay, I'll watch you for that; and that's one of the chiefest
    of them too. If I cannot ward what I would not have hit, I
    can watch you for telling how I took the blow; unless it
    swell past hiding, and then it's past watching.

                           Enter Troilus' BOY.

Pandarus    You are such another!

Boy    Sir, my lord would instantly speak with you.

Pandarus    Where?

Boy    At your own house; there he unarms him.

Pandarus    Good boy, tell him I come.
                                                [Exit BOY.
    I doubt he be hurt. Fare ye well, good niece.

Cressida    Adieu, uncle.

Pandarus    I'll be with you, niece, by and by.

Cressida    To bring, uncle?

Pandarus    Ay, a token from Troilus.
                                                [Exit PANDARUS.
Cressida    By the same token, you are a bawd.
    Words, vows, gifts, tears, and love's full sacrifice
    He offers in another's enterprise;
    But more in Troilus thousandfold 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 beloved knows nought that knows not this:
    Men price the thing ungained 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; ungained, beseech.
    Then though my heart's content firm love doth bear,
    Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear.
                                                [Exit.