Cres. I will, as soon as e'er the war's concluded.

Diom. Give me some token, for the surety of it; The ring I saw you wear. Cres. (Giving it.] If you must have it.

Troil. The ring? nay, then, 'tis plain! O beauty, where's thy faith!

Ulys. You have sworn patience.

Thers. That's well, that's well, the pledge is given; hold her to her word, good devil, and her soul's thine, I warrant thee.

Diom. Whose was't?

Cres. By all Diana's waiting train of stars, And by herself, I will not tell you

whose. Diom. Why then thou lov'st him still: farewell

for ever:

a

Thou never shalt mock Diomede again.

Cres. You shall not go: one cannot speak a word, But straight it starts you.

Diom. I do not like this fooling.

Thers. Nor I, by Pluto: but that, which likes not you, pleases me best.

Diom. I shall expect your promise.

Cres. I'll perform it. Not a word more, good night, I hope for ever: Thus to deceive deceivers is no fraud. (Aside.

[Exeunt DIOMEDE and CRESSIDA severally. Ulys. All's done, my lord. Troil. Is it: Ulys. Pray let us go. Troil. Was Cressida here? Ulys. I cannot conjure, Trojan.

Troil. She was not, sure! she was not; Let it not be believed, for womanhood : Think we had mothers, do not give advantage To biting satire, apt without a theme For defamation, to square all the sex By Cressid's rule; rather think this not Cressida.

a

Thers. Will he swagger himself out on's own eyes?

Troil. This she! no, this was Diomede's Cressida. If beauty have a soul, this is not she :I cannot speak for rage ;--that ring was mine :By heaven I gave it, in that point of time, When both our joys were fullest !- If he keeps it, Let dogs eat Troilus.

Thers. He'll tickle it for his concupy: this will be sport to see! Patroclus will give me any thing for the intelligence of this whore; a parrot will not do more for an almond, than he will for a commodious drab:- I would I could meet with this rogue Diomede too: I would croak like a rave to him; I would bode: it shall go hard but I'll find him out.

[Erit THERSITES.

Enter ÆNEAS.
Æn. I have been seeking you this hour, my lord:
Hector by this is arming him in Troy.
Ulys. Commend me, gallant Troilus, to your bro-

ther:
Tell him, I hope he shall not need to arm;
The fair Polyxena has, by a letter,
Disarmed our great Achilles of his rage.

Troil. This I shall say to Hector.

Ulys. So I hope. Pray heaven Thersites have informed me true !

[Aside. Troil. Good night, my lord; accept distracted thanks!

[Èxit ULYSSES. Enter PANDARUS. Pand. Hear ye, my lord, hear ye; I have been seeing yon poor girl. There have been old doings there, i faith. Troil. (Aside. Hold yet, my spirits: let him pour

The poison's kind: the more I drink of it,
The sooner 't will dispatch me.

Æn. to Pand. Peace, thou babbler!

Pand. She has been mightily made on by the Greeks: she takes most wonderfully among 'em. Achilles kissed her, and Patroclus kissed her: nay, and old Nestor put aside his grey beard, and brushed her with his whiskers. Then comes me Agamemnon with his general's staff, diving with a low bow even to the ground, and rising again, just at her lips: and after him came Ulysses, and Ajax, and Menelaus: and they so pelted her, ifaith, pitter patter, pitter patter, as thick as hail-stones. And after that, a whole rout of 'em : never was a woman in Phrygia better kissed.

Troil. [Aside.] Hector said true: I find, I find it now!

Pand. And, last of all, comes me Diomede, so demurely: that's a notable sly rogue, I warrant him! mercy upon us, how he laid her on upon the lips ! for, as I told you, she's most mightily made on among the Greeks. What, cheer up, I she has every one's good word. I think, in my conscience, she was born with a caul upon her head.

Troil. [Aside.] Hell, death, confusion, how he tortures me!

Pand. And that rogue-priest, my brother, is so courted and treated for her sake: the yourg sparks do so pull him about, and haul him by the cassock: nothing but invitations to his tent, and his tent, and his tent. Nay, and one of 'em was so bold, as to ask him, if she were a virgin; and with that, the rogue, my brother, takes me up a little god in his hand, and kisses it

, and swears devoutly that she was; then was I ready to burst my sides with laughing, to think what had passed betwixt you two.

say, man!

• Troil. O I can bear no more! she's falsehood all :
False by both kinds; for with her mother's milk
She sucked the infusion of her father's soul.
She only wants an opportunity;
Her soul's a whore already.

Pand. What, would you make a monopoly of a woman's lips? a little consolation, or so, might be allowed, one would think, in a lover's absence.

Troil. Hence from my sight! Let ignominy brand thy hated name; Let modest matrons at thy mention start; And blushing virgins, when they read our annals, Skip o'er the guilty page that holds thy legend, And blots the noble work.

Pand. () world, world: thou art an ungrateful patch of earth! Thus the poor agent is despised ! he labours painfully in his calling, and trudges between parties: but when their turns are served, come out's too good for him. I am mighty melancholy. I'll e’en go home, and shut up my doors, and die o'the sullens, like an old bird in a cage!

[Exit PANDARUS. Enter DIOMEDE and THERSITES. Thers. [Aside.] There, there he is; now let it work: now play ihy part, jealousy, and twinge’em: put 'em between thy mill-stones, and grind the rogues together.

Diom. My lord, I am by Ajax sent to inform you, This hour must end the truce.

Æn. to Troil. Contain yourself :
Think where we are.

Diom. Your stay will be unsafe.
Troil. It may, for those I hate.

Thers. [Aside.] Well said, Trojan: there's the first hit.

you?

Diom. Beseech you, sir, make haste; my own affairs call me another way.

Thers. [Aside.] What affairs? what affairs? demand that, dolt-head! the rogue will lose a quarrel, for want of wit to ask that question. Troil

. May I enquire where your affairs conduct
Thers. [Aside.] Well said again; I beg thy pardon.
Diom. Oh, it concerns you not.
Troil. Perhaps it does.

Diom. You are too inquisitive: nor am I bound To satisfy an enemy's request.

Troil. You have a ring upon your finger, Diomede, And given you by a lady.

Diem. If it were, 'Twas given to one that can defend her gift.

Thers. [Aside.] So, so; the boars begin to gruntle at one another : set up your bristles now, a' both sides: whet and foam, rogues. Troil. You must restore it, Greek, by heaven you

must;
No spoil of mine shall grace a traitor's hand:
And, with it, give me back the broken vows
Of my false fair; which, perjured as she is,
I never will resign, but with my soul.

.
Diom. Then thou, it seems, art that forsaken fool,
Who, wanting merit to preserve her heart,
Repines in vain to see it better placed ;
But know, (for now I take a pride to grieve thee)
Thou art so lost a thing in her esteem,
I never heard thee named, but some scorn followed;
Thou wert our table-talk for laughing meals;
Thy name our sportful theme for evening-walks,
And intermissive hours of cooler love,
When hand in hand we went.

Troil. Hell and furies !
Thers. [Aside.] O well stung, scorpion !