Tro.
Good brother, come you hither;
And bring Æneas, and the Grecian, with you.
Cres. My lord, will you be true?

Tro. Who I? alas, it is my vice, my fault:
While others fish with craft for great opinion,
I with great truth catch mere simplicity;a
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.

Enter ENEAS, 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,
If e'er thou stand at mercy of my sword,
Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe
As Priam is in Ilion.

Dio.

Fair lady Cressid,

So please you, save the thanks this prince expects:

The lustre in your eye,

Pleads your fair usage;

heaven in your cheek,
and to Diomed

You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
Tro. Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously,

To shame the zeal of my petition to thee,
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.

·catch mere simplicity;] The meaning, I think, is, while others, by their art, gain high estimation, I, by honesty, obtain a plain simple approbation. JOHNSON.

At the port,] The port is the gate.

5

possess thee what she is.] I will make thee fully understand. This sense of the word possess is frequent in our author.

I charge thee, use her well, even for my charge;
For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.

Dio.

O, be not mov'd, prince Troilus: Let me be privileg'd by my place, and message, To be a speaker free; when I am hence, I'll answer to my lust: And know you, lord, I'll nothing do on charge: To her own worth She shall be priz'd; but that you say - be't so, I'll speak it in my spirit and honour, — no.

Tro. Come, to the port. I'll tell thee, Diomed, † 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 DIOMED. [Trumpet heard.

Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet.

Ene.

How have we spent this morning!

The prince must think me tardy and remiss,

That swore to ride before him to the field.

Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault: Come, come, to field with

him.

Dei. Let us make ready straight.

Ene. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity,

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.

SCENE V.

The Grecian Camp. Lists set out.

Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILLES, PATROCLUS, MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and Others.

Agam. Here art thou in appointment' fresh and fair, Anticipating time with starting courage. Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy, Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air May pierce the head of the great combatant, And hale him hither.

Ajax.

Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.

Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:

Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek

Out-swell the colick of puff'd Aquilon:

Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood;

Thou blow'st for Hector.

Ulyss. No trumpet answers.

Achil.

[Trumpets sound.

"Tis but early days.

Agam. Is not yon Diomed, with Calchas' daughter? Ulyss. 'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait;

He rises on the toe: that spirit of his

In aspiration lifts him from the earth.

Enter DIOMED, with CRESSIDA.

Agam. Is this the lady Cressid?

Dio.

Even she.

Agam. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady. Nest. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.

7 — in appointment-] Appointment is preparation.

8

bias cheek -] Swelling out like the bias of a bowl. The idea is taken from the puffy cheeks of the winds, as represented in ancient prints, maps, &c.

Ulyss. Yet is the kindness but particular; Twere better, she were kiss'd in general. Nest. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin. So much for Nestor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady: Achilles bids you welcome.

Men. I had good argument for kissing once. Patr. But that's no argument for kissing now: For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment;

And parted thus you and your argument.

Ulyss. O deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns! For which we lose our heads, to gild his horns. Patr. The first was Menelaus' kiss;

Patroclus kisses you.

Men.

Patr. Paris, and I,

this, mine;

O, this is trim !

kiss evermore for him.

Men. I'll have my kiss, sir: Lady, by your leave.

Cres. In kissing, do you render or receive?

Patr. Both take and give.

Cres.

I'll make my match to live,"

The kiss you take is better than you give;
Therefore no kiss.

Men. I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one.
Cres. You're an odd man; give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cres. No, Paris is not; for, you know, 'tis true,
That you are odd, and he is even with you.

Men. You fillip me o'the head.

Cres.

No, I'll be sworn.

Ulyss. It were no match, your nail against his horn. May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you ?

Cres. You may.

Ulyss.

I do desire it.

Cres.

Why, beg then.

9 I'll make my match to live,] Perhaps this means— I'll lay my life.

Ulyss. Why then, for Venus' sake, give me a kiss, When Helen is a maid again, and his.

Cres. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.
Ulyss. Never's my day, and then a kiss of you.
Dio. Lady, a word;- I'll bring you to your father.
[DIOMED leads out CRESSIDA.

Nest. A woman of quick sense.

Ulyss.
Fye, fye upon her!
There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive1 of her body.
O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! set them down-
For sluttish spoils of opportunity,3
And daughters of the game.

All. The Trojans' trumpet.
Agam.

2

[Trumpet within.

Yonder comes the troop.

Enter HECTOR, armed; ENEAS, TROILUS, and other

Trojans, with Attendants.

Ene. Hail, all the state of Greece! what shall be

done

To him that victory commands? Or do you purpose,

A victor shall be known? will you, the knights

Shall to the edge of all extremity

Pursue each other; or shall they be divided
By any voice or order of the field?

Hector bade ask.

Agam.

Which way would Hector have it?

· motive —] Motive, for part that contributes to motion. 2 That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,] A coasting welcome is a conciliatory welcome; that makes silent advances before the tongue has uttered a word.

sluttish spoils of opportunity,] Corrupt wenches, of whose chastity every opportunity may make a prey. JOHNSON.