1    Who were those went by?

2    Queen Hecuba and Helen.

3    And whither go they?

4    Up to the eastern tower,
5    Whose height commands as subject all the vale,
6    To see the battle. Hector, whose patience
7    Is, as a virtue, fix'd, to-day was moved:
8    He chid Andromache and struck his armourer,
9    And, like as there were husbandry in war,
10   Before the sun rose he was harness'd light,
11   And to the field goes he; where every flower
12   Did, as a prophet, weep what it foresaw
13   In Hector's wrath.

14   What was his cause of anger?

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

18   Good; and what of him?

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

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

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

34   But how should this man, that makes
35   me smile, make Hector angry?

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

39   Who comes here?

40   Madam, your uncle Pandarus.

41   Hector's a gallant man.

42   As may be in the world, lady.

43   What's that? what's that?

44   Good morrow, uncle Pandarus.

45   Good morrow, cousin Cressid: what do you talk of?
46   Good morrow, Alexander. How do you, cousin? When
47   were you at Ilium?

48   This morning, uncle.

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

52   Hector was gone, but Helen was not up.

53   Even so: Hector was stirring early.

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

55   Was he angry?

56   So he says here.

57   True, he was so: I know the cause too: he'll lay
58   about him to-day, I can tell them that: and there's
59   Troilus will not come far behind him: let them take
60   heed of Troilus, I can tell them that too.

61   What, is he angry too?

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

63   O Jupiter! there's no comparison.

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

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

67   Well, I say Troilus is Troilus.

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

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

70   'Tis just to each of them; he is himself.

71   Himself! Alas, poor Troilus! I would he were.

72   So he is.

73   Condition, I had gone barefoot to India.

74   He is not Hector.

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

79   Excuse me.

80   He is elder.

81   Pardon me, pardon me.

82   Th' other's not come to't; you shall tell me another
83   tale, when th' other's come to't. Hector shall not
84   have his wit this year.

85   He shall not need it, if he have his own.

86   Nor his qualities.

87   No matter.

88   Nor his beauty.

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

90   You have no judgment, niece: Helen
91   herself swore th' other day, that Troilus, for
92   a brown favour--for so 'tis, I must confess,--
93   not brown neither,--

94   No, but brown.

95   'Faith, to say truth, brown and not brown.

96   To say the truth, true and not true.

97   She praised his complexion above Paris.

98   Why, Paris hath colour enough.

99   So he has.

100  Then Troilus should have too much: if she praised
101  him above, his complexion is higher than his; he
102  having colour enough, and the other higher, is too
103  flaming a praise for a good complexion. I had as
104  lief Helen's golden tongue had commended Troilus for
105  a copper nose.

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

107  Then she's a merry Greek indeed.

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

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

113  Why, he is very young: and yet will he, within
114  three pound, lift as much as his brother Hector.

115  Is he so young a man and so old a lifter?

116  But to prove to you that Helen loves him: she came
117  and puts me her white hand to his cloven chin--

118  Juno have mercy! how came it cloven?

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

121  O, he smiles valiantly.

122  Does he not?

123  O yes, an 'twere a cloud in autumn.

124  Why, go to, then: but to prove to you that Helen
125  loves Troilus,--

126  Troilus will stand to the proof, if you'll
127  prove it so.

128  Troilus! why, he esteems her no more than I esteem
129  an addle egg.

130  If you love an addle egg as well as you love an idle
131  head, you would eat chickens i' the shell.

132  I cannot choose but laugh, to think how she tickled
133  his chin: indeed, she has a marvellous white hand, I
134  must needs confess,--

135  Without the rack.

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

137  Alas, poor chin! many a wart is richer.

138  But there was such laughing! Queen Hecuba laughed
139  that her eyes ran o'er.

140  With mill-stones.

141  And Cassandra laughed.

142  But there was more temperate fire under the pot of
143  her eyes: did her eyes run o'er too?

144  And Hector laughed.

145  At what was all this laughing?

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

147  An't had been a green hair, I should have laughed
148  too.

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

150  What was his answer?

151  Quoth she, 'Here's but two and fifty hairs on your
152  chin, and one of them is white.

153  This is her question.

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

162  So let it now; for it has been while going by.

163  Well, cousin. I told you a thing yesterday; think on't.

164  So I do.

165  I'll be sworn 'tis true; he will weep you, an 'twere
166  a man born in April.

167  And I'll spring up in his tears, an 'twere a nettle
168  against May.

169  Hark! they are coming from the field: shall we
170  stand up here, and see them as they pass toward
171  Ilium? good niece, do, sweet niece Cressida.

172  At your pleasure.

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

176  Speak not so loud.

177  That's AEneas: is not that a brave man? he's one of
178  the flowers of Troy, I can tell you: but mark
179  Troilus; you shall see anon.

180  Who's that?

181  That's Antenor: he has a shrewd wit, I can tell you;
182  and he's a man good enough, he's one o' the soundest
183  judgments in whosoever, and a proper man of person.
184  When comes Troilus? I'll show you Troilus anon: if
185  he see me, you shall see him nod at me.

186  Will he give you the nod?

187  You shall see.

188  If he do, the rich shall have more.

189  That's Hector, that, that, look you, that; there's a
190  fellow! Go thy way, Hector! There's a brave man,
191  niece. O brave Hector! Look how he looks! there's
192  a countenance! is't not a brave man?

193  O, a brave man!

194  Is a' not? it does a man's heart good. Look you
195  what hacks are on his helmet! look you yonder, do
196  you see? look you there: there's no jesting;
197  there's laying on, take't off who will, as they say:
198  there be hacks!

199  Be those with swords?

200  Swords! any thing, he cares not; an the devil come
201  to him, it's all one: by God's lid, it does one's
202  heart good. Yonder comes Paris, yonder comes Paris.
PARIS passes
203  Look ye yonder, niece; is't not a gallant man too,
204  is't not? Why, this is brave now. Who said he came
205  hurt home to-day? he's not hurt: why, this will do
206  Helen's heart good now, ha! Would I could see
207  Troilus now! You shall see Troilus anon.

208  Who's that?

209  That's Helenus. I marvel where Troilus is. That's
210  Helenus. I think he went not forth to-day. That's Helenus.

211  Can Helenus fight, uncle?

212  Helenus? no. Yes, he'll fight indifferent well. I
213  marvel where Troilus is. Hark! do you not hear the
214  people cry 'Troilus'? Helenus is a priest.

215  What sneaking fellow comes yonder?

216  Where? yonder? that's Deiphobus. 'Tis Troilus!
217  there's a man, niece! Hem! Brave Troilus! the
218  prince of chivalry!

219  Peace, for shame, peace!

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

229  Here come more.

230  Asses, fools, dolts! chaff and bran, chaff and bran!
231  porridge after meat! I could live and die i' the
232  eyes of Troilus. Ne'er look, ne'er look: the eagles
233  are gone: crows and daws, crows and daws! I had
234  rather be such a man as Troilus than Agamemnon and
235  all Greece.

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

237  Achilles! a drayman, a porter, a very camel.

238  Well, well.

239  'Well, well!' why, have you any discretion? have
240  you any eyes? Do you know what a man is? Is not
241  birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, manhood,
242  learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality,
243  and such like, the spice and salt that season a man?

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

246  You are such a woman! one knows not at what ward you
247  lie.

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

253  Say one of your watches.

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

259  You are such another!

260  Sir, my lord would instantly speak with you.

261  Where?

262  At your own house; there he unarms him.

263  Good boy, tell him I come.
Exit boy
264  I doubt he be hurt. Fare ye well, good niece.

265  Adieu, uncle.

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

267  To bring, uncle?

268  Ay, a token from Troilus.

269  By the same token, you are a bawd.
Exit PANDARUS
270  Words, vows, gifts, tears, and love's full sacrifice,
271  He offers in another's enterprise;
272  But more in Troilus thousand fold I see
273  Than in the glass of Pandar's praise may be;
274  Yet hold I off. Women are angels, wooing:
275  Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.
276  That she beloved knows nought that knows not this:
277  Men prize the thing ungain'd more than it is:
278  That she was never yet that ever knew
279  Love got so sweet as when desire did sue.
280  Therefore this maxim out of love I teach:
281  Achievement is command; ungain'd, beseech:
282  Then though my heart's content firm love doth bear,
283  Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear.