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.
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 :(131) 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 (132) 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 Diomedes. [Trumpet within.

How have we spent this morning!

Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet.
Ene.
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 (133) 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.

(131) I'll answer to my lust:] A very doubtful reading.—Mr. W. N. Lettsom conjectures "I'll answer to thy lust," i.e. I'll answer you in any way you please.-Here Mr. Staunton remarks, "". Lust,' in its ancient sense of pleasure, is intelligible; but it looks very like a misprint for 'trust.'"

(132) I'll] The quarto has "I."-See note 10 on A Midsummer-Night's Dream, and note 27 on King Henry VIII.

(133) Dei.] Here the folio has the prefix "Dio."-This is not in the quarto.

"Tis but early days.

Ulyss. No trumpet answers.

Achil.

Agam. Is not yond 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 DIOMEDES with CRESSIDA.

Agam. Is this the Lady Cressid?

Dio.

Even she.

Agam. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady.

[Kisses her.

Nest. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.
Ulyss. Yet is the kindness but particular;

"Twere better she were kiss'd in general.

Nest. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin.

[Kisses her.

So much for Nestor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady:

[Kisses her.

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.

[Kisses her.

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;-this, mine:

Patr. Paris and I kiss evermore for him.

[Kisses her again.

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

Cres. In kissing, do you render or receive?

Men. (135) Both take and give.

Cres.

I'll make my match to live,

(135) Men.] The old eds. have "Patr.," wrongly, as Tyrwhitt saw.

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't.

Cres.

Why, beg then, do.(136)

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.
[Exit with Cressida.

Nest. A woman of quick sense.
Ulyss.

Fie, fie 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 motive of her body.

O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give accosting (137) welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! set them down.
For sluttish spoils of opportunity

And daughters of the game.

All. The Trojans' trumpet.
Agam.

[Trumpet within.

Yonder comes the troop.

(136) do.] I have added this word for the sake of the rhyme, feeling quite confident that a rhyme was intended here.-Johnson's proposed addition was "two."

6

(137) accosting] So Mason (and so Walker; Certainly accosting.' .'" Crit. Exam., &c., vol. iii. p. 199).—The old eds. have "a coasting.”

Enter HECTOR, armed; ÆNEAS, TROILUS, and other Trojans, with Attendants.

Ene. Hail, all you state (138) of Greece! what shall be done

To him that victory commands ?(189) 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 be divided

By any voice or order of the field?

Hector bade ask.

Agam.

Which way would Hector have it ?

Ene. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.

Achil.(140) 'Tis done like Hector; but securely done,

A little proudly, and great deal misprising

Ene. Therefore Achilles: but whate'er, know this:In the extremity of great and little,

Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;

The one almost as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that which looks like pride is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
In love whereof half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.

Achil. A maiden battle, then ?-O, I perceive you.

(138) you state] So the folio.-The quarto has "the state."-But (though we have previously had "this noble state," i.e. "these personages of high rank," p. 48), I strongly suspect that Shakespeare wrote here 'you (or "ye") states;" the plural being formerly very common in the sense of "nobility."

(139) commands?] Walker (Crit. Exam., &c., vol. ii. p. 68) says; “I think Shakespeare wrote 'crownes;' which to a careless eye, like that of the printer, might look like 'commands.'

(140) Achil.] The old eds. have "Aga."