SCENE II. The same. Court of Pandarus’ house.
Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA
Dear, trouble not yourself: the morn is cold.
Then, sweet my lord, I’ll call mine uncle down;
He shall unbolt the gates.
Trouble him not;
To bed, to bed: sleep kill those pretty eyes,
And give as soft attachment to thy senses
As infants’ empty of all thought!
Good morrow, then.
I prithee now, to bed.
Are you a-weary of me?
O Cressida! but that the busy day,
Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows,
And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer,
I would not from thee.
Night hath been too brief.
Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays
As tediously as hell, but flies the grasps of love
With wings more momentary-swift than thought.
You will catch cold, and curse me.
Prithee, tarry:
You men will never tarry.
O foolish Cressid! I might have still held off,
And then you would have tarried. Hark!
there’s one up.
[Within] What, ‘s all the doors open here?
It is your uncle.
A pestilence on him! now will he be mocking:
I shall have such a life!Enter PANDARUS
How now, how now! how go maidenheads? Here, you
maid! where’s my cousin Cressid?
Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle!
You bring me to do, and then you flout me too.
To do what? to do what? let her say
what: what have I brought you to do?
Come, come, beshrew your heart! you’ll ne’er be good,
Nor suffer others.
Ha! ha! Alas, poor wretch! ah, poor capocchia!
hast not slept to-night? would he not, a naughty
man, let it sleep? a bugbear take him!
Did not I tell you? Would he were knock’d i’ the head!Knocking within
Who’s that at door? good uncle, go and see.
My lord, come you again into my chamber:
You smile and mock me, as if I meant naughtily.
Ha, ha!
Come, you are deceived, I think of no such thing.Knocking within
How earnestly they knock! Pray you, come in:
I would not for half Troy have you seen here.Exeunt TROILUS and CRESSIDA
Who’s there? what’s the matter? will you beat
down the door? How now! what’s the matter?Enter AENEAS
Good morrow, lord, good morrow.
Who’s there? my Lord AEneas! By my troth,
I knew you not: what news with you so early?
Is not Prince Troilus here?
Here! what should he do here?
Come, he is here, my lord; do not deny him:
It doth import him much to speak with me.
Is he here, say you? ’tis more than I know, I’ll
be sworn: for my own part, I came in late. What
should he do here?
Who!–nay, then: come, come, you’ll do him wrong
ere you’re ware: you’ll be so true to him, to be
false to him: do not you know of him, but yet go
fetch him hither; go.Re-enter TROILUS
How now! what’s the matter?
My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute you,
My matter is so rash: there is at hand
Paris your brother, and Deiphobus,
The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor
Deliver’d to us; and for him forthwith,
Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour,
We must give up to Diomedes’ hand
The Lady Cressida.
Is it so concluded?
By Priam and the general state of Troy:
They are at hand and ready to effect it.
How my achievements mock me!
I will go meet them: and, my Lord AEneas,
We met by chance; you did not find me here.
Good, good, my lord; the secrets of nature
Have not more gift in taciturnity.Exeunt TROILUS and AENEAS
Is’t possible? no sooner got but lost? The devil
take Antenor! the young prince will go mad: a
plague upon Antenor! I would they had broke ‘s neck!Re-enter CRESSIDA
How now! what’s the matter? who was here?
Ah, ah!
Why sigh you so profoundly? where’s my lord? gone!
Tell me, sweet uncle, what’s the matter?
Would I were as deep under the earth as I am above!
O the gods! what’s the matter?
Prithee, get thee in: would thou hadst ne’er been
born! I knew thou wouldst be his death. O, poor
gentleman! A plague upon Antenor!
Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees! beseech you,
what’s the matter?
Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou
art changed for Antenor: thou must to thy father,
and be gone from Troilus: ’twill be his death;
’twill be his bane; he cannot bear it.
O you immortal gods! I will not go.
Thou must.
I will not, uncle: I have forgot my father;
I know no touch of consanguinity;
No kin no love, no blood, no soul so near me
As the sweet Troilus. O you gods divine!
Make Cressid’s name the very crown of falsehood,
If ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death,
Do to this body what extremes you can;
But the strong base and building of my love
Is as the very centre of the earth,
Drawing all things to it. I’ll go in and weep,–
Do, do.
Tear my bright hair and scratch my praised cheeks,
Crack my clear voice with sobs and break my heart
With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy.Exeunt