Troilus and Cressida

Troilus and Cressida

ACT V SCENE III	Troy. Before Priam's palace.
	Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE
ANDROMACHE	When was my lord so much ungently temper'd,
	To stop his ears against admonishment?
	Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.
HECTOR	You train me to offend you; get you in:	5
	By all the everlasting gods, I'll go!
ANDROMACHE	My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.
HECTOR	No more, I say.
	Enter CASSANDRA
CASSANDRA	Where is my brother Hector?
ANDROMACHE	Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent.	10
	Consort with me in loud and dear petition,
	Pursue we him on knees; for I have dream'd
	Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night
	Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.
CASSANDRA	O, 'tis true.	15
HECTOR	Ho! bid my trumpet sound!
CASSANDRA	No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother.
HECTOR	Be gone, I say: the gods have heard me swear.
CASSANDRA	The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows:
	They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd	20
	Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
ANDROMACHE	O, be persuaded! do not count it holy
	To hurt by being just: it is as lawful,
	For we would give much, to use violent thefts,
	And rob in the behalf of charity.	25
CASSANDRA	It is the purpose that makes strong the vow;
	But vows to every purpose must not hold:
	Unarm, sweet Hector.
HECTOR	Hold you still, I say;
	Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate:	30
	Lie every man holds dear; but the brave man
	Holds honour far more precious-dear than life.
	Enter TROILUS
	How now, young man! mean'st thou to fight to-day?
ANDROMACHE	Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
	Exit CASSANDRA
HECTOR	No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;	35
	I am to-day i' the vein of chivalry:
	Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,
	And tempt not yet the brushes of the war.
	Unarm thee, go, and doubt thou not, brave boy,
	I'll stand to-day for thee and me and Troy.	40
TROILUS	Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you,
	Which better fits a lion than a man.
HECTOR	What vice is that, good Troilus? chide me for it.
TROILUS	When many times the captive Grecian falls,
	Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,	45
	You bid them rise, and live.
HECTOR	O,'tis fair play.
TROILUS	Fool's play, by heaven, Hector.
HECTOR	How now! how now!
TROILUS	For the love of all the gods,	50
	Let's leave the hermit pity with our mothers,
	And when we have our armours buckled on,
	The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords,
	Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth.
HECTOR	Fie, savage, fie!	55
TROILUS	Hector, then 'tis wars.
HECTOR	Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.
TROILUS	Who should withhold me?
	Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
	Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire;	60
	Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
	Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears;
	Not you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
	Opposed to hinder me, should stop my way,
	But by my ruin.	65
	Re-enter CASSANDRA, with PRIAM
CASSANDRA	Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast:
	He is thy crutch; now if thou lose thy stay,
	Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee,
	Fall all together.
PRIAM	Come, Hector, come, go back:	70
	Thy wife hath dream'd; thy mother hath had visions;
	Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself
	Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt
	To tell thee that this day is ominous:
	Therefore, come back.	75
HECTOR	AEneas is a-field;
	And I do stand engaged to many Greeks,
	Even in the faith of valour, to appear
	This morning to them.
PRIAM	Ay, but thou shalt not go.	80
HECTOR	I must not break my faith.
	You know me dutiful; therefore, dear sir,
	Let me not shame respect; but give me leave
	To take that course by your consent and voice,
	Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam.	85
CASSANDRA	O Priam, yield not to him!
ANDROMACHE	Do not, dear father.
HECTOR	Andromache, I am offended with you:
	Upon the love you bear me, get you in.
	Exit ANDROMACHE
TROILUS	This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl	90
	Makes all these bodements.
CASSANDRA	O, farewell, dear Hector!
	Look, how thou diest! look, how thy eye turns pale!
	Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents!
	Hark, how Troy roars! how Hecuba cries out!	95
	How poor Andromache shrills her dolours forth!
	Behold, distraction, frenzy and amazement,
	Like witless antics, one another meet,
	And all cry, Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector!
TROILUS	Away! away!	100
CASSANDRA	Farewell: yet, soft! Hector! take my leave:
	Thou dost thyself and all our Troy deceive.
	Exit
HECTOR	You are amazed, my liege, at her exclaim:
	Go in and cheer the town: we'll forth and fight,
	Do deeds worth praise and tell you them at night.	105
PRIAM	Farewell: the gods with safety stand about thee!
	Exeunt severally PRIAM and HECTOR. Alarums
TROILUS	They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe,
	I come to lose my arm, or win my sleeve.
	Enter PANDARUS
PANDARUS	Do you hear, my lord? do you hear?
TROILUS	What now?	110
PANDARUS	Here's a letter come from yond poor girl.
TROILUS	Let me read.
PANDARUS	A whoreson tisick, a whoreson rascally tisick so
	troubles me, and the foolish fortune of this girl;
	and what one thing, what another, that I shall	115
	leave you one o' these days: and I have a rheum
	in mine eyes too, and such an ache in my bones
	that, unless a man were cursed, I cannot tell what
	to think on't. What says she there?
TROILUS	Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart:	120
	The effect doth operate another way.
	Tearing the letter
	Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together.
	My love with words and errors still she feeds;
	But edifies another with her deeds.
	Exeunt severally