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Cre. You shall not go :-One cannot speak a word, But it straight starts you.

Dio. I do not like this fooling.

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Ther. Nor I, by Pluto: but that that likes not you, Pleases me best.

Dio. What, shall I come? the hour?

Cre. Ay, come :—— -O Jove!

Do, come :-I shall be plagu'd.

Dio. Farewel 'till then.

Cre. Good night. I pr'ythee, come. Troilus, farewel! one eye yet looks on thee; But with my heart the other eye doth see.— Ah! poor our sex! this fault in us I find, The error of our eye directs our mind:

[Exit.

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What error leads, must err; O then conclude, Minds, sway'd by eyes, are full of turpitude. [Exit. Ther. A proof of strength she could not publish

more,

Unless she say, My mind is now turn'd whore.

Ulyss. All's done, my lord.

Troi. It is.

Ulyss. Why stay we then?

Troi. To make a recordation to my soul
Of every syllable that here was spoke.
But, if I tell how these two did co-act,
Shall I not lie in publishing a truth?
Sith yet there is a credence in my heart,
An esperance so obstinately strong,
That doth invert the attest of eyes and ears;
As if those organs had deceptious functions,

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Created

Created only to calumniate.

Was Cressid here ?

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Ulyss. I cannot conjure, Trojan.

Troi. She was not, sure.

Ulyss. Most sure, she was.

Troi. Why my negation hath no taste of madness, Ulyss. Nor mine, my lord: Cressid was here but now. Troi. Let it not be believ'd for womanhood! Think, we had mothers; do not give advantage To stubborn critics-apt, without a theme, For depravation to square the general sex

By Cressid's rule: rather think this not Cressid. 270 Ulyss. What hath she done, prince, that can soil our mothers?

Troi. Nothing at all, unless that this were she.
Ther. Will he swagger himself out on's own eyes?
Troi. This she? no, this is Diomed's Cressida :
If beauty have a soul, this is not she ;

If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimony,
If sanctimony be the gods' delight,

If there be rule in unity itself,

This is not she. O madness of discourse,
That cause sets up with and against itself!
Bi-fold authority! where reason can revolt
Without perdition, and loss assume all reason
Without revolt; this is, and is not, Cressid!
Within my soul there doth commence a fight
Of this strange nature, that a thing inseparate
Divides far wider than the sky and earth;
And yet the spacious breadth of this division
Admits no orifice for a point, as subtle
M

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As

As Arachne's broken woof, to enter.

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Instance, O instance! strong as Pluto's gates;
Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven:
Instance, O instance! strong as heaven itself;
The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd, and loos'd;
And with another knot, five-finger-tied,

The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,

The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy reliques
Of her o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.
Ulyss. May worthy Troilus be half attach'd
With that which here his passion doth express?
Troi. Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well
In characters as red as Mars his heart
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Inflam'd with Venus: never did young man fancy
With so eternal, and so fix'd a soul.

Hark, Greek ;-As much as I do Cressid love,
So much by weight hate I her Diomed:

That sleeve is mine, that he'll bear on his helm ;
Were it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill,
My sword should bite it: not the dreadful spout,
Which shipmen do the hurricano call,
Constring'd in mass by the almighty sun,
Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptune's ear
In his descent, than shall my prompted sword
Falling on Diomed.

Ther. He'll tickle it for his concupy.

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Troi. O Cressid! O false Cressid! false, false, false ! Let all untruths stand by thy stained name,

And they'll seem glorious.

Ulyss. O, contain yourself;

Your passion draws ears hither.

Enter

Enter NEAS.

Ene. I have been seeking you this hour, my lord: Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy ;

Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home.

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Troi. Have with you, prince :-My courteous lord,

adieu :

Farewel, revolted fair!—and, Diomed,

Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head!

Ulyss. I'll bring you to the gates.

Troi. Accept distracted thanks.

[Exeunt TROILUS, ENEAS, and ULYSSES. Ther. 'Would, I could meet that rogue Diomed! I would croak like a raven; I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me any thing for the intelligence of this whore: the parrot will not do more for an almond, than he for a commodious drab. Lechery, lechery; still, wars and lechery; nothing else holds fashion: A burning devil take them! [Exit.

SCENE III.

The Palace of Troy. Enter HECTOR, and ANDRO

MACHE.

And. When was my lord so much ungently temper'd,

To stop his ears against admonishment ?

Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.

Hect. You train me to offend you; get you in:

By all the everlasting gods, I'll go.

And. My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to-day. Hect. No more, I say.

Mij

Enter

Enter CASSANDRA.

Cas. Where is my brother Hector?

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And. Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent: Consort with me in loud and dear petition,

Pursue we him on knees; for I have dreamt
Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night

Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.
Cas. O, it is true.

Heft. Ho! bid my trumpet sound!

Cas. No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet

brother.

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Hect. Begone, I say: the gods have heard me swear. Cas. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows; They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.

And. O be persuaded: Do not count it holy To hurt by being just: it is as lawful,

For us to count we give what's gain'd by thefts,
And rob in the behalf of charity.

Cas. It is the purpose, that makes strong the vow;

But vows, to every purpose, must not hold:

Unarm, sweet Hector.

Hect. Hold you still, I say;

Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate:

Life every man holds dear; but the dear man
Holds honour far more precious-dear than life.—

Enter TROILUS.

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How now, young man? mean'st thou to fight to-day?

And. Cassandra, call my father to persuade.

[Exit CASSANDRA.

Helt.

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