TROILUS and CRESSIDA.

C

ACT I.

SCENE, the Palace in Troy.

Enter Pandarus and Troilus.

TROILUS.

ALL here my varlet; I'll unarm again (3)
Why should I war without the walls of Troy,
That find fuch cruel battle here within ?
Each Trojan, that is mafter of his heart,
Let him to field; Troilus, alas! hath none.

Pan. Will this geer ne er be mended?

Troi. The Greeks are ftrong, and skilful to their ftrength, Fierce to their skill, and to their fierceness valiant. But I am weaker than a woman's tear,

Tamer than fleep, fonder than ignorance;

Lefs valiant than the virgin in the night,
And skil-lefs as unpractis'd infancy.

Why Should I war without the walls of Troy,

Pan.

That find fuch cruel battle here within?] I won't venture to affirm, that this paffage is founded on Anacreon, but there is a mighty con fonance both of thought and expreffion in both Poets; particularly, in the close of the fentence.

Μάτην δ ̓ ἔχω βοσίην

Τὶ γὰρ βαλώμεθ' ἔξω,
Μάχης ἴσω μ' ἐχέσης;

P 6

'Tis

Pan. Well, I have told you enough for this: for my part, I'll not meddle nor make any farther. He, that Thall have a cake out of the wheat, muft needs tarry the grinding.

Tro. Have I not tarried?

Pan. Ay, the grinding; but you must tarry the boulting.

Troi. Have I not tarried?

Pan. Ay, the boulting; but you must tarry the leav'ning.

Troi. Still have I tarried.

Pan. Ay, to the leav`ning: but here's yet in the word hereafter, the kneading, the making of the cake, the heating of the oven, and the baking, nay, you must stay the cooling too, or you may chance to burn your lips. Troi. Patience herself, what Goddefs e'er the be, Loth leffer blench at fuffrance, than I do. At Priam's royal table do I fit;

'Tis in vain that I have a fhield: for wherefore fhould I wear that out-
ward defence when the battle rages all within me, I hope, my rea- -
ders will forgive me, if I take notice on this occafion that the
learned Tanaquil Faber quite mistook Anacreon's fense in this line,
Τὶ γὰρ βαλομεθ ̓ ἔξω; -He has render'd it; Quid enim extrà, aut
foras, tela mittamus, cùm intùs pugna fit? This is abfolutely foreign
from the Poet's meaning. Madara Dacier feems to have understood
it in her French verfion, but is repugnant to herself, when the gives
it us in Latin. C'eft donc en vain que j'ay un bouclier, car à quoi
fert de le défendre au dehors, lorfque l'ennemi eft au dedans ?-
furpriz'd, after so just a tranflation as to the meaning, that she could
fubjoin this remark, Les interpretes Latins n'ont pas bien entendu ce
vers qu'ils traduifent, Nam cur petamur extrà; & il falloit traduire
tout au contraire, nam cur petamus extià. Petere beftem, is, to attack
an enemy; which is not Anacreon's meaning. But Monf. De la Foffe
has genteelly animadverted upon this Lady's error. Anacreon ne
forgesit qu'au le défendre, & non pas à offenfer. Ainfi petamus, qui
eft une action offenfive, n' eftoit pas st jufte que petamur.

In my opinion, the paffage fhould be thus render'd ;
Fruftra gero Clypeum;

Qud enim [illum] extrinfecus objiciam,

Cum Pugna intùs omninò ardeat ?

-lam

The tranflators do not feem to have remember'd, that Cúxλopcai (as its compounds, αμφιβάλλομαι, ἐπιβάλλομαι, περιβάλλομαι)may fome times fignify actively, induo, injicio, impono. Authorities are so obvious, that it is unneceffary to alledge any.

And

And when fair Crefid comes into my thoughts,
So, traitor!—when he comes? when is the thence?
Pan. Well, the look'd yefternight fairer than ever I
faw her look, or any woman else.

Troi. I was about to tell thee, when my heart,
As wedged with a figh, would rive in twain,
Left Hector or my father should perceive me;
I have (as when the fun doth light a ftorm)
Buried this figh in wrinkle of a smile:

But forrow, that is couch'd in feeming gladness,
Is like that mirth fate turns to fudden fadness.

Ian. And her hair were not fomewhat darker than Helen's-well, goto, there were no more comparison between the women. But, for my part, fhe is my kinfwoman; I would not (as they term it) praise her-but I would, fomebody had heard her talk yefterday, as I did: I will not difpraise your fifter Caffandra's wit, but

Troi. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus

(4) When I do tell thee, there my hopes lie drown'd, Reply not in how many fathoms deep

They lie indrench'd. I tell thee, I am mad
In Creffid's love. Thou answer'ft, fhe is fair;
Pour'ft in the open ulcer of my heart

Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice
Handleft in thy difcourfe- -O that! her hand!
(In whofe comparifon, all whites are ink
Writing their own reproach) to whofe foft feisure

(4) When I do tell thee, there my hopes lie drown'd, Reply not in how many fathoms deep

They lie intrench'd.] This is only the reading of the modern editors : I have reftor'd that of the old books. For befides that, intrench'd in fathoms, is a phrase which we have very great reafon to fufpect; what confonance, or agreement, in fenfe is there betwixt drown'd and intrench'd? The first carries the idea of destruction, the latter of fecurity. Indrench'd correfponds exactly with drown'd; and signifies, immers'd in the deep, or, as our Poet in another place calls it, enfteep'd.

So in his Venus and Adonis.

O, where am I, (quoth she) in earth, or heav'n ?

Or in the ocean drench'd?

And in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, we again find the terms coupled. And drench'd me in the fea, where I am drown'd.

The cignet's down is harsh, and spirit of sense
Hard as the palm of plowman. This thou tell'st me;
(As true thou tell'ft me ;) when I fay, I love her:
But faying thus, inftead of oil and balm,

Thou lay'ft, in every gash that love hath giv'n me,
The knife that made it.

Pan. I fpeak no more than truth.

Troi. Thou doft not speak so much.

Pan. 'Faith, I'll not meddle in't. Let her be as the is, if the be fair, 'tis the better for her; an fhe be not, fhe has the mends in her own hands.

Troi, Good Pandarus; how now, Pandarus?

Pan, I have had my labour for my travel, ill thought on of her, and ill thought on of you: gone between and between, but small thanks for my labour.

Troi. What art thou angry, Pandarus? what, with me? Pan. Because she is kin to me, therefore she is not fofair as Helen; and fhe were not kin to me, fhe would be as fair on Friday as Helen is on Sunday. But what care I? I care not, an fhe were a black-a-moor; 'tis all one to me. Troi. Say I, fhe is not fair?

Pan. I do not care whether you do or no, fhe's a fool to stay behind her father: let her to the Greeks, and fo I'll tell her the next time I fee her: for my part, I'll meddle nor make no more i'th' matter.

Troi. Pandarus.

Pan. Not I.

Troi. Sweet Pandarus,

Pan. Pray you, fpeak no more to me: I will leave all as I found it, and there's an end. [Exit Pandarus. [Sound Alarm.

Tr. Peace, you ungracious clamours! peace, rude founds!
Fools on both fides.- Helen must needs be fair,
When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
I cannot fight upon this argument,

It is too ftarv'd a fubject for my sword:

But Pandarus-O Gods! how do you plague me!
I cannot come to Crefid, but by Pandar;
And he's as teachy to be woo'd to wooe,
As he is ftubborn-chafte against all fute.

Tell

Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphne's love,
What Creid is, what Pandar, and what we:
Her bed is India, there fhe lies a pearl:
Between our Ilium, and where the refides,
Let it be call'd the wild and wandering flood;
Ourself the merchant, and this failing Pandar,
Our doubtful hope, our convoy, and our bark.
Enter Æneas.

[Alarm.]

Ene. How now, Prince Troilus? wherefore not i'th' field?

Troi. Because not there; this woman's answer forts, For womanifh it is to be from thence:

What news, Eneas, from the field to-day?

Æne. That Paris is return'd home, and hurt.
Troi. By whom, Æneas?

Ene. Troilus, by Menelaus.

Troi. Let Paris bleed, 'tis but a fcar to fcorn;

Paris is gor'd with Menelaus' horn.

[Alarm. Ene. Hark, what good sport is out of town to-day? Troi. Better at home, if would I might, were may

But to the sport abroad

Ene. In all swift hafte.

are you bound thither ?

Trai. Come, go we then together.

[Exeunt,

SCENE changes to a publick Street, near the Walls

Cre.

of Troy.

Enter Creffida, and Alexander, her Servant.

WHO were those went by?

Serv. Queen Hecuba and Helen.

Cre. And whither go they?

Serv. Up to the eastern tower,

Whofe height commands as fubject all the vale,
To fee the fight. Hector, whofe patience

ls, as the Virtue, fix'd, to-day was mov'd: (5)

whofe patience

He

(5) Is as a virtue fix'd,] What's the meaning of Hector's patience being fix'd as à virtue P is not patience a virtue? What room then for the

fimili