⟨Sennet.⟩ Enter Agamemnon, Nestor, Ulysses, Diomedes,
Menelaus, with others.AGAMEMNON Princes, what grief hath set ⟨the⟩ jaundice o’er your cheeks? The ample proposition that hope makes In all designs begun on Earth below5 Fails in the promised largeness. Checks and disasters Grow in the veins of actions highest reared, As knots, by the conflux of meeting sap, Infects the sound pine and diverts his grain
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Tortive and errant from his course of growth.10 Nor, princes, is it matter new to us That we come short of our suppose so far That after seven years’ siege yet Troy walls stand, Sith ⟨every⟩ action that hath gone before, Whereof we have record, trial did draw15 Bias and thwart, not answering the aim And that unbodied figure of the thought That gave ’t surmisèd shape. Why then, you princes, Do you with cheeks abashed behold our works And call them shames, which are indeed naught else20 But the protractive trials of great Jove To find persistive constancy in men? The fineness of which metal is not found In Fortune’s love; for then the bold and coward, The wise and fool, the artist and unread,25 The hard and soft seem all affined and kin. But in the wind and tempest of her frown, Distinction, with a broad and powerful fan, Puffing at all, winnows the light away, And what hath mass or matter by itself30 Lies rich in virtue and unmingled.NESTOR With due observance of ⟨thy⟩ godlike seat, Great Agamemnon, Nestor shall apply Thy latest words. In the reproof of chance Lies the true proof of men. The sea being smooth,35 How many shallow bauble boats dare sail Upon her ⟨patient⟩ breast, making their way With those of nobler bulk! But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage The gentle Thetis, and anon behold40 The strong-ribbed bark through liquid mountains cut, Bounding between the two moist elements, Like Perseus’ horse. Where’s then the saucy boat Whose weak untimbered sides but even now
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Corrivaled greatness? Either to harbor fled45 Or made a toast for Neptune. Even so Doth valor’s show and valor’s worth divide In storms of Fortune. For in her ray and brightness The herd hath more annoyance by the breese Than by the tiger, but when the splitting wind50 Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks, And flies ⌜flee⌝ under shade, why, then the thing of courage, As roused with rage, with rage doth sympathize, And with an accent tuned in selfsame key55 ⌜Retorts⌝ to chiding Fortune.ULYSSES Agamemnon, Thou great commander, nerves and bone of Greece, Heart of our numbers, soul and only sprite, In whom the tempers and the minds of all60 Should be shut up, hear what Ulysses speaks. Besides th’ applause and approbation, The which, (⌜to Agamemnon⌝) most mighty for thy place and sway, (⌜To Nestor⌝) And thou most reverend for ⟨thy⟩65 stretched-out life, I give to both your speeches, which were such As Agamemnon and the hand of Greece Should hold up high in brass; and such again As venerable Nestor, hatched in silver,70 Should with a bond of air, strong as the axletree On which heaven rides, knit all the Greekish ears To his experienced tongue, yet let it please both, Thou great, and wise, to hear Ulysses speak.⟨AGAMEMNON Speak, Prince of Ithaca, and be ’t of less expect75 That matter needless, of importless burden, Divide thy lips than we are confident When rank Thersites opes his mastic jaws We shall hear music, wit, and oracle.⟩
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ULYSSES Troy, yet upon his ⟨basis,⟩ had been down,80 And the great Hector’s sword had lacked a master But for these instances: The specialty of rule hath been neglected, And look how many Grecian tents do stand Hollow upon this plain, so many hollow factions.85 When that the general is not like the hive To whom the foragers shall all repair, What honey is expected? Degree being vizarded, Th’ unworthiest shows as fairly in the mask. The heavens themselves, the planets, and this center90 Observe degree, priority, and place, Insisture, course, proportion, season, form, Office, and custom, in all line of order. And therefore is the glorious planet Sol In noble eminence enthroned and sphered95 Amidst the other, whose med’cinable eye Corrects the influence of evil planets, And posts, like the commandment of a king, Sans check, to good and bad. But when the planets In evil mixture to disorder wander,100 What plagues and what portents, what mutiny, What raging of the sea, shaking of Earth, Commotion in the winds, frights, changes, horrors Divert and crack, rend and deracinate The unity and married calm of states105 Quite from their fixture! O, when degree is shaked, Which is the ladder of all high designs, The enterprise is sick. How could communities, Degrees in schools and brotherhoods in cities, Peaceful commerce from dividable shores,110 The primogeneity and due of birth, Prerogative of age, crowns, scepters, laurels, But by degree stand in authentic place? Take but degree away, untune that string,
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And hark what discord follows. Each thing ⟨meets⟩115 In mere oppugnancy. The bounded waters Should lift their bosoms higher than the shores And make a sop of all this solid globe; Strength should be lord of imbecility, And the rude son should strike his father dead;120 Force should be right, or, rather, right and wrong, Between whose endless jar justice resides, Should lose their names, and so should justice too. Then everything ⟨includes⟩ itself in power, Power into will, will into appetite,125 And appetite, an universal wolf, So doubly seconded with will and power, Must make perforce an universal prey And last eat up himself. Great Agamemnon, This chaos, when degree is suffocate,130 Follows the choking. And this neglection of degree it is That by a pace goes backward, with a purpose It hath to climb. The General’s disdained By him one step below, he by the next,135 That next by him beneath; so every step, Exampled by the first pace that is sick Of his superior, grows to an envious fever Of pale and bloodless emulation. And ’tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot,140 Not her own sinews. To end a tale of length, Troy in our weakness stands, not in her strength.NESTOR Most wisely hath Ulysses here discovered The fever whereof all our power is sick.AGAMEMNON The nature of the sickness found, Ulysses,145 What is the remedy?ULYSSES The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns
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The sinew and the forehand of our host, Having his ear full of his airy fame, Grows dainty of his worth and in his tent150 Lies mocking our designs. With him Patroclus, Upon a lazy bed, the live-long day Breaks scurril jests, And with ridiculous and silly action, Which, slanderer, he imitation calls,155 He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon, Thy topless deputation he puts on, And, like a strutting player whose conceit Lies in his hamstring and doth think it rich To hear the wooden dialogue and sound160 ’Twixt his stretched footing and the scaffollage, Such to-be-pitied and o’erwrested seeming He acts thy greatness in; and when he speaks, ’Tis like a chime a-mending, with terms ⟨unsquared⟩ Which from the tongue of roaring Typhon dropped165 Would seem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff, The large Achilles, on his pressed bed lolling, From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause, Cries “Excellent! ’Tis Agamemnon right. Now play me Nestor; hem and stroke thy beard,170 As he being dressed to some oration.” That’s done, as near as the extremest ends Of parallels, as like as Vulcan and his wife; Yet god Achilles still cries “Excellent! ’Tis Nestor right. Now play him me, Patroclus,175 Arming to answer in a night alarm.” And then, forsooth, the faint defects of age Must be the scene of mirth—to cough and spit, And, with a palsy fumbling on his gorget, Shake in and out the rivet. And at this sport180 Sir Valor dies, cries “O, enough, Patroclus, Or give me ribs of steel! I shall split all In pleasure of my spleen.” And in this fashion, All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes,
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Severals and generals of grace exact,185 Achievements, plots, orders, preventions, Excitements to the field, or speech for truce, Success or loss, what is or is not, serves As stuff for these two to make paradoxes.NESTOR And in the imitation of these twain,190 Who, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns With an imperial voice, many are infect: Ajax is grown self-willed and bears his head In such a rein, in full as proud a place As broad Achilles; keeps his tent like him,195 Makes factious feasts; rails on our state of war, Bold as an oracle, and sets Thersites— A slave whose gall coins slanders like a mint— To match us in comparisons with dirt, To weaken ⟨and⟩ discredit our exposure,200 How rank soever rounded in with danger.ULYSSES They tax our policy and call it cowardice, Count wisdom as no member of the war, Forestall prescience, and esteem no act But that of hand. The still and mental parts205 That do contrive how many hands shall strike When fitness calls them on and know by measure Of their observant toil the enemy’s weight— Why, this hath not a fingers dignity. They call this bed-work, mapp’ry, closet war;210 So that the ram that batters down the wall, For the great swinge and rudeness of his poise, They place before his hand that made the engine Or those that with the fineness of their souls By reason guide his execution.NESTOR 215 Let this be granted, and Achilles’ horse Makes many Thetis’ sons.⟨Tucket.⟩
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AGAMEMNON What trumpet? Look, Menelaus.MENELAUS From Troy.⟨Enter Aeneas, ⌜with a Trumpeter.⌝⟩AGAMEMNON What would you ’fore our tent?AENEAS 220 Is this great Agamemnon’s tent, I pray you?AGAMEMNON Even this.AENEAS May one that is a herald and a prince Do a fair message to his kingly eyes?AGAMEMNON With surety stronger than Achilles’ arm225 ’Fore all the Greekish ⌜host,⌝ which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general.AENEAS Fair leave and large security. How may A stranger to those most imperial looks Know them from eyes of other mortals?AGAMEMNON 230 How?AENEAS Ay. I ask that I might waken reverence And bid the cheek be ready with a blush Modest as morning when she coldly eyes The youthful Phoebus.235 Which is that god in office, guiding men? Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?AGAMEMNON This Trojan scorns us, or the men of Troy Are ceremonious courtiers.AENEAS Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarmed,240 As bending angels—that’s their fame in peace. But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls,
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Good arms, strong joints, true swords, and—great Jove’s accord— Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Aeneas.245 Peace, Trojan. Lay thy finger on thy lips. The worthiness of praise distains his worth If that the praised himself bring the praise forth. But what the repining enemy commends, That breath fame blows; that praise, sole pure,250 transcends.AGAMEMNON Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Aeneas?AENEAS Ay, Greek, that is my name.AGAMEMNON What’s your ⟨affair,⟩ I pray you?AENEAS Sir, pardon. ’Tis for Agamemnon’s ears.AGAMEMNON 255 He hears naught privately that comes from Troy.AENEAS Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him. I bring a trumpet to awake his ear, To set his ⟨sense⟩ on ⟨the⟩ attentive bent, And then to speak.AGAMEMNON 260 Speak frankly as the wind; It is not Agamemnon’s sleeping hour. That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake, He tells thee so himself.AENEAS Trumpet, blow ⟨loud⟩!265 Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents; And every Greek of mettle, let him know What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud.Sound trumpet. We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy A prince called Hector—Priam is his father—270 Who in ⟨this⟩ dull and long-continued truce Is resty grown. He bade me take a trumpet And to this purpose speak: “Kings, princes, lords,
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If there be one among the fair’st of Greece That holds his honor higher than his ease,275 ⟨That seeks⟩ his praise more than he fears his peril, That knows his valor and knows not his fear, That loves his mistress more than in confession With truant vows to her own lips he loves And dare avow her beauty and her worth280 In other arms than hers—to him this challenge. Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks, Shall make it good, or do his best to do it, He hath a lady wiser, fairer, truer Than ever Greek did couple in his arms285 And will tomorrow with his trumpet call, Midway between your tents and walls of Troy, To rouse a Grecian that is true in love. If any come, Hector shall honor him; If none, he’ll say in Troy when he retires290 The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth The splinter of a lance.” Even so much.AGAMEMNON This shall be told our lovers, Lord Aeneas. If none of them have soul in such a kind, We left them all at home. But we are soldiers,295 And may that soldier a mere recreant prove That means not, hath not, or is not in love! If then one is, or hath, ⟨or⟩ means to be, That one meets Hector. If none else, I am he.NESTOR, ⌜to Aeneas⌝ Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man300 When Hector’s grandsire sucked. He is old now, But if there be not in our Grecian host A noble man that hath ⟨one⟩ spark of fire To answer for his love, tell him from me I’ll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver305 And in my vambrace put my withered brawns And, meeting him, ⟨will⟩ tell him that my lady
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Was fairer than his grandam and as chaste As may be in the world. His youth in flood, I’ll prove this troth with my three drops of blood.AENEAS 310 Now heavens forfend such scarcity of ⟨youth!⟩ULYSSES Amen.⟨AGAMEMNON⟩ Fair Lord Aeneas, let me touch your hand. To our pavilion shall I lead you, sir. Achilles shall have word of this intent;315 So shall each lord of Greece from tent to tent. Yourself shall feast with us before you go, And find the welcome of a noble foe.⟨All but Ulysses and Nestor exit.⟩ULYSSES Nestor.NESTOR What says Ulysses?ULYSSES 320 I have a young conception in my brain; Be you my time to bring it to some shape.NESTOR What is ’t?ULYSSES ⟨This ’tis:⟩ Blunt wedges rive hard knots; the seeded pride325 That hath to this maturity blown up In rank Achilles must or now be cropped Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil To overbulk us all.NESTOR Well, and how?ULYSSES 330 This challenge that the gallant Hector sends, However it is spread in general name, Relates in purpose only to Achilles.NESTOR True. The purpose is perspicuous as substance Whose grossness little characters sum up;335 And, in the publication, make no strain But that Achilles, were his brain as barren
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As banks of Libya—though, Apollo knows, ’Tis dry enough—will, with great speed of judgment, Ay, with celerity, find Hector’s purpose340 Pointing on him.ULYSSES And wake him to the answer, think you?NESTOR Why, ’tis most meet. Who may you else oppose That can from Hector bring ⟨his honor⟩ off If not Achilles? Though ’t be a sportful combat,345 Yet in the trial much opinion dwells, For here the Trojans taste our dear’st repute With their fin’st palate. And, trust to me, Ulysses, Our imputation shall be oddly poised In this vile action. For the success,350 Although particular, shall give a scantling Of good or bad unto the general; And in such indexes, although small pricks To their subsequent volumes, there is seen The baby figure of the giant mass355 Of things to come at large. It is supposed He that meets Hector issues from our choice; And choice, being mutual act of all our souls, Makes merit her election and doth boil, As ’twere from forth us all, a man distilled360 Out of our virtues, who, miscarrying, What heart receives from hence a conquering part To steel a strong opinion to themselves?— ⟨Which entertained, limbs are his instruments, In no less working than are swords and bows365 Directive by the limbs.⟩ULYSSES Give pardon to my speech: therefore ’tis meet Achilles meet not Hector. Let us like merchants First show foul wares and think perchance they’ll sell; If not, the luster of the better shall exceed370 By showing the worse first. Do not consent
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That ever Hector and Achilles meet, For both our honor and our shame in this Are dogged with two strange followers.NESTOR I see them not with my old eyes. What are they?ULYSSES 375 What glory our Achilles shares from Hector, Were he not proud, we all should share with him; But he already is too insolent, And it were better parch in Afric sun Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes380 Should he scape Hector fair. If he were foiled, Why then we do our main opinion crush In taint of our best man. No, make a lott’ry, And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw The sort to fight with Hector. Among ourselves385 Give him allowance for the better man, For that will physic the great Myrmidon, Who broils in loud applause, and make him fall His crest that prouder than blue Iris bends. If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,390 We’ll dress him up in voices; if he fail, Yet go we under our opinion still That we have better men. But, hit or miss, Our project’s life this shape of sense assumes: Ajax employed plucks down Achilles’ plumes.NESTOR 395 Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice, And I will give a taste thereof forthwith To Agamemnon. Go we to him straight. Two curs shall tame each other; pride alone Must ⟨tar⟩ the mastiffs on, as ’twere a bone.They exit.
Troilus and Cressida: 
