ACT V. SCENE 3.
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.
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| HECTOR. | You train me to offend you; get you in.
By all the everlasting gods, I'll go.
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| ANDROMACHE. | My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.
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| HECTOR. | No more, I say.
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Enter CASSANDRA
| CASSANDRA. | Where is my brother Hector?
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| ANDROMACHE. | 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.
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| CASSANDRA. | write_ads(1,1)> O, 'tis true!
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| HECTOR. | Ho! bid my trumpet sound.
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| CASSANDRA. | No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother!
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| HECTOR. | Be gone, I say. The gods have heard me swear.
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| CASSANDRA. | The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows;
They are polluted off'rings, more abhorr'd
Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
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| 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.
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| CASSANDRA. | It is the purpose that makes strong the vow;
But vows to every purpose must not hold.
Unarm, sweet Hector.
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| HECTOR. | write_ads(1,1)> 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.
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Enter TROILUS
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How now, young man! Mean'st thou to fight to-day?
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| ANDROMACHE. | Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
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Exit CASSANDRA
| HECTOR. | No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;
I am to-day i' th' 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.
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| TROILUS. | Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you
Which better fits a lion than a man.
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| HECTOR. | What vice is that, good Troilus?
Chide me for it.
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| TROILUS. | When many times the captive Grecian falls,
Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,
You bid them rise and live.
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| HECTOR. | O, 'tis fair play!
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| TROILUS. | Fool's play, by heaven, Hector.
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| HECTOR. | How now! how now!
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| TROILUS. | For th' love of all the gods,
Let's leave the hermit Pity with our mother;
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!
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| HECTOR. | Fie, savage, fie!
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| TROILUS. | Hector, then 'tis wars.
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| HECTOR. | Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.
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| TROILUS. | Who should withhold me?
Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
Beck'ning with fiery truncheon my retire;
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears;
Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
Oppos'd to hinder me, should stop my way,
But by my ruin.
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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.
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| PRIAM. | Come, Hector, come, go back.
Thy wife hath dreamt; 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.
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| HECTOR. | Aeneas is a-field;
And I do stand engag'd to many Greeks,
Even in the faith of valour, to appear
This morning to them.
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| PRIAM. | Ay, but thou shalt not go.
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| 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.
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| CASSANDRA. | O Priam, yield not to him!
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| ANDROMACHE. | Do not, dear father.
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| HECTOR. | Andromache, I am offended with you.
Upon the love you bear me, get you in.
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Exit ANDROMACHE
| TROILUS. | This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl
Makes all these bodements.
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| 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;
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!
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| TROILUS. | Away, away!
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| CASSANDRA. | Farewell!-yet, soft! Hector, I take my leave.
Thou dost thyself and all our Troy deceive
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Exit
| HECTOR. | You are amaz'd, 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.
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| PRIAM. | Farewell. The gods with safety stand about thee!
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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.
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Enter PANDARUS
| PANDARUS. | Do you hear, my lord? Do you hear?
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| TROILUS. | What now?
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| PANDARUS. | Here's a letter come from yond poor girl.
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| TROILUS. | Let me read.
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| 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 leave you one o' th's days; and I have
a rheum in mine eyes too, and such an ache in my bones that
unless a man were curs'd I cannot tell what to think on't. What
says she there?
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| TROILUS. | Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart;
Th' effect doth operate another way.
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[Tearing the letter]
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Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together.
My love with words and errors still she feeds,
But edifies another with her deeds
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Exeunt severally
Next
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ACT V. SCENE 3.
