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Flourish. Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, DIOMEDES, NESTOR, AJAX, MENELAUS, |
and CALCHAS |
CALCHAS. Now, Princes, for the service I have done, |
Th' advantage of the time prompts me aloud |
To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind |
That, through the sight I bear in things to come, |
I have abandon'd Troy, left my possession, |
Incurr'd a traitor's name, expos'd myself |
From certain and possess'd conveniences |
To doubtful fortunes, sequest'ring from me all |
That time, acquaintance, custom, and condition, |
Made tame and most familiar to my nature; |
And here, to do you service, am become |
As new into the world, strange, unacquainted- |
I do beseech you, as in way of taste, |
To give me now a little benefit |
Out of those many regist'red in promise, |
Which you say live to come in my behalf. |
AGAMEMNON. What wouldst thou of us, Troyan? Make demand. |
CALCHAS. You have a Troyan prisoner call'd Antenor, |
Yesterday took; Troy holds him very dear. |
Oft have you-often have you thanks therefore- |
Desir'd my Cressid in right great exchange, |
Whom Troy hath still denied; but this Antenor, |
I know, is such a wrest in their affairs |
That their negotiations all must slack |
Wanting his manage; and they will almost |
Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam, |
In change of him. Let him be sent, great Princes, |
And he shall buy my daughter; and her presence |
Shall quite strike off all service I have done |
In most accepted pain. |
AGAMEMNON. Let Diomedes bear him, |
And bring us Cressid hither. Calchas shall have |
What he requests of us. Good Diomed, |
Furnish you fairly for this interchange; |
Withal, bring word if Hector will to-morrow |
Be answer'd in his challenge. Ajax is ready. |
DIOMEDES. This shall I undertake; and 'tis a burden |
Which I am proud to bear. |
Exeunt DIOMEDES and CALCHAS |
ACHILLES and PATROCLUS stand in their tent |
ULYSSES. Achilles stands i' th' entrance of his tent. |
Please it our general pass strangely by him, |
As if he were forgot; and, Princes all, |
Lay negligent and loose regard upon him. |
I will come last. 'Tis like he'll question me |
Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turn'd on him? |
If so, I have derision med'cinable |
To use between your strangeness and his pride, |
Which his own will shall have desire to drink. |
It may do good. Pride hath no other glass |
To show itself but pride; for supple knees |
Feed arrogance and are the proud man's fees. |
AGAMEMNON. We'll execute your purpose, and put on |
A form of strangeness as we pass along. |
So do each lord; and either greet him not, |
Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more |
Than if not look'd on. I will lead the way. |
ACHILLES. What comes the general to speak with me? |
You know my mind. I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy. |
AGAMEMNON. What says Achilles? Would he aught with us? |
NESTOR. Would you, my lord, aught with the general? |
ACHILLES. No. |
NESTOR. Nothing, my lord. |
AGAMEMNON. The better. |
Exeunt AGAMEMNON and NESTOR |
ACHILLES. Good day, good day. |
MENELAUS. How do you? How do you? Exit |
ACHILLES. What, does the cuckold scorn me? |
AJAX. How now, Patroclus? |
ACHILLES. Good morrow, Ajax. |
AJAX. Ha? |
ACHILLES. Good morrow. |
AJAX. Ay, and good next day too. Exit |
ACHILLES. What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles? |
PATROCLUS. They pass by strangely. They were us'd to bend, |
To send their smiles before them to Achilles, |
To come as humbly as they us'd to creep |
To holy altars. |
ACHILLES. What, am I poor of late? |
'Tis certain, greatness, once fall'n out with fortune, |
Must fall out with men too. What the declin'd is, |
He shall as soon read in the eyes of others |
As feel in his own fall; for men, like butterflies, |
Show not their mealy wings but to the summer; |
And not a man for being simply man |
Hath any honour, but honour for those honours |
That are without him, as place, riches, and favour, |
Prizes of accident, as oft as merit; |
Which when they fall, as being slippery standers, |
The love that lean'd on them as slippery too, |
Doth one pluck down another, and together |
Die in the fall. But 'tis not so with me: |
Fortune and I are friends; I do enjoy |
At ample point all that I did possess |
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