Par.
See, ho ^note! who is that there?

Dei.
It is the lord Æneas.

Æne.
Is the prince there in person?— [to his Ser.
Had I so good occasion to lye long,
As you ^note, prince Paris, nothing but heavenly business
Should rob my bed-mate of my company.

Dio.
That's my mind too.—Good morrow, lord Æneas.

Par.
A valiant Greek, Æneas, take his hand;
Witness the process of your speech, wherein ^note
You told—how Diomed, a ^note whole week by days,
Did haunt you in the field.14Q1226

Æne.
Health to you, valiant sir,
During all question of the gentle truce:
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance,
As heart can think, or courage execute.

Dio.
The one and other Diomed embraces.
Our bloods are now in calm; and, so long, health:
But when ^note contention and occasion meet ^note,
By Jove, I'll play the hunter for thy life,
With all my force, pursuit, and policy.

Æne.
And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly
With his face backward. In humane gentleness,
Welcome to Troy! now, by Anchises' life,
Welcome indeed! by Venus' hand I swear,
No man alive can love, in such a sort,
The thing he means to kill, more excellently.

Dio.
We sympathize:—Jove, let Æneas live,
If to my sword his fate be not the glory,
A thousand compleat courses of the sun!
But, in mine emulous honour, let him die,
With every joint a wound; and that to-morrow!

Æne.
We know each other well.

Dio.
We do; and long to know each other worse.

Par.
This is the most despightful ^note gentle greeting,
The noblest hateful love, that ere I heard of.—
What business, lord, so early?

Æne.
I was sent for to the king; but why, I know not.

Par.
His purpose meets you; 'Twas ^note to bring this Greek
To Calchas' ^note house; and there to render him,
For the enfreed Antenor, the fair Cressid:
Let's have your company;—Or, if you please,
Haste there before us: I constantly do think ^note,
(Or, rather, call my thought a certain knowledge)
My brother Troilus lodges there to-night;
Rouze him, and give him note of our approach,
With the whole quality wherefóre: ^note I fear,
We shall be much unwelcome.

Æne.
That I assure you;
Troilus had rather Troy were born to Greece,
Than Cressid born from Troy.

Par.
There is no help;
The bitter disposition of the time
Will have it so. On, lord; we'll follow you.

Æne.
Good morrow, all. [Exit.

Par.
And tell me, noble Diomed; 'faith, tell ^note me true,
Even in the ^note soul of sound good-fellowship,—
Who, in your thoughts, merits fair ^note Helen best, ^note
Myself, or Menelaus?

Dio.
Both alike:
He merits well to have her, that doth seek her
(Not making any scruple of her soylure ^note)
With such a hell of pain, and world of charge;
And you as well to keep her, that defend her
(Not palating the taste of her dishonour)

With such a costly loss of wealth and friends:
He, like a puling cuckold, would drink up
The lees and dregs of a flat tamed piece;
You, like a letcher, out of whorish loins
Are pleas'd to breed out your inheritors:
Both merits poiz'd, each weighs nor less ^note nor more;
But he as he, the heavier ^note for a whore.

Par.
You are too bitter to your country-woman.

Dio.
She's bitter to her country: Hear me, Paris,—
For every false drop in her bawdy veins
A Grecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple
Of her contaminated carrion weight
A Trojan hath been slain: since she could speak,
She hath not given so many good words breath,
As for her Greeks and Trojans suffer'd death.

Par.
Fair Diomed, you do as chapmen do,
Dispraise the thing that you desire ^note to buy:
But we in silence hold this virtue well,—
We'll not commend what we intend not sell ^note.
Here lies our way. [Exeunt.

Next section