The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1097 page)

And may Cupid give all the shy virgins here

a bed, a room and a go-between to provide them!

Exeunt

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.

Now, Princes, for the services I have performed,

this seems to me the right time

to ask for reward. I ask you to remember

that, because of what I can see in the future,

I have abandoned Troy, left my property,

taken the name of traitor, and gone from

solid comforts which I owned

to a doubtful future, cutting myself off from all

the things that time, acquaintance, custom and rank

had made most comfortable and familiar to me;

and here, in order to serve you, I have become

like a newborn baby, foreign, friendless–

I beg you, as a foretaste,

to now give me a little something

from all the things you have promised,

which you say will come to me in the future.

AGAMEMNON.

What wouldst thou of us, Troyan? Make demand.

What do you want from us, Trojan? Ask.

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.

You have a Trojan prisoner called Antenor,

captured yesterday; Troy values him very highly.

You have frequently–and so I have frequently thanked you–

asked to exchange some great prisoner for my Cressida,

but Troy has always refused; but this Antenor,

I know, is so important to their business

that all their plans will go astray

if he's not there to manage them; and they would almost

give us a blood Prince, a son of Priam,

in exchange for him. Send him to them, great Princes,

and that will get my daughter; and having her here

will pay in full for all the trouble I have taken

on your behalf.

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.

Let Diomedes take him there,

and bring Cressida here to us. Calchas shall have

what he asks for. Good Diomedes,

get everything ready for this the exchange;

also, bring news of whether Hector will

accept an answer to his challenge tomorrow. Ajax is ready.

DIOMEDES.

This shall I undertake; and 'tis a burden

Which I am proud to bear.

I shall do this; and I'm proud

to carry out the task.

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.

Achilles is standing at the entrance of his tent.

I think our general should ignore him as he passes,

as if he had forgotten about him; and, all you princes,

show that you don't pay him any mind.

I'll bring up the rear. He'll probably ask me

why he is getting such disapproving looks.

If he does I'll be able to tell him

the reason for it,

and he'll be so keen to hear about himself that he will listen.

It may do good. If he sees his own pride

reflected in you it might make him think; bowing the knee to him

will only feed his arrogance, it's what proud men like.

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.

We'll carry out your plan, and pretend

not to see him as we pass by.

All of you do this; either don't greet him,

or greet him scornfully, which will disturb him more

than being ignored. 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.

Why has the general come to speak to me?

You know what I think. I won't fight against Troy any more.

AGAMEMNON.

What says Achilles? Would he aught with us?

What's Achilles saying? Does he want something?

NESTOR.

Would you, my lord, aught with the general?

Is there something you want, my lord, with the general?

ACHILLES.

No.

No.

NESTOR.

Nothing, my lord.

Nothing, my lord.

AGAMEMNON.

The better.

That's good then.

Exeunt AGAMEMNON and NESTOR

ACHILLES.

Good day, good day.

Good day, good day.

MENELAUS.

How do you? How do you?

How are you? How are you?

Exit

ACHILLES.

What, does the cuckold scorn me?

What, is that cuckold scorning me?

AJAX.

How now, Patroclus?

How are you, Patroclus?

ACHILLES.

Good morrow, Ajax.

Good day, Ajax.

AJAX.

Ha?

Hmm?

ACHILLES.

Good morrow.

Good day.

AJAX.

Ay, and good next day too.

Yes, I expect tomorrow will be a good day as well.

Exit

ACHILLES.

What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles?

What are these fellows up to? Don't they recognise 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.

They pass by in a strange way. They used to bow,

to put on a smile as they approached Achilles,

to come as humbly as if they were approaching

a holy altar.

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

Save these men's looks; who do, methinks, find out

Something not worth in me such rich beholding

As they have often given. Here is Ulysses.

I'll interrupt his reading.

How now, Ulysses!

What, have I become a poor man?

It's certain that when a great man is out of luck

his friends soon desert him. When a man has fallen

he will know it as much from looking in the eyes of others

as he will from his own feelings; for men are like butterflies,

they don't show their powdered wings except in summer;

and no man gets any honour just for being a man,

he only gets honour for those honours which are

visible, like rank, riches and favour,

which are got by luck as often as by merit;

when they fall, for they have weak foundations,

the love that depended on them proves just as weak,

they both fall together, and they both

die in the fall. But I'm not like that: