GRISELDA 121 



governs here. I have no power to disobey, even if I had the 

 will, which I own I have not. 



Filo. I believe you tell the truth, and that you play the spy 

 right cheerfully for your kind master. Can you obey his vilest 

 orders with no sense of degradation ? 



Gris. He would not give, nor would I obey, orders that were 

 vile. To serve you is no degradation. Women have served me. 

 They felt no shame. 



Filo. Slaves may feel pride in serving ; but you have been 

 free more than free men have called you queen. A queen 

 should not turn servant. 



Chris. What should a woman do, neither queen nor slave ? 



Filo. Resist. 



Gris. How can she ? 



Filo. As I resist. I will not yield. Men may bind, starve, 

 torture me, but I will not yield. 



Gris. To me But I have no right to speak. 



Filo. I give you leave. Show me how low you can 

 fall. 



Gris. I think women are too weak to resist. Useless resist- 

 ance is not honest, 



Filo. The weaklings can die ; is that not honest ? But 

 snared birds flutter, fish writhe in the net. Will you laugh at 

 them because they are so weak ? 



Gris. They do not know their weakness. 



Filo. You mean, a woman knows ; and when a woman is in 

 the toils and shows impatience with the strings that strangle 

 her, patient Grisyld sneers. 



Gris. If I could, I would cut the strings. 



Filo. You would help me ? 



Gris. Most willingly. 



Filo. You lie. You are tempting me. You seek for some 

 way to betray me. 



Gris. Why should I wish to hurt you ? 



Filo. Why ? Because I am your rival. Am I not a fair, 

 young, fortunate rival ? Is not every word I speak an insult ? 

 But words are not whips, and a leathern thong is barely hard 

 enough to gall your tough peasant's skin. 



Gris. Suppose I am in pain, which indeed is true ; suppose, 



