The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 6 of 9]

ACT III.

Scene I. Troy. A room in Priam's palace.

Enter Pandarus and a Servant.[1526]

Pan. Friend, you, pray you, a word: do you not follow [1527]
the young Lord Paris?

Serv. Ay, sir, when he goes before me.[1528]

Pan. You depend upon him, I mean?[1529]

Serv. Sir, I do depend upon the Lord. 5

Pan. You depend upon a noble gentleman; I must [1530]
needs praise him.

Serv. The Lord be praised!

Pan. You know me, do you not?

Serv. Faith, sir, superficially. 10

Pan. Friend, know me better; I am the Lord Pandarus.

Serv. I hope I shall know your honour better.

Pan. I do desire it.

Serv. You are in the state of grace.[1531]

Pan. Grace! not so, friend; honour and lordship are 15
my titles. [Music within.] What music is this?[1532]

Serv. I do but partly know, sir: it is music in parts.[1533]

Pan. Know you the musicians?

Serv. Wholly, sir.

Pan. Who play they to? 20

Serv. To the hearers, sir.

Pan. At whose pleasure, friend?

Serv. At mine, sir, and theirs that love music.

Pan. Command, I mean, friend.[1534]

Serv. Who shall I command, sir? 25

Pan. Friend, we understand not one another: I am
too courtly, and thou art too cunning. At whose request [1535]
do these men play?

Serv. That's to't, indeed, sir: marry, sir, at the request
of Paris my lord, who is there in person; with him, the [1536] 30
mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love's invisible [1537]
soul.[1538]

Pan. Who, my cousin Cressida?

Serv. No, sir, Helen: could not you find out that by [1539]
her attributes? 35

Pan. It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not seen [1540]
the Lady Cressida. I come to speak with Paris from the [1541]
Prince Troilus: I will make a complimental assault upon
him, for my business seethes.

Serv. Sodden business! there's a stewed phrase indeed![1542] 40

Enter Paris and Helen, attended.[1543]

Pan. Fair be to you, my lord, and to all this fair company!
fair desires, in all fair measure, fairly guide them!
especially to you, fair queen! fair thoughts be your fair
pillow!

Helen. Dear lord, you are full of fair words.[1544] 45

Pan. You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen. Fair
prince, here is good broken music.

Par. You have broke it, cousin: and, by my life, you [1545]
shall make it whole again; you shall piece it out with a
piece of your performance. Nell, he is full of harmony.[1546] 50

Pan. Truly, lady, no.

Helen. O, sir,—

Pan. Rude, in sooth; in good sooth, very rude.

Par. Well said, my lord! well, you say so in fits.[1547]

Pan. I have business to my lord, dear queen. My 55
lord, will you vouchsafe me a word?

Helen. Nay, this shall not hedge us out: we'll hear [1548]
you sing, certainly.

Pan. Well, sweet queen, you are pleasant with me.
But, marry, thus, my lord: my dear lord, and most esteemed 60
friend, your brother Troilus—

Helen. My Lord Pandarus; honey-sweet lord,—

Pan. Go to, sweet queen, go to:—commends himself [1549]
most affectionately to you—[1549]

Helen. You shall not bob us out of our melody: if you [1550] 65
do, our melancholy upon your head![1550]

Pan. Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet queen,
i' faith.[1551]

Helen. And to make a sweet lady sad is a sour offence.[1552]

Pan. Nay, that shall not serve your turn; that shall it [1553] 70
not, in truth, la. Nay, I care not for such words; no, no.[1553]
And, my lord, he desires you, that if the king call for him[1553]
at supper, you will make his excuse.[1553][1554]

Helen. My Lord Pandarus,—

Pan. What says my sweet queen, my very very sweet [1555] 75
queen?

Par. What exploit's in hand? where sups he to-night?[1556]

Helen. Nay, but, my lord,—

Pan. What says my sweet queen? My cousin will [1557][1558]
fall out with you. You must not know where he sups.[1557][1558][1559] 80

Par. I'll lay my life, with my disposer Cressida.[1557][1560][1561]

Pan. No, no, no such matter; you are wide: come,
your disposer is sick.[1561]

Par. Well, I'll make excuse.[1562]

Pan. Ay, good my lord. Why should you say Cressida? 85
no, your poor disposer's sick.[1561][1563]

Par. I spy.[1564]

Pan. You spy! what do you spy? Come, give me an
instrument. Now, sweet queen.[1565]

Helen. Why, this is kindly done.[1566] 90

Pan. My niece is horribly in love with a thing you [1567]
have, sweet queen.

Helen. She shall have it, my lord, if it be not my lord
Paris.

Pan. He! no, she'll none of him; they two are twain.[1568] 95

Helen. Falling in, after falling out, may make them three.

Pan. Come, come, I'll hear no more of this; I'll sing
you a song now.

Helen. Ay, ay, prithee now. By my troth, sweet lord,[1569]
thou hast a fine forehead. 100

Pan. Ay, you may, you may.[1570]

Helen. Let thy song be love: this love will undo us all.
O Cupid, Cupid, Cupid!

Pan. Love! ay, that it shall, i'faith.

Par. Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love. 105

Pan. In good troth, it begins so. [Sings.[1571]

Love, love, nothing but love, still more![1572]
For, O, love's bow [1573]
Shoots buck and doe:[1573][1574]
The shaft confounds,[1575][1576] 110
Not that it wounds,[1575]
But tickles still the sore.
These lovers cry Oh! oh! they die:[1577]
Yet that which seems the wound to kill,[1578]
Doth turn oh! oh! to ha! ha! he![1577][1579] 115
So dying love lives still:
Oh! oh! a while, but ha! ha! ha![1577]
Oh! oh! groans out for ha! ha! ha![1577]

Heigh-ho![1580]

Helen. In love, i'faith, to the very tip of the nose. 120

Par. He eats nothing but doves, love, and that breeds [1581]
hot blood and hot blood begets hot thoughts and hot
thoughts beget hot deeds and hot deeds is love.[1582]

Pan. Is this the generation of love? hot blood, hot [1583]
thoughts and hot deeds? Why, they are vipers: is love a[1583][1584] 125
generation of vipers? Sweet lord, who's afield to-day?[1583][1585]

Par. Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all
the gallantry of Troy: I would fain have armed to-day, but [1586]
my Nell would not have it so. How chance my brother
Troilus went not? 130

Helen. He hangs the lip at something: you know all,
Lord Pandarus.

Pan. Not I, honey-sweet queen. I long to hear how
they sped to-day. You'll remember your brother's excuse?

Par. To a hair. 135

Pan. Farewell, sweet queen.

Helen. Commend me to your niece.

Pan. I will, sweet queen. [Exit.

[A retreat sounded.[1587]

Par. They're come from field: let us to Priam's hall,[1588]
To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo you 140
To help unarm our Hector: his stubborn buckles,
With these your white enchanting fingers touch'd,[1589]
Shall more obey than to the edge of steel
Or force of Greekish sinews; you shall do more
Than all the island kings,—disarm great Hector. 145

Helen. 'Twill make us proud to be his servant, Paris;[1590]
Yea, what he shall receive of us in duty
Gives us more palm in beauty than we have,
Yea, overshines ourself.

Par. Sweet, above thought I love thee. [Exeunt.[1591] 150

Scene II. An orchard to Pandarus' house.

Enter Pandarus and Troilus' Boy, meeting.[1592]

Pan. How now! where's thy master? at my cousin [1593]
Cressida's?

Boy. No, sir; he stays for you to conduct him thither.[1594]

Pan. O, here he comes.

Enter Troilus.

How now, how now! 5

Tro. Sirrah, walk off. [Exit Boy.[1595]

Pan. Have you seen my cousin?

Tro. No, Pandarus: I stalk about her door,
Like a strange soul upon the Stygian banks [1596]
Staying for waftage. O, be thou my Charon, 10
And give me swift transportance to those fields [1597]
Where I may wallow in the lily-beds
Proposed for the deserver! O gentle Pandarus,[1598]
From Cupid's shoulder pluck his painted wings,
And fly with me to Cressid! 15

Pan. Walk here i' the orchard, I'll bring her straight.

[Exit.[1599]

Tro. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.[1600]
The imaginary relish is so sweet
That it enchants my sense: what will it be,[1601]
When that the watery palates taste indeed [1602] 20
Love's thrice repured nectar? death, I fear me,[1603]
Swounding destruction, or some joy too fine,[1604]
Too subtle-potent, tuned too sharp in sweetness,[1605]
For the capacity of my ruder powers:[1606]
I fear it much, and I do fear besides 25
That I shall lose distinction in my joys,
As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps
The enemy flying.

Re-enter Pandarus.[1607]

Pan. She's making her ready, she'll come straight:
you must be witty now. She does so blush, and fetches 30
her wind so short, as if she were frayed with a sprite: I'll [1608]
fetch her. It is the prettiest villain: she fetches her breath [1609]
as short as a new-ta'en sparrow. [Exit.[1610]

Tro. Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom:
My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse; 35
And all my powers do their bestowing lose,
Like vassalage at unawares encountering [1611]
The eye of majesty.

Re-enter Pandarus with Cressida.[1612]

Pan. Come, come, what need you blush? shame's a [1613]
baby. Here she is now: swear the oaths now to her that 40
you have sworn to me. What, are you gone again? you
must be watched ere you be made tame, must you? Come
your ways, come your ways; an you draw backward, we'll [1614]
put you i' the fills. Why do you not speak to her? Come,[1615]
draw this curtain, and let's see your picture. Alas the day,[1616] 45
how loath you are to offend daylight! an 'twere dark, you'ld
close sooner. So, so; rub on, and kiss the mistress. How
now! a kiss in fee-farm! build there, carpenter; the air is
sweet. Nay, you shall fight your hearts out ere I part you.
The falcon as the tercel, for all the ducks i' the river: go [1617] 50
to, go to.

Tro. You have bereft me of all words, lady.

Pan. Words pay no debts, give her deeds: but she'll
bereave you o' the deeds too, if she call your activity in [1618]
question. What, billing again? Here's 'In witness whereof [1619] 55
the parties interchangeably'—Come in, come in: I'll go get[1619]
a fire. [Exit.[1620]

Cres. Will you walk in, my lord?

Tro. O Cressida, how often have I wished me thus![1621]

Cres. Wished, my lord?—The gods grant—O my lord![1622] 60

Tro. What should they grant? what makes this pretty
abruption? What too curious dreg espies my sweet lady [1623]
in the fountain of our love?

Cres. More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes.[1624]

Tro. Fears make devils of cherubins; they never see truly.[1625] 65

Cres. Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer [1626]
footing than blind reason stumbling without fear: to fear
the worst oft cures the worse.[1627]

Tro. O, let my lady apprehend no fear: in all Cupid's [1628]
pageant there is presented no monster.[1628] 70

Cres. Nor nothing monstrous neither?[1629]

Tro. Nothing, but our undertakings; when we vow to [1630]
weep seas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame tigers; thinking it
harder for our mistress to devise imposition enough than
for us to undergo any difficulty imposed. This is the monstruosity [1631] 75
in love, lady, that the will is infinite and the
execution confined, that the desire is boundless and the
act a slave to limit.

Cres. They say, all lovers swear more performance than
they are able, and yet reserve an ability that they never 80
perform, vowing more than the perfection of ten and discharging
less than the tenth part of one. They that have the
voice of lions and the act of hares, are they not monsters?

Tro. Are there such? such are not we: praise us as we
are tasted, allow us as we prove; our head shall go bare till 85
merit crown it: no perfection in reversion shall have a praise [1632]
in present: we will not name desert before his birth, and,
being born, his addition shall be humble. Few words to
fair faith: Troilus shall be such to Cressid as what envy
can say worst shall be a mock for his truth, and what [1633] 90
truth can speak truest, not truer than Troilus.

Cres. Will you walk in, my lord?

Re-enter Pandarus.[1634]

Pan. What, blushing still? have you not done talking [1635]
yet?

Cres. Well, uncle, what folly I commit, I dedicate to 95
you.

Pan. I thank you for that: if my lord get a boy of you,
you'll give him me. Be true to my lord: if he flinch, chide
me for it.

Tro. You know now your hostages; your uncle's word 100
and my firm faith.

Pan. Nay, I 'll give my word for her too: our kindred,
though they be long ere they are wooed, they are constant [1636]
being won: they are burs, I can tell you; they'll stick
where they are thrown. 105

Cres. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me heart.[1637]
Prince Troilus, I have loved you night and day[1637]
For many weary months.[1637]

Tro. Why was my Cressid then so hard to win?

Cres. Hard to seem won: but I was won, my lord, 110
With the first glance that ever—pardon me;[1638]
If I confess much, you will play the tyrant.
I love you now; but not, till now, so much [1639]
But I might master it: in faith, I lie;
My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown [1640] 115
Too headstrong for their mother. See, we fools!
Why have I blabb'd? who shall be true to us,
When we are so unsecret to ourselves?
But, though I loved you well, I woo'd you not;
And yet, good faith, I wish'd myself a man, 120
Or that we women had men's privilege [1641]
Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue;
For in this rapture I shall surely speak
The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence,[1642]
Cunning in dumbness, from my weakness draws [1643] 125
My very soul of counsel! Stop my mouth.[1644]

Tro. And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence.[1645]

Pan. Pretty, i' faith.

Cres. My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me;
'Twas not my purpose thus to beg a kiss: 130
I am ashamed; O heavens! what have I done?
For this time will I take my leave, my lord.

Tro. Your leave, sweet Cressid?[1646]

Pan. Leave! an you take leave till to-morrow morning—[1647]

Cres. Pray you, content you.[1648] 135

Tro. What offends you, lady?[1648]

Cres. Sir, mine own company.[1648]

Tro. You cannot shun yourself.[1648][1649]

Cres. Let me go and try:[1648][1650]
I have a kind of self resides with you,[1651] 140
But an unkind self that itself will leave
To be another's fool. I would be gone:[1652]
Where is my wit? I know not what I speak.[1652]

Tro. Well know they what they speak that speak so wisely.[1653]

Cres. Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love,[1654] 145
And fell so roundly to a large confession
To angle for your thoughts: but you are wise;[1655]
Or else you love not, for to be wise and love[1655][1656]
Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.[1657]

Tro. O that I thought it could be in a woman— 150
As, if it can, I will presume in you—[1658]
To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;[1659]
To keep her constancy in plight and youth,
Outliving beauty's outward, with a mind [1660]
That doth renew swifter than blood decays! 155
Or that persuasion could but thus convince me,[1661]
That my integrity and truth to you
Might be affronted with the match and weight
Of such a winnowed purity in love;[1662]
How were I then uplifted! but, alas! 160
I am as true as truth's simplicity
And simpler than the infancy of truth.

Cres. In that I'll war with you.

Tro. O virtuous fight,
When right with right wars who shall be most right![1663]
True swains in love shall in the world to come [1664] 165
Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes,[1665]
Full of protest, of oath and big compare,
Want similes, truth tired with iteration,[1666]
'As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,[1667]
As sun to day, as turtle to her mate, 170
As iron to adamant, as earth to the centre,'
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,[1668]
As truth's authentic author to be cited,[1669]
'As true as Troilus' shall crown up the verse [1670]
And sanctify the numbers.

Cres. Prophet may you be! 175
If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,
When time is old and hath forgot itself,[1671]
When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy,
And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up,
And mighty states characterless are grated 180
To dusty nothing, yet let memory,
From false to false, among false maids in love,
Upbraid my falsehood! when they've said 'as false [1672]
As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth,[1673]
As fox to lamb, or wolf to heifer's calf,[1674] 185
Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son,'
'Yea,' let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood,
'As false as Cressid.'

Pan. Go to, a bargain made: seal it, seal it; I'll be the
witness. Here I hold your hand; here my cousin's. If ever [1675] 190
you prove false one to another, since I have taken such pains [1676]
to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called
to the world's end after my name; call them all Pandars;
let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids,[1677]
and all brokers-between Pandars! Say 'amen.' 195

Tro. Amen.

Cres. Amen.

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber [1678]
with a bed; which bed, because it shall not speak of your[1678]
pretty encounters, press it to death: away![1679] 200

[Exeunt Tro. and Cres.

The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 6 of 9]

About This Book

ACT III.

Scene I. Troy. A room in Priam's palace.

Scene II. An orchard to Pandarus' house.