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PARIS.

To a hair.

PANDARUS.

Farewell, sweet queen.

HELEN.

Commend me to your niece.

PANDARUS.

I will, sweet queen. Exit. Sound a retreat

PARIS.

They're come from the field. Let us to Priam's hall

To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo you

To help unarm our Hector. His stubborn buckles,

With these your white enchanting fingers touch'd,

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.

HELEN.

'Twill make us proud to be his servant, Paris;

Yea, what he shall receive of us in duty

Gives us more palm in beauty than we have,

Yea, overshines ourself.

PARIS.

Sweet, above thought I love thee.

Exeunt

ACT III. SCENE 2. Troy. PANDARUS' orchard

Enter PANDARUS and TROILUS' BOY, meeting

PANDARUS.

How now! Where's thy master? At my cousin Cressida's?

BOY.

No, sir; he stays for you to conduct him thither.

Enter TROILUS

PANDARUS.

O, here he comes. How now, how now!

TROILUS.

Sirrah, walk off. Exit Boy

PANDARUS.

Have you seen my cousin?

TROILUS.

No, Pandarus. I stalk about her door

Like a strange soul upon the Stygian banks

Staying for waftage. O, be thou my Charon,

And give me swift transportance to these fields

Where I may wallow in the lily beds

Propos'd for the deserver! O gentle Pandar,

From Cupid's shoulder pluck his painted wings,

And fly with me to Cressid!

PANDARUS.

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

Exit

TROILUS. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.

Th' imaginary relish is so sweet

That it enchants my sense; what will it be

When that the wat'ry palate tastes indeed

Love's thrice-repured nectar? Death, I fear me;

Swooning destruction; or some joy too fine,

Too subtle-potent, tun'd too sharp in sweetness,

For the capacity of my ruder powers.

I fear it much; and I do fear besides

That I shall lose distinction in my joys;

As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps

The enemy flying.

Re-enter PANDARUS

PANDARUS.

She's making her ready, she'll come straight; you must be

witty now. She does so blush, and fetches her wind so short, as

if she were fray'd with a sprite. I'll fetch her. It is the

prettiest villain; she fetches her breath as short as a

new-ta'en sparrow.

Exit

TROILUS. Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom.

My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse,

And all my powers do their bestowing lose,

Like vassalage at unawares encount'ring

The eye of majesty.

Re-enter PANDARUS With CRESSIDA

PANDARUS.

Come, come, what need you blush? Shame's a baby.-Here she

is now; swear the oaths now to her that you have sworn to

me.-

What, are you gone again? You must be watch'd ere you be made

tame, must you? Come your ways, come your ways; an you draw

backward, we'll put you i' th' fills.-Why do you not speak to

her?-Come, draw this curtain and let's see your picture.

Alas the day, how loath you are to offend daylight! An 'twere

dark, you'd 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' th' river. Go to,

go to.

TROILUS.

You have bereft me of all words, lady.

PANDARUS.

Words pay no debts, give her deeds; but she'll bereave

you o' th' deeds too, if she call your activity in question.

What, billing again? Here's 'In witness whereof the parties

interchangeably.' Come in, come in; I'll go get a fire.

Exit

CRESSIDA. Will you walk in, my lord?

TROILUS.

O Cressid, how often have I wish'd me thus!

CRESSIDA.

Wish'd, my lord! The gods grant-O my lord!

TROILUS.

What should they grant? What makes this pretty abruption?

What too curious dreg espies my sweet lady in the fountain of our love?

CRESSIDA.

More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes.

TROILUS.

Fears make devils of cherubims; they never see truly.

CRESSIDA.

Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer footing

than