Troilus and Cressida — Act 3
Music sounds within.
Enter PANDARUS and a SERVANT PANDARUS.
Friend, you-pray you, a word.
Do you not follow the young Lord Paris?
SERVANT.
Ay, sir, when he goes before me.
PANDARUS.
You depend upon him, I mean?
SERVANT.
Sir, I do depend upon the lord.
PANDARUS.
You depend upon a notable gentleman; I must needs praise him.
SERVANT.
The lord be praised!
PANDARUS.
You know me, do you not?
SERVANT.
Faith, sir, superficially.
PANDARUS.
Friend, know me better: I am the Lord Pandarus.
SERVANT.
I hope I shall know your honour better.
PANDARUS.
I do desire it.
SERVANT.
You are in the state of grace.
PANDARUS.
Grace!
Not so, friend; honour and lordship are my titles.
What music is this?
SERVANT.
I do but partly know, sir; it is music in parts.
PANDARUS.
Know you the musicians?
SERVANT.
Wholly, sir.
PANDARUS.
Who play they to?
SERVANT.
To the hearers, sir.
PANDARUS.
At whose pleasure, friend?
SERVANT.
At mine, sir, and theirs that love music.
PANDARUS.
Command, I mean, friend.
SERVANT.
Who shall I command, sir?
PANDARUS.
Friend, we understand not one another: I am too courtly, and thou art too cunning.
At whose request do these men play?
SERVANT.
That's to't, indeed, sir.
Marry, sir, at the request of Paris my lord, who is there in person; with him the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love's invisible soul- PANDARUS.
Who, my cousin, Cressida?
SERVANT.
No, sir, Helen.
Could not you find out that by her attributes?
PANDARUS.
It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not seen the Lady Cressida.
I come to speak with Paris from the Prince Troilus; I will make a complimental assault upon him, for my business seethes.
SERVANT.
Sodden business!
There's a stew'd phrase indeed!
Enter PARIS and HELEN, attended PANDARUS.
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.
PANDARUS.
You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen.
Fair prince, here is good broken music.
PARIS.
You have broke it, cousin; and by my life, you shall make it whole again; you shall piece it out with a piece of your performance.
HELEN.
He is full of harmony.
PANDARUS.
Truly, lady, no. HELEN.
O, sir- PANDARUS.
Rude, in sooth; in good sooth, very rude.
PARIS.
Well said, my lord.
Well, you say so in fits.
PANDARUS.
I have business to my lord, dear queen.
My lord, will you vouchsafe me a word?
HELEN.
Nay, this shall not hedge us out.
We'll hear you sing, certainly- PANDARUS.
Well sweet queen, you are pleasant with me.
But, marry, thus, my lord: my dear lord and most esteemed friend, your brother Troilus- HELEN.
My Lord Pandarus, honey-sweet lord- PANDARUS.
Go to, sweet queen, go to-commends himself most affectionately to you- HELEN.
You shall not bob us out of our melody.
If you do, our melancholy upon your head!
PANDARUS.
Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet queen, i' faith.
HELEN.
And to make a sweet lady sad is a sour offence.
PANDARUS.
Nay, that shall not serve your turn; that shall it not, in truth, la.
Nay, I care not for such words; no, no. -And, my lord, he desires you that, if the King call for him at supper, you will make his excuse.
HELEN.
My Lord Pandarus!
PANDARUS.
What says my sweet queen, my very very sweet queen?
PARIS.
What exploit's in hand?
Where sups he to-night?
HELEN.
Nay, but, my lord- PANDARUS.
What says my sweet queen?
-My cousin will fall out with you.
HELEN.
You must not know where he sups.
PARIS.
I'll lay my life, with my disposer Cressida.
PANDARUS.
No, no, no such matter; you are wide.
Come, your disposer is sick.
PARIS.
Well, I'll make's excuse.
PANDARUS.
Ay, good my lord.
Why should you say Cressida?
No, your poor disposer's sick.
PARIS.
I spy.
PANDARUS.
You spy!
What do you spy?
-Come, give me an instrument.
Now, sweet queen.
HELEN.
Why, this is kindly done.
PANDARUS.
My niece is horribly in love with a thing you have, sweet queen.
HELEN.
She shall have it, my lord, if it be not my Lord Paris.
PANDARUS.
He!
No, she'll none of him; they two are twain.
HELEN.
Falling in, after falling out, may make them three.
PANDARUS.
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, thou hast a fine forehead.
PANDARUS.
Ay, you may, you may.
HELEN.
Let thy song be love.
This love will undo us all.
O Cupid, Cupid, Cupid!
PANDARUS.
Love!
Ay, that it shall, i' faith.
PARIS.
Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love.
PANDARUS.
In good troth, it begins so.
[Sings] Love, love, nothing but love, still love, still more!
For, oh, love's bow Shoots buck and doe;
The shaft confounds Not that it wounds, But tickles still the sore.
These lovers cry, O ho, they die!
Yet that which seems the wound to kill Doth turn O ho!
to ha!
ha!
he!
So dying love lives still.
O ho!
a while, but ha!
ha!
ha!
O ho!
groans out for ha!
ha!
ha!
-hey ho!
HELEN.
In love, i' faith, to the very tip of the nose.
PARIS.
He eats nothing but doves, love; and that breeds hot blood, and hot blood begets hot thoughts, and hot thoughts beget hot deeds, and hot deeds is love.
PANDARUS.
Is this the generation of love: hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot deeds?
Why, they are vipers.
Is love a generation of vipers?
Sweet lord, who's a-field today?
PARIS.
Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the gallantry of Troy.
I would fain have arm'd to-day, but my Nell would not have it so.
How chance my brother Troilus went not?
HELEN.
He hangs the lip at something.
You know all, Lord Pandarus.
PANDARUS.
Not I, honey-sweet queen.
I long to hear how they spend to-day.
You'll remember your brother's excuse?
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 blind reason stumbling without fear.
To fear the worst oft cures the worse.
TROILUS.
