SCENE I.
TROY.
The Palace.
Enter Pandarus, and a Servant.
[Musick within.
Pan.
Friend! you! pray you, a word: Do not
you follow the young lord Paris?
Serv.
Ay, sir, when he goes before me.
Pan.
You do depend upon him, I mean?
Serv.
Sir, I do depend upon the lord.
Pan.
You do depend upon a noble gentleman; I
must needs praise him.
Serv.
The lord be praised!
Pan.
You know me, do you not?
-- 71 --
Serv.
'Faith, sir, superficially.
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?
Pan.
Grace! not so, friend; honour and lordship
are my titles:—What musick is this?
Serv.
I do but partly know, sir; it is musick in
parts.
Pan.
Know you the musicians?
Serv.
Wholly, sir.
Pan.
Who play they to?
Serv.
To the hearers, sir.
Pan.
At whose pleasure, friend?
Serv.
At mine, sir, and theirs that love musick.
Pan.
Command, I mean, friend.
Serv.
Who shall I command, sir?
Pan
Friend, we understand not one another; I am
too courtly, and thou art too cunning: At whose request
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 mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty,
4 notelove's invisible soul,—
Pan.
Who, my cousin Cressida?
Serv.
No, sir, Helen; Could you not find out that
by her attributes?
Pan.
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 seeths.
Serv.
Sodden business! there's a stew'd phrase, indeed!
-- 72 --
Enter Paris, and Helen, attended.
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.
Pan.
You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen.—
Fair prince, here is good broken musick.
Par.
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:—Nell, he is full
of harmony.
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 5 note
in fits.
Pan.
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.
Pan.
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,—
Pan.
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!
-- 73 --
Pan.
Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet
queen, i'faith.
Helen.
And to make a sweet lady sad, is a sour
offence.
Pan.
Nay, that shall not serve your turn; that
shall it not, in truth, la. Nay, I care not for such
words; no, no.—6 noteAnd, my lord, he desires you, that,
if the king call for him at supper, you will make his
excuse.
Helen.
My lord Pandarus,—
Pan.
What says my sweet queen; my very very
sweet queen?
Pan note.
What exploit's in hand? where sups he tonight?
Helen.
Nay, but my lord,—
Pan.
What says my sweet queen? My cousin will
fall out with you.
Helen.
You must not know where he sups.
Par.
I'll lay my life, 7 note
with my disposer Cressida.9Q1020
Pan.
No, no, no such matter, you are wide; come,
your disposer is sick.
-- 74 --
Par.
Well, I'll make excuse.
Pan.
Ay, good my lord. Why should you say—
Cressida? no, your poor disposer's sick.
Par.
I spy8 note.
Pan.
You spy! what do you spy?—Come, give me
an instrument.—Now, sweet queen.
Helen.
Why, this is kindly done.
Pan.
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.
Pan.
He! no, she'll none of him; they two are
twain.
Helen.
Falling in, after falling out9 note, may make
them three.
Pan.
Come, come, I'll hear no more of this; I'll
sing you a song now.
Helen.
Ay, ay, pr'ythee now. By my troth, 1 notesweet
lord, thou hast a fine forehead.
Pan.
Ay, you may, you may.
Helen.
Let thy song be love: this love will undo
us all. Oh, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid!
Pan.
Love! ay, that it shall, i'faith.
Par.
Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love.
Pan.
In good troth, it begins so:
Love, love, nothing but love, still more!
For, oh, love's bow
Shoots buck and doe:
The shaft confounds
Not that it wounds2 note,
But tickles still the sore.
-- 75 --
These lovers cry—Oh! oh! they die!
3 note
Yet that which seems the wound to kill,
Doth turn oh! oh! to ha! ha! he!
So dying love lives still:
Oh! oh! a while, but ha! ha! ha!
Oh! oh! groans out for ha! ha! ha!
Hey ho!
Helen.
In love, i'faith, to the very tip of the nose.
Par.
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.
Pan.
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 to-day?
Par.
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.
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.
Pan.
Farewel, sweet queen.
Helen.
Commend me to your niece.
-- 76 --
Pan.
I will, sweet queen.
[Exit. Sound a retreat.
Par.
They are come from 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, over-shines ourself.
Par.
Sweet, above thought I love thee.
[Exeunt.
Samuel Johnson [1778], The plays of William Shakspeare. In ten volumes. With the corrections and illustrations of various commentators; to which are added notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. The second edition, Revised and Augmented (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10901].