ARKCODEX
Act III, Scene 1
1Troy. Priam’s palace.
2Enter a Servant and Pandarus.
3PandarusFriend, you! pray you, a word: do not you follow the young Lord Paris?
4ServantAy, sir, when he goes before me.
5PandarusYou depend upon him, I mean?
6ServantSir, I do depend upon the lord.
7PandarusYou depend upon a noble gentleman; I must needs praise him.
8ServantThe lord be praised!
9PandarusYou know me, do you not?
10ServantFaith, sir, superficially.
11PandarusFriend, know me better; I am the Lord Pandarus.
12ServantI hope I shall know your honour better.
13PandarusI do desire it.
14ServantYou are in the state of grace.
15PandarusGrace! not so, friend; honour and lordship are my titles. Music within. What music is this?
16ServantI do but partly know, sir: it is music in parts.
17PandarusKnow you the musicians?
18ServantWholly, sir.
19PandarusWho play they to?
20ServantTo the hearers, sir.
21PandarusAt whose pleasure, friend
22ServantAt mine, sir, and theirs that love music.
23PandarusCommand, I mean, friend.
24ServantWho shall I command, sir?
25PandarusFriend, we understand not one another: I am too courtly and thou art too cunning. At whose request do these men play?
26ServantThat’s to’t indeed, sir: marry, sir, at the request of Paris my lord, who’s there in person; with him, the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love’s invisible soul—
27PandarusWho, my cousin Cressida?
28ServantNo, sir, Helen: could you not find out that by her attributes?
29PandarusIt 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.
30ServantSodden business! there’s a stewed phrase indeed!
31Enter Paris and Helen, attended.
32PandarusFair 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!
33HelenDear lord, you are full of fair words.
34PandarusYou speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen. Fair prince, here is good broken music.
35ParisYou 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.
36PandarusTruly, lady, no.
37HelenO, sir—
38PandarusRude, in sooth; in good sooth, very rude.
39ParisWell said, my lord! well, you say so in fits.
40PandarusI have business to my lord, dear queen. My lord, will you vouchsafe me a word?
41HelenNay, this shall not hedge us out: we’ll hear you sing, certainly.
42PandarusWell, sweet queen, you are pleasant with me. But, marry, thus, my lord: my dear lord and most esteemed friend, your brother Troilus—
43HelenMy Lord Pandarus; honey-sweet lord—
44PandarusGo to, sweet queen, to go:—commends himself most affectionately to you—
45HelenYou shall not bob us out of our melody: if you do, our melancholy upon your head!
46PandarusSweet queen, sweet queen! that’s a sweet queen, i’ faith.
47HelenAnd to make a sweet lady sad is a sour offence.
48PandarusNay, that shall not serve your turn; that shall 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.
49HelenMy Lord Pandarus—
50PandarusWhat says my sweet queen, my very very sweet queen?
51ParisWhat exploit’s in hand? where sups he to-night?
52HelenNay, but, my lord—
53PandarusWhat says my sweet queen? My cousin will fall out with you. You must not know where he sups.
54ParisI’ll lay my life, with my disposer Cressida.
55PandarusNo, no, no such matter; you are wide: come, your disposer is sick.
56ParisWell, I’ll make excuse.
57PandarusAy, good my lord. Why should you say Cressida? no, your poor disposer’s sick.
58ParisI spy.
59PandarusYou spy! what do you spy? Come, give me an instrument. Now, sweet queen.
60HelenWhy, this is kindly done.
61PandarusMy niece is horribly in love with a thing you have, sweet queen.
62HelenShe shall have it, my lord, if it be not my lord Paris.
63PandarusHe! no, she’ll none of him; they two are twain.
64HelenFalling in, after falling out, may make them three.
65PandarusCome, come, I’ll hear no more of this; I’ll sing you a song now.
66HelenAy, ay, prithee now. By my troth, sweet lord, thou hast a fine forehead.
67PandarusAy, you may, you may.
68HelenLet thy song be love: this love will undo us all. O Cupid, Cupid, Cupid!
69PandarusLove! ay, that it shall, i’ faith.
70ParisAy, good now, love, love, nothing but love.
71PandarusIn good troth, it begins so. Sings.
Love, love, nothing but love, still more!
For, O, love’s bow
Shoots buck and doe:
The shaft confounds,
Not that it wounds,
But tickles still the sore.
These lovers cry Oh! oh! they die!
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!
Heigh-ho!
72HelenIn love, i’ faith, to the very tip of the nose.
73ParisHe 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.
74PandarusIs 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 afield to-day?
75ParisHector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the gallantry of Troy: I would fain have armed to-day, but my Nell would not have it so. How chance my brother Troilus went not?
76HelenHe hangs the lip at something: you know all, Lord Pandarus.
77PandarusNot I, honey-sweet queen. I long to hear how they sped to-day. You’ll remember your brother’s excuse?
78ParisTo a hair.
79PandarusFarewell, sweet queen.
80HelenCommend me to your niece.
81PandarusI will, sweet queen. Exit. A retreat sounded.
82ParisThey’re 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.
83Helen’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.
84ParisSweet, above thought I love thee. Exeunt.