How now, where's thy master? At my cousin 1634Cressida's?

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

Oh, here he comes. -- How now, how now?

[To his Man]Sirrah, walk off.

Have you seen my cousin?

No, Pandarus. I stalk about her door,

3.2.71641Like a strange soul upon the Stygian banks,

3.2.81642Staying for waftage. O be thou my Charon,

3.2.91643And give me swift transportance to those fields

3.2.101644Where I may wallow in the lily-beds

3.2.111645Proposed for the deserver. O gentle Pandarus,

3.2.121646From Cupid's shoulder pluck his painted wings

3.2.131647And fly with me to Cressid.

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

I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.

3.2.161651Th'imaginary relish is so sweet

3.2.171652That it enchants my sense. What will it be

3.2.181653When that the wat'ry palates taste indeed

3.2.191654Love's thrice-reputed nectar? Death, I fear me,

3.2.201655Sounding destruction, or some joy too fine,

3.2.211656Too subtle, potent, and too sharp in sweetness,

3.2.221657For the capacity of my ruder powers;

3.2.231658I fear it much, and I do fear besides

3.2.241659That I shall lose distinction in my joys,

3.2.251660As doth a battle when they charge on heaps,

3.2.261661The enemy flying.

She's making her ready; she'll come straight. You 1663must be witty now; she does so blush, and fetches her wind 1664so short, as if she were 'fraid with a spirit. I'll fetch her. It 1665is the prettiest villain. She fetches her breath so short as a 1666new-ta'en sparrow.

Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom.

3.2.291668My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse,

3.2.301669And all my powers do their bestowing lose,

3.2.311670Like vassalage at unawares encount'ring

3.2.321671The eye of majesty.

Come, come, what need you blush? 1674Shame's a baby. -- [To Troilus] Here she is now; swear the oaths now 1675to her that you have sworn to me. -- [To Cressida] What, are you gone 1676again? [Cressida pulls away.] You must be watched ere you be made tame, must 1677you? Come your ways; come your ways; an you draw 1678backward we'll put you i'th'fills. -- [To Troilus] Why do you not speak 1679to her? -- [To Cressida] Come draw this curtain, and let's see your picture. [Pandarus unveils Cressida.] 1680Alas the day, how loath you are to offend daylight. An 1681'twere dark, you'd close sooner. So, so, rub on, and kiss 1682the mistress. [They neck and pet.] How now, a kiss in fee-farm? Build there, 1683carpenter; the air is sweet. Nay, you shall fight your 1684hearts out ere I part you. The falcon as the tercel, for 1685all the ducks i'th'river. Go to, go to.

You have bereft me of all words, lady.

Words pay no debts; give her deeds. But she'll 1688bereave you o'th'deeds too, if she call your activity in 1689question. What, billing again? Here's "in witness 1690whereof the parties interchangeably --" Come in; come in. I'll go 1691get a fire.

Will you walk in, my lord?

O Cressida, how often have I wished me thus?

Wished, my lord? The gods grant -- O my lord.

What should they grant? What makes this 1696pretty abruption? What too curious dreg espies my sweet 1697lady in the fountain of our love?

More dregs than water, if my tears have eyes.

Fears make devils of cherubins; they never see 1700truly.

Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer 1702footing than blind reason, stumbling without fear. To 1703fear the worst oft cures the worse.

Oh, let my lady apprehend no fear; 1705in all Cupid's pageant there is presented no monster.

Nor nothing monstrous neither?

Nothing, but our undertakings, when we vow 1708to weep seas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame tigers, 1709thinking it harder for our mistress to devise imposition 1710enough than for us to undergo any difficulty imposed. 1711This is the monstruosity in love, lady, that the will is 1712infinite, and the execution confined, that the desire is 1713boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

They say all lovers swear more performance 1715than they are able, and yet reserve an ability that they 1716never perform, vowing more than the perfection of ten, 1717and discharging less than the tenth part of one. They 1718that have the voice of lions and the act of hares, are 1719they not monsters?

Are there such? Such are not we. Praise us as we 1721are tasted; allow us as we prove. Our head shall go bare 1722till merit crown it; no perfection in reversion shall have 1723a praise in present. We will not name desert before his 1724birth, and, being born, his addition shall be 1725humble. Few words to fair faith. Troilus shall be such to Cressid as 1726what envy can say worst shall be a mock for his truth, 1727and what truth can speak truest: "not truer than 1728Troylus."

Will you walk in, my lord?

What, blushing still? Have you not done talking 1732yet?

Well, uncle, what folly I commit, I dedicate 1734to you.

I thank you for that. If my lord get a boy of 1736you, you'll give him me. Be true to my lord; if he flinch, 1737chide me for it.

[To Cressida] You know now your hostages: your uncle's word 1739and my firm faith.

Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kindred, 1741though they be long ere they are wooed, they are 1742constant being won; they are burs, I can tell you; they'll 1743stick where they are thrown.

Boldness comes to me now, and brings me 1745heart. Prince Troilus, I have loved you night and day for 1746many weary months.

Why was my Cressid then so hard to win?

Hard to seem won, but I was won, my lord,

3.2.571749With the first glance that ever -- pardon me.

3.2.581750If I confess much, you will play the tyrant.

3.2.591751I love you now, but not till now so much

3.2.601752But I might master it; in faith, I lie.

3.2.611753My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown

3.2.621754Too headstrong for their mother. See? We fools.

3.2.631755Why have I blabbed? Who shall be true to us

3.2.641756When we are so unsecret to ourselves?

3.2.651757But though I loved you well, I wooed you not,

3.2.661758And yet, good faith, I wished myself a man,

3.2.671759Or that we women had men's privilege

3.2.681760Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue,

3.2.691761For in this rapture I shall surely speak

3.2.701762The thing I shall repent. See, see? Your silence,

3.2.711763Coming in dumbness, from my weakness draws

3.2.721764My soul of counsel from me. Stop, my mouth.

And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence.

Pretty, i'faith.

[To Troilus]My lord, I do beseech you pardon me.

3.2.761768'Twas not my purpose thus to beg a kiss.

3.2.771769I am ashamed. O heavens, what have I done?

3.2.781770For this time will I take my leave, my lord.

Your leave, sweet Cressid?

Leave? And you take leave till tomorrow 1773morning --

Pray you, content you.

Pray you, content you. What offends you, lady?

Sir, mine own company.

Sir, mine own company. You cannot shun yourself.

Let me go and try.

3.2.841779I have a kind of self resides with you,

3.2.851780But an unkind self, that itself will leave

3.2.861781To be another's fool. Where is my wit?

3.2.871782I would be gone. I speak I know not what.

Well know they what they speak that speaks 1784so wisely.

Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love,

3.2.901786And fell so roundly to a large confession

3.2.911787To angle for your thoughts; but you are wise,

3.2.921788Or else you love not, for to be wise and love

3.2.931789Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.

Oh, that I thought it could be in a woman

3.2.951791(As, if it can, I will presume in you)

3.2.961792To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love,

3.2.971793To keep her constancy in plight and youth,

3.2.981794Outliving beauty's outward, with a mind

3.2.991795That doth renew swifter than blood decays,

3.2.1001796Or that persuasion could but thus convince me

3.2.1011797That my integrity and truth to you

3.2.1021798Might be affronted with the match and weight

3.2.1031799Of such a winnowed purity in love.

3.2.1041800How were I then uplifted. But, alas,

3.2.1051801I am as true as truth's simplicity

3.2.1061802And simpler than the infancy of truth.

In that I'll war with you.

In that I'll war with you. O virtuous fight,

3.2.1081805When right with right wars who shall be most right.

3.2.1091806True swains in love shall in the world to come

3.2.1101807Approve their truths by Troilus. When their times,

3.2.1111808Full of protest, of oath and big compare,

3.2.1121809Wants similes (truth tired with iteration) --

3.2.1131810"As true as steel," "as plantage to the moon,"

3.2.1141811"As sun to day," "as turtle to her mate,"

3.2.1151812"As iron to adamant," "as earth to th'center" --

3.2.1161813Yet, after all comparisons of truth --

3.2.1171814As truth's authentic author to be cited --

3.2.1181815"As true as Troilus" shall crown up the verse

3.2.1191816And sanctify the numbers.

And sanctify the numbers. Prophet may you be.

3.2.1201818If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,

3.2.1211819When time is old and hath forgot itself,

3.2.1221820When water-drops have worn the stones of Troy,

3.2.1231821And blind oblivion swallowed cities up,

3.2.1241822And mighty states characterless are grated

3.2.1251823To dusty nothing, yet let memory,

3.2.1261824From false to false among false maids in love,

3.2.1271825Upbraid my falsehood. When they've said, "As false

3.2.1281826As air, as water, as wind, as sandy earth,

3.2.1291827As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,

3.2.1301828Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son,"

3.2.1311829Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood,

3.2.1321830"As false as Cressid."

Go to, a bargain made. Seal it. Seal it. I'll 1832be the witness. Here I hold your hand; here, my cousin's. 1833If ever you prove false one to another, since I have taken 1834such pains to bring you together, let all 1835pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end after my name: call 1836them all Pandars. Let all constant men be Troiluses, all 1837false women Cressids, and all brokers-between panders. 1838Say "Amen."

Amen.

Amen.

Amen. 1842Whereupon I will show you a chamber, which bed, 1843because it shall not speak of your pretty encounters, press 1844it to death. Away.

3.2.1371845And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here,

3.2.1381846Bed, chamber, and pander to provide this gear.