ULYSS. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet

composure;

Praise him that got thee, she that gave thee suck:
Famed be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature
Thrice-famed beyond, beyond all erudition:
But he that disciplined thine arms to fight,
Let Mars divide eternity in twain,
And give him half: and, for thy vigour,
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield

To sinewy Ajax. I will not praise thy wisdom,
Which, like a bourn, a pale, a shore, confines
Thy spacious and dilated parts: here 's Nestor,
Instructed by the antiquary times,

He must, he is, he cannot but be wise;
But pardon, father Nestor, were your days
As green as Ajax', and your brain so temper'd,
You should not have the eminence of him,

But be as Ajax.

AJAX.

Shall I call you father?

NEST. Ay, my good son.

DIO.

Be ruled by him, Lord Ajax.

ULYSS. There is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles

Keeps thicket. Please it our great general

To call together all his state of war:

Fresh kings are come to Troy: to-morrow

We must with all our main of power stand fast:

241 Milo] A type of athletic strength in classical mythology. Cf. Ovid's

Metam., XV, 229, seq.

his addition] his title, reputation.

243 bourn] boundary.

240

250

And here's a lord, come knights from east to west,
And cull their flower, Ajax shall cope the best.
AGAM. Go we to council. Let Achilles sleep:
Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw
deep.

[Exeunt.

A ROOM IN PRIAM'S PALACE

Enter PANDARUS and a Servant

RIEND, YOU, PRAY YOU, a word: do you not follow the young Lord Paris?

SERV. Ay, sir, when he goes before me.

PAN. You depend upon him, I mean?

SERV. Sir, I do depend upon the Lord.

PAN. You depend upon a noble gentleman; I must needs praise him.

SERV. The Lord be praised!

PAN. You know me, do you not?

SERV. Faith, sir, superficially.

PAN. Friend, know me better; I am the Lord Pan

darus.

10

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. [Music within] What music is this?

SERV. I do but partly know, sir: it is music 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 music.

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, love's invisible soul.

PAN. Who, my cousin Cressida ?

12-16 I hope I shall know . . are my titles] There is quibbling here. The servant first expresses a hope for Pandarus' spiritual betterment, and consolingly reflects that he is already in a state of grace, i.e., in the way of salvation. Thereupon Pandarus deprecates any claim to be addressed by the clerical title of "Your grace.

17 music in parts] concerted music. Cf. line 47, infra: "broken music." 29 to't] to the point.

31-32 love's invisible soul] the soul of (the goddess of) love, which mortal

eye cannot see.

20

32

SERV. No, sir, Helen: could not you 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 seethes.

SERV. Sodden business! there's a stewed phrase indeed!

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 music.

39

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. 50

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 in fits.

39 seethes] is at boiling point, is urgent.

40 Sodden business. phrase] an indelicate quibble on modes of curing venereal disease by means of sweating.

47 broken music] "music in parts," arranged for various instruments. Cf. line 17, supra.

54 in fits] capriciously, with a quibble on "fit" in the sense of a "stave"

of a song.