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 PANDARUS. Cre. Will you walk in, my lord?

Troi. O Creffida, how often have I wish'd me thus? Cre. Wifh'd, my lord?The gods grant!-O my lord!

Troi. What should they grant ? what makes this pretty abruption? What too curious dreg efpies my sweet lady in the fountain of our love?

Cre. More dregs than water, if my fears have eyes." Troi. Fears make devils of cherubims; they never fee truly.

Cre. Blind fear, that feeing reafon leads, finds fafer footing than blind reason stumbling without fear: To fear the worst, oft cures the worst.

Troi. O, let my lady apprehend no fear in all Cupid's pageant there is prefented no monster, Cre. Nor nothing monftrous neither?

Troi. Nothing, but our undertakings; when we vow to weep feas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame tygers; thinking it harder for our mistress to devife impofition enough, than for us to undergo any difficulty impofed. This is the monftruofity in love, lady, that the will is infinite, and the execution confin'd; that the defire is boundless, and the act a flave to limit.

Gre. They fay, all lovers fwear more performance than they are able, and yet reserve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection of ten, and difcharging lefs than the tenth part of one. They that have the voice of lions, and the act of hares, are they not monsters?

Aa III. Troi. Are there fuch? fuch are not we: Praife us as we are tafted, allow us as we prove; our head fhall go bare, 'till merit crown it: no perfection in reversion shall have a praise in present : we will not name defert, before his birth; and, being born, his addition fhall be humble. Few words to fair faith: Troilus fhall be fuch to Creffid, as what envy can say worst, shall be a mock for his truth; and what truth can speak trueft, not truer than Troilus.

Cre. Will you walk in, my lord?

Re-enter PANDARUS.

Pan. What, blushing still? have you not done talking yet?

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

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

Troi. You know now your hoftages; your uncle's word, and my firm faith.

Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too; our kindred, though they be long ere they are woo'd, they are conftant, being won: they are burrs, I can tell you; they'll stick where they are thrown. Cre. Boldness comes to me now, and brings me

heart :

Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day, For many weary months.

Troi. Why was my Creffid then so hard to win? Cre. Hard to feem won; but I was won, my lord, With the first glance that ever-Pardon me ;If I confefs much, you will play the tyrant.

I love you now; but not, till now, fo much
But I might mafter it :-in faith, I lie;
My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown
Too headstrong for their mother: See, we fools!
Why have I blabb'd? who fhall be true to us,
When we are fo unfecret to ourselves?
But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not;
And yet, good faith, I wifh'd myself a man;
Or, that we women had men's privilege
Of fpeaking firft. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue;
For, in this rapture, I fhall furely speak
The thing I fhall repent. See, fee, your filence,
Cunning in dumbnefs, from my weakness draws
My very foul of counfel! Stop my mouth.

Troi. And fhall, albeit fweet mufick iffues thence.
Pan. Pretty, i'faith.

Cre. My lord, I do befeech you, pardon me;
'Twas not my purpofe, thus to beg a kiss:
I am afham'd;-O heavens! what have I done?-
For this time will I take e my leave, my lord.
Troi. Your leave, fweet Creffid?

Pan. Leave! an you take leave till to-morrow morning.

Cre. Pray you, content you.
Troi. What offends you, lady?
Cre. Sir, mine own company.
Troi. You cannot shun yourself.
Cre. Let me go and try:

I have a kind of self refides with you;
But an unkind felf, that itself will leave,

To be another's fool. I would be gone :-
Where is my wit? I speak I know not what.
Troi. Well know they what they speak, that
Speak fo wifely.

F

Cres

Cre. Perchance, my lord, I fhew more craft than love;

;

And fell fo roundly to a large confeffion,
To angle for your thoughts: But you are wife
Or else you love not; For to be wife, and love,
Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.

Troi. O, that I thought it could be in a woman (As, if it can, I will prefume in you),

To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;
To keep her conftancy in plight and youth,
Out-living beauties outward, with a mind
That doth renew swifter than blood decays!
Or, that perfuafion could but thus convince me,-
That my integrity and truth to you

Might be affronted with the match and weight
Of fuch a winnow'd purity in love;
How were I then uplifted! but, alas,
I am as true as truth's fimplicity,
And fimpler than the infancy of truth.
Cre. In that I'll war with you.
Troi. O virtuous fight,

When right with right wars who fhall be most right!
True fwains in love fhall, in the world to come,
Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes,
Full of proteft, of oath, and big compare,
Want fimilies, truth tir'd with iteration,-
As true as fteel, as plantage to the moon,
As fun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as earth to the centre,-
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,

As truth's authentic author to be cited,
As true as Troilus fhall crown up the verfe,
And fanctify the numbers.

Cre. Prophet may you be !

If I be falfe, or fwerve a hair from truth,
When time is old and oath forgot itself,

When water-drops have worn the ftones of Troy,
And oblivion swallowed cities up,

And mighty states characterlefs are grated
To dufty nothing; yet let memory,

From falfe to falfe, among falfe maids in love,
Upbraid my falfehood! when they have faid-asfalfe
As air, as water, wind, or fandy earth,
As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,
Pard to the hind, or step-dame to her fon;
Yea, let them fay, to flick the heart of falsehood,
As falfe as Creffid.

Pan. Go to, a bargain made; feal it, feal it; I'll be the witnefs. Here I hold your hand; here, my coufin's. If ever you prove false to one another, fince I have taken fuch pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end after my name, call them all-Pandars; let all inconftant men be Troilus's, all falfe women Creflids, and all brokers-between Pandars! fay,

amen.

Troi. Amen.

Cre. Amen.

Pan. Amen. Whereupon I will fhew you a bedchamber; which bed, because it fhall not speak of your pretty encounters, press it to death: away. And Cupid grant all tongue-ty'd maidens here, Bed, chamber, Pandar to provide this gear! [Exeunt,