۱

PAN. Quoth she, Here's but one and fifty hairs on

your chin, and one of them is white.

CRES. This is her question.

PAN. That's true; make no question of that. One and fifty hairs, quoth he, and one white: That white hair is my father, and all the rest are his fons. Jupiter! quoth she, which of these hairs is Paris, my busband? The forked one, quoth he; pluck it out, and give it him. But, there was such laughing! and Helen so blush'd, and Paris so chafed, and all the rest so laugh'd, that it pass'd."

CRES. So let it now; for it has been a great while going by.

PAN. Well, cousin, I told you a thing yesterday; think on't.

CRES. SO I do.

PAN. I'll be sworn, 'tis true; he will weep you, an 'twere a man born in April.*

CRES. And I'll spring up in his tears, an 'twere a nettle against May. [A Retreat founded.

PAN. Hark, they are coming from the field: Shall we stand up here, and fee them, as they pass

8 One and fifty hairs,] [Old copies-Two and fifty.] I have ventured to substitute-One and fifty, I think with fome certainty. How else can the number make out Priam and his fifty fons?

THEOBALD.

9-that it pass'd.] i. e. that it went beyond bounds. So, in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Why this passes, master Ford." Cressida plays on the word, as used by Pandarus, by employing it herself in its common acceptation, STEEVENS.

2

an 'twere a man born in April.] i. e, as if 'twere, &c. So, in A Midsummer Night's Dream : " I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale."

The foregoing thought occurs also in Antony and Cleopatra :
"The April's in her eyes: it is love's spring,
" And these the showers to bring it on." STEEVENS.

i

:

toward Ilium? good niece, do; sweet niece Creffida.

CRES. At your pleasure.

PAN. Here, here, here's an excellent place; here we may fee most bravely: I'll tell you them all by their names, as they pass by; but mark Troilus above the rest.

ÆNEAS passes over the stage.

CRES. Speak not so loud.

PAN. That's Æneas; Is not that a brave man? he's one of the flowers of Troy, I can tell you; But mark Troilus; you shall fee anon.

CRES. Who's that?

ANTENOR passes over.

2

PAN. That's Antenor; he has a shrewd wit, I can tell you; and he's a man good enough: he's one o'the foundest judgements in Troy, whosoever,

3 That's Antenor; he has a shrewd wit,]

"Anthenor was

Copious in words, and one that much time spent
"To jest, when as he was in companie,
"So driely, that no man could it espie;
"And therewith held his countenaunce so well,
"That every man received great content
"To heare him speake, and pretty jests to tell,
"When he was pleasant, and in merriment:
"For tho' that he most commonly was fad,
"Yet in his speech some jest he always had."

Lydgate, p. 105. Such, in the hands of a rude English poet, is the grave Antenor, to whose wisdom it was thought necessary that the art of Ulyffes should be oppofed: Et moveo Priamum, Priamoque Antenora junctum.

and a proper man of perfon:-When comes Troi-lus? I'll show you Troilus anon; if he see me, you shall fee him nod at me.

CRES. Will he give you the nod?

PAN. You shall fee.

CRES. If he do, the rich shall have more.

HECTOR passes over.

4

PAN. That's Hector, that, that, look you, that; There's a fellow!-Go thy way, Hector;-There's a brave man, niece. - O brave Hector!-Look, how he looks! there's a countenance: Is't not a brave man?

CRES. O, a brave man!

PAN. Is 'a not? It does a man's heart goodLook you what hacks are on his helmet? look you yonder, do you fee? look you there! There's no jefting: there's laying on; take't off who will, as they say: there be hacks!

CRES. Be those with swords?

PARIS passes over.

PAN. Swords? any thing, he cares not: an the devil come to him, it's all one: By god's lid, it does one's heart good:-Yonder comes Paris, yon

4- the rich shall have more.) The allusion is to the word noddy, which, as now, did in our author's time, and long before, fignify a filly fellow, and may, by its etymology, fignify likewise full of nods. Creffid means, that a noddy shall have more nods. Of fuch remarks as these is a comment to confift? JOHNSON.

To give the nod, was, I believe, a term in the game at cards called Noddy. This game is perpetually alluded to in the old comedies. See Vol. III. p. 176, n. 7. STEEVENS,

der comes Paris: look ye yonder, niece; Is't not a gallant man too, is't not? Why, this is brave now. Who faid, he came hurt home to-day? he's not hurt: why, this will do Helen's heart good now. Ha! 'would I could fee Troilus now!-you shall fee Troilus anon.

CRES. Who's that?

HELENUS paffes over,

PAN. That's Helenus, -I marvel, where Troilus is:-That's Helenus ;-I think he went not forth, to-day :-That's Helenus.

CRES. Can Helenus fight, uncle?

PAN. Helenus? no;-yes, he'll fight indifferent well :-I marvel, where Troilus is!-Hark; do you not hear the people cry, Troilus? - Helenus is a prieft.

CRES. What sneaking fellow comes yonder?

TROILUS passes over.

PAN. Where? yonder? that's Deiphobus: 'Tis Troilus! there's a man, niece! - Hem!-Brave Troilus! the prince of chivalry!

CRE. Peace, for shame, peace!

PAN. Mark him; note him ;-O brave Troilus! -look well upon him, niece; look you, how his fword is bloody'd, and his helm more hack'd than

5

how his sword is bloody'd,] So, Lydgate describing

Troilus, in a couplet that reminds us of Dryden, or Pope: "He was fo ferse they might him not withstand, "When that he helde his blody fworde in hand." I always quote from the original poem, edit. 1555. MALONE.

Hector's; And how he looks, and how he goes !O admirable youth! he ne'er saw three and twenty. Go thy way Troilus, go thy way; had I a fifter were a grace, or a daughter a goddess, he should take his choice. O admirable man! Paris? - Paris is dirt to him; and, I warrant, Helen, to change, would give an eye to boot.1

Forces pafs over the stage.

CRES. Here come more.

PAN. Affes, fools, dolts! chaff and bran, chaff and bran! porridge after meat! I could live and die i'the eyes of Troilus. Ne'er look, ne'er look; the eagles are gone; crows and daws, crows and daws! I had rather be such a man as Troilus, than Agamemnon and all Greece.

CRES. There is among the Greeks, Achilles; a better man than Troilus.

PAN. Achilles? a drayman, a porter, a very camel.

CRES. Well, well.

PAN. Well, well?-Why, have you any difcretion? have you any eyes? Do you know what a man is? Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and falt that season a man?

6

CRES. Ay, a minced man: and then to be baked

bis helm more hack'd than Hector's ;) So, in Chaucer's Troilus and Creffeide, Book III. 640:

7

" His helme to hewin was in twenty places," &c.

STEEVENS. an eye to boot.] So, the quarto. The folio, with less

force, Give money to boot. JOHNSON.