Pandarus, affuring her, with the most folemn Oaths, that he would not press her to any greater Compliances, perceiving her Fears were quieted, began to talk of indifferent Matters; which, Creffida, whofe Soul was all in Tumult, liftened to with great Impatience; interrupting him, at length; I would fain know, faid fhe, (with a confcious Blufh) in what Manner you first became acquainted with Prince Troilus's Paffion for me? Did he declare it to you himself? Does he know how to gild a Love-fick Tale with foft prevailing Eloquence?

Pandarus, with a Smile of Pleasure at this Demand, related to her, fuccinely, all that` had paffed between him and Troilus, and painted his Love and his Defpair in Colours fo lively, that the half-vanquifhed Creffida, unwilling her Uncle fhould fee her Emotions, rofe up, and begging his Excufe, retired to her Clofet, to contemplate at leisure on what had befallen her: There firft the Idea of Troilus, young, brave, and lovely as fhe had feen him; tender, paffionate, and languishing as her Uncle reprefented him, rose to her Imagination. Softened and prepared by her artful Uncle to receive the dangerous Impreffion, her Fancy dwelt with a Pleasure, till then unknown, upon the Graces of his Form, his royal Birth, his exalted Courage, in a Youth fo blooming: her Vanity was flattered by the Preference he gave her to all the Trojan Beauties of the Court; and her Compaffion, infenfibly engaged by the Pains he fuffer'd for her Sake, Love first entering her Soul

in the Difguife of Gratitude, waked there a lambent Flame, whofe pleafing Warmth play'd gently round her Heart, and filled it with a new and fweet Senfation.

While fhe fat thus, wholly loft in pleafing Reflexions, fhe heard a loud Shouting in the Street, that roufed her from her Reverie, and made her haftily run to her Window to see the Occafion of it; but what was her mingled Surprise and Confufion when she beheld Prince Troilus, the Object of her Contemplation!

The young Hero having that Day performed the most amazing Acts of Valour, and driven the Greeks quite back to their Ships, was returning home, amidst the Acclamations of a numerous Croud, who made the Skies refound with their loud Praifes: He was feated on a bay Steed, who, by reafon of the Wounds he had received in the Fight, carried him along with a flow Pace; all richly armed he was, except his Head; fo that his lovely Face being expofed to View, and made more lovely by the decent Shame which glowed in bright Vermilion on his Cheek, he charmed the eager Gazers into a Rapture of Delight: His Helmet, which hung carelessly by a String behind, was hewn in twenty Places; his Shield was pierced with Spears, and many Arrows were to be feen ftill ticking in different Parts of it; his Horfe was marked with Blood that streamed from feveral Parts of his Body.

In this fierce Equipage he would have look'd like the great God of War himself, had not his charming Face expreffed a fofter and more amiable Divinity: Crefida drew back her Head the Moment fhe beheld him; confcious of what paffed in her Heart, a crimfon Blufh glowed in each lovely Check; but though the had determined in her Mind not to look on him, again her Eyes involuntary fought him out; again the blushed, alarm'd at her own Weaknefs; again with an averted Look fhe tried to conceal the new-born fweet Anxiety from herfelf; but it was in vain: fhe could not refift the powerful Impulfe that drew her Eyes towards him; and kept them fixed upon him till he was out of Sight.

This unexpected View of the young Hero, in all the Pomp and Pageantry of War, bearing away the chiefeft Honours of the Field, and crowned with the grateful Praifes of his delivered Country, compleated what her Uncle's Artifices had begun, and made an entire Conqueft of her Heart: Love, with all its Train of gentle Wishes, Hopes, Fears, and foft Inquietudes, took Poffeffion of her Breaft: Awhile the refifted the fweet Invader, and oppofed her Reafon to the fubtle Flame; but fo unequal was the Conteft, fo weak her Defence, fo powerful the Affault, that neither hoping, nor perhaps defiring to be free, fhe gave herself up a willing Slave to the foft Chains of Love.

In the mean time Troilus, full of eager Anxiety to know his Fate, no fooner arrived at his own Palace than he difpatched fome of his Attendants to different Places to find out Pandarus, and to bring him thither.

Pandarus immediately obeyed the Summons, and related, to his impatient Friend, all the Converfation that had paffed between him and his Niece. He defcribed her Looks, her Sighs, her Blufhes, her fweet Irrefolution, and thence derived fufficient Encouragement for the trembling Lover to write, and, in his own pathetic language, follicit her future Favour.

Love having dictated, to the ready Pen of Troilus, the fofteft and moft perfuafive Eloquence that ever won a female Heart, Pandarus undertook to deliver the Letter, and accordingly carried it that Inftant to Cref fida: The mounting Blood flush'd in her charming Face as foon as he offered the Billet to her Perufal; then ran again in Tides tumultuous to her Heart, and left her pale, trembling, and ready to fink before him; he took her Hand, he preffed it tenderly in his, he fwore by all the celeftial Deities, no Harm was meant to her Honour, and conjured her, if she had not refolved the Deftruction of the noble Troilus, to read and anfwer his Letter.

Creffida, reaffured by her Uncle's Proteftations, took the Letter from him, and retired to her Chamber to read it. The moving lan

guage it contained, had fo fudden and fo powerful an Effect on her foft Heart, that she was eafily prevailed upon by her Uncle to write a favourable Answer.

The Correspondence thus happily begun, the officious Pandarus never failed every Day to carry Letters, Meffages, and Prefents between the Lovers, nor ceafed his Solicitations in favour of Troilus to his Niece, till he had won her to yield to his Defires.

Troilus, at once the happy Favourite of Cupid and of Mars, was as glorious in the Field as fuccefsful in his Love; the Greeks trembled at his Name, and the Trojans in him revered a fecond Hector.

Creffida ftill continuing her folitary way of Life, filently enjoyed the Praises of her beloved Hero; at her Feet the paffionate Warrior of fered all his laurels; for her he fought and conquered, and fought his Recompence orly in her Smiles. But Fortune, weary of showering Favours on these happy Lovers, prepared a fad Reverse of Fate for them, and, when they leaft expected it, ftunned them with the Blow.

The Trojans in a general Battle with the Greeks, notwithstanding the godlike Valour of their Chiefs, received a dreadful Defeat; the Lofs was fo great, on their Side, that the venerable Priam found himself reduced to the Neceffity