By him one step below: he, by the next;
That next, by him beneath: fo every step,
Exampled by the first pace that is fick
Of his fuperior, grows to an envious fever
Of pale and bloodless emulation':

And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own finews. To end a tale of length,
Troy in our weakness stands, not in her ftrength.
Neft. Moft wifely hath Ulyffes here discover'd
The fever whereof all our power is fick.

Agam. The nature of the sickness found, Ulyffes,
What is the remedy?

Ulf. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns
The finew and the forehand of our host,—
Having his ear full of his airy fame,
Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent

Lies mocking our defigns: With him, Patroclus,
Upon a lazy bed, the livelong day
Breaks fcurril jests;

And with ridiculous and aukward action
(Which, flanderer, he imitation calls)

In fuch a rein 5, in full as proud a place
As broad Achilles; keeps his tent like him;
Makes factious feafts; rails on our flate of war,
Bold as an oracle: and fets Therfites
5(A flave, whofe gall coins flanders like a mint)
To match us in comparisons with dirt;
To weaken and difcredit our expofure,
How rank foever rounded in with danger.

Ulyff. They tax our policy, and call it cowardice;
10 Count wifdom as no member of the war;
Foreftall pre-fcience, and esteem no act
But that of hand: the ftill and mental parts,———
That do contrive how many hands fhall ftrike,
When fitnefs calls them on; and know, by mea
fure

Of their obfervant toil, the enemies' weight,-
Why, this hath not a finger's dignity;

They call this-bed-work, mappery, closet war:
So that the ram, that batters down the wall,
20 For the great fwing and rudeness of his poize,
They place before his hand that made the engine;
Or those, that with the fineness of their fouls
By reafon guide his execution.

Neft. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horfe
[Trumpet founds.

25 Makes many Thetis' fons.

He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon,
Thy topless deputation he puts on;
And, like a ftrutting player,-whofe conceit
Lies in his ham-ftring, and doth think it rich
To hear the wooden dialogue and found
'Twixt his ftretch'd footing and the fcaffoldage,-
Such to-be-pitied and o'er-rested 3 seeming
He acts thy greatness in: and when he speaks,
'Tis like a chime a mending; with terms unfquar'd, 30|
Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon drop'd,
Would feem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff,
The large Achilles, on his prefs'd bed lolling,
From his deep cheft laughs out a loud applause;
Cries Excellent!-'tis Agamemnon juft.-

Now play me Neftor;-hem, and stroke thy
beard,

'As he, being 'dreft to fome oration.'
That's done ;-as near as the extremeft ends
Of parallels; as like as Vulcan and his wife :
Yet good Achilles ftill cries, Excellent!
''Tis Neftor right! Now play him me, Patroclus,
'Arming to answer in a night alarm.'
And then, forfooth, the faint defects of age
Must be the scene of mirth; to cough, and spit,
And with a palfy-fumbling on his gorget,
Shake in and out the rivet :-and at this sport,
Sir Valour dies; cries, O!-enough, Patroclus;
'Or give me ribs of ftee!! I fhall split all
In pleasure of my fpleen.' And in this fashion,
All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes,
Severals and generals of grace exact*,
Atchievements, plots, orders, preventions,
Excitements to the field, or fpeech for truce,
Succefs, or lofs, what is, or is not, ferves
As ftuff for thefe two to make paradoxes.
Neft. And in the imitation of these twain
(Whom, as Ulyffes fays, opinion crowns
With an imperial voice) many are infect.
Ajax is grown felf-will'd; and bears his head

Agam. What trumpet? look, Menelaus.
Men. From Troy.

Enter Æneas.

[you?

Aga. What would you 'fore our tent?
Ene. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray
Aga. Even this.

Ane. May one, that is a herald, and a prince,
Do a fair meffage to his kingly ears?

Aga. With furety stronger than Achilles' arm 35 Fore all the Greekifh heads, which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general.

40

Ane. I ask, that I might waken reverence,
And bid the check be ready with a blush
Modeft as morning when the coldly eyes
The youthful Phoebus:

45 Which is that god in office, guiding men?
Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?

Aga. This Trojan fcorns us; or the men of Troy
Are ceremonious courtiers.

Ene. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd, 50 As bending angels; that's their fame in peace : But when they would feem foldiers, they have [accord,

galls,

Good arms, ftrong joints, true fwords; and, Jove's
Nothing fo full of heart. But peace, Æneas,
55 Peace, Trojan; lay thy finger on thy lips!
The worthiness of praise diftains his worth,
If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth:
But what the repining enemy commends,
That breath fame blows; that praife, fole pure,
tranfcends.

1601

'An emulation not vigorous and active, but maliguant and sluggish.

fovereign.

2 Topless means fupreme,

3 read o'er-wrefted, i.e. over-charged. 4 All our good of grace exakt, means our excel5 That is, holds up his head as haughtily. We ftill fay of a girl, she bridles.

lence irreprehenfible.

A rank weed is a high weed.

Aga.

Aga. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Æneas?
Ene. Ay, Greek, that is my name.
Aga. What's your affair, I pray you?
Ene. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.
Aga. He hears nought privately, that comes
from Troy.

[him:

Ene. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper
I bring a trumpet to awake his ear;
To fet his fenfe on the attentive bent,
And then to fpeak.

Aga. Speak frankly as the wind;

It is not Agamemnon's fleeping hour:
That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake,
He tells thee so himself.

Ene. Trumpet, blow loud,

Send thy brafs voice through all these lazy tents;
And every Greek of mettle, let him know,
What Troy means fairly, shall be spoke aloud.
[Trumpets found.

We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
A prince call'd Hector, Priam is his father,
Who in this dull and long-continu'd truce
Is rufty grown; he bade me take a trumpet,
And to this purpose speak. Kings, princes, lords!
If there be one, among the fair'st of Greece,
That holds his honour higher than his cafe;
That feeks his praise more than he fears his peril;
That knows his valour, and knows not his fear;
That loves his mistress more than in confeffion',
(With truant vows to her own lips he loves)
And dare avow her beauty, and her worth,
In other arms than hers,-to him this challenge.
Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks,
Shall make it good, or do his best to do it.
He hath a lady, wifer, fairer, truer,
Than ever Greek did compafs in his arms;
And will to-morrow with his trumpet call,
Mid-way between your tents and walls of Troy,
To rouse a Grecian that is true in love:

If any come, Hector fhall honour him;
If none, he'll fay in Troy, when he retires,
The Grecian dames are fun-burn'd, and not worth
The splinter of a lance. Even fo much.

Aga. This fhall be told our lovers, lord Æneas;|
If none of them have foul in fuch a kind,
We left them all at home: But we are foldiers;
And may that foldier a mere recreant prove,
That means not, hath not, or is not in love!
If then one is, or hath, or means to be,
That one meets Hector; if none else, I am he.

Neft. Tell him of Neftor, one that was a man
When Hector's grandfire fuck'd: he is old now;
But, if there be not in our Grecian hoft
One noble man that hath one spark of fire,
To answer for his love, Tell him from me,-
I'll hide my filver beard in a gold beaver,
And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn;
And, meeting him, will tell him, That my lady
Was fairer than his grandame, and as chaste

5

As may be in the world: His youth in flood,
I'll pawn this truth with my three drops of blood.
Ane. Now heavens forbid such scarcity of youth!
Ulyff. Amen.

Aga. Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your hand;
To our pavilion fhall I lead you, fir.
Achilles fhall have word of this intent;

So fhall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent;
Yourself fhall feast with us before you go,

10 And find the welcome of a noble foe.
Manent Ulyffes and Neftor.

15

Uly. Neftor,

Neft. What fays Ulysses ?

[Exeunt.

Ulyff. I have a young conception in my brain, Be you my time to bring it to some shape.

Neft. What is 't?

Uly. This 'tis:

Blunt wedges rive hard knots: The feeded pride
That hath to its maturity blown up

20 In rank Achilles, must or now be cropt,
Or, hedding, breed a nursery of like evil,
To over-bulk us all.

140

Ulyss. And wake him to the answer, think you ?
Neft. Yes, 'tis most meet: Whom may you
elfe oppose,

That can from Hector bring those honours off,
If not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat,
Yet in this trial much opinion dwells;

For here the Trojans tafte our dear'st repute
With their fin'ft palate: And trust to me, Ulyffes,
Our imputation fhall be oddly pois’d
45 In this wild action: for the success,
Although particular, shall give a scantling
Of good or bad unto the general;
And in fuch indexes, although small pricks
To their fubfequent volumes, there is feen
50 The baby figure of the giant mass

Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd,
He, that meets Hector, iffues from our choice:
And choice, being mutual act of all our fouls,
Makes merit her election; and doth boil,
55 As 'twere from forth us all, a man distill'd
Out of our virtues; Who miscarrying,
What heart receives from hence a conquering part,
To fteel a ftrong opinion to themselves?
Which entertain'd, limbs are in his inftruments,

I Confeffion for profeffien. 2 An armour for the arm, avantbras. of which is afcertained by the use of small charakters, i. e. numerals.

3 Subftance is eftate, the value 4 i. e. make no difficulty, no

doubt, when this duel comes to be proclaimed, but that Achilles, dull as he is, will discover the drift

of it.

5 Small points compared with the volumes,

S

In

In no less working, than are swords and bows
Directive by the limbs.

Ulyff. Give pardon to my speech ;—
Therefore 'tis meet, Achilles meet not Hector.
Let us, like merchants, fhew our fouleft wares,
And think, perchance, they'll fell; if not,
The luftre of the better fhall exceed,

By fhewing the worst first. Do not consent,
That ever Hector and Achilles meet;

For both our honour and our shame, in this,
Are dogg'd with two ftrange followers.

Neft. I fee them not with my old eyes; What
are they?

[tor, Uly. What glory our Achilles shares from Hec

In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery;
And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw
The fort to fight with Hector: Among ourselves,
Cive him allowance as the better man,

5 For that will phyfick the great Myrmidon,
Who broils in loud applaufe; and make him fall
His creft, that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We'll drefs him up in voices: If he fail,

10 Yet go we under our opinion ftill,

That we have better men. But, hit or mifs,
Our project's life this shape of fense affumes,-
Ajax, employ'd, plucks down Achilles' plumes.
Neft. Ulyffes,

Were he not proud, we all should share with him : 15 Now I begin to relish thy advice;

But he already is too infolent;

And we were better parch in Africk fun,
Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes,
Should he 'fcape Hector fair: If he were foil'd,
Why, then we did our main opinion crush

1201

And I will give a taste of it forthwith
To Agamemnon: go we to him straight.

3 Unfalted

1 i. e. the lot. 2 Tarre is an old English word, fignifying to provoke or urge on. leaven, means four without falt; metaphorically, malignity without wit. 4 A crusty uneven loaf is in fome counties called by this name. 5 Pun is in the midland counties the vulgar and colloquial word for pound. In one way of trying a witch they used to place her on a chair or ftool, with her legs tied across, that all the weight of her body might reft upon her feat; and by that means, after some time, the circulation of the blood would be much stopped, and her fitting would be as painful as the wooden horse. 7 Affinego feems to have been a cant term for a foolish fellow. Affinego is Portuguese for a little afs.

3 K

Ther.

Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for, 15 there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.

Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he 20 That Hector, by the fifth hour of the fun,

utters! his evafions have ears thus long. I have
bobb'd his brain, more than he has beat my bones:
I will buy nine fparrows for a penny, and his pia
mater is not worth the ninth part of a sparrow.
This lord, Achilles, Ajax,-who wears his wit in 25
his belly, and his guts in his head,-I'll tell you
what I fay of him.

Ther. I would have peace and quietnefs, but the fool will not: he there; that he; look you there.

Ajax. O thou damn'd cur! I fhall

Acbil. Will you fet your wit to a fool's?

Ther. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will fhame it.

Patr. Good words, Therfites.

Achil. What's the quarrel?

Ajax. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour
of the proclamation, and he rails upon me.
Ther. I ferve thee not.

Ajax. Well, go to, go to.
Ther. I ferve here voluntary.

Abil. Your last service was fufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax| was here the voluntary, and you as under an im-| prefs.

30

35

Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning call some knight to arms,
That hath a ftomach; and such a one, that dare
Maintain-I know not what; 'tis trafh: Farewel.
Ajax. Farewel. Who fhall answer him?
Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise,
He knew his man.

Ajax. O, meaning you :-I'll go learn more
[Exeunt.

of it.

SCENE II.

TROY.
Priam's Palace.

Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris, and Helenus.
Pri. After fo many hours, lives, fpeeches spent,
Thus once again fays Neftor from the Greeks;
Deliver Helen, and all damage elfe—

As bonour, lofs of time, travel, expence,
Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is confum'd
40 In bot digeftion of this cormorant war,—

Shall be ftruck off :-Hector, what say you to't? Het. Though no man leffer fears the Greeks than I,

As far as toucheth my particular, yet,
45 Dread Priam,

There is no lady of more fofter bowels,
More fpungy to fuck in the sense of fear,
More ready to cry out-Who knows what follows?
Than Hector is: The wound of peace is furety,
50Surety fecure; but modeft doubt is call'd

The beacon of the wife, the tent that searches
To the bottom of the worft. Let Helen go:
Since the firft fword was drawn about this question,
Every tithe foul, 'mongst many thousand dismes1,
Hath been as dear as Helen; I mean, of ours:
If we have loft fo many tenths of ours,
To guard a thing not ours; not worth to us,
Had it our name, the value of one ten;
What merit's in that reafon, which denies
60 The yielding of her up?

Ther. Even fo?-a great deal of your wit too 55 lies in your finews, or elfe there be liars. Hector fhall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; 'a were as good crack a fufty nut with no kernel.

Abil. What, with me too, Therfites? Ther. There's Ulyffes and old Neftor,-whofe wit was mouldy ere your grandfires had nails on

He calls Patroclus, in contempt, Achilles' dog,

Troi. Fie, fic, my brother!
Weigh you the worth and honour of a king,

2 Difme, Fr. is the tithe, the tenth.

50

So great as our dread father, in a scale

Of common ounces? will you with counters fum
The paft-proportion of his infinite?
And buckle-in a waist most fathomlefs,
With spans and inches fo diminutive

As fears and reafons? fie, for godly fhame! [fons,
Hel. No marvel, though you bite fo fharp at rea-
You are fo empty of them. Should not our father
Bear the great fway of his affairs with reasons,
Because your speech hath none, that tells him fo?
Troi. You are for dreams and flumbers, brother
priest,
[reafons:
You fur your gloves with reason. Here are your
You know, an enemy intends you harm;
You know, a fword employ'd is perilous,
And reason flies the object of all harm :
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his fword, if he do fet
The very wings of reason to his heels;
And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a ftar dif-orb'd?-Nay, if we talk of reafon,
Let's shut our gates,and sleep: Manhood and honour
Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their
thoughts

With this cramm'd reafon : reafon and refpe&t
Make livers pale, and luftyhood deject.

[coft

Heat. Brother, fhe is not worth what she doth
The holding.

Trei. What is aught, but as 'tis valu'd?
Het. But value dwells not in particular will;
It holds his eftimate and dignity
As well wherein 'tis precious of itself,
As in the prizer: 'tis mad idolatry,
To make the fervice greater than the god;
And the will dotes, that is inclinable
To what infectiously itself affects,
Without fome image of the affected merit.
Troi. I take to-day a wife, and my election
Is led on in the conduct of my will;
My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears,
Two traded pilots 'twixt the dangerous shores
Of will and judgement; How may I avoid,
Although my will diftafte what it elected,
The wife I chofe? There can be no evasion

5

If you'll avouch, 'twas wisdom Paris went,
(As you must needs, for you all cry'd-Go, go)
If you'll confefs, he brought home noble prize,
(As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands,
And cry'd-Ineftimable!) why do you now
The iffue of your proper wifdoms rate;

And do a deed that fortune never did,
Beggar the estimation which you priz'd
Richer than fea and land? O theft moft bafe
10 That we have stolen what we do fear to keep!
But, thieves, unworthy of a thing fo ftolen,
That in their country did them that disgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!
Caf. [within] Cry, Trojans, cry!

15

20

Pri. What noise? what fhriek is this?
Troi. 'Tis our mad fifter, I do know her voice.
Caf. [within] Cry, Trojans!

Het. It is Cassandra.

Enter Caffandra, raving.

Caf. Cry,Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand eyes,
And I will fill them with prophetic tears.
Het. Peace, fifter, peace.

[elders,

Caf. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled
Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry,

25 Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes
A moiety of that mafs of moan to come.
Cry, Trojans, cry! practise your eyes with tears!
Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand;
Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.

3 Cry, Trojans, cry! a Helen, and a woe:
Cry, cry! Troy burns, or elfe let Helen go." [Exit.
Het. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high
ftrains

Of divination in our fifter work

35 Some touches of remorfe? or is your blood
So madly hot, that no difcourfe of reason,
Nor fear of bad fuccefs in a bad cause,
Can qualify the fame ?

Trai. Why, brother Hector,

40 We may not think the justness of each act
Such and no other than event doth form it ;
Nor once deject the courage of our minds,
Because Caffandra's mad; her brain-fick raptures
Cannot diftafte 3 the goodness of a quarrel,

To bleach from this, and to stand firm by honour: 45 Which hath our feveral honours all engag'd

We turn not back the filks upon the merchant,
When we have foil'd them; nor the remainder

viands

To make it gracious. For my private part,

I am no more touch'd than all Priam's fons:
And Jove forbid, there should be done amongst us
Such things as would offend the weakeft fpleen
50 To fight for and maintain!

We do not throw in unrefpective fieve 2,
Because we now are full. It was thought meet,
Paris should do fome vengeance on the Greeks:
Your breath of full confent belly'd his fails;
The feas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce,
And did him fervice: he touch'd the ports defir'd;|
And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held 55
captive,
[freshnefs

He brought a Grecian queen, whofe youth and
Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes pale the morning.
Why keep we her? The Grecians keep our aunt:
Is the worth keeping? Why, the is a pearl,
Whofe price hath launch'd above a thousand ships,
And turn'd crown'd kings to merchants.

Par. Elfe might the world convince of levity
As well my undertakings, as your counfels :
But I atteft the gods, your full confent
Gave wings to my propenfion, and cut off
All fears attending on fo dire a project.
For what, alas, can these my fingle arms?
What propugnation is in one man's valour,
To ftand the push and enmity of those
This quarrel would excite? Yet, I proteft,
60 Were I alone to pass the difficulties,

And had as ample power as I have will,
Paris fhould ne'er retract what he hath done,
2 That is, into a common
Nor

The meaning is, that greatness to which no measure bears any proportion. vaider. 3 i. e. corrupt; change to a worse state. 3 K 2