There never was a truer rhyme. Let us caft
away nothing, for we may live to have need of
fuch a verfe; we fee it, we fee it.-How now,
lambs ?

Troi. Creffid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity,
That the bleft gods-as angry with my fancy,
More bright in zeal than the devotion which
Cold lips blow to their deities-take thee from me.
Cre. Have the gods envy?

Pan. Ay, ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a cafe.
Cre. And is it true, that I must go from Troy?
Troi. A hateful truth.

Cre. What, and from Troilus too?
Troi. From Troy, and Troilus.
Cre. Is it poffible?

Troi. And fuddenly; where injury of chance
Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by
All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips
Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents
Our lock'd embrasures, strangles our dear vows
Even in the birth of our own labouring breath:
We two, that with so many thousand fighs
Did buy each other, must poorly fell ourselves
With the rude brevity and discharge of one.
Injurious time now, with a robber's hafte,
Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how:
As many farewels as be ftars in heaven,
With diftin&t breath and confign'd kiffes to them,
He fumbles up into a loose adieu;
And fcants us with a single famish'd kiss,
Diftafted with the falt of broken tears.

Eneas within]. My lord! is the lady ready?
Troi. Hark! you are call'd: Some fay, the
Genius fo

Cries, Come! to him that inftantly must die.-
Bid them have patience; the shall come anon.
Pan. Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind,
Or my heart will be blown up by the root.
[Exit Pandarus.

Cre. I must then to the Grecians?
Troi. No remedy.

Cre. A woeful Crefsid 'mongst the merry Greeks !-
When fhall we see again?

Troi. Hear me, my love:-Be thou but true of

heart,―

Cre. I true! how now? what wicked deem is this?
Troi. Nay, we must use expoftulation kindly,
For it is parting from us :-

I speak not, be thou true, as fearing thee;
For I will throw my glove to death himself,
That there's no maculation in thy heart:
But, be thou true, fay I, to fashion in

My frequent proteftation; be thou true,
And I will fee thee.

Cre. O, you shall be expos'd, my lord, to dangers
As infinite as imminent! Cut, I'll be true.

Troi. And I'll grow friend with danger. Wear
this fleeve.

Cre. And you this glove. When fhall I fee you?
Troi. I will corrupt the Grecian centinels,

5

To give thee nightly visitation.
But yet, be true.

Cre. O heavens !-be true, again?

Troi. Hear why I speak it, love: The Grecian
youths

Are well compos'd, with gifts of nature flowing,
And swelling o'er with arts and exercife;
How novelties may move, and parts with perfon,
Alas, a kind of godly jealousy

10(Which, I beseech you, call a virtuous fin)
Makes me afeard.

Cre. O heavens! you love me not.
Trai. Die I a villain then!

In this I do not call your faith in question,
15 So mainly as my merit: I cannot fing,
Nor heel the high lavolt 2, nor fweeten talk,
Nor play at fubtle games; fair virtues all,
To which the Grecians are most prompt and

pregnant:

20 But I can tell, that in each grace of these
There lurks a ftill and dumb-difcourfive devil,
That tempts moft cunningly: but be not tempted.
Cre. Do you think, I will?

25

30

35

Troi. No.

But fomething may be done, that we will not:
And fometimes we are devils to ourselves,
When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
Prefuming on their changeful potency.

Æneas [within.] Nay, good my lord————
Troi. Come, kifs; and let us part.

Paris [within]. Brother Troilus!

Troi. Good brother, come you hither;

And bring Æneas, and the Grecian, with you.
Cre. My lord, will you be true?

Troi. Who I? alas, it is my vice, my fault:
While others fish with craft for great opinion,
I with great truth catch mere fimplicity;
Whilft fome with cunning gild their copper crowns,
With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.
40 Fear not my truth; the moral of my wit 3
Is-plain, and true,—there's all the reach of it.
Enter Æneas, Paris, and Diomed.
Welcome, fir Diomed! here is the lady,
Whom for Antenor we deliver you:

45 At the port 4, lord, I'll give her to thy hand;
And, by the way, poffefs thee what she is 5.
Entreat her fair; and, by my foul, fair Greek,
If e'er thou ftand at mercy of my sword,
Name Creffid, and thy life fhall be as fafe
50 As Priam is in Ilion.

Dio. Fair lady Creffid,

So pleafe you, fave the thanks this prince expects:
The luftre in your eye, heaven in your check,
Pleads your fair ufage; and to Diomed
55 You shall be mistress, and command him wholly,
Troi. Grecian, thou doft not use me courteously,
To fhame the zeal of my petition to thee,
In praifing her: I tell thee, lord of Greece,
She is as far high-foaring o'er thy praifes,
[60]As thou unworthy to be call'd her servant.

That is, I will challenge death himself in defence of thy fidelity. 3 That is, the governing principle of my understanding. 4 i. c. the gate.

understand.

2 The lavolta was a dance. 5 i. e. I will make thee fully

I charge

I charge thee, ufe her well, even for my charge;
For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.

Dio. O be not mov'd, prince Troilus:
Let me be privileg'd by my place, and message,
To be a speaker free; when I am hence,
I'll answer to my luft: And know you, lord,
I'll nothing do on charge: to her own worth
She shall be priz'd; but that thou fay-be't fo,
I fpeak it in my spirit and honour,-no.

Troi. Come, to the port.-I'll tell thee, Diomed,
This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head.—
Lady, give me your hand; and as we walk,
To our own felves bend we our needful talk.

[Exeunt Troilus and Creffida. Sound trumpet.

Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet.
Ene. How have we spent this morning!
The prince must think me tardy and remifs,
That swore to ride before him to the field.

Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault: Come, come, to field
with him.

Dio. Let us make ready straight.

Ane. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity,
Let us addrefs to tend on Hector's heels:
The glory of our Troy doth this day lie
On his fair worth and fingle chivalry.

SCENE

The Grecian Camp.

Acbil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair Achilles bids you welcome.

[lady: Men. I had good argument for kissing orce. Patr. But that's no argument for kiffing now: 5 For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment; And parted thus you and your argument.

Ulyf. O deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns! For which we lofe our heads, to gild his horns. Patr. The firft was Menelaus' kifs; this, mine: 10 Patroclus kiffes you.

15

20

25

[Exeunt.

V.

Enter Ajax arm'd, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus,

Menelaus, Ulyffes, Neftor, &c.

Aga. Here art thou in appointment fresh and

fair,

Anticipating time with starting courage.
Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air
May pierce the head of the great combatant,
And hale him hither.

Ajax. Thou, trumpet, there's my purse:
Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe :
Blow villain, till thy fphered bias cheek'
Out-fwell the cholic of puff'd Aquilon:

30

35

14.0

Men. O, this is trim!

Patr. Paris, and I, kifs evermore for him.
Men. I'll have my kifs, fir: Lady, by your
leave.

Cre. In kiffing, do you render, or receive?
Patr. Both take and give.

Cre. I'll make my match to live,

The kifs you take is better than you give;
Therefore no kifs.

[one.
Men. I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for
Cre. You're an odd man; give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cre. No, Paris is not; for, you know, 'tis true,
That you are odd, and he is even with you.
Men. You fillip me o' the head.

Ulyf. Why then, for Venus' fake, give me a
When Helen is a maid again and his.

Cre. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.
Ulyf. Never's my day, and then a kifs of you.

ther.

Dio. Lady, a word; I'll bring you to your fa[Diomed leads out Crujida. Neft. A woman of quick fenfe.

Uly. Fie, fie, upon her!

There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot fpeaks; her wanton fpirits look out
At every joint and motive 2 of her body.
O, these encounterers, fo glib of tongue,

Come stretch thy chest,and let thy eyes spout blood; 45 That give a coasting 3 welcome ere it comes,

1 Swelling out like the bias of a bowl.

5c Hector bade afk.

Aga. Which way would Hector have it?

2 Motive for part that contributes to motion. 3 i. e. a amorous address: a courtship. 4 i. c. Corrupt wenches, of whofe chastity every opportunity

I

Ene. He cares not, he'll obey conditions.
Aga. 'Tis done like Hector; but fecurely done,
A little proudly, and great deal misprising
The knight oppos'd.

Ene. If not Achilles, fir,

What is your name?

Acbil. If not Achilles, nothing.

[this:

Ene. Therefore Achilles: But, whate'er, know
In the extremity of great and little,
Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
The one almoft as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that, which looks like pride, is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood;
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to feek
This blended knight, half Trojan, and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden battle then?-O, I perceive you.
Re-enter Diomed.

That thou could'st say—" This hand is Grecian all, "And this is Trojan; the finews of this leg "All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood "Runs on the dexter cheek, and this finifter 5" Bounds-in my father's;" by Jove multipotent, Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish member Wherein my fword had not impreffure made Of our rank feud: But the juft Gods gainfay, That any drop thou borrow'ft from thy mother, 10 My facred aunt, fhould by my mortal sword Be drain'd! Let me embrace thee, Ajax: By him that thunders, thou haft lufty arms; Hector would have them fall upon him thus:Coufin, all honour to thee!

15

Ajax. I thank thee, Hector:

Thou art too gentle and too free a man :

I came to kill thee, coufin, and bear hence

A great addition earned in thy death.
Het. Not Neoptolemus fo mirable

Aga. Here is Sir Diomed:-Go, gentle knight, 20 (On whose bright crest Fame with her loud' O yes Stand by our Ajax: as you and lord Æneas

Confent upon the order of their fight,

So be it; either to the uttermoft,

[heavy?

Or else a breath: the combatants being kin,
Half stints their ftrife before their strokes begin.
Ubf. They are oppos'd already.
Aga. What Trojan is that fame that looks fo
Ulyf. The youngest son of Priam, a true knight;
Not yet mature, yet matchlefs; firm of word;
Speaking in deeds, and deedless in his tongue;
Not foon provok'd,nor,being provok'd,foon calm'd:
His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has, he gives, what thinks, he fhews;
Yet gives he not, 'till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impair 2 thought with breath:
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous:
For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes 3
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love:
They call him Troilus, and on him erect
A fecond hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus fays Aneas; one that knows the youth
Even to his inches, and, with private foul,
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me 4.

25

30

Cries, This is be) could promise to himself

A thought of added honour torn from Hector.
Ene. There is expectance here from both the fides
What further you will do.

Hect. We'll answer it 5;

The iffue is embracement :-Ajax, farewel.

Ajax. If I might in entreaties find fucceís, (As feld I have the chance) I would defire My famous coufin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wifh; and great Achilles Doth long to fee unarm'd the valiant Hector. Heft. Æneas, call my brother Troilus to me; And fignify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part:

35 Defire them home.-Give me thy hand, my coufin;
I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.
Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.
Heft. The worthieft of them tell me name by
name;

40 But for Achilles, my own fearching eyes
Shall find him by his large and portly fize.
Aga. Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one
That would be rid of fuch an enemy:
But that's no welcome: Understand more clear,

[Alarum. Hector and Ajax fight. 45 What's paft, and what's to come, is ftrew'd with

Aga. They are in action.
Neft. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!
Troi. Hector, thou sleep'ft, awake thee!
Aga. His blows are well difpos'd:-there Ajax!
[Trumpets ccafe. 50

Dis. You must no more.

And formless ruin of oblivion;

Choiks
But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,
From heart of very heart, great Hector welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.
Aga. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you.
[To Treas.

Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's
greeting;-

You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.
Heft. Whom must we answer?

Men. The noble Menelaus.

Het. O you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks!

* Securely is here ufed in the fenfe of the Latin, fecurus; a negligent fecurity arifing from a con

Mock not, that I affect the untraded cath;
Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove:
She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.
Men. Name her not now, fir; fhe's a deadly
theme.

Het. O, pardon; I offend.

Neft. I have, thou gallant Trojan, feen thee oft,
Labouring for deftiny, make cruel way [thee
Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have feen
As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed,
Despifing many forfeits and fubduements,
When thou haft hung thy advanced sword i' the air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd;
That I have faid to some my standers-by,
Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!

And I have feen thee paufe, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: This have I feen;
But this thy countenance, ftill lock'd in still,
I never faw 'till now. I knew thy grandfire,
And once fought with him: he was a foldier good;
But, by great Mars, the captain of us all,
Never like thee: Let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
Ene. "Tis the old Neftor.

Het. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time :—
Moft reverend Neftor, I am glad to clafp thee.
Neft. I would, my arms could match thee in
contention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy.

Heft. I would they could.

Neft. Ha! by this white beard, I'd fight with
thee to-morrow.

5

Acbil. I am Achilles.

[thee.

Heet. Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on
Achil. Behold thy fill.

He&. Nay, I have done already.

Asbil. Thou art too brief; I will the fecond time,
As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.
He. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me
o'er ;

But there's more in me than thou understand'ft. 10 Why doft thou so oppress me with thine eye? Acbil. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of

his body [there? Shall I deftroy him? whether there, there, or That I may give the local wound a name; 15 And make diftinct the very breach whereout Hector's great fpirit flew: Answer me, heavens! Het. It would difcredit the bleft gods, proud

man,

To answer fuch a queftion: Stand again :
20 Think'ft thou to catch my life fo pleasantly,
As to prenominate in nice conjecture,
Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Acbil. I tell thee, yea.

Het. Wert thou an oracle to tell me fo,

25 I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well;
For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
But, by the forge that ftithy'd Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.
You wifeft Grecians, pardon me this brag,
30 His infolence draws folly from my lips;
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never

Well, welcome, welcome! I have feen the time-35
Ulyf. I wonder now how yonder city stands,
When we have here her bafe and pillar by us.

Heft. I know your favour, lord Ulyffes, well.
Ah, fir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
Since firft I faw yourself and Diomed

In Ilion, on your Greekish embaffy.

Ajax. Do not chafe thee, coufin
And you, Achilles, let thefe threats alone,
Till accident, or purpose, bring you to 't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have ftomach; the general state, I fear,
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.

Heft. I pray you, let us fee you in the field: 40 We have had pelting wars, fince you refus'd The Grecians' caufe.

Ulyf. Sir, I foretold you then what would enfue:
My prophecy is but half his journey yet;
For yonder walls that pertly front your town,
Yon towers, whofe wanton tops do bufs the clouds, 45
Muft kifs their own feet.

Het. I must not believe you :

There they stand yet; and modeftly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will coft

A drop of Grecian blood: The end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, time,

Will one day end it.

Ulyf. So to him we leave it.

Moft gentle, and moft valiant Hector, welcome :
After the general, I befeech you next
To feaft with me, and fee me at my tent.
Acbil. 1 fhall foreftall thee, lord Ulyffes, thou !!
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted a joint by joint.

Heft. Is this Achilles?

50

Acbil. Doft thou entreat me, Hector?
To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death;
To-night, all friends.

Hect. Thy hand upon that match.

Aga. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent;
There in the full convive we: afterwards,
As Hector's leifure and your bounties fhall
Concur together, feverally entreat him.
Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow,
That this great foldier may his welcome know.
[Exeunt.

Manent Troilus, and Ulysses.
Troi. My lord Ulyffes, tell me, I beseech you,
55 In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

Ulyf. At Menelaus' tent, moft princely Troilus s There Diomed doth feast with him to-night; Who neither looks on heaven, nor on the earth, But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view 160 On the fair Creffid. [much, Troi. Shall I, fweet lord, be bound to you fo

The repetition of thou! was anciently used by one who meant to infult another. a i. c. obferved. 3 To convive is to feaft.

4 Tabourines are fmall drums.

3 La

After

After we part from Agamemnon's tent,

To bring me thither?

Uly. You fhall command me, fir.

As gentle tell me, of what honour was

This Creffida in Troy? Had the no lover there,
That wails her abfence?

5

Troi. O, fir, to fuch as boasting shew their fears A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord? She was belov'd, fhe lov'd; fhe is, and doth: But, ftill, fweet love is food for fortune's tooth. [Exeunt.

Acbil.

SCENE I.

Achilles' Tent.

A CT V.

Enter Achilles, and Patroclus.

I'LL

'LL heat his blood with Greekish wine
to-night,

Which with my fcimitar I'll cool to-morrow.
Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.
Patr. Here comes Therfites.

Enter Therfites.

I

Achil. How now, thou core of envy? Thou crufty batch of nature, what's the news? Ther. Why, thou picture of what thou seemeft, and idol of ideot-worshippers, here's a letter for thee.

Achil. From whence, fragment?

Ther. Why, thou full dish of fool, from Troy.
Patr. Who keeps the tent now?

Ther. The furgeon's box, or the patient's wound. Patr. Well faid, adverfity! and what need thefe tricks?

Ther. Pr'ythee be filent, boy; I profit not by thy talk: thou art thought to be Achilles' male varlet.

5

Ther. Finch egg!

Achil. My fweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite From my great purpose in to-morrow's battle. Here is a letter from queen Hecuba;

A token from her daughter, my fair love;

20 Both taxing me, and gaging me to keep

An oath that I have fworn. I will not break it:
Fall, Greeks; fail, fame; honour, or go or stay;
My major vows lie here, this I'll obey.—
Come, come, Therfites, help to trim my tent;
25 This night in banquetting must all be spent.-
Away, Patroclus.

[Exeunt.

Ther. With too much blood, and too little brain, thefe two may run mad: but if with too much brain and too little blood, they do, I'll be a curer 30 of madmen. Here's Agamemnon,-an honest fellow enough, and one that loves quails 2; but he hath not fo much brain as ear-wax: And the goodly transformation of Jupiter there, his brother, the bull, the primitive ftatue, and oblique 3 me35 morial of cuckolds; a thrifty fhoeing-horn in a chain, hanging at his brother's leg,-to what form, but that he is, fhould wit larded with malice, and malice forced with wit, turn him? To an afs, were nothing; he is both afs and ox: to an ox

Patr. Male varlet, you rogue! what's that?
Ther. Why, his mafculine whore. Now the 40 were nothing; he is both ox and afs. To be a

rotten difeafes of the fouth, the guts-griping, rup-
tures, cattarrhs, loads o' gravel i' the back, lethar-
gies, cold palfies, raw eyes, dirt-rotten livers,
wheezing lungs, bladders full of impofthume, fcia-
ticas, lime-kilns i' the palm, incurable bone-ach, 45
and the rivell'd fee fimple of the tetter, take and
take again fuch prepofterous discoveries!

Pair. Why, thou damnable box of envy, thou, what meaneft thou to curfe thus ?

dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a toad, a lizard, an
owl, a puttock, or a herring without a roe, I
would not care: but to be a Menelaus,-I would
confpire against destiny. Afk me not what I
would be, if I were not Therfites; for I care not
to be the loufe of a lazar, fo I were not Menelaus.
-Hey day! fpirits, and fires!

Enter Hotor, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon, Ulyfes,
Nefter, and Diomed, with lights.
Aga. We go wrong, we go wrong.
Ajax. No, yonder 'tis ;

There, where we fee the light.
Het. I trouble you.
Ajax. No, not a whit.

Ulyf. Here comes himself to guide you.
Enter Achilles.

Achil. Welcome, brave Hector; welcome, princes all.

Batch fignifies all that is baked at one time, without heating the oven afresh. A batch of bread is a phrafe ftill used in Staffordshire. Therfites had already been called cobloaf. 2 By loving quails the poet may mean loving the company of harlots. A quail is remarkably falacious. 3 The author of The Revifal obferves, that "the memorial is called oblique, because it was only indirectly fuch, upon the common fuppofition that both bulls and cuckolds were furnished with horns." + i, e. stuffed Aga.

with wit.