Aga. Which way would Hector have it?

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

The Knight oppos'd.

Ene. If not Achilles, Sir, What is your name?

Achil. If not Achilles, nothing.

Ene. Therefore, Achilles; but whate'er, know this; In the extremity of great and little

* Valour and pride parcel 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, come to seek
This blended Knight, half Trojan and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden-battle then? O, I perceive you.

Re-enter Diomedes.

Aga. Here is Sir Diomede: go, gentle Knight,
Stand by our Ajax; as you and lord Æneas
Confent upon
the order of the fight,

So be it; either to the uttermoft,

Or elle a breath. The Combatants being kin
Half flints their ftrife before their ftrokes begin.
Uly. They are oppos'd already.

Aga. What Trojan is that fame, that looks fo heavy?

Uly. The youngest fon of Priam, a true knight; Not yet mature, yet matchless; firm of word; Speaking in deeds, and deedlefs in his tongue;

Valour and Pride, excel themselves in He&or,] Without doubt Shakespear wrote,

Valour and Pride parcel themfelves in Hector;

i. e. Divide them elves in Hector in such a Manner, that the one is almost infinite; and the other almost nothing.

Not

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 thought with breath:
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;

For Hector in his blaze of wrath subscribes
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 Eneas, one that knows the youth
Ev'n to his inches; and with private foul,
Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me.

Aga.

[Alarm. He&tor and Ajax fight

SCENE

HEY are in action.

TH

IX.

Meft. Now, Ajax, hold thine own. Troi. Hector, thou fleep'ft, awake thee.

Aga. His blows are well difpos'd; there, Ajax.

Dio. You must no more.

[Trumpets ceafe.

Ene. Princes, enough, fo please you.

Ajax. I am not warm yet, let us fight again.
Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hect. Why then, will I no more.

Thou art, great lord, my father's fifter's fon;
A coufin-german to great Priam's feed:
The obligation of our blood forbids
A gory emulation 'twixt us twain.

Were thy commixion Greek and Trojan fo,
That thou could'ft fay, 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
Bounds in my fire's: by Jove multipotent,

Thou fhould't not bear from me a Greekish member,

E 3

Wherein

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,
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!

Ajax. I thank thee, Hector!

Thou art too gentle, and too free a man :
1 came to kill thee, coufin, and bear hence
great addition earned in thy death.

A

Hed. Not Neoptolemus's Sire irafcible,

(On whofe bright creft, Fame, with her loud'ft O yes, Cries, this is he :) 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:

The iffue is embracement: Ajax, farewel.
Ajax. If I might in entreaties find fuccefs,
(As feld I have the chance) I would defire
My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wifh, and great Achilles
Doth long to fee unarm'd the valiant Hector.
He&t. Æneas, call my brother Troilus to me:
And fignify this loving interview.

To the expectors of our Trojan part:

Defire them home. Give me thy hand, my Coufin:
I will go eat with thee, and see your Knights.
Agamemnon and the rest of the Greeks come forward.
Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.

Not Neoptolemus fo mirable.] But Shahefpear certainly wrote,
Not Neoptolemus's Sire irafcible

On whofe bright Creft

Irafcible is an old School Term, and is an Epithet fuiting his Character, and the Circumftances he was then in.

Impiger, Iracundus, inexorabilis, Acer.

Heat.

Heat. The worthieft of them tell me name by name;
But for Achilles, mine 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: underftand more clear,
What's past and what's to come is ftrew'd with husks
And formless ruin of Oblivion.

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee with moft divine integrity,

From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hed. I thank thee, moft imperious Agamemnon.
Aga. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no lefs to you.
[To Troilus.
Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's
Greeting,

You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.
Hect. Whom muft we answer?

Ene. The noble Menelaus.

Het. O-you, my lord-by Mars his gauntlet,

thanks.

Mock not, that I affect th' untraded oath ;

Your quondam wife fwears ftill by Venus' glove;
She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.
Men. Name her not now, Sir, fhe's a deadly theme.
Het. O, pardon-I offend.

Neft. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft,
Labouring for deftiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekish youth; and I have feen
thee,

As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed,
Bravely defpifing forfeits and fubduements,
When thou haft hung thy advanc'd sword i'th' air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd:
That I have faid unto my ftanders-by,

Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!

And I have seen thee paufe, and take thy breath,
E 4

When

When that a Ring of Greeks have hem'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling. This I've seen :
But this thy countenance, ftill lock'd in fteel,
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 haft fo 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.

Het. I would, they could.

Neft. By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to

morrow.

Well, welcome, welcome; I have seen the time-
Ulyff. I wonder now how yonder city ftands,
When we have here the bafe and pillar by us.
Hect. I know your favour, lord Ulysses, well.
Ah, Sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
Since first I faw yourself and Diomede

In Ilion, on your Greekish embaffy.

Uly. Sir, I foretold you then what would enfue: My prophefy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yond towers, whose wanton tops do bufs the clouds,
Muft kifs their own feet.

Hect. I must not believe you:

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

A drop of Grecian blood; the end crowns all;
And that old common Arbitrator, Time,
Will one day end it.

Uly. So to him we leave it.

Moft gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome;

After