Manly as Hector, but more dangerous, For Hector in his blaze of wrath fubfcribes [Alarm. Hector and Ajax fight. SCENE IX. Aga. They are in action. Neft. 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. Heat. Why then, will I no more. Thou art, great Lord, my father's fifter's fon ; A gory emulation 'twixt us twain. Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan fo, 6-Hector-fubfcribes To tender objects; is; gielas, gives way. 7-thus tranflate him to me.] ] That Thus explain his character. Thou Thou shouldft not bear from me a Greekish member Ajax. I thank thee, Helor! Thou art too gentle, and too free a man. Helt. Not Neoptolemus fo mirable, On whofe bright creft, Fame, with her load'ft O yes, 8 Not Neoptolemus so MIR ABLE, (On whofe bright creft, Fame, to himself, &c.] That is to fay, You, an old veteran warrior, threaten to kill me, when not the young Son of Achilles (who is yet to ferve his apprentisage in war, under the Grecian generals, and on that account called Neolone) dare himself entertain fuch a thought. But Shakespear meant another fort of man, as is evident from, On whofe bright creft, &c. Which characterifes one who goes foremost and alone: and can therefore fuit only one, which one was Achilles; as Shak Spear himfelf has drawn him, The great Achilles, whom opi nion crowns The finew and the forehand of our Hoft. On shefe bright cref Irafcible is an old fchool term, and is an epithet fuiting his character, and the circumftances he was then in. Impiger, iracundus, inexorabi lis, acer. But our editor Mr. Theobald, by his obfcure diligence, had found Cries, this is he; could promife to himself Helt. 9 We'll answer it. The iffue is embracement. Ajax, farewel. Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wifh; and great Achilles out that Wynken de Werde, in the old chronicle of The three deftrucsins of Troy, introduces one Neoptolemus into the ten years quarrel, a perfon diftinct from the fon of Achilles, and therefore will have it, that Shakespear here means no other than the Neoptolemus of this worthy chronicler. He was told, to ro purpose, that this fancy was abfurd. For first, Wynken's Neoptolemus is a common-rate warrior, and fo defcribed as not to fit the character here given. Secondly, It is not to be imagined that the poe hould on this occafion make Hec tor refer to a character not in the play, and never so much as mentioned on any other occafion. Thirdly, Wynken's Neoptolemus is a warrior on the Trojan fide, and flain by Achilles. But Hector must needs mean by one who could promife a thought of added honour torn from him, a warrior amongst his enemies on the Greia fide. WARBURTON. After all this contention it is difficult to imagine that the cri tick believes mirable to have been changed to irofcible. I should fooner read, Not Neoptolemus th' admirable; as I know not whether mirable can be found in any other place. The correction which the learned commentator gave to Hanmer, Not Neoptolemus' fire fo mirable, as it was modefter than this, was preferable to it. But nothing is more remote from juftness of fentiment, than for Heer to characterife Achilles as the father of Neoptolemus, a youth that had not yet appeared in arms, and whose name was therefore much less known than his father's. My opinion is, that by Neoptolemus the authour meant Achilles himfelf, and remembring that the fon was Pyrrhus Neoptolemus, confidered Neoptolemus as the nomen gentilitium, and thought the father was likewife Achilles Neoptolemus. 9 We'll answer it.] That is, anfwer the expeñance. And And fignify this loving interview To the expectors of our Trojan part; Defire them home. Give me thy hand, my Coulin, I will go eat with thee, and fee your Knights. Agamemnon and the rest of the Greeks come forward. Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.' Helt. The worthieft of them tell me, name by name; But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes Shall find him by his large and portly fize. I 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 But in this extant moment, faith and troth, From heart of very heart, great Heater, welcome. Ene. The noble Menelaus. Het. O-you, my Lord-by Mars his gauntlet, thanks. 2 Mock not that I affect th' untraded oath; Worthy of arms !-] Folio. Worthy all arms! Quarto. The quarto has only the two firft and the laft line of this falutation; the intermediate verfes VOL. VII. feem added on a revision. 2 Mock not, &c.] The quarto has here a ftrange corruption, Mock not thy affect, the untraded earth. LI Het. Het. O, pardon-I offend. Neft. I have, thou gallant Trojan, feen thee oft, Labouring for destiny, make cruel way Through ranks of Greekish youth; and I have seen thee, And feen thee fcorning forfeits and fubduments, And I have seen thee paufe, and take thy breath, HeƐt. 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. Hect. I would, they could. Neft. By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to morrow. Well, welcome, welcome; I have feen the time- 3 And feen thee fcorning forfeits- Folio. The quar to has, to: -defpifing many forfeits In |
