For what he has, he gives, what thinks, he shows;
Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impure1 thought with breath.
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;
For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes
To tender abjects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous.love.
They call him Troilus; and on him erect
A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus says Æneas; one that knows the youth,
Even to his inches, and with private soul
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.

[Alarum. HECTOR and AJAX fight. Agam. They are in action. Nest. Now, Ajax, hold thine own.

Tro.

Awake thee !

Hector, thou sleep'st:

Agam. His blows are well dispos'd :—there, Ajax! Dio. You must no more.

[Trumpets cease. Princes, enough, so please you.

Ene.
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 sister's son,

A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory emulation 'twixt us twain.

Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so,

That thou couldst say-"This hand is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg
All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
Bounds in my father's;" by Jove multipotent,
Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish member
Wherein my sword had not impressure made
Of our rank feud. But the just gods gainsay,
That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,
My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword
Be drain'd. Let me embrace thee, Ajax.-
By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms.
Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
Cousin, all honour to thee!

Ajax.

[They embrace.2

I thank thee, Hector:

1 impair in folio. Johnson suggested the change. 2 Not in f. e.

Thou art too gentle, and too free a man.
I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence
A great addition earned in thy death.

Hect. Not Neoptolemus so mirable

On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyez
Cries, "This is he !" could promise to himself
A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

Ene. There is expectance here from both the sides, What farther you will do.

Hect.
We'll answer it;
The issue is embracement.-Ajax, farewell.
Ajax. If I might in entreaties find success,
As seld I have the chance, I would desire
My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'T is Agamemnon's wish; and great Achilles
Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.
Hect. Eneas, call my brother Troilus to me;
And signify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part:

Desire them home.-Give me thy hand, my cousin; I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.

Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here. Hect. The worthiest of them tell me, name by name; But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes Shall find him by his large and portly size.

Agam. Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one That would be rid of such an enemy.

But that's no welcome: understand more clear.
What's past, and what's to come, is strew'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 most divine integrity,
From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.
Agam. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you.
[TO TROILUS.
Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting:
You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.
Hect. Whom must we answer?

Ene.

The noble Menelaus. Hect. O! you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks.

Mock not, that I affect th' untraded oath :

Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove;

She's well, but bade me not commend her to you. Men. Name her not now, sir; she's a deadly theme. Hect. O pardon; I offend.

Nest. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft,
Labouring for destiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have seen thee,
As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phyrgian steed,
Despising many1 forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' th' air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd;
That I have said unto my standers-by,
"Lo! Jupiter is yonder, dealing life."

And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel,
I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
And once fought with him: he was a soldier 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. 'T is the old Nestor.

Hect. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time.
Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.

Nest. I would my arms could match thee in contention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy.

Hect. I would they could.

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

Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time.
Ulyss. I wonder now how yonder city stands,
When we have here her base 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 saw yourself. and Diomed

In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

Ulyss. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue : My prophecy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls, that portly front your town,
Yond' towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.

1 And seen thee scorning: in folio.

Hect.

I must not believe you.

There they stand yet; and modestly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost
A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, Time,

Will one day end it.

Ulyss.

So to him we leave it.

Most gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome.
After the general, I beseech you next

To feast with me, and see me at my tent.

Achil. I shall forestall thee, lord Ulysses, then.— Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee: I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,

And quoted1 joint by joint.

Hect.

Achil. I am Achilles.

Is this Achilles ?

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

Hect.

Nay, I have done already. Achil. Thou art too brief: I will the second time, As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.

Hect. O! like a book of sport thou 'It read me o'er; But there's more in me than thou understand'st. Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye?

Achil. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body

Shall I destroy him, whether there, there, or there ?
That I may give the local wound a name,

And make distinct the very breach, whereout
Hector's great spirit flew. Answer me, heavens !
Hect. It would discredit the bless'd gods, proud man,

To answer such a question. Stand again;

Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly,

As to predominate in nice conjecture,

Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Achil.

I tell thee, yea.

Hect. Wert thou an2 oracle to tell me so,
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 stithied3 Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.—
You, wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag:
His insolence draws folly from my lips :

1 Noted. 2 the in folio. 3 A stith, is an anvil.

But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never-

Ajax.
Do not chafe thee, cousin :-
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
Till accident, or purpose, bring you to 't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have stomach. The general state, I fear,
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.
Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the field:
We have had pelting1 wars, since you refus'd
The Grecians' cause.

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

Hect.

Thy hand upon that match.

Agam. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent; There in the full convive we' afterwards, As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall Concur together, severally entreat him.— Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow, That this great soldier may his welcome know.

[Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES. Tro. My lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you, In what place of the field doth Calchas keep? Ulyss. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus: There Diomed doth feast with him to-night; Who neither looks upon the heaven, nor earth, But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view On the fair Cressid.

Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much, After we part from Agamemnon's tent,

To bring me thither?

Ulyss.

You shall command me, sir.
As gentle tell me, of what honour was

This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there
That wails her absence?

Tro. O, sir! to such as boasting show their scars, A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord?

She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth:

But still sweet love is food for fortune's tooth. [Exeunt.