For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes 13
To tender objects; 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.

Aga. They are in action.

Nest. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!

Tro.

Awake thee !

Hector, thou sleep'st.

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

Ene.

[Trumpets cease.

Princes, enough, so please you.

Why, then will I no more. —

Ajax. I am not warm yet; let us fight again.

Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hect.

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 could'st 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 should'st 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'st from thy mother,

13 That is, submits, yields.

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.
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.

I thank thee, Hector:

Hect. Not Neoptolemus 15 so mirable,

On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st O yes
Cries, "This is he!" could promise to himself
A thought of added honour torn from Hector.
Enc. There is expectance here from both the
sides,

What further you will do.

14 It is remarkable that the Greeks give to the aunt, the father's sister, the title of sacred, i, поòç лaτoos dɛíu, sometimes expressed by 9ɛia alone. The fine incident of this passage is thus narrated in Caxton's History: "As they were fighting, they spake and talked together, and thereby Hector knew that he was his cousingerman, son of his aunt; and then Hector for courtesy embraced him in his arms, and made great cheer, and offered to him to do all his pleasure, if he desired any thing of him, and prayed him that he would come to Troy with him for to see his lineage of his mother's side. But the said Thelamon, that intended to nothing but his best advantage, said that he would not go at this time. But he prayed Hector, requesting that, if he loved him so much as he said, he would for his sake, and at his instance, cease the battle for that day, and that the Trojans should leave the Grecks in peace. The unhappy Hector accorded unto him his request, and blew a horn, and made all his people to withdraw into the eity."

H.

15 By Neoptolemus Shakespeare seems to have meant Achilles : finding that the son was Pyrrhus Neoptolemus, he considered Neoptolemus as the nomen gentilitium, and thought the father was likewise Achilles Neoptolemus. Or he may have been led into the error by some book of the time. By a passage in Act iii. se 3, it is evident that he knew Pyrrhus had not yet engaged in the siege of Troy : « But it must grieve young Pyrrhus, now at home.”

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. "Tis Agamemnon's wish; and great Achilles
Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.
Hect. Æneas, 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.1

Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here. Hect. The worthiest of them tell me name by

name;

But for Achilles, my own searching eyes

Shall find him by his large and portly size.

Aga. 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."

1

These knights, to the amount of about two hundred thousana Shakespeare found with all the appendages of chivalry iu The Old Troy Book. Eques and armiger, rendered knight and quire excite ideas of chivalry. Pope, in his Homer, has been liberal in his use of the latter.

17 Imperious was sometimes used in the sense of imperial, and sometimes otherwise; as appears from Bullokar's Expositor Imperial, royal, or chief, or emperor-like; imverious, that com

Aga. [To TROILUS.] My well-fam'd lord of Troy,

no less to you.

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 the untraded oath: 18
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

19

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

20

As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
And seen thee scorning forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanc'd sword i'the air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd;"1
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;

mandeth with authority, lord-like, stately." — In the preceding speech, the quarto has only the first two lines and the last. 18 Untraded is uncommon, unusual.

H.

19 That is, labouring as the minister or vicegerent of destiny.

H.

20 So in the folio; the quarto gives the line thus: "Despising many forfeits and subduements." It may be doubtful which is the better reading; but, on the whole, we think, or rather feel, that many weakens the line.

21 That is, decline, or fall, on the fallen.

H.

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. 'Tis 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

Ulys. 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.

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

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yond' towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.25
22

Hect. I must not believe you: 'There they stand yet; and modestly I think,

22 In Caxton's History, Ilion, which was the name of Priam s palace, is thus described: "And it was of height five hundred paces, besides the height of the towers, whereof there was great plenty, and so high that it seemed to them that saw them from farre, they raught up unto the heavens."