The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy reliques Of her o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.

Ulyss. May worthy Troiluss be half attach'd With that which here his passion doth express?

Tro. Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well In characters as red as Mars his heart Inflam'd with Venus: never did young man fancy With so eternal and so fix'd a soul. Hark, Greek; As much as I do Cressid love, So much by weight hate I her Diomed: That sleeve is mine, that he'll bear on his helm; Were it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill, My sword should bite it: not the dreadful spout, Which shipmen do the hurricano call Constring'd in mass by the almighty sun, Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptune's ear In his descent, than shall my prompted sword Falling on Diomed.

Ther. He'll tickle it for his concupyo

Tro. O Cressid ! O false Cressid! false, false, false! Let all untruths stand by thy stained name, And they'll seem glorious. Ulyss.

o, contain yourself; Your passion draws ears hither.

Enter Æneas.

Æne. I have been seeking you this hour, my lord : Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy; Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home. Tro. Have with you, prince:-My courteous

lord, adieu:

8 May worthy Troilus-] Can Troilus really feel, on this occasion, half of what he utters? A question suitable to the calm Ulysses. Johnson.

concupy.) A cant word, formed by our author from concupiscence.

9

Farewell, revolted fair!—and, Diomed,
Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head!"

Ulyss. I'll bring you to the gates.
Tro. Accept distracted thanks.

[Exeunt TROILUS, Æneas, and ULYSSES. Ther. "Would, I could meet that rogue Diomed! I would croak like a raven ; I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me any thing for the intelligence of this whore: the parrot will not do more for an almond, than he for a commodious drab. Lechery, lechery; still, wars and lechery ; nothing else holds fashion: A burning devil take them.

[Exit.

SCENE III.

Troy. Before Priam's Palace.

Enter Hector and ANDROMACHE. And. When was my lord so much ungently tem

per’d, To stop his ears against admonishment ? Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.

Hect. You train me to offend you ; get you in : By all the everlasting gods, I'll go. And. My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the

day. Hect. No more, I say.

Enter CASSANDRA. Cas.

Where is my brother Hector? And. Here, sister; arm’d, and bloody in intent: Consort with me in loud and dear petition,

and wear a castle on thy head!] i. e. defend thy head with armour of more than common security.

dear petition,] Dear, on this occasion, seems to mean important, consequential.

2

Pursue we him on knees; for I have dream'd
Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night
Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.

Cas. 0, it is true.
Hect.

Ho! bid my trumpet sound! Cas. No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet

brother. Hect. Begone, I say: the gods have heard me

swear.
Cas. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows;
They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd
Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.

And. O! be persuaded : Do not count it holy
To hurt by being just: it is as lawful,
For we would give much, to use violent thefts,
And rob in the behalf of charity.

Cas. It is the purpose," that makes strong the vow;
But vows, to every purpose, must not hold:
Unarm, sweet Hector.
Hect.

Hold you still, I say; Mine honour keeps the weather of my

fate: Life every man holds dear; but the dear man Holds honour far more precious dear than life.

Enter TROILUS. How now, young man? mean'st thou to fight to-day? And. Cassandra, call my father to persuade.

[Exit CASSANDRA. Hect. No, 'faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness,

youth, I am to-day i'the vein of chivalry:

Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,
And tempt not yet the brushes of the war.
Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy,
I'll stand, to-day, for thee, and me, and Troy.
Tro. Brother, you have a vice of

mercy in

you, Which better fits a lion, than a man. Hect. What vice is that, good Troilus? chide me

for it.
Tro. When many times the captive Grecians fall,
Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,
You bid thein rise, and live.?

Hect. 0, 'tis fair play.
Tro.

Fool's play, by heaven, Hector.
Hect. How now? how now?
Tro.

For the love of all the gods, Let's leave the hermit pity with our mother; And when we have our armours buckled on, The venom’d vengeance ride upon our swords; Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth. Hect. Fye, savage, fye! Tro.

Hector, then 'tis wars. Hect. Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.

Tro. Who should withhold me?
Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
Beckoning with fiery truncheon my

retire;
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears;

6 Which better fits a lion,] The traditions and stories of the darker ages abounded with examples of the lion's generosity. Upon the supposition that these acts of clemency were true, Troilus reasons not improperly, that to spare against reason, by mere instinct of pity, became rather a generous beast than a wise man.

? You bid them rise, and live.] Shakspeare seems not to have studied the Homeric character of Hector, whose disposition was by no means inclined to clemency.

with fiery truncheon -] We have here but a modern Mars. Antiquity

acknowledges no such ensign of command as a truncheon. The spirit of the passage, however, is such as might atone for a greater impropriety.

8

Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
Oppos’d to hinder me, should stop my way,
But by my ruin.

Re-enter CASSANDRA, with Priam. Cas. Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast: He is thy crutch; now if thou lose thy stay, Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee, Fall all together. Pri.

Come, Hector, come, go back:
Thy wife hath dream'd; thy mother hath had visions;
Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself
Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt,
To tell thee—that this day is ominous:
Therefore, come back.
Hect.

Æneas is a-field;
And I do stand engag'd to many Greeks,
Even in the faith of valour, to appear
This morning to them.
Pri.

But thou shalt not go.
Hect. I must not break my faith.
You know me dutiful; therefore, dear sir,
Let me not shame respect;' but give me leave
To take that course by your consent and voice,
Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam.

Cas. O Priam, yield not to him.
And.

Do not, dear father. Hect. Andromache, I am offended with you: Upon the love you bear me, get you in. .

[Exit ANDROMACHE. Tro. This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl Makes all these bodements. Cas.

O farewell, dear Hector. Look, how thou diest! look, how thy eye turns pale!

shame respect ;] i. e. disgrace the respect I owe you, by acting in opposition to your commands. VOL. VII.

FF