Agam. They are in action.

Nest. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!

Tro.

Awake thee!

Agam. His blows are well dispos'd:—there, Ajax !

Dio. You must no more.

Hector, thou sleep'st:

[Trumpets cease.

Princes, enough, so please you.

Ene.
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'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!

I thank thee, Hector:

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.

Hect. Not Neoptolemus so mirable

On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyez

7 That any Drop-] The quarto misprints "drop" day, and "borrow'dst"

borrow'st.

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.

We'll answer it;

Hect.
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.

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.

Worthy of arms!] In the quartos this speech consists only of the first two lines and of the last line. It begins in the quartos, "Worthy all arms."

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 Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i̇' 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 in2,
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. '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.

9 Despising many forfeits and subduements,] This is the reading of the quartos: the folio gives the line, "And seen thee scorning forfeits and subduements."

2

1 - unto my standers-by,] The quartos, "to some my standers by." have HEMM'D thee in,] The quartos read, "have shrupd thee in," the folio as in our text.

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

tention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy3.

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 pertly front your town,

Yond' towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds, Must kiss their own feet.

Hect.
There they stand yet; and modestly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost

I must not believe you.

A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, time,

Will one day end it.

So to him we leave it.

Ulyss.
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, thou.-
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee:
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint1.

3 As they contend with thee in courtesy.] This line is only in the folio. And QUOTED joint by joint.] i. e. noted. The word is thus used by Ben Jonson, Webster, and other writers of the time.

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'lt 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 prenominate in nice conjecture,

Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Achil.

I tell thee, yea.

Hect. Wert thou an 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 stithied 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;
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
I never-

Or

may

Ajax.

Do not chafe thee, cousin :

And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,

Till accident, or purpose, bring you to't:

As I would BUY thee,] Boswell tells us that "the first folio reads pry

thee." Such is not the case with any copy of the first folio I have seen.

6 Wert thou AN oracle-] "Wert thou the oracle " in the folio.

7

that STITHIED Mars his helm,] A stith is an anvil, and a stithy the place where an anvil is employed.