Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon dropp'd, That's done;-as near as the extremest ends 'Tis Nestor right! Now play him me, Patroclus, And then, forsooth, the faint defects of age 7 - 'tis Agamemnon RIGHT.] The folio reads, "'tis Agamemnon just." ""Tis Nestor right!" which occurs a few lines afterwards, both in the quarto and folio, seems to warrant adherence to the text of the quartos. * As broad Achilles: keeps his tent like him ;] This is the reading of the quartos: the folio injures the measure of the line by the insertion of and before "keeps." VOL. VI. D Bold as an oracle; and sets Thersites, A slave whose gall coins slanders like a mint, To weaken and discredit our exposure, Ulyss. They tax our policy, and call it cowardice; Count wisdom as no member of the war; Forestall prescience, and esteem no act But that of hand: the still and mental parts,That do contrive how many hands shall strike, When fitness calls them on, and know, by measure Of their observant toil, the enemies' weight,Why, this hath not a finger's dignity. They call this bed-work, mappery, closet-war : So that the ram, that batters down the wall, Nest. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horse [A Tucket. What trumpet? look, Menelaus. Agam. Ene. May one, that is a herald and a prince, Do a fair message to his kingly ears'? Agam. With surety stronger than Achilles' arm, 'Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general. 9 To weaken AND discredit our exposure,] The quartos read our for "and" of the folio. to his kingly EARS?] So the folio: the quartos read eyes. Ene. Fair leave, and large security. How may A stranger to those most imperial looks Know them from eyes of other mortals? Agam. How? Ene. Ay; I ask that I might waken reverence, The youthful Phoebus. Which is that god in office, guiding men? Agam. This Trojan scorns us, or the men of Troy Ene. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd, As bending angels: that's their fame in peace; But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls, Good arms, strong joints, true swords; and, Jove's accord3, Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Æneas! Peace, Trojan! lay thy finger on thy lips. The worthiness of praise distains his worth, If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth; But what the repining enemy commends, That breath fame blows; that praise, sole pure, tran scends. Agam. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Æneas? Agam. affair, I pray you? What's your affair, I Ene. Sir, pardon: 'tis for Agamemnon's ears. Agam. He hears nought privately that comes from Troy. Ene. Nor I from Troy came not to whisper him: I bring a trumpet to awake his ear; To set his sense on the attentive bent1, * And BID the cheek-] The folio, less intelligibly, " And on the cheek." 3 — and, Jove's accord,] The quartos read, " and great Jove's accord." To set his SENSE on THE attentive bent,] So the folio: the quartos, "To set his seat on that attentive bent." And then to speak. Agam. Speak frankly as the wind. It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour: That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake, He tells thee so himself. Ene. Trumpet, blow loud, Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents; [Trumpet sounds. We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy, That seeks his praise' more than he fears his peril; In other arms than hers,-to him this challenge. Than ever Greek did couple in his arms"; Agam. This shall be told our lovers, lord Æneas; 6 5 That SEEKS his praise-] The quartos, "feeds his praise." did COUPLE in his arms;] The folio, " did compass," &c. If none of them have soul in such a kind, Agam. Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your hand2; To our pavilion shall I lead you, sir. Achilles shall have word of this intent; So shall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent; And find the welcome of a noble foe. [Exeunt all but ULYSSES and NESTOR. Ulyss. Nestor, Nest. What says Ulysses? Ulyss. I have a young conception in my brain; Be you my time to bring it to some shape. 7 - if none else, I am he.] The reading of the quartos: the folio, "I'll be he." in our Grecian HOST] Here again the reading of the quartos is to be preferred: the folio strangely substitutes mould for "host." 9 And in my VANTBRACE-] Armour for the arm, avantbras. 1 I'll PROVE this truth-] The folio, "I'll pawn." In the next line the folio has "forbid" and "youth" for forefend and men of the quartos: there are some other minor variations in this part of the scene. 2 Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your hand ;] This speech in the quartos is made a continuation of what is said by Ulysses. |