Re-enter ULYSSES. He doth rely on none; Ulyss. Achilles will not to the field to-morrow. In will peculiar and in self-admission. Agam. Why will he not, upon our fair request, Untent his person, and share the air with us? Ulyss. Things small as nothing, for request's sake only, He makes important. Possess'd he is with greatness; Holds in his blood such swoln and hot discourse, And batters down himself: what should I say? 66 Agam. Let Ajax go to him.- Ulyss. O Agamemnon! let it not be so. 8 And batters down himself:] The folio reads, probably corruptly, "And batters 'gainst itself." "Death tokens," in the next line, are the decisive indications of a person being infected with the plague. 9 with his own seam,] i. e. lard or grease: from the Sax. seme. No, this thrice worthy and right valiant lord Nor, by my will, assubjugate his merit, As amply titled as Achilles is', by going to Achilles : And add more coals to Cancer, when he burns This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid; And say in thunder-" Achilles, go to him." Nest. O! this is well; he rubs the vein of him. [Aside. Dio. And how his silence drinks up this applause! [Aside. Ajax. If I go to him, with my armed fist I'll pash him o'er the face. Agam. O, no! you shall not go. Ajax. An 'a be proud with me, I'll pheeze his pride2. Let me go to him. Ulyss. Not for the worth that hangs upon our 1 As amply TITLED as Achilles is,] The quartos have liked for "titled" of the folio. 2 I'll PHEEZE his pride:] I'll humble his pride. See "Taming of the Shrew," Vol. iii. p. 107. To pash, in the preceding speech of Ajax, is to strike, and sometimes to break. The word is still used in Norfolk. 3 I'll let his humours blood.] In the quartos this passage stands, "I'll tell his humorous blood." As Malone observes, in 1600 was published a collection of satires, &c. called, "The Letting of Humour's Blood in the head-vein." It gave offence under this title, and in the next edition it was called "Humours Ordinary." It was afterwards frequently reprinted under its first title. Malone does not seem to have known these particulars, nor that the name of the author was Samuel Rowlands. Agam. He will be the physician, that should be the patient. Ajax. An all men were o' my mind,— [Aside. Ulyss. Wit would be out of fashion. [Aside. Ajax. 'A should not bear it so, 'A should eat swords first: shall pride carry it? Nest. An 'twould, you'd carry half. [Aside. 'A would have ten shares1. [Aside. Ulyss. Ajax. I will knead him; I will make him supple. Nest. He's not yet thorough warm: force him with praises. Pour in, pour in; his ambition is dry. [Aside. Ulyss. My lord, you feed too much on this dislike. [To AGAMEMNON. Nest. Our noble general, do not do so. Dio. You must prepare to fight without Achilles.. Ulyss. Why, 'tis this naming of him does him harm. Here is a man-but 'tis before his face; I will be silent. Nest. Wherefore should you so? He is not emulous, as Achilles is. Ulyss. Know the whole world, he is as valiant. Ajax. A whoreson dog, that shall palter thus with 4 'A would have ten shares.] In the quartos these words are assigned to Ajax they clearly belong to Ulysses, and to him they are given in the folio. In the next speech, by Nestor," He's not yet thorough warm," erroneously has the prefix of Ajax in all the copies, folio and quarto. "Force him with praises' means, “stuff him with praises," but the quartos have prayers for "praises." The dialogue is confusedly given in this part of the scene in all the old copies. " Dio. Or strange, or self-affected? Ulyss. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet composure; Praise him that got thee, her that gave thee suck: To sinewy Ajax. I will not praise thy wisdom, He must, he is, he cannot but be wise; But be as Ajax. Ajax. Shall I call you father? Be rul'd by him, lord Ajax. Nest. Ay, my good son. Dio. Ulyss. There is no tarrying here: the hart Achilles Keeps thicket. Please it our great general To call together all his state of war: Fresh kings are come to Troy; to-morrow, We must with all our main of power stand fast: 5 beyond all erudition ;] The folio inserts "beyond" twice. [Exeunt. Ay, my good son.] In the folio this reply is put into the mouth of Ulysses, but it more properly belongs to Nestor, and to him we find it assigned in the quartos. Some have supposed that the words were transferred from Ulysses to Nestor merely by modern editors: it is not only the most ancient, but the most natural reading. 7 Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.] So the quartos: ACT III. SCENE I. Troy. A Room in PRIAM's Palace. Enter PANDARUS and a Servant. Pan. Friend! you; pray you, a word. Do not you follow the young lord Paris? Serv. Ay, sir, when he goes before me. Pan. You depend upon a noble gentleman: I must needs praise him. Serv. The lord be praised! Pan. You know me, do you not? Serv. Faith, sir, superficially. Pan. Friend, know me better. I am the lord Pandarus. Serv. I hope, I shall know your honour better. Serv. You are in the state of grace. [Music within. Pan. Grace! not so, friend; honour and lordship are my titles. What music is this? Serv. I do but partly know, sir: it is music in parts. Pan. Know you the musicians? Serv. Wholly, sir. Pan. Who play they to? Serv. To the hearers, sir. Pan. At whose pleasure, friend? Serv. At mine, sir; and theirs that love music. Pan. Command, I mean, friend. Serv. Who shall I command, sir? Pan. Friend, we understand not one another: I am too courtly, and thou art too cunning. At whose request do these men play? the folio spoils the line by reading may before sail, and misprints bulks for "hulks." It injures a previous line by omitting "great" before "general." |