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For Time is like a fashionable host,

That flightly shakes his parting gueft by th' hand; But with his arms out-ftretch'd, as he would fly, Grafps in the comer. For Welcome ever fmiles, And Farewel goes out fighing. O, let not virtue seek Remuneration for the thing it was;

* For beauty, wit, high birth, defert in service, Love, friendship, charity, are fubjects all

To envious and calumniating time.

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,
That all, with one confent, praife new-born Gawds,
Tho' they are made and moulded of things past;
And fhew to duft, that is a little gilt,
More laud than gilt o'er-dufted.

The prefent eye praifes the prefent object;
Then marvel nor, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax;
Since things in motion fooner catch the eye,
Than what not ftirs. The Cry went once on thee,
And ftill it might, and yet it may again,
If thou wouldst not entomb thyself alive,
And cafe thy reputation in thy tent;

Whofe glorious deeds, but in these fields of late,

2 For beauty, wit, &c] The therefore, as I prefume, threw it

folio and quarto,

For beauty, wit,

out of the text; because he would not indulge his private fenfe in at

High birth, vi our of bone, de- tempting to make fenfe of it. I

Jert in fervice,
Love, charity-

I do not deny but the changes
produce a more eafy lapfe of
numbers, but they do not exhi-
bit the work of Shakespeare.

3 And go to duft, that is a little
gilt,

More laud than gilt o'er-dufted.] In this mingled condition do we find this truly fine obfervation tranfmitted in the old folio's. Mr. Pope faw it was corrupt, and

owe the foundation of the amend-
ment, which I have given to the
text, to the fagacity of the inge-
nious Dr. Thirlby. I read,

And give to duft, that is a little
gilt,
More laud than they will give
to gold o'er dufted.

THEOBALT

This emendation has been received by the fucceeding editors, but recedes too far from the copy.

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4 Made emulous miffions 'mongst the Gods themselves, And drave great Mars to faction.

Achil. Of this my privacy

I have ftrong reafons.

Ulyf. 'Gainft your privacy

The reasons are more potent and heroical. 'Tis known, Achilles, that you are in love With one of Priam's daughters,

Achil. Ha! known!

Ulyf. Is that a wonder?

The providence, that's in a watchful state,
s Knows almost every grain of Pluto's Gold;
Finds bottom in th' uncomprehensive deep;
"Keeps place with thought; and almoft, like the Gods,
Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles.
There is a mystery, 7 with which relation
Durft never meddle, in the Soul of State;
Which hath an operation more divine,
Than breath, or pen, can give expreffure to,
All the commerce that you have had with Troy
As perfectly is ours, as yours, my Lord;
And better would it fit Achilles much,
To throw down Hector, than Polyxena,

But it must grieve young Pyrrhus now at home,
When Fame fhall in our islands found her trump;
And all the Greekish girls fhall tripping fing,
Great Hector's fifter dd Achilles win;

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But our great Ajax bravely beat down him.

Farewel, my Lord. I, as your lover, fpeak; The fool flides o'er the ice, that you should break.

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[Exit.

Patr. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd you; A woman, impudent and mannish grown,

Is not more loath'd than an effeminate man
In time of act.I ftand condemn'd for this;
They think, my little ftomach to the war,
And your great love to me, reftrains you thus.
Sweet, roufe yourself; and the weak wanton Cupid
Shall from your neck unlose his am'rous fold,
And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane,
Be fhook to air.

8

Achil. Shall Ajax fight with Hector!

Patr. Ay, and, perhaps, receive much honour by · him.

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Achil. I fee, my reputation is at stake;

My fame is fhrewdly gor'd.

Patr. O then beware:

Those wounds heal ill, that men do give themselves. 9 Omiffion to do what is neceffary

Seals a Commiffion to a Blank of Danger,

And danger, like an ague, fubtly taints

Even then, when we fit idly in the Sun.

Achil. Go call Therfites hither, fweet Patroclus; I'll fend the fool to Ajax, and defire him T'invite the Trojan Lords, after the Combat, To fee us here unarm'd. I have a woman's Longing, An appetite that I am fick withal,

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glecting our duty we commission or enable that danger of difhonour, which could not reach us before, to lay hold upon us.

-to airy air. ? Omiffion to do, &c.] By ne

To fee great Hector in the Weeds of peace;
To talk with him, and to behold his vifage,

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Ev'n to my full of view.-A labour fav'd !

Ther. A wonder!

Achil. What?

Ther. Ajax goes up and down the field, afking for himself.

Achil. How fo?

Ther. He muft fight fingly to-morrow with Hector, and is fo prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling, that he raves in faying nothing.

Achil. How can that be?

Ther. Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock, a ftride and a stand; ruminates like an hoftefs, that hath no arithmetick but her brain, to fet down her reckoning; bites his lip' with a politick regard, as who fhould fay, there were wit in this head, if 'twou'd out; and fo there is, but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not fhew without knocking. The man's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck i' th' combat, he'll break❜t himfelf in vainglory. He knows not me. I faid, Good-morrow, Ajax, and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the General? He's grown a very land-fifh, language-lefs, a monster. A plague of opinion! a man may wear it on both fides, like a leather Jerkin.

Achil. Thou must be my ambaffador to him, Therfites.

Ther. Who, I-why, he'll answer no body; he

1 with a politick regard] With a fly look.

pro

profeffes not answering; fpeaking is for beggars. He wears his tongue in's arms. I will put on his prefence; let Patroclus make his demands to me, you fhall fee the Pageant of Ajax.

Achil. To him, Patroclus. Tell him, I humbly defire the valiant Ajax, to invite the most valorous Hector to come unarm'd to my tent, and to procure fafe Conduct for his Perfon of the magnanimous and moft illuftrious, fix or feven times honour'd, captaingeneral, of the Grecian army, Agamemnon, &c. Do this.

Patr. Jove blefs great Ajax!

Ther. Hum

Patr. I come from the worthy Achilles.
Ther. Ha!

Patr. Who most humbly defires you to invite Hector to his Tent.

non.

Ther. Hum

Pair. And to procure safe conduct from Agamem

Ther. Agamemnon!

Patr. Ay, my Lord.

Ther. Ha!

Patr. What fay you to't?

Ther. God be wi' you, with all my heart.

Patr. Your answer, Sir.

Ther. If to morrow be a fair day, by eleven o'clock it will go one way or other; howfoever, he shall pay for me ere he has me.

Patr. Your answer, Sir.

Ther. Fare ye well, with all my heart.

Achil. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he? Ther. No, but he's out o'tune thus. What mufick will be in him, when Hector has knock'd out his brains, I know not; but, I am fure, none; unless the fidler Apollo get his finews to make Catlings on, Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him straight.

Ther.

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