Enter Ajax armed, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, Menelaus, Ulyffes, Neftor, &c.

Aga. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair, Anticipating time with starting courage.

Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air,
May pierce the head of the great combatant,
And hale him hither."

Ajax. Thou trumpet, there's my purse.
Now crack thy lungs, and fplit thy brazen pipe:
Blow, villain, till thy fphered bias cheek
Out-fwell the cholic of puff'd Aquilon :

Come, ftretch thy cheft, and let thy eyes spout blood: Thou blow'ft for Hector.

Uly. No trumpet answers.

Achil. 'Tis but early day.

Aga. Is not yond' Diomed, with Calchas' daughter? Ulyff. 'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait; He rifes on his toe; that spirit of his

In afpiration lifts him from the earth.

Enter Diomed, with Creffida.

Aga. Is this the lady Creffida?

Dio. Even she.

Aga. Moft dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet
lady.

Neft. Our general doth falute you with a kiss.
Ulyff. Yet is the kindness but particular;

"Twere better fhe were kifs'd in general.

bias cheek] Swelling out like the bias of a bowl.

JOHNSON.

Neft.

Neft. And very courtly counfel. I'll begin. So much for Neftor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady: Achilles bids you welcome.

Men. I had good argument for kiffing once. Patr. But that's no argument for kiffing now: For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment, And parted, thus, you and your argument. Ul. O deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns, For which we lofe our heads to gild his horns! Patr. The first was Menelaus kifs;-this minePatroclus kiffes you.

Men. O, this is trim!

Patr. Paris, and I, kifs evermore for him.
Men. I'll have my kifs, Sir.-Lady, by your

leave

Cre. In kiffing do you render or receive?
Patr. Both take and give.

2

Cre. 3 I'll make my match to live.

The kiss you take is better than you give;
Therefore no kifs.-

Men. I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one.-
Cre. You are an odd man; give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cre. No, Paris is not; for you know, 'tis true,
That you are odd, and he is even with you.
Men. You fillip me o' the head.

Cre. No, I'll be fworn.

Uly. It were no match, your nail against his horn.— May I, fweet lady, beg a kifs of you?

Cre. You may.
Ulyff. I do defire it,

2 Both take and give.] This fpeech should rather be given to Menelaus. T. T.

3 I'll make my match to live.] I will make fuch bargains as I may live by, fuch as may bring me profit, therefore will not take a worfe kifs than I give. JOHNSON,

Cre.

Cre. 4 Why, beg then.

Uy. Why then, for Venus' fake, give me a kiss, When Helen is a maid again, and his

Cre. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due. Uly. 5 Never's my day, and then a kifs of you. Dio. Lady, a word:-I'll bring you to your father. [Diomed leads out Crefida.

Neft. A woman of quick fente!

Uly. Fie, fie, upon her!

There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip:
Nay, her foot fpeaks; her wanton fpirits look out
At every joint, and motive of her body.
Oh, thefe encounterers, fo glib of tongue,
They give 7 a coafting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclafp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! fet them down.
For fluttish spoils of opportunity,
And daughters of the game.

[Trumpet within.

Enter Hector, Æneas, Troilus, &c. and attendants.

All. The Trojans' trumpet!

Aga. Yonder comes the troop.

+ Why, beg then.] For the fake of rhime we should read, Why beg two.

If you think kifles worth begging, beg more than one. JOHNS. s Never's my day, and then a kifs of you.] I once gave both thefe lines to Creffida, She bids Ulyffes beg a kifs; he alks that he may have it,

When Helen is a maid again

She tells him that then he fhall have it:

When Helen is a maid again

Cre. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due;

Never's my day, and then a kis for you.

But I rather think that Ulyffes means to flight her, and that the prefent reading is right. JoHNSON.

6

mutive of her body.] Motive for part that contributes to motion. JOHNSON.

7

8

a coafting-] An amorous addrefs; courtship. JOHNS. fluttish Spoils of opportunity,] Corrupt wenches, of whofe chaflity every opportunity may make a prey. JOHNSON.

Ene.

Ene. Hail, all the ftate of Greece! What shall
be done

To him that victory commands? Or do you purpose,
A victor shall be known? will you the knights
Shall to the edge of all extremity

Purfue each other; or fhall be divided
By any voice, or order of the field ?
Hector bade afk.

Aga. Which way would Hector have it?
Ene. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.
Aga. 9 'Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done,
A little proudly, and great deal mifprizing
The knight oppos'd.

Ene. If not Achilles, Sir,

What is your name?

Achil. If not Achilles, nothing.

Ene. Therefore, Achilles: but whate'er, know this; In the extremity of great and little

I

Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector; The one almoft as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well;

9 'Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done,] In the fenfe of the Latin, fecurusfecurus admodum de bello, animi fecuri bomo. A negligent fecurity arifing from a contempt of the object oppofed. WARBURTON.

Aga. 'Tis done like Hector, and fecurely done, It feems abfurd to me, that Agamemnon fhould make a remark to the difparagement of Hector for pride, and that Æneas fhould immediately fay, If not Achilles, Sir, what is your name? To Achilles I have ventured to place it; and confulting Mr. Dryden's alteration. of this play, I was not a little pleafed to find, that I had but feconded the opinion of that great man in this point. THEOв. As the old copies agree, I have made no change. JOHNS.

Valour and pride EXCEL themselves in Hector;] Shakefpeare's thought is not exactly deduced. Nicety of expreflion is not his character. The meaning is plain, "Valour (fays "Eneas) is in Hector greater than valour in other men, and pride in Hector is lefs than pride in other men. So that "Hector is diftinguished by the excellence of having pride lefs than other pride, and valour more than other valour."

JOHNSON.

And

And that, which looks like pride, is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood;
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector, come to feck
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden-battle then?-O, I perceive you.

Re-enter Diomed.

Aga. Here is Sir Diomed. Go, gentle knight, Stand by our Ajax: as you and lord Æneas Confent upon the order of their fight,

So be it; either to the uttermoft,

Or elfe a breath. The combatants being kin
Half stints their ftrife before their strokes begin.
Uly. They are oppos'd already.

Aga. What Trojan is that fame that looks fo heavy?
Uly. The youngest fon of Priam, a true knight;
Not yet mature, yet matchlefs; firm of word;
Speaking in deeds, and deedlefs in his tongue;
Not foon provok'd, nor, being provok'd, foon calm'd;
His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has, he gives; what thinks,, he fhews;
Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty;
Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath:
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;

For Hector in his blaze of wrath 3 fubfcribes
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love.
They call him Troilus; and on him erect
A fecond hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus fays neas; one that knows the youth

an impair thought-] A thought fuitable to the dignity of his character. This word I fhould have changed to impure, were I not over-powered by the unanimity of the editors, and concurrence of the old copies. JOHNSON.

3

Heftor fubfcribes.

To tender objects;] That is, yields, gives way. JOHNS.