a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; he were as good crack a fufty nut with no kernel. Achil. What, with me too, Therfites? Ther. There's Ulyffes and old 9 Neftor (whose wit was mouldy ere your grandfires had nails on their toes) yoke you like draft oxen, and make you plough up the war. to Achil. What! what! Ther. Yes, good footh; to, Achilles! to, Ajax! Ajax. I fhall cut out your tongue. Ther. 'Tis no matter, I shall speak as much as thou afterwards. Patr. No more words, Therfites :-Peace. Ther. I will hold my peace, when Achilles' brach bids me, fhall I? Achil. There's for you, Patroclus. Ther. I will fee you hang'd, like clotpoles, ere I come any more to your tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools. [Exit. Patr. A good riddance. That Hector, by the fifth hour of the fun, 9 Neftor (whofe wit was mouldy ere their grandfires had nails)] This is one of thefe editors wife riddles. What! was Neftor's wit mouldy before his grandfire's toes had any nails? Prepofterous nonfenfe! and yet fo eafy a change, as one poor pronoun for another, fets all right and clear. THEOBALD. when Achilles' brach bids me,-] The folio and quarto read, Achilles' BROOCH. Brooch is an appendant ornament. The meaning may be, equivalent to one of Achilles' hangers Dn. JOHNSON. Brach I believe to be the true reading. He calls Patroclus, in contempt, Achilles' dog. STEEVENS. Ajax. Ajax. Farewell! who fhall anfwer him? Achil. I know not, 'tis put to lottery; otherwise He knew his man. Ajax O, meaning you :-I'll go learn more of it. [Exeunt. Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris, and Helenus. Pri. After fo many hours, lives, fpeeches spent, Thus once again fays Neftor from the Greeks: Deliver Helen, and all damage elfe, As bonour, lofs of time, travel, expence,.. Shall be ftruck off. Hector, what say you to't? More fpungy to fuck in the fenfe of fear, More ready to cry out, Who knows what follows? Thy beacon of the wife, the tent that fearches I To guard a thing not ours; not worth to us, Had it our name, the value of one ten; What merit's in that reason which denies many thousand difmes] Difme, Fr. is the tithe, the STEEVENS. Troi. Fie, fie, my brother! Weigh, you the worth and honour of a king Of common ounces? will you with counters fum priest, You fur your gloves with reafon. Here are your reasons. You know, an enemy intends you harm; 3 And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove, Or like a star dif-orb'd?—Nay, if we talk of reason, Let's fhut our gates, and fleep: manhood and honour "Should have hare-hearts, would they but fat their thoughts With this cramm'd reason: reafon and respect Helt. Brother, fhe is not worth what fhe doth coft The holding. • The paft-proportion of bis infinite?] Thus read both the copies. The meaning is, that greatnefs to which no measure bears any proportion. The modern editors filently give, The vaft proportion JOHNSON. And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove, Or like a ftar dif-orb'd?] Thefe two lines are misplaced in all the folio editions. POPE. Troi. What is aught, but as 'tis valued? As well wherein 'tis precious of itself, 5 Without fome image of the affected merit. And the will dotes that is inclinable] Old edition, not fo well, has it, attributive. POPE. By the old edition Mr. Pope means the old quarto. The folio has, as it ftands, inclinable.I think the first reading better; the will dotes that attributes or gives the qualities which it affects; that firft caufes excellence, and then admires it. JOHNSON. 5 Without fome image of th' AFFECTED merit.] We should read, th' AFFECTED's merit. i. c. without some mark of merit in the thing affected. WARB. The prefent reading is right. The will affects an object for fome fuppofed merit, which Hector fays, is uncenfurable, unless the merit fo affected be really there. JOHNSON. 7 •foil'd them ;- -] So reads the quarto. The folio -fpoil'd them. JOHNSON. unrespective fieve,] That is, into a common voider. Sieve is in the quarto. The folio reads, -unrefpective fame; for which the modern editions have filently printed, -unrefpective place. JOHNSON. Because Because we now are full. It was thought meet, 8 If you'll avouch, 'twas wifdom Paris went, 8 Caf. [within.] Cry, Trojans, cry! Pri. What noife? what fhriek is this? Troi. 'Tis our mad fifter, I do know her voice. pale the morning.] So the quarto. The folio and modern editors, fale the morning. JOHNSON. 9 And do a deed that fortune never did,] If I understand this paffage, the meaning is, "Why do you, by cenfuring the deter"mination of your own wifdoms, degrade Helen, whom fortune "has not yet deprived of her value, or against whom, as the "wife of Paris, fortune has not in this war fo declared, as to make "us value her lefs?" This is very harfh, and much strained. JOHNSON. But thieves,-] HANMER reads, Bafe thieves,-JOHNS. VOL. IX. D Caf. |