Page images
PDF
EPUB

side, the policy of those crafty swearing rascals,that stale old mouse-eaten dry cheese, Nestor; and that same dog-fox, Ulysses,-is not proved worth a blackberry !-They set me up, in policy, that mongrel cur, Ajax, against that dog of as bad a kind, Achilles: and now is the cur Ajax prouder than the cur Achilles, and will not arm to-day; whereupon the Grecians begin to proclaim barbarism, and policy grows into an ill opinion. Soft! here comes sleeve, and t'other.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

AGAM. Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamus Hath beat down Menon: bastard Margarelon Hath Doreus prisoner;

And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam,
Upon the pashed corses of the kings
Epistrophus and Cedius: Polixenes is slain;
Amphimachus and Thoas deadly hurt;
Patroclus ta'en or slain; and Palamedes
Sore hurt and bruis'd: the dreadful Sagittary
Appals our numbers :-haste we, Diomed,
To reinforcement, or we perish all.

Enter NESTOR.

NEST. Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles; And bid the snail-pac'd Ajax arm for shame.There is a thousand Hectors in the field: Now here he fights on Galathe his horse, And there lacks work; anon, he's there afoot, And there they fly or die, like scaled sculls Before the belching whale; then is he yonder, And there the strawy* Greeks, ripe for his edge, Fall down before him, like the mower's swath: Here, there, and every where, he leaves and takes ; Dexterity so obeying appetite,

That what he will, he does; and does so much, That proof is call'd impossibility.

Enter ULYSSES.

b

ULYSS. O, courage, courage, princes! great
Achilles

Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance:
Patroclus' wounds have rous'd his drowsy blood,
Together with his mangled Myrmidons,
That noseless, handless, hack'd and chipp'd, come
to him,

Crying on Hector. Ajax hath lost a friend,
And foams at mouth, and he is arm'd, and at it,
Roaring for Troilus; who hath done to-day
Mad and fantastic execution;

Engaging and redeeming of himself,
With such a careless force and forceless care,
As if that luck, in very spite of cunning,
Bade him win all.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

MAR. Turn, slave, and fight.
THER. What art thou?

MAR. A bastard son of Priam's.

THER. I am a bastard too; I love bastards: I mind, bastard in valour, in everything illegitimate. am a bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in One bear will not bite another, and wherefore should one bastard? Take heed, the quarrel's most ominous to us: if the son of a whore fight for a whore, he tempts judgment. Farewell, bastard. MAR. The devil take thee, coward! [Exeunt.

(*) First folio arme

[graphic][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

HECT. Most putrified core, so fair without, Thy goodly armour thus hath cost thy life. Now is my day's work done; I'll take good breath: Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of blood and death!

[Puts off his helmet and hangs his shield behind him. (3)

Enter ACHILLES and Myrmidons. ACHIL. Look, Hector, how the sun begins to set; How ugly night comes breathing at his heels:

Even with the vail and darking of the sun,
To close the day up, Hector's life is done.
HECT. I am unarm'd; forego this vantage, Greek.
ACHIL. Strike, fellows, strike! this is the man
[HECTOR falls.

I seek.
So, Ilion, fall thou next!* now, Troy, sink down!
Here lies thy heart, thy sinews, and thy bone.-
On, Myrmidons; and† cry you all amain,
Achilles hath the mighty Hector slain!

[A retreat sounded.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

SCENE X.-Another part of the Plains.

Enter AGAMEMNON, AJAX, MENELAUS, NESTOR, DIOMEDES, and others, marching. Shouts without.

AGAM. Hark! hark! what shout is that?
NEST. Peace, drums!

[Without.] Achilles! Achilles! Hector's slain! Achilles !

Dio. The bruit is, Hector's slain, and by Achilles.

AJAX. If it be so, yet bragless let it be; Great Hector was a man as good as he.

AGAM. March patiently along :-let one be sent To pray Achilles see us at our tent.— If in his death the gods have us befriended, Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended. [Exeunt, marching.

[blocks in formation]

ALL.
Hector-The gods forbid !
TROIL. He's dead; and at the murderer's
horse's tail,
[field.

In beastly sort, dragged through the shameful
Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed!
Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy!
I say, at once let your brief plagues be mercy,
And linger not our sure destructions on!

ANE. My lord, you do discomfort all the host.
TROIL. You understand me not that tell me so:
I do not speak of flight, of fear, of death;
But dare all imminence that gods and men

(*) First folio, bed.

a And, stickler-like, the armies separates.] "A stickler was one who stood by to part the combatants, when victory could be determined without bloodshed."-MALONE. They were so called,

Address their dangers in. Hector is gone!
Who shall tell Priam so, or Hecuba?
Let him, that will a screech-owl aye be call'd,
Go in to Troy, and say there-Hector's dead:
There is a word will Priam turn to stone;
Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives,
Cold* statues of the youth; and, in a word,
Scare Troy out of itself. But, march, away:
Hector is dead; there is no more to say.
Stay yet. You vile abominable tents,
Thus proudly pight upon our Phrygian plains,
Let Titan rise as early as he dare,

I'll through and through you!—and thou greatsiz'd coward!

No
space of earth shall sunder our two hates;
I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still,
That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy's thoughts.—
Strike a free march to Troy !—with comfort go:
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.

[Exeunt ENEAS and Trojans.

[blocks in formation]

PAN. A goodly med'cine for my aching bones! -O, world! world! world! thus is the poor agent despised! O, traitors and bawds, how earnestly are you set a-work, and how ill requited! Why should our endeavour be so loved, and the performance so loathed? what verse for it? what instance for it?-Let me see :

Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing, Till he hath lost his honey and his sting: And being once subdu'd in armed tail, Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.— Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths.

As many as be here of Pandar's hall,
Your eyes half out weep out at Pandar's fall:
Or, if you cannot weep, yet give some groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aching bones.
Brethren and sisters of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will shall here be
made:

It should be now, but that my fear is this,—
Some galled goose of Winchester would hiss:
Till then I'll sweat, and seek about for eases;
And at that time bequeath you my diseases.

(*) First folio, Coole.

[Exit.

(†) First folio, desir'd.

according to Minsheu, because they carried sticks or staves to interpose between the opponents.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »