Ajax. If I might in entreaties find success, As seld I have the chance, I would desire

My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'T is Agamemnon's wish; and great Achilles Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.

Hect. Æneas, call my brother Troilus to me: And signify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part:

Desire them home.

- Give me thy hand, my cousin ;

I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.

Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.
Hect. The worthiest of them tell me, name by name;

But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes

Shall find him by his large and portly size.

Agam. Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one

That would be rid of such an enemy.

But that's no welcome: understand more clear,
What's past, and what's to come, is strew'd with husks
And formless ruin of oblivion;

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,

From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.
Agam. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you.

[TO TROILUS.

Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting: You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.

Hect.

Ene.

Whom must we answer?

The noble Menelaus.

Hect. O! you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks. Mock not, that I affect th' untraded oath:

She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.

Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove;

Men. Name her not now, Sir; she's a deadly theme.
Hect. O pardon; I offend.

Nest. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft,

Labouring for destiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have seen thee,
As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' th' air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd;
That I have said unto my standers-by,
"Lo! Jupiter is yonder, dealing life."

And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel,
never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
And once fought with him: he was a soldier good;
But, by great Mars the captain of us all,
Never like thee. Let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
Ene. 'Tis the old Nestor.

Hect. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time.
Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.

Nest. I would, my arms could match thee in contention, As they contend with thee in courtesy.

Hect. I would they could.

Nest. Ha! By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to

morrow.

Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time

Ulyss. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here her base and pillar by us.

Hect. I know your favour, lord Ulysses, well. Ah, Sir! there's many a Greek and Trojan dead, Since first I saw yourself and Diomed

In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

Ulyss. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue :

My prophecy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,

Yond' towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.

Hect.
I must not believe you.
There they stand yet; and modestly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost
A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, time,

Will one day end it.

Ulyss.

So to him we leave it.

Most gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome.
After the general, I beseech you next

To feast with me, and see me at my tent.

Achil. I shall forestall thee, lord Ulysses, thou.

Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee:
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

Hect. Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on thee.
Achil. Behold thy fill.

Hect.

Nay, I have done already.

Achil. Thou art too brief: I will the second time,

As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.

Hect. O! like a book of sport thou 'It read me o'er; But there's more in me than thou understand'st.

Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye?

Achil. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body Shall I destroy him, whether there, there, or there?

That I may give the local wound a name,

And make distinct the very breach, whereout

Hector's great spirit flew. Answer me, heavens !

Hect. It would discredit the bless'd gods, proud man, To answer such a question. Stand again:

Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly,

As to prenominate in nice conjecture,

Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Achil.

I tell thee, yea.

Hect. Wert thou an oracle to tell me so,
I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well,
For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
But, by the forge that stithied Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.
You, wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag:
His insolence draws folly from my lips;

But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never
Ajax.
Do not chafe thee, cousin :
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
Till accident, or purpose, bring you to 't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have stomach. The general state, I fear,
Can scarce entreat you to be old with him.

Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the field;
We have had pelting wars,
since you refus'd

The Grecians' cause.

Achil.

To-morrow, do I meet thee, fell as death;

To-night, all friends.

Hect.

Thy hand upon that match.

Agam. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent;
There in the full convive we: afterwards,

As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall
Concur together, severally entreat him.—
Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow,
That this great soldier may his welcome know.

[Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES.

Tro. My lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you,

In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

Ulyss. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus:
There Diomed doth feast with him to-night;

Who neither looks upon the heaven, nor earth,
But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view

On the fair Cressid.

Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much,

You shall command me, Sir.

As gentle tell me, of what honour was

This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there
That wails her absence?

Tro. O, Sir! to such as boasting show their scars,

A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord?
She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth:
But still sweet love is food for fortune's tooth.

ACT V. SCENE I.

The Grecian Camp. Before ACHILLES' Tent.

A

Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS.

[Exeunt.

Achil. I'll heat his blood with Greekish wine to-night, Which with my scimitar I'll cool to-morrow.

Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.

Patr. Here comes Thersites.

Achil.

Enter THERSITES.

How now, thou cur of envy!

Thou crusty batch of nature, what's the news?

Ther. Why, thou picture of what thou seemest, and idol of idiot-worshippers, here's a letter for thee.

Achil. From whence, fragment?

Ther. Why, thou full dish of fool, from Troy.

Patr. Who keeps the tent now?

Ther. The surgeon's box, or the patient's wound.

Patr. Well said, adversity! and what need these tricks? Ther. Pr'ythee be silent, boy; I profit not by thy talk: thou art thought to be Achilles' male varlet.

Patr. Male varlet, you rogue! what's that?

Ther. Why, his masculine whore. Now the rotten diseases of the south, the guts-griping, ruptures, catarrhs, loads o' gravel i' the back, lethargies, cold palsies, raw eyes, dirt