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Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath:
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;

For Hector in his blaze of wrath, fubfcribes
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love:

* They call him, Troilus; and on nim erect
A fecond hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus fays reas; one that knows the youth
Even to his inches, and, with private foul,
Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me.

[Trumpets blow to arms. Ajax
and Hector fight.

Aga. They are in action.

Nef. Now, Ajax, hold thine own.

Tro. Hector thou fleep'ft, awake thee.

Aga. His blows are well difpos'd:-there, Ajax.

Dio. You must no more.

}

Interpofing.

Ene. Princes, enough, fo please you. Trumpets ceaser.

Aja. I am not warm yet, let us fight again.

Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hec. Why then, will I no more :

Thou art, great lord, my father's fifter's fon,
A coufin-german to great Priam's feed;
The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory emulation 'twixt us twain :

Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so,
That thou could'it fay-This band is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan; the finews of this leg
All Greece, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this finifter
Bounds in my father's; by Jove multipotent,
Thou should't not bear from me a Greekish member
Wherein my fword had not impreffure made
Of our rank feud: But the juft gods gainfay,
That any drop thou borrowd'st from thy mother,
My facred aunt, fhould by my mortal fword
Be drained out! Let me embrace thee, Ajax:
By him that thunders, thou haft lufty arms:

This panegyric upon Troilus, fo ably expreffed, by fo eminent a character as Ulyffes, does Troilus great honour; if it has a fault, it is faying more than almost any man can merit,

3

Hector

Hector would have them fall
Coufin, all honour to thee* !

upon him thus

Aja. I thank thee, Hector:

Thou art too gentle, and too free a man :
I came to kill thee, coufin, and bear hence
A great addition earned in thy death.
Hec. Not Neoptolemus' fire fo mirable

:

(On whofe bright creft Fame, with her loud'ft O yes, Cries, This is he) could promise to himself

A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

Ene. There is expectance here from both the fides, What further you will do.

Hec. We'll answer it;

The iffue is embracement :-Ajax, farewel.

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Aja. If I might in entreaties find fuccefs,

(As feld I have the chance) I would defire

My famous coufin to our Grecian tents.

Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wish; and great Achilles
Doth long to fee unarm'd the valiant Hector.
Hec. Aneas, call my brother Troilus to me:
And fignify this loving interview

coufin:

To the expectors of our Trojan part;
Defire them home.-Give me thy hand, my
I will go eat with thee, and fee your knights.
Aja. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.

Chiefs enter the lifts.

Hec. The worthicft of them tell me name by name; But for Achilles, my own fearching eyes

Shall find him by his large and portly fize.

Aga. Worthy of arms, as welcome as to one

That would be rid of fuch an enemy,

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

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,

*If the arguments which Hector uses are juft, fhould they not rather have prevented the encounter entirely, than interrupted it? The fenfibility of Hector, however, in being unwilling to fpill blood akin to his own, is very consistent with the piety and justness of his character.

Strain'd

Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,

From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hec. I thank thee, moft imperious Agamemnon.

Aga. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, [to Tro.] no lefs to you.

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

Hec. Whom muft we answer ?

Ene. The noble Menelaus.

Hec. O, you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks! Mock not, that I affect the untraded oath;

Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove:
She's well, but bad me not commend her to you.
Men. Name her not now, fir; fhe's a deadly theme.
Hec. O, pardon; I offend.

Nef. I have, thou gallant Trojan, feen thee oft,
Lab'ring for deftiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greeki youth: And I have feen thee, As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed,

Defpifing many forfeits and fubduements,

When thou haft hung thy advanc'd fword i'th' air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd † ;
That I have faid to fome my ftanders-by,
Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life:

And I have seen thee paufe, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hem'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: This have I feen;
But this thy countenance, ftill lock'd in steel,
1 never faw 'till now. I knew thy grandfire,
And once fought with him: he was a foldier 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 Neftor.

Hec. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That haft fo long walk'd hand in hand with time ::
Most reverend Neftor, I am glad to clasp thee.

+ A delicate and admirable compliment to a brave man's humanity, who, though regardless of life himself, will not take it unneceffarily from another.

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

Hec. I would, they could.

Nef. Ha!

By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-morrow.
Well, welcome, welcome; I have seen the time ‡.
Uly. I wonder now how yonder city stands,
When we have here her bafe and pillar by us.
Hec. I know your favour, lord Ulyffes, well.
Ah, fir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
Since firft I faw yourfelf and Diomed

In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

Uly. Sir, I foretold you then what would enfue:
My prophefy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yon' towers, whose wanton tops do bufs the clouds,
Muft kifs their own feet.

Hec. I must not believe you :

There they stand yet; and modeftly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian ftone will coft
A drop of Grecian blood: The end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, time,
Will one day end it.

Uly. So to him we leave it.

Moft gentle, and moft valiant Hector, welcome :
After the general, I beseech you next

To feaft with me, and fee me at my tent.

Ach. I fhall foreftal thee, lord Ulyffes; thou!
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

Hec. Is this Achilles?

Ach. I am Achilles.

Hec. Stand fair, I pray thee, let me look on thee.
Ach. Behold thy fill.

Hec. Nay, I have done already.

Ach. Thou art too brief; I will the fecond time,

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

A most natural effufion this of a brave mind, though encircled with an enervated body.

Hec. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er ; But there's more in me, than thou understand'st. Why'doft thou fo opprefs me with thine eye?

Ach. Tell me, you heav'ns, in which part of his body Shall I deftroy 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'fpirit flew: Answer me, heavens.
Hec. It would difcredit the bleft gods, proud man,
To answer fuch a question: Stand again:
Think'st thou to catch my life fo pleasantly,
As to prenominate in nice conjecture
Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Ach. I tell thee, yea.

Hec. Wert thou an oracle to tell me fo,

I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well;
For T'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
But, by the forge that flythy'd Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.-
You wifeft Grecians, pardon me this brag,
His infolence draws folly from my lips;

But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
I never

Or

may

;

Aja. Do not chafe thee, coufin
And you, Achilles, let thefe threats alone,
'Till accident, or purpose, bring you to't :
You may have every day enough of Hector,

If

you have stomach; the general ftate, I fear, Can fcarce entreat you to be odd with him.

Hec. I pray you, let us fee you in the field; We have had pelting wars, fince you refus'd The Grecians' caufe.

Ach. Doit thou entreat me, Hector? To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death; To-night, all friends *.

Hec. Thy hand upon that match.

The challenge of Hector and Achilles is brought about somewhat in a brutal manner, much beneath such exalted perfonages; however, the fourth act reduced must appear the best hitherto in represen tation,

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