Shall to the edge of all extremity
Purfue each other, or fhall be divided
By any voice, or order of the field?
Hector bade ask.

Aga. Which

way would Hector have it? Ene. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.

Achil. 'Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done, (23) A little proudly, and great deal misprizing

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

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

The other blank as nothing; weigh him well;
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 feek
This blended Knight, half Trojan and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden-battle then? O, I perceive you
Re-enter Diomedes.

Aga. Here is Sir Diomede: go, gentle Knight,
Stand by our Ajax; as you and Lord Eneas
Confent upon the order of the fight,

So be it; either to the uttermost,

Or else a breath. The Combatants being kin

(23) Aga. 'Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done;] It feems abfurd to me, that Agamemnon fhould make a Remark to the Difparagement of Hector for Pride, and that neas fhould immediately fay, If not Achilles, Sir, what is your Name? and then defire him to take Notice, that Hector was as void of Pride as he was full of Valour. Why was Achilles to take Notice of this, if it was Agamemnon that threw this Imputation of Pride in Hector's Teeth? I was fully fatisfied, that this Reproach on Hector ought to be placed to Achilles, as I have ventur'd to place it; and confulting Mr. Dryden's Alteration of this Play, I was not a little pleas'd to find that I had but feconded the Opinion of that Great Man in this Point.

Half flints their ftrife before their ftrokes 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 fubscribes
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 Eneas, one that knows the youth
Ev'n to his inches; and with private foul,
Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me.

[Alarm. Hector and Ajax fight.

Aga. They are in action.

Neft. Now, Ajax, hold thine own.

Troi. Hector, thou fleep'ft, awake thee.

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

Dio. You must no more.

Ene. Princes, enough, so please you.

[Trumpets ceafe.

Ajax. I am not warm yet, let us fight again.
Dio. As Hector pleafes.

Hect. 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 commixion Greek and Trojan so,
That thou couldt fay, this hand is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan; the finews of this leg
All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this finifter

Bounds

Bounds in my fire's: by Jove multipotent,
Thou fhouldft 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 borrow'ft from thy mother,
My facred aunt, fhould by my mortal sword
Be drain'd! Let me embrace thee, Ajax:
By him that thunders, thou haft lufty arms;
Hector would have them fall upon him thus.
Coufin, all honour to thee!

Ajax. I thank thee, Hector!

Thou art too gentle, and too free a man : I came to kill thee, coufin, and bear hence great addition earned in thy death.

A

Hect. Not Neoptolemus so 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.

Hett. We'll anfwer it:

The iffue is embracement: Ajax, farewel
Ajax. 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 with, and great Achilles
Doth long to fee unarm'd the valiant Hector.

Hect. Eneas, call my brother Troilus to me: And fignify this loving interview

To the expectors of our Trojan part:

Defire them home. Give me thy hand, my Cousin :
I will go eat with thee, and fee your Knights.

Agamemnon and the reft of the Greeks come forward.

Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here. Hect. The worthieft of them tell me name by name; But for Achilles, mine 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

But that's no welcome: understand more clear,
What's paft and what's to come is ftrew'd with husks
And formlefs ruin of Oblivion.

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

From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, moft imperious Agamemnon.
Aga. My well-fam'd Lord of Troy, no lefs to you.
[To Troilus.
Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's Greeting,
You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.
Helt. Whom muft we answer?

Ene. The noble Menelaus.

Hect. O-you, my Lord-by Mars his gauntlet, thanks. Mock not that I affect th' untraded oath;

Your quondam wife fwears ftill by Venus' glove;
She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.
Men. Name her not now, Sir, fhe's a deadly theme.
Hect. O, pardon
I offend.

Neft. I have, thou gallant Trojan, feen thee oft,
Labouring for destiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekifh youth; and I have feen thee,

As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed,

Bravely defpifing 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 unto 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 hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wreftling. This I've seen:
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel.
I 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.

Het. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,

That

That haft fo long walk'd hand in hand with time:
Molt reverend Neftor, I am glad to clasp thee.

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

Hect. I would, they could.

Neft. By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-morrow. Well, welcome, welcome; I have feen the time

Ulyf. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here the base and pillar by us. Hect. I know your favour, Lord Ulyffes, well. Ah, Sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead, Since first I saw yourself and Diomede

In Ilion, on your Greekish embaffy.

Uly. Sir, I foretold you then what would enfue':
My prophecy is but half his journey yet;
For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yond towers, whose wanton tops do bufs the clouds,
Muft kifs their own feet.

Hect. I must not believe you;

There they stand yet; and, modeftly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian ftone will cost
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.

thou!

Moft gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome;
After the General, I beseech you next
To feast with me, and fee me at my Tent.
Achil. I fhall foreftal thee, Lord Ulyffes;
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

Hect. Is this Achilles ?

Achil. I am Achilles.

Heft. Stand fair, I pr'ythee, let me look on thee..
Achil. Behold thy fill.

Hect. Nay, I have done already.

Achil. Thou art too brief. I will the fecond time, As I would buy thee, view thee, limb by limb.

Heat. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er;

But