Or " Must be the scene of mirth, to cough and spit, As broad Achilles; and keeps his tent like him; (A flave, whose gall coins flanders like a mint) Uh. They tax our policy, 'and call it cowardife, They call this bed-work Mapp'ry, closet war: (6) They call this bed-work, mapp'ry, clofet War,] The Poet in my Opinion would fay, This is planning out Action and War, as a Man might do on his Pillow, and in his Clofet. If fo, bedwork must be the Epithet to Mappery, as closet is to War: and therefore I have expung'd the Comma, which feparated the First from its Subftantive. So Guiderius, in Cymbeline, speaking of an unactive Life, fays it is A cell of Ignorance; travelling a-bed. Se S So that the ram, that batters down the wall, Neft. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horfe Aga. What trumpet ? look, Menelaus. Enter Æneas. Aga. What would you 'fore our tent? [Tucket founds. Ene. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you? Ene. May one, that is a Herald and a Prince, Aga. With furety ftronger than Achilles' arm, Ene. Fair leave, and large fecurity. How may Ene. I ask, that I might waken Reverence, Which is that God in office, guiding men ? Ene. Courtie s is free, as debonair, unarm'd, (7) But when they would feem Soldiers, they have Galls, Good Arms, Strong Joints, true Swords, and Jove's Accord, Nothing fo full of heart.] Can the Poet be fuppos'd to mean, that the Trojans had Jove's Accord whenever they would feem Soldiers? No; certainly, he would intimate that nothing was fo full of Heart as they, when that God did but shew himself on VOL. VII P their Good arms, ftrong joints, true fwords; and, Jove's Nothing fo full of heart. But peace, Æneas; That breath Fame blows, that praise sole pure tranfcends Aga. Sir, you of Troy, call you your felf Æneas? Ene. Ay, Greek, that is my name. Aga. What's your affair, I pray you ? Ene. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears. I bring a trumpet to awake his Ear, To fet his fenfe on the attentive bent, Aga. Speak frankly as the wind, It is not Agamemnon's fleeping hour; Ene. Trumpet, blow loud: Send thy brafs voice thro' all these lazy tents; their Side. This Circumftance, added, brings no Impeachment to their Courage: Valour would become Presumption and Impiety in them, if they had trufted to it when Jove manifeftly declared himself on the other Side. My Regulation of the Pointing fixes the Poet's Senfe; and 'tis every where his Manner to mention the Concurrence of the Deity fuppos'd. That That knows his valour and knows not his fear, One noble man that hath one spark of fire, Aga. Fair lord Eneas, let me touch your hand : To our Pavilion fhall I lead you firft: Achilles fhall have word of this intent, So fhall each lord of Greece from tent to tent: Your felf fhall feast with us before you go, Manent Ulyffes and Neftor. Ulyff. Neftor, Neft. What fays Ulyffes? Uly. I have a young conception in my brain, Ul. This 'tis : Blunt wedges rive hard knots; the feeded pride, In rank Achilles, muft or now be cropt, Or, fhedding, breed a nursery of like evil, Neft. Well, and how now? [Exeunt. Uly. This Challenge that the gallant Hector fends, However it is fpread in general name, Relates in purpose only to Achilles. Neft. The purpose is perfpicuous even as Substance, (8) (8) The Purpofe is perfpicuous ev'n as Subftance, Whofe Groffness little Characters fum up, And in the Publication make no Strain:] The modern Editors, 'tis plain, have lent each other very little Information upon this Paffage: Τυφλὸς τυφλῷ ὁδηγὸς, as the Proverb fays; the Blind have led the Blind. As they have pointed the Paffage, 'tis ftrange Stuff; and how they folv'd it to themfelves, is paft my Discovery. That little Characters, or Particles, fum up the Groffness of any Subftance, I conceive: but how thofe Characters, or Particles, make no Strain in the Publication, feems a little harder than Algebra. My Regulation of the Pointing brings us to clear Senfe; "The Aim and Purpose of this Duel is as vifible as any grofs Subftance can be, compound"ed of many little Particles". And having said thus, Ulysses goes on to another Obfervation; " And make no Difficulty, no "Doubt, when this Duel comes to be proclaim'd, but that .4"chilles, dull as he is, will discover the Drift of it." This is the Meaning of the laft Line. So afterwards, in this Play, Vlyffes fays, I do not ftrain at the Pofition, ie. I do not hesitate at, I make no Difficulty of it. Whofe |