Anticipating time with starting courage.
Give with thy Trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax, that th' appalled air
May pierce the head of the great Combatant,
And hale him hither.

Ajax. Trumpet, there's my purfe;
Now crack thy lungs, and fplit thy brazen pipe:
Blow, villain, till thy fphered bias cheek

Out-fwell the cholick of puft Aquilon:

Come, ftretch thy cheft, and let thy eyes fpout blood: Thou blow'ft for Hector.

Uly. No trumpet answers.

Achil. 'Tis but early day.

Aga. Is not yond' Diomede with Calchas' daughter?
Uly. 'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gate;

He rifes on his toe; that spirit of his

In aspiration lifts him from the earth.

Enter Diomede, with Creffida.

Aga. Is this the lady Creffida?.

Dio. Ev'n fhe.

Aga. Moft dearly welcome to the Greeks, fweet lady.
Neft. Our General doth falute you with a kiss.
Uly. Yet is the kindness but particular;

"Twere better, fhe were kifs'd in general.

Neft. And very courtly counfel: I'll begin.

So much for Neftor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady: Achilles bids you welcome.

Men. I had good argument for kiffing once.
Patr. But that's no argument for kissing now:

For thus pop'd Paris in his hardiment,
And parted, thus, you and your argument.

Uly. O deadly gall, and theme of all our fcorns,

For which we lose our heads to gild his horns!
Patr. The firft was Menelaus' kifs-

Patroclus kiffes you.

Men. O, this is trim.

this mine

Patr. Paris and I kifs evermore for him.

Men. I'll have my kifs, Sir: lady, by your leave,→

Cre. In kiffing do you render or receive?

R 4

Patr

Patr. Both take and give.

Cre. I'll make my match to live,

The kifs you take is better than you give ;
Therefore no kifs.

Men. I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one.
Cre. You are an odd man, give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cre. No, Paris is not; for you know, 'tis true,
That you are odd, and he is even with you.
Men. You fillip me o'th' head.

Cre. No, I'll be fworn.

Uhf. It were no match, your nail against his horn : May I, fweet lady, beg a kifs of you?

Cre. You may.

Ulyf. I do defire it.

Cre. Why, beg then.

Uly. Why then, for Venus fake, give me a kifs,
When Helen is a maid again, and his-

Cre. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.
Ulyf. Never's my day, and then a kiss of you:
Neft. A woman of quick fenfe!

Dio. Lady, a word- I'll bring you to your Father.
[Diomede leads out Creffida.

Uly Fie, fie upon her!

There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip:
Nay, her foot peaks; her wanton fpirits look out
At every joint, and motive of her body :
Oh, thefe Encounterers! So glib of tongue,
They give a Coafting welcome ere it comes;
And wide unclafp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader: fet them down
For fluttish Spoils of Opportunity,
And Daughters of the Game.

[Trumpet within.

Enter Hector, Paris, Troilus, Æneas, Helenus, and

Attendants.

All. The Trojans' trumpet!

Aga. Yonder comes the troop.

Ane. Hail, all the State of Greece! what fhall be done To him that Victory commands? Or do you purpose, A Victor shall be known? will you, the Knights

Shall

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? Ane. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.

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

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 s
And That, which looks like pride, is courtefie.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood,
In love whereof, half Hector ftays 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 Diomede.

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

So be it; either to the uttermoft,

(23) Agam. 'Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done;] It seems abfurd to me, that Agamemnon should make a Remark to the Difparagement of Hector for Pride, and that Æneas should 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 1 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 seconded the Opinion of that Great Man in this Roint.

Or elfe a breath. The Combatants being kin
Half stints their ftrife before their ftrokes begin.
Ulyf. 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 fubfcribes
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.

[Alarum. 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, fo please you.

[Trumpets ceafe.

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

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 fo,
That thou could'ft 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 should'st 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, coùfin, and bear hence
A great addition earned in thy death.
Hect. Not Neoptolemus fo mirable,

(On whose bright creft, Fame, with her loud'ft O yes,
Cries, this is he ;) could promife to himself

A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

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

Hect. We'll answer 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 wish, and great Achilles
Doth long to fee unarm'd the valiant Hector.

Het. Eneas, call my brother Troilus to me: And fignifie this loving interview

To the expectors of our Trojan part:

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

Agamemnon and the rest 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 that's no welcome: understand more clear,

What's