Ulyss.

He doth rely on none;

But carries on the stream of his dispose,
Without observance or respect of any,

In will peculiar and in self-admission.

Agam. Why will he not, upon our fair request, Untent his person, and share the air with us?

Ulyss. Things small as nothing, for request's sake only,
He makes important: possess'd he is with greatness;
And speaks not to himself, but with a pride
That quarrels at self-breath: imagin'd worth
Holds in his blood such swoln and hot discourse,
That 'twixt his mental and his active parts
Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages,

And batters down himself: what should I say?
He is so plaguy proud, that the death-tokens of 't
Cry No recovery."

Agam.

Let Ajax go to him.—
Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent:
'Tis said he holds you well; and will be led,
At your request, a little from himself.

Ulyss. O Agamemnon, let it not be so!
We'll consecrate the steps that Ajax makes
When they go from Achilles: shall the proud lord,
That bastes his arrogance with his own seam,

And never suffers matter of the world

Enter his thoughts, save such as doth revolve
And ruminate himself,-shall he be worshipp'd
Of that we hold an idol more than he ?
No, this thrice-worthy and right-valiant lord
Must not so stale his palm, nobly acquir'd;
Nor, by my will, assubjugate his merit,
As amply titled as Achilles is,

By going to Achilles :

That were t' enlard his fat-already pride,

And add more coals to Cancer when he burns

With entertaining great Hyperion.

This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid,

And say in thunder, "Achilles go to him."

Nest. [aside] O, this is well; he rubs the vein of him.

Dio. [aside] And how his silence drinks up this ap

plause!

Ajax. If I go to him, with my armèd fist

I'll pash him o'er the face.

Agam. O, no, you shall not go.

Ajax. An 'a be proud with me, I'll pheeze his pride:

Let me go to him.

Ulyss. Not for the worth that hangs upon our quarrel. Ajax. A paltry, insolent fellow !

Nest. [aside] How he describes himself!

Ajax. Can he not be sociable?

Ulyss. [aside] The raven chides blackness.

Ajax. I'll let his humours blood.

Agam. [aside] He will be the physician that should be

the patient.

Ajax. An all men were o' my mind,

Ulyss. [aside] Wit would be out of fashion.

Ajax. 'A should not bear it so, 'a should eat swords first:

shall pride carry it?

Nest. [aside] An 'twould, you'd carry half.

Ulyss. [aside] 'A would have ten shares.

Ajax. I will knead him; I'll make him supple.

Nest. [aside] He's not yet through warm:(60) force him with praises pour in, pour in; his ambition is dry. Ulyss. [to Agam.] My lord, you feed too much on this dislike.

Nest. Our noble general, do not do so.

Dio. You must prepare to fight without Achilles.

Ulyss. Why, 'tis this naming of him does him harm. Here is a man-but 'tis before his face;

I will be silent.

Nest.

Wherefore should you so?

He is not emulous, as Achilles is.

Ulyss. Know the whole world, he is as valiant.

Ajax. A whoreson dog, that shall palter thus with us! Would he were a Trojan !

(60) He's not yet through warm:] Both the quarto and the folio give these words to Ajax.

Nest. What a vice were it in Ajax now,—

Ulyss. If he were proud,—(61)

Dio. Or covetous of praise,

Ulyss. Ay, or surly borne,

Dio. Or strange, or self-affected!

Ulyss. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet com

posure;

Praise him that got thee, she that gave thee suck:

Fam'd be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature
Thrice-fam'd, beyond all erudition: (62)

But he that disciplin'd thy arms to fight,
Let Mars divide eternity in twain,

And give him half: and, for thy vigour, let (63)
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield

To sinewy Ajax. I'll not praise thy wisdom,
Which, like a bourn, a pale, a shore, confines
Thy spacious and dilated parts: here's Nestor,-
Instructed by the antiquary times,

He must, he is, he cannot but be wise:-
But pardon, father Nestor, were your days
As green as Ajax', and your brain so temper'd,
You should not have the eminence of him,
But be as Ajax.

Ajax.

Shall I call you father?

Nest. Ay, my good son.(64)

Dio.

Be rul'd by him, Lord Ajax.

Ulyss. There is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles

(61) Nest. What a vice were it in Ajax now,—
Ulyss. If he were proud,—]

Mr. W. N. Lettsom would read

"Nest. Why, what a vice were it in Ajax now, If he were proud."

(62) Thrice-fam'd, beyond all erudition:] The quarto has "Thrice fam'd beyond all thy erudition;" the folio, "Thrice fam'd beyond, beyond all erudition,"

(63) let] Added by Walker (Crit. Exam., &c., vol. iii. p. 194).

(6) Nest. Ay, my good son.] The folio gives these words to Ulysses. The quarto prefixes to them (and rightly, as the context shows) "Nest."-yet Mr. Knight says; "Because Nestor was an old man, THE MODERN EDITORS make him reply to the question of Ajax," &c.

Keeps thicket.

Please it our great general

To call together all his state of war;

Fresh kings are come to Troy: to-morrow (65)
We must with all our main of power stand fast:
And here's a lord,—come knights from east to west,
And cull their flower, Ajax shall cope the best.

Agam. Go we to council. Let Achilles sleep:
Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I. Troy. A room in PRIAM's palace.

Enter a Servant and PANDARUS.

Pan. Friend, you,—pray you, a word: do not you follow the young Lord Paris?

Serv. Ay, sir, when he goes before me.
Pan. You depend upon him, I mean?

Serv. Sir, I do depend upon the lord.

Pan. You depend upon a noble gentleman; I must needs praise him.

Serv. The lord be praised!

Pan. You know me, do you not?

Serv. Faith, sir, superficially.

Pan. Friend, know me better; I am the Lord Pandarus.

Serv. I hope I shall know your honour better.

Pan. I do desire it.

Serv. You are in the state of grace.

Pan. Grace! not so, friend; honour and lordship are my

titles. [Music within.]-What music is this?

Serv. I do but partly know, sir: it is music in parts.
Pan. Know you the musicians?

Serv. Wholly, sir.

Pan. Who play they to?

66

(65) Fresh kings are come to Troy: to-morrow] An imperfect line, which has been variously amended. Mr. W. N. Lettsom proposes to Troy to-day: to-morrow.”

Ser. To the hearers, sir.

Pan. At whose pleasure, friend?

Serv. At mine, sir, and theirs that love music.

Pan. Command, I mean, friend.

Serv. Who shall I command, sir?

Pan. Friend, we understand not one another: I am too courtly, and thou art too cunning. At whose request do these men play?

Serv. That's to't, indeed, sir: marry, sir, at the request of Paris my lord, who's there in person; with him, the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love's invisible soul,—(66) Pan. Who, my cousin Cressida ?

Serv. No, sir, Helen: could you not find out that by her attributes?

Pan. It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not seen the Lady Cressida. I come to speak with Paris from the Prince Troilus: I will make a complimental assault upon him, for my business seethes.

Serv. Sodden business! there's a stewed phrase indeed!

Enter PARIS and HELEN, attended.

Pan. Fair be to you, my lord, and to all this fair company fair desires, in all fair measure, fairly guide them! -especially to you, fair queen! fair thoughts be your fair pillow!

Helen. Dear lord, you are full of fair words.

Pan. You speak your fair pleasure, sweet queen.—Fair prince, here is good broken music.

Par. You have broke it, cousin: and, by my life, you shall make it whole again; you shall piece it out with a piece of your performance.-Nell, he is full of harmony.

Pan. Truly, lady, no.

Helen. O, sir,

Pan. Rude, in sooth; in good sooth, very rude.

(66) love's invisible soul,-] Which, says Johnson, "may mean, the soul of love invisible every where else," -was altered by Hanmer to "love's visible soul," an alteration adopted by Capell, and "ecommended by Mr. W. N. Lettsom.