To answer for his love: tell him from me,
I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver,
And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn;
And, meeting him, will tell him, that my lady
Was fairer than his grandam, and as chaste
As may be in the world: his youth in food,
I'll pawn this truth with my three drops of blood.

Æne. Now heav'ns forbid such scarcity of youth!
U. Amen.
Aga. Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your

hand:
To our Pavillion shall I lead you first :
Achilles shall have word of this intent,
So shall each lord' of Greece from tent to tent :
Your self shall feast with us before you go,
And find the welcome of a noble foe.

[Exeunt.
Manent Ulysses and Nestor.
Ulyl. Neftor,-
Nejt. What fays Ulysses?

Ulys. I have a young conception in my brain,
Be you my time to bring it to some shape.

Neft. What is't?

Ulyf. This 'pis :
Blunt wedges rive hard knots; the feeded pride,
That hath to this maturity blown up
In rank Achilles, muft or now be cropt,
Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil,
To over-bulk us all.

Neft. Well, and how now?
Ulys. This Challenge that the gallant Hector sends,
However it is spread in general name,
Relates in purpose only to Achilles.

Nest. The purpose is perspicuous even as Substance, (15)
Whose grossness little characters fum up.

And (15) The Purpose is perspicuous ev'n as Substance, Whofé Gronefs little Charafters fum up, And in the Publication make no Strain:] The modern Editors, 'tis plain, have lent each other very little Information upon this Passage : Tupads Tupaớ örngos, as the Proverb says; the Blind have led the Blind. As they have pointed the Passage, 'uis ftrange Stuff; and how they folva

And, in the publication, make no ftrain,
But that Achilles, were his brain as barren
As banks of Libya, (tho', Apollo knows,
'Tis dry enough) will with great speed of judgment,
Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose
Pointing on him.

Ulyd. And wake him to the answer, think you?

Neft. Yes, 'tis most meet; whom may you else oppose, That can from Hector bring his honour off, If not Achilles ? though a sportful combat, Yet in this tryal much opinion dwells. For here the Trojans taste our dear’st Repute With their fin'st palate: and trust to me, Ulyfes, Our imputation shall be odly pois'd In this wild action. For the success, Although particular, shall give a scantling Of good or bad unto the general: And in such indexes, although small pricks To their subsequent volumes, there is seen The baby figure of the giant-mass Of things to come, at large. It is suppos’d, He, that meets Heator, issues from our Choice; And Choice, being mutual act of all our souls, Makes merit her election, and doth boil, As 'twere, from forth us all, a man distill'd. Out of our virtues; who miscarrying, What heart from hence receives the conqu’ring part, To steel a strong opinion to themselves ! Which entertain’d, limbs are his instruments,

In no less working, than are swords and bows
Directive by the limbs.

Ulyd. Give pardon to my Speech ;
Therefore 'tis meet, Achilles meet not Hector.
Let us, like merchants, shew our fouleft wares,
And-think, perchance, they'll sell; if not,
The lustre of the better, yet to shew,
Shall shew the better. Do not then consent,
That ever HeEtor and Achilles meet:
For both our honour and our shame in this
Are dogg'd with two strange followers.

Neft. I see them not with my old eyes: what are they?

Ulys. What Glory our Achilles shares from Hector,
Were he not proud, we all should share with him :
But he already is too insolent ;
And we were better parch in Africk Sun,
Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes,
Should he scape Heator fair. If he were foild,
Why, then we did our main opinion crush
In taint of our best man. No, make a Lott'ry;
And by device let blockish Ajax draw
The Sort to fight with Hector : 'mong our selves,
Give him allowance as the worthier man,
For that will physick the great Myrmidon,
Who broils in loud applause, and make him fall
His Crest, that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We'll dress him up in voices : if he fail,
Yet go we under our opinion still,
That we have better men. But, hit or miss,
Our project's life this shape of sense affumes,
Ajax, imploy'd, plucks down Achilles' plumes.

Nést. Ulysses, now I relish thy advice,
And I will give a taste of it forthwith
To Agamemnon ; go we to him streight ;
Two curs shall tame each other ; pride alone
Must tar the mastiffs on, as 'twere their bone. [Exeunt.

АСТ

A JAX.
HERSITES,

Ther. Agamemnon--how if he had boiles-
T

full, all over, generally. [Talking to himjelf. Ajax. Thersites,

Ther. And those boiles did runsay so did not the General run? were not that a botchy core?

Ajax. Dog !

Ther. Then there would come some inatter from him: I see none now.

Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? feel then.

[Strikes him. Tber. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mungrel beef-witted lord !

Ajax. Speak then, you unwinnow?d'it (16) leaven, speak; I will beat thee into handsomness.

Vol. VII.

С

Ther,

(16) Speak then, you unsalted Leaven, speak;} This is a Reading obtruded upon us by Mr. Pope, that has no Authority or Countenance from any of the Copies ; nor that approaches in any Degree to the Traces of the old Reading, you whinids Leaven. This, 'tis true, is corrupted and unintelligible ; but the Emendation, which I have coin'd out of it, gives us a Sense apt and consonant to what Ajax would say." Thou Lump “ of low'r Dough, kneaded up out of a Flower unpurg'd and unfifted, “ with all the Dross and Bran in it.”. Kent, in Lear, uses the same metaphorical Reproach to the cowardly Steward;

I will tread this unboulted Villain into Mortar. i.e. This Villain of so gross a Composition, that he was not fifted thro'

the

Ther, I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness; but, I think, thy horse will sooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book : thou canst strike, canst thou? a red murrain o’thy jade's tricks!

Ajax. Toads-stool, learn me the proclamation.
Tber. Doeft thou think, I have no sense, thou strik'st

me thus ?

Ajax. The proclamation
Ther. Thou art proclaim'd a fool, I think.
Ajax. Do not, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch.

Ther. I would, thou didft itch from head to foot, and I had the scratching of thee; I would make thee the loathsom'ft scab in Greece.

Ajax. I say, the proclamation

Ther. Thou grumbleft and railest every hour on A. chilles, and thou art as full of envy at his Greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpina's Beauty: I, that thou bark'st at him.

Ajax. Mistress Therfites!
Ther. Thou shouldīt strike him.
Ajax. Cobloaf!

Ther. He would pound thee into shivers with his fift, as a failor breaks a bisket. Ajax. You whorfon cur !

[Beating bim Ther. Do, do. Ajax. Thou stool for a witch !

Ther. Ay, do, do, thou sodden-witted lord ; thou haft no more brain than I have in my elbows: an Afinego may tútor thee. Thou scurvy valiant ass! thou art here but to thrash Trojans, and thou art bought and sold among those of any wit, like a Barbarian slave. If thou

the boulting-Cloth, before he was work'd up into Leaven. So Pandarus. fays to Troilus in the first Scene of this Play.

Ay, the boulting ; but you must tarry the leavening. I cannot without Injustice pass over another Conjecture, propos’d by my ingenious Friend Mr. Warburton ;- - you windieft Leaven. An Epithet, as he says, not only admirably adapted to the Nature of Leaven, which is made only by Fermentation, but likewise moft justly applied to the loquacious Therfites. And, indeed, in several Counties of England, an idle Prater is call'd, a windy Fellow.