Puslapio vaizdai
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There is a mystery (with which relation
Durft never meddle) in the foul of state;
Which hath an operation more divine,
Than breath, or pen, can give expreffure to.
All the commerce that you have had with Troy
As perfectly is ours, as yours, my Lord.
And better would it fit Achilles much,
To throw down Hector, than Polyxena..

But it must grieve young Pyrrhus now at home,
When fame fhall in his island found her trump;
And all the Greekish girls fhall tripping fing,
Great Hector's fifter did Achilles win;

But our great Ajax bravely beat down him.
Farewel, my Lord-L, as your lover, speak;

The fool flides o'er the ice, that you should break. [Exit..
Patr. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd you;
A woman, impudent and mannish grown,

Is not more loath'd than an effeminate man
In time of act. I ftand condemn'd for this;
They think, my little ftomach to the war,
And your great love to me, reftrains you thus:
Sweet, roufe yourfelf; and the weak wanton Cupid'
Shall from your neck unloofe his am'rous fold;
And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane,
Be fhook to air.

Achil. Shall Ajax fight with Hector !

Patr. Ay, and, perhaps, receive much honour by him. Achil I fee, my reputation is at stake;

My fame is fhrewdly gor'd..

Patr. O then beware:

Thofe wounds heal ill, that men do give themselves :. Omiffion to do what is neceffary

Seals a commiffion to a blank of danger;

And danger, like an ague, fubtly taints

Even then, when we fit idly in the fun.

Achil. Go call Therfites hither, fweet Patroclus:
I'll fend the fool to Ajax, and defire him
T'invite the Trojan Lords, after the combat,

To fee us here unarm'd: I have a woman's longing,
An appetite that I am fick withal,

To

To fee great Hector in the weeds of peace;
To talk with him, and to behold his vifage,
Ev'n to my full of view.-A labour fav'd!

Ther. A wonder!

Achil. What?

Enter Therfites.

Ther. Ajax goes up and down the field, afking for himself.

Achil. How fo?

Ther. He must fight fingly to-morrow with Hector, and is fo prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling, that he raves in faying nothing.

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Achil. How can that be?

Ther. Why, he ftalks up and down like a peacock, a ftride and a ftand; ruminates like an hoftefs, that hath no arithmetick but her brain, to fet down her reckoning; bites his lip with a politick regard, as who fhould fay, there were wit in his head, if 'twou'd out; and fo there is, but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not fhew without knocking. The man's undone for ever: for if Hector break not his neck i'th' combat, he'll break't himself in vain glory. He knows not me: I faid, good-morrow, Ajax: and he replies, thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the General? he's grown a very land-fish, language-lefs, a monfter. A plague of opinion! a man. may wear it on both fides, like a leather jerkin.

Achil. Thou must be my ambaffador to him, Therfites.. Ther. Who, I?-why, he'll anfwer no body; he profeffes not answering; fpeaking is for beggars; he wears his tongue in's arms. I will put on his prefence; let Patroclus make his demands to me, you shall see the pageant of Ajax.

Achil. To him, Patroclustell him, I humbly defire the valiant Ajax, to invite the most valorous Hector to come unarm'd to my tent, and to procure fafe conduct for his perfon of the magnanimous and moft illuftrious, fix or feven times honour'd, captain general, of the Grecian army, Agamemnon, &c. Do this.

Patt

Patr. Jove blefs great Ajax.

Ther. Hum

Patr. I come from the worthy Achilles.
Ther. Ha!

Patr. Who moft humbly defires you to invite Hector

to his tent.

Ther. Hum

Patr. And to procure fafe conduct from Agamemnon.
Ther. Agamemnon!

Patr. Ay, my Lord.

Ther. Ha!

Patr. What fay you to't?

Ther. God be wi'y
'you, with all my heart.

Patr. Your answer, Sir.

Ther. If to-morrow be a fair day, by eleven o'clock it will go one way or other; howfoever, he fhall pay for me ere he has me.

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Patr. Your anfwer, Sir..

Ther. Fare ye well, with all my heart.

Achil. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he?

Ther. No, but he's out o'tune thus; what mufick will be in him, when Hector has knock'd out his brains, I know not. But I am fure, none; unless the fidler Apollo get his finews to make catlings on.

Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him ftraight. Ther. Let me carry another to his horfe; for that's the more capable creature.

Achil. My mind is troubled like a fountain ftirr'd, And I myfelf fee not the bottom of it.

[Exit. Ther. 'Would the fountain of your mind were clear again, that I might water an afs at it! I had rather be a tick in a fheep, than fuch a valiant ignorance. [Exe.

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ACT

A CT IV.

SCENE, a Street in TROY.

Enter at one door Eneas, with a torch; at another, Paris, Deiphobus, Antenor, and Diomedes'; Grecians, with Torches.

PARIS.

EE, ho! who is that there?

SE

- Dei. It is the Lord Æneas.

Ene. Is the Prince there in perfon?

Had I fo good occafion to lie long,

As you, Prince Paris, nought but heav'nly bufinefs
Should rob my bed-mate of my company.

Dio. That's my mind too : good-morrow, Lord Eneas)
Par. A valiant Greek, Æneas; take his hand;
Witnefs the procefs of your fpeech, wherein
You told, how Diomede a whole week, by days,
Did haunt you in the field.

Ene. Health to you, valiant Sir,
During all queftion of the gentle truce:
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance
As heart can think, or courage execute.

Die. The one and th' other Diomede embraces. Our bloods are now in calm, and, fo long, health; But when contention and occafion meet,

By Jove, I'll play the hunter for thy life,
With all my force, purfuit and policy.

Ene. And thou shalt hunt a lion that will fly (17)

With

(17) And thou shalt bunt a Lion that will fly With his Face back in humane gentleness.] Thus Mr. Pope in his greatSagacity pointed this Paffage in his first Edition, not deviating from the Error of the old Copies. What Conception he had to himself of a Lion flying in humane Gentleness, I won't pretend to affirm: I fuppofe, he had the Idea of as gently as a Lamb, or as what our Vulgar call an Effex Lion, a Calf. If any other Lion fly with his Face turned

back

With his face backward.- -In humane gentleness,
Welcome to Troy-Now, by Anchifes' life,
Welcome, indeed!- -by Venus' hand I fwear.
No man alive can love in fuch a fort,

The thing he means to kill, more excellently."
Dio. We fympathize.Jove, let Eneas live
(If to my fword his fate be not the glory)
A thousand complete courfes of the fun:
But in mine emulous honour let him die,
With every joint a wound, and that to-morrow.
Ene. We know each other well.

Dio. We do; and long to know each other worse.
Par. This is the moft defpightful, gentle greeting
The nobleft, hateful love, that e'er I heard of.
What bufinefs, Lord, fo early?

Ene. I was fent for to the king; but why, I know not: Par. His purpose meets you; 'twas, to bring this Greek To Calchas' house, and there to render him (For the enfreed Antenor) the fair Creffid. Let's have your company; or, if you please, Hafte thee before. I conftantly do think, (Or rather call my thought a certain knowledge) My brother Troilus lodges there to-night. Roufe him, and give him note of our approach, With the whole quality whereof; I fear, We shall be much unwelcome.

Ene. That affure you.

Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece,
Than Creffid borne from Troy.

Par. There is no help;

The bitter difpofition of the time.

backward, it is, fighting all the way as he retreats: And in this manner it is, Æneas profefles that he fhall fly when he's hunted. But where then are the Symptoms of humane Gentleness? My Correction of the Pointing reftores good. Senfe, and a proper Behaviour in Æneas. As foon as ever he has return'd Diomedes's Brave, he stops fhort and corrects himself for expreffing so much Fury in a Time of Truce; from the fierce Soldier becomes the Courtier at once; and, remembring his Enemy to be a Guest and an Ambassador, welcomes him as fuch to the Trojan Camp.---

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