Ajax. I thank thee, Hector:

Thou art too gentle, and too free a man :
I came to kill thee, coufin, and bear hence
A great addition earned in thy death.

Heft. Not Neoptolemus' fire fo mirable

(On whofe bright crest Fame with her loud'ft O yes Cries, This is be) 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.

Het. We'll answer it;

The iffue is embracement :-Ajax, farewell.
Ajax. If I might in entreaties find fuccefs,
(As feld I have the chance) I would defire
My famous cousin 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 fignify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part;

Defire them home.-Give me thy hand, my coufin;
I will go eat with thee, and fee your knights.

Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.
Helt. The worthieft of them tell me name by name;

But for Achilles, my 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 such an enemy;

But that's no welcome: Understand more clear,

What's paft, and what's to come, is ftrew'd with hufks And formlefs ruin of oblivion;

But in this extant moment, faith and troth,

Y Neoptolemus'-Achilles, the wond'rous fire of Pyrrhus Neoptolemus. 2 the expecters]-the party that await us, our attendants.

Strain'd

Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with moft divine integrity,
From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Heat. I thank thee, moft imperious Agamemnon.
Aga. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you.
[To Troilus.
Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's greet-
ing ;-

You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.

Het. Whom muft we anfwer?

Ene. The noble Menelaus.

Het. O, you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks! Mock not, that I affect the untraded oath;

a

Your quondam wife fwears ftill by Venus' glove:

She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.
Men. Name her not now, fir; fhe's a deadly theme.
Het. O, pardon; I offend.

Neft. I have, thou gailant Trojan, feen thee oft,
Labouring for deftiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekish youth: and I have feen thee, As hot as Perfeus, fpur thy Phrygian steed,

Despising many forfeits and subduements,

When thou haft hung thy advanced fword i'the air,
Not letting it decline on the declined;

That I have faid to fome my ftanders-by,

Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!

And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: This have I feen;
But this thy countenance, ftill lock'd in fteel,
I never faw 'till now. I knew thy grandfire,
And once fought with him: he was a foldier good;

a untraded]-unfashionable.

forfeits and fubduements,]-things forfeited and fubdued.

But, by great Mars, the captain of us all,
Never like thee: Let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
Ene. 'Tis the old Neftor.

Helt. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That haft fo long walk'd hand in hand with time :-
Most reverend Neftor, I am glad to clasp thee.

Neft. I would, my arms could match thee in contention,

As they contend with thee in courtesy.

Hect. I would, they could.

Neft. Ha! by this white beard, I'd fight with thee to

morrow.

Well, welcome, welcome! I have feen the time

Ulyff. I wonder now how yonder city stands, When we have here her base and pillar by us.

Hect. I know your favour, lord Ulyffes, well. Ah, fir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead, Since first I faw yourself and Diomed

In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

Ulyff. Sir, I foretold you then what would enfue:
My prophecy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yon towers, whose wanton tops do bufs the clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.

Helt. I must not believe you:

There they stand yet; and modeftly I think,
The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost

A drop of Grecian blood: The end crowns all;
And that old common arbitrator, time,

Will one day end it.

Uly. So to him we leave it.

Moft gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome:

After

After the general, I befeech you next

To feast with me, and fee me at my tent.

Achil. I fhall foreftall thee, lord Ulyffes; Thou!Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;

I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

Helt. Is this Achilles?

Achil. I am Achilles.

Heft. Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on thee. Achil. Behold thy fill.

Heft. Nay, I have done already.

Achil. Thou art too brief; I will the fecond time,

As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb,
Helt. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er;
But there's more in me than thou understand'st.

Why doft thou fo opprefs me with thine eyes

?

Acbil. Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his

body

Shall I destroy him? whether there, there, or there?
That I may give the local wound a name;

And make distinct the very breach, whereout
Hector's great spirit flew : Answer me, heavens!
Helt. It would difcredit the bleft gods, proud man,
To answer fuch a queftion: Stand again:
Think'st thou to catch my life fo pleasantly,

As to prenominate in nice conjecture,

Where thou wilt hit me dead?

Achil. I tell thee, yea.

Het. Wert thou an oracle to tell me fo,

I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well;
For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;

But, by the forge' that ftithy'd Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.—
You wifeft Grecians, pardon me this brag,
His infolence draws folly from my lips;

But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or may I never

Ajax. Do not chafe thee, coufin;—
And you, Achilles, let thefe threats alone,
'Till accident, or purpofe, bring you to't:
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have ftomach; the general ftate, I fear,
* Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.

h

Helt. I pray you, let us fee you in the field; We have had pelting wars, fince you refus'd The Grecians' cause.

Achil. Doft thou entreat me, Hector? To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death; To-night, all friends.

Helt. Thy hand upon that match.

Aga. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent; There in the full convive we afterwards,

As Hector's leifure and your bounties fhall

Concur together, feverally intreat him.

Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow,
That this great foldier may his welcome know. [Exeunt.

Manent Troilus, and Ulyffes.

Troi. My lord Ulyffes, tell me, I beseech you, In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

that fithy'd Mars his helm,]—wherein it was formed upon the anvil.

Can fearce entreat you to be odd with bim.]-Will hardly be able to prevail on you to engage with him.

hpelting wars,]-petty fkirmishes only.

i in the full convive we:]-let us feaft liberally.

intreat]-invite.

the tabourines,]-the drums.

Ulyff