(On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st O yes Cries, This is he,) could promise to himself A thought of added honour torn from Hector. Ene. There is expectance here from both the sides, What further you will do. Hect. Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wish, and great Achilles Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector. Hect. Æneas, call my brother Troilus to me: And signify this loving interview To the expecters of our Trojan part; Desire them home.-Give me thy hand, my cousin ; I will go eat with thee, and see your knights. Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here. Hect. The worthiest of them tell me name by name; But for Achilles, my own searching eyes Agam. Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one That would be rid of such an enemy; But that's no welcome: Understand more clear, But in this extant moment, faith and troth, From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome. was Pyrrhus Neoptolemus, considered Neoptolemus as the nomen gentilitium, and thought the father was likewise Achilles Neop tolemus. JOHNSON. 6 most imperious-] Imperious and imperial had formerly the same signification. Agam. My well-fam'd lord of Troy, no less to you. [TO TROILUS. Men. Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither. Men. The noble Menelaus. Hect. O you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks! Mock not, that I affect the untraded' oath ; Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove: She's well, but bade me not commend her to you. Men. Name her not now, sir; she's a deadly theme. Hect. O, pardon; I offend. Nest. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft, Labouring for destiny, make cruel way Through ranks of Greekish youth and I have seen thee, Asas Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed, And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath, 8 7 the untraded oath ;] A singular oath, not in common use, the declin'd;] The declin'd is the fallen. thy grandsire,] Laomedon, Ene. "Tis the old Nestor. Hect. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle, That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time :Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee. Nest. I would, my arms could match thee in contention, As they contend with thee in courtesy. Hect. I would they could. Nest. Ha! By this white beard I'd fight with thee to-morrow. Ulyss. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue : My prophecy is but half his journey yet; For yonder walls, that pertly front your town, Hect. Will one day end it. Ulyss. So to him we leave it. Most gentle, and most valiant Hector, welcome: To feast with me, and see me at my tent. Achil. I shall forestall thee, lord Ulysses, thou!Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee; I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector, And quoted joint by joint.' 1 And quoted joint by joint.] To quote is to observe. Hect. Achil. I am Achilles. Is this Achilles? Hect. Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on thee. Achil. Behold thy fill. Hect. Nay, I have done already. Achil. Thou art too brief; I will the second time, As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb. Hect. O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er; But there's more in me than thou understand'st. Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye? Achil. 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 ! Hect. It would discredit the bless'd gods, proud man, To answer such a question: Stand again : Where thou wilt hit me dead? Achil. I tell thee, yea. 2 Hect. Wert thou an oracle to tell me so, 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 stithied Mars his helm," I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag, His insolence draws folly from my lips; But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words, Or may I never Ajax. Do not chafe thee, cousin ; And you Achilles, let these threats alone, that stithied Mars his helm,] A stith is an anvil, and from hence the verb stithied is formed. Till accident, or purpose, bring you to't: Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the field; We have had pelting wars,* since you refus'd The Grecians' cause. Achil. Dost thou entreat me, Hector? To-morrow, do I meet thee, fell as death; Hect. Thy hand upon that match. Agam. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent; There in the full convive' we: afterwards, [Exeunt all but TROILUS and ULYSSES. Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so much, After we part from Agamemnon's tent, To bring me thither? 3-the general state, I fear, Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.] Ajax treats Achilles with contempt, and means to insinuate that he was afraid of fighting with Hector. You may every day (says he) have enough of Hector, if you choose it; but I believe the whole state of Greece will scarcely prevail on you to engage with him." pelting wars,] i. e. petty, inconsiderable ones. convive] To convive is to feast. 6 Beat loud the tabourines,] Tabourines are small drums, VOL. VI. N N |