Achil. What?

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

Achil. How so?

Ther. He must fight singly to-morrow with Hector; and is so prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling, that he raves in saying nothing.

Achil. How can that be?

7

Ther. Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock, a stride, and a stand:* ruminates, like an hostess, that hath no arithmetick but her brain to set down her reckoning bites his lip with a politick regard, as who should say there were wit in this head, an, 'twould out; and so there is; but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not show without knocking. The man's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the combat, he 'll break it himself in vain-glory. He knows not me: I said, Good morrow, Ajax; and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon. What think you of this man, that takes me for the general? He is grown a very land-fish, languageless, a monster. A plague of opinion! a man may wear it on both sides, like a leather jerkin. Achil. Thou must be my embassador to him, Thersites.

Ther. Who, I? why, he'll answer nobody; he professes not answering; speaking is for beggars; he wears his tongue in his arms. I will put on his presence; let Patroclus make demands to me, you shall see the pageant of Ajax.

Achil. To him, Patroclus: Tell him,-I humbly desire the valiant Ajax, to invite the most valorous Hector to come unarmed to my tent; and to procure safe con

6

with a politick regard,] With a sly look. Johnson.

7- it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not show without knocking.] So, in Julius Cæsar:

"That carries anger, as the flint bears fire;

"Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,

"And straight is cold again." Steevens.

-like a peacock, a stride, and a stand:] This is the descrip tion of the gait of the peacock, who takes a step, upon which he pauses before he advances the other foot. Am. Ed.

8

he wears his tongue in his arms.] So, in Macbeth: "My voice is in my sword." Steevens.

duct for his person, of the magnanimous, and most illustrious, six-or-seven-times-honoured captain-general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon. Do this.

Patr. Jove bless great Ajax.

Ther. Humph!

Patr. I come from the worthy Achilles,

Ther. Ha!

Patr. Who most humbly desires you, to invite Hector to his tent;

Ther. Humph!

Patr. And to procure safe conduct from Agamemnon. Ther. Agamemnon?

Patr. Ay, my lord.

Ther. Ha!

Patr. What say you to 't?

Ther. God be wi' 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; howsoever, he shall pay for me ere he has me.

Patr. Your answer, sir.

Ther. Fare you 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 musick will be in him when Hector has knocked out his brains, I know not: But, I am sure, none; unless the fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make catlings on.9

Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him straight. Ther. Let me bear another to his horse; for that 's the more capable creature.1

Achil. My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirr'd: And I myself see not the bottom of it.2

9

[Exeunt ACHIL. and PATR.

to make catlings on.] It has been already observed that a catling signifies a small lute-string made of catgut. One of the musicians in Romeo and Juliet is called Simon Catling. Stecvens. the more capable creature.] The more intelligent creature. So, in King Richard 111:

1

"Bold, forward, quick, ingenious, capable.”

See also Vol. XI, p. 334, n. 9. Malone.

2 And I myself see not the bottom of it.] This is an image frequently introduced by our author. So, in King Henry IV, Part II:

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

ACT IV..... SCENE I.

Troy. A Street.

Enter, at one side, ÆNEAS and Servant, with a Torch; at the other, PARIS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR, DioMEDES, and Others, with Torches.

Par. See, ho! who's that there?

Dei.

'Tis the lord Æneas.

Ene. Is the prince there in person?—

Had I so good occasion to lie long,

As you, prince Paris, nothing but heavenly business
Should rob my bed-mate of my company.

Dio. That's my mind too.-Good morrow, lord Æneas.
Par. A valiant Greek, Æneas; take his hand:
Witness the process of your speech, wherein
You told-how Diomed, a whole week by days,
Did haunt you in the field.

Ene.
Health to you, valiant sir,3
During all question of the gentle truce:4
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance,
As heart can think, or courage execute.

Dio. The one and other Diomed embraces.
Our bloods are now in calm; and, so long, health:

“I see the bottom of Justice Shallow.” Again, in King Henry VI, Part II:

"we then should see the bottom

"Of all our fortunes."

Steevens.

3 valiant sir,] The epithet-valiant, appears to have been caught by the compositor from the the preceding speech, and is introduced here only to spoil the metrre. Steevens.

4 During all question of the gentle truce:] I once thought to read: During all quiet of the gentle truce:

But I think question means intercourse, interchange of conversa. tion. Johnson.

See Vol. IV, p. 398, n. 9. Question of the gentle truce is conversation while the general truce lasts. Malone.

But when contention and occasion meet,
By Jove, I'll play the hunter for thy life,
With all my force, pursuit, and policy.

Ene. And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly
With his face backward.-In humane gentleness,
Welcome to Troy! now, by Anchises' life,
Welcome, indeed! By Venus' hand I swear,"
No man alive can love, in such a sort,
The thing he means to kill, more excellently.
Dio. We sympathize:-Jove, let Æneas live,
If to my sword his fate be not the glory,
A thousand cómplete courses of the sun!
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 most despiteful gentle greeting, The noblest hateful love, that e'er I heard of.— What business, lord, so early?

Ene. I was sent 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 Cressid:
Let's have your company; or, if you please,
Haste there before us: I constantly do think,
(Or, rather, call my thought a certain knowledge,)
My brother Troilus lodges there to-night;
Rouse him, and give him note of our approach,
With the whole quality wherefore: I fear,
We shall be much unwelcome.

That I assure you;

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

Par.

5

There is no help;

· By Venus' hand I swear,] This oath was used to insinuate his resentment for Diomedes' wounding his mother in the hand. Warburton.

I believe Shakspeare had no such allusion in his thoughts. He would hardly have made Æneas civil and uncivil in the same breath. Steevens.

6 His purpose meets you;] I bring you his meaning and his ot ders. Johnson

The bitter disposition of the time

Will have it so. On, lord; we'll follow you.

Ene. Good morrow, all.

[Exit.

Par. And tell me, noble Diomed; 'faith, tell me true,

Even in the soul of sound good-fellowship,

Who, in your thoughts, merits fair Helen best,
Myself, or Menelaus?

Dio.

Both alike:

He merits well to have her, that doth seek her
(Not making any scruple of her soilure)
With such a hell of pain, and world of charge;
And you as well to keep her, that defend her
(Not palating the taste of her dishonour)
With such a costly loss of wealth and friends:
He, like a puling cuckold, would drink up
The lees and dregs of a flat tamed piece;7
You, like a lecher, out of whorish loins
Are pleas'd to breed out your inheritors:

Both merits pois'd, each weighs nor less nor more;
But he as he, the heavier for a whore.

7 a flat tamed piece,] i. e. a piece of wine out of which the spirit is all flown. Warburton.

This word, with a somewhat similar sense, occurs in Coriolanus : "His remedies are tame i' the present peace "Steevens.

8 Both merits pois'd, each weighs nor less nor more;

But he as he, the heavier for a whore] I read:

But he as he, each heavier for a whore?

Heavy is taken both for weighty, and for sad or miserable. The quarto reads:

But he as he, the heavier for a whore?

I know not whether the thought is not that of a wager. It must then be read thus:

But he as he. Which heavier, for a whore?

That is, for a whore staked down, which is the heavier? Johnson. As the quarto reads,

the heavier for a whore,

I think all new pointing or alteration unnecessary. The sense appears to be this: the merits of either are sunk in value, because the contest between them is only for a strumpet. Steevens.

The merits of each, whatever they may be, being weighed one against the other, are exactly equal; in each of the scales, however, in which their merits are to be weighed, a harlot must be placed, since each of them has been equally attached to one. This is the reading of the quarto. The folio reads,

which heavier for a whore. Malone.