- Ulys. So to him we leave it.
Most gentle and most valiant Hector, welcome;
After the General, I beseech you next
To tealt with me, and see me at my tent.

Achil. I shall forestal thee, Lord Ulysses ;-thou !
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee ;
I have with exact view perus’d chee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

Heet. Is tbis Achilles ?
Achil. I am Achilles.
Helt, Stand fair, I pr'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. 0, like a book of sport thou’lt read me o'er : But there's more in me than thou understand'rt. Why dost thou so opprefs me with thine eye?

Achil. Tell me, you heav'ns, in which part of his Shall I destroy him whether there, or there, [body That I may give the local wound a name, And make distinct the very breach, whereout Hector's great spirit flew. Anstver me, heav'ns !

Heit. It would difcredit the bless'd gods, proud man, To answer fuch a question : stand again. Think'st thou to catch ny lise so pleafantly, As to prenominate, in nice conjecture, Where thou wilt hit me dead !

Achil: I tell thee, yea.

Helt. Wert thou the 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 itychied 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 three, coufin;
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
Till accident or purpose bring you to't.
You may have ev'ry day enough of Hector.

If you have stomach. The general state, I fear,
Can scarce intreat you to be at odds with him.

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 intreat 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 you ; afterwards, As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall Concur together, severally increat him To taste your bounties : let the trumpets blow, That this great foldier may his welcome kuow. [Exeunt, SGENE X.

Manent Troilus and Ulysses.
Troi. My Lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you,
In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

Ulyf. At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus;
There Diomede doth feast with him to night:
Who neither looks on heav'n, nor on the earth,
But gives all gaze and bent of am'rous view
On the fair Crellid.

Troi, Shall I, sweet Lord, be bound to thee so much,
After you part from Agamemnon's tent,
To bring me thither?

Ulyf. You shall command me, Sir ;
As gently tell me, of what honour was
This Cressida in Troy ; had lhe no lover there,
That wails her absence ?

Troi, sir, to such as boasting shew their scars,
A mock is due. Will you walk on, my Lord ?
She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth :
But fill sweet love is food for Fortune's tooth. [Exeunt,

A CT

SCENE I. -
Before Achilles's tent, in the Grecian camp.

Enter Achilles and Patroclus.
Achil. 'LL heat his blood with Greekish wine to-night,

Wbicb with my scimitar I'll cool to morrow.

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Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.
Pat. Here comes Therfites,

Enter Thersites,
Achil. How now, thou core of envy ?
Thou crusty batch of Nature, what's the news ?

Ther. Why, thou picture of what thou seem'st, and idol of idiot worshippers, here's a letter for thee.

Achil. From whence, fragment ?
Ther. Why, thou full disa of fool, from Troj.
Pat. Who keeps the tent now?
Ther. Tbe surgeon's box, or the patient's wound.
Pat. Well said, Adversity; and what need these

tricks? Ther. Trythee, be filent, boy, I profit not by thy talk ; thou art thought to be Achilles's male varlet.

Pat. Male varlet, you rogue? what's that?

Ther. Why, his masculine whore. Now, the rotten diseases of the south, guts-griping, ruptures, catarrhs, loads o' gravel i' th' back, lethargies, cold pallies, ray eyes, dirt rotten livers, wheezing lungs, bladders full of imposthume, sciatica's, lime-kilns i' th' palm, incurable bone-ach, and the rivell’o tee-fimple of the tetter, take and take again such preposterous discoveries.

Pat. Why thou damnable box of envy, thou, what meanest thou to curfe thus ?

Ther. Do I curse thee?

Pat. Why, no, you ruinous butt, you whoreson indiftinguishable cor.

Ther. No? why art thou then exasperate, thou idle immaterial skein of fley'd filk, thou green larcenet flap for a sore eye, thou tafsel of a prodigal's purse, thou? Ah, how the poor world is pelter'd with luch waterflies, diminutives of nuture.

Pat. Out, gall.
Ther. Finch-egg !

Achil. My sweet Patroclus, i am thwarted quite
From my great porpole in to-morrow's battle.
Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba,
A token from her daughter, my fair love to

• In this answer Therlites only quibbles upon the word tent,

† This is a circumstance taken from the story.bcok of the three destructions of Troy.

Both taxing me, and gaging me to keep
An oath that I have sworn. I will not break it;
Fall Greek, fail fame, honour or go or stay,
My major vow lies here; this I'll obey.
Come, come, Therlites, help to trim my tent,
This night in banqueting must all be spent.
Away, Patroclus,

[Exeunt Achil, and Pat. Ther. With too much blood, and too little brain, there two may run mad : but if with too much brain, and too little blood, they do, I'll be a curer of madmen. Here's Agamemnon, an honest fellow enough, and one that loves quails * ; but he bath not fo much brain as ear. wax; and the goodly transformation of Jupiter there, his brother, the bull, the primitive statue, and obelisk memorial of cuckolds ; a thrifty thooing-hornin a chain, hanging at his brother's leg; to what form, but that he is, lhould wit larded with malice, and malice forced with it, turn him? to an ass were nothing, he is bot! ass and ox; to an ox were nothing, he is both ox and ass; to be a dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a toad, a lizard, an owl, a puttock, or a herring without a roe, I would not care: but to be Menelaus, I would conspire against destiny. Ask me not what I would be, if I were not Thersites; for I care not to be the loufe of a lazar, so I were not MenelausHeyday, fpirits and fires.

S CE NE II.
Enter Hector, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon, Ulyffes.

Nestor, and Diomede, with lights,
Aga. We go wrong, we go wrong.
Ajax. No, yonder 'tis ; there where we see the light,
Helt. I trouble you,
Aja. No not a whit.

Enter Achilles,
Ulyf. Here comes himself to guide you,
Achil. Welcome, brave Hector; welcome, Princes all.
Aga. So, now, faic Prince of Troy, I bid good night.

Meaning warton womea; quails being of so hot a constitution,
that it is a proverb among the French, Chand comme une caillis sind
Des cailles coiffées, is an exprefion used by Rabclais.
VOL. VII.

.

Ajax commands the guard to tend on you,
Hect. Thanks, and good night, to the Greeks? Ge-

neral.
Men. Good night, my Lord.
Helt. Good night, sweet Lord Menelaus.

Ther. Sweet draught sweet, quoth a-sweet fink, sweet sewer.

AchilGood night, and welcome, both at once, to That go or tarry.

[those Aga Good night.

Achil, old Nestor tarries, and you too, Diomede, Keep Hector company an hour or two.

Dio. I cannot, Lord, I have important business, The tide whereof is now ; good night, great Hector.

Helt. Give me your hand.

Ulyf. Follow his torch, he goes to Cálchas' tent :
I'll keep you company.

[To Troilus,
Troi. Sweet Sir, you honour me,
Heft. And so good night.
Achil. Come, come, enter my tent. [Exeunt.

Ther. That same Diomede's a falfe-hearted rogue, a ·most unjust knave : I will no more trust him when he leers, than I will a ferpent when he hisses : he will spend his m uth and promise, like Brabler the hound; but when he performs, astronomers foretel it, that it is prodigious, there will come some change : the sun borrows of the moon when Diomede keeps his word. I will rather leave to see Hector, than not to dog him : they say, he keeps a Trojan drab, and uses the traitor Calchas his tent. I'll after Nothing but lechery; all in. continent varlets:

[Exit.

SC E N E III. Changes to Calchas' tent.

Enter Diomede.
Dio. What are you up here, ho? speak.
Cai. [within.] Who calls !
Dio. Diomede; Calchas I think; where's your

daughter?
Cal. [within ] She comes to you.

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