The glory of our Troy doth this day lie

On his fair worth, and single chivalry.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

The Grecian Camp. Lists set out.

Enter AJAX, armed; AGAMEMNON, ACHILLES, PATROCLUS,
MENELAUS, ULYSSES, NESTOR, and others.

Agam. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair,
Anticipating time. With starting courage
Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air
May pierce the head of the great combatant,
And hale him hither.

Ajax.

Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.

Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:

Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek

Out-swell the colic of puff'd Aquilon.

Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyes spout blood;

Thou blow'st for Hector.

Ulyss. No trumpet answers.

Achil.

[Trumpet sounds.

'T is but early days.

Agam. Is not yond' Diomed with Calchas' daughter?
Ulyss. 'Tis he, Iken the manner of his gait;

He rises on the toe: that spirit of his

In aspiration lifts him from the earth.

Enter DIOMED, with CRESSIDA.

Agam. Is this the lady Cressid?
Dio.

Even she.

Agam. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady.
Nest. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.
Ulyss. Yet is the kindness but particular;

'T were better she were kiss'd in general.

Nest. And very courtly counsel: I'll begin. —

So much for Nestor.

Achil. I'll take that winter from your lips, fair lady: Achilles bids you welcome.

Men. I had good argument for kissing once. Patr. But that's no argument for kissing now: For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment,

And parted thus you and your argument.

Ulyss. O! deadly gall, and theme of all our scorns,

For which we lose our heads, to gild his horns.

Patr. The first was Menelaus' kiss; — this, mine: Patroclus kisses you.

Men. I'll have my kiss, Sir. - Lady, by your leave.
Cres. In kissing do you render or receive?

Patr. Both take and give.

Cres.

I'll make my match to live.
The kiss you take is better than you give;
Therefore no kiss.

Men. I'll give you boot; I'll give you three for one.
Cres. You're an odd man: give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady? every man is odd.
Cres. No, Paris is not; for, you know, 't is true,
That you are odd, and he is even with you.

Men.. You fillip me o' the head.

Cres.

No, I'll be sworn.

Ulyss. It were no match, your nail against his horn. May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you?

Cres. I am your debtor; claim it when 't is due.
Ulyss. Never 's my day, and then a kiss of you.
Dio. Lady, a word : — I 'll bring you to your father.
[DIOMED leads out CRESSIDA.

Nest. A woman of quick sense.

་

Ulyss.

Fie, fie upon her!

There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive of her body.

O! these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give a coasting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every tickling reader, set them down
For sluttish spoils of opportunity,
And daughters of the game.

All. The Trojans' trumpet.

Agam.

[Trumpet within.

Yonder comes the troop.

Enter HECTOR, armed; ÆNEAS, TROILUS, and other Trojans,

with Attendants.

Ene. Hail, all you state of Greece! what shall be done To him that victory commands? Or do you purpose,

A victor shall be known? will you, the knights

Shall to the edge of all extremity

Pursue each other; or shall be divided

By any voice or order of the field?

Hector bade ask.

Agam.

Which way would Hector have it?

Ene. He cares not: he 'll obey conditions.

Achil. 'Tis done like Hector; but securely done,

A little proudly, and great deal misprizing

The knight oppos'd.

Ene.

What is your name?

Achil.

If not Achilles, Sir,

If not Achilles, nothing.

Ene. Therefore Achilles; but, whate'er, know this: In the extremity of great and little,

Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;

The one almost as infinite as all,

The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,

And that which looks like pride is courtesy.

This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:

In love whereof half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan, and half Greek.
Achil. A maiden battle, then?-O! I perceive you.

Re-enter Diomed.

Agam. Here is Sir Diomed. Go, gentle knight,
Stand by our Ajax: as you and lord Æneas
Consent upon the order of their fight,
So be it; either to the uttermost,

Or else a breath: the combatants being kin,
Half stints their strife before their strokes begin.

[AJAX and HECTOR enter the lists.

Ulyss. They are oppos'd already.

Agam. What Trojan is that same that looks so heavy?
Ulyss. The youngest son of Priam, a true knight;
Not yet mature, yet matchless; firm of word,
Speaking in deeds, and deedless in his tongue;
Not soon provok'd, nor being provok'd soon calm'd:
His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has, he gives, what thinks, he shows;
Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impair thought with breath.
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;
For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love.
They call him Troilus; and on him erect
A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.
Thus says Æneas; one that knows the youth,
Even to his inches, and with private soul
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.

[Alarum. HECTOR and AJAX fight.

Agam. They are in action.
Nest. Now, Ajax, hold thine own!
Tro.

Awake thee!

Hector, thou sleep'st:

Agam. His blows are well dispos'd: - there, Ajax!

Dio.
Ene.

You must no more.

[Trumpets cease.

Princes, enough, so please you.

Why then, will I no more.

Ajax. I am not warm yet: let us fight again.
Dio. As Hector pleases.

Hect.

Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,
A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory emulation 'twixt us twain.

Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so,'
That thou could'st say "This hand is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg

All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
Bounds in my father's;" by Jove multipotent,
Thou should'st not bear from me a Greekish member
Wherein my sword had not impressure made
Of our rank feud. But the just gods gainsay,
That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,
My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword
Be drain'd! Let me embrace thee, Ajax.
By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms.
Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
Cousin, all honour to thee!

Ajax.
I thank thee, Hector:
Thou art too gentle, and too free a man.

I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence
A great addition earned in thy death.

Hect. Not Neoptolemus so mirable

On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyez
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 farther you will do.

The issue is embracement. - Ajax, farewell.