Whilst fome with cunning gild their copper crowns,
With truth and plainnefs I do wear mine bare.
Fear not my truth; "the moral of my wit
Is-plain, and true,—there's all the reach of it.

Enter Æneas, Paris, and Diomed.

Welcome, fir Diomed! here is the lady,
Whom for Antenor we deliver you:

At the port, lord, I'll give her to thy hand;
And, by the way, poffefs thee what she is.

b

Entreat her fair; and, by my foul, fair Greek,
If e'er thou ftand at mercy of my fword,

Name Creffid, and thy life fhall be as fafe
As Priam is in Ilion.

Dio. Fair lady Creflid,

So please you, fave the thanks this prince expects:
The luftre in your eye, heaven in your cheek,
Pleads your fair usage; and to Diomed
You fhall be mistress, and command him wholly.
Troi. Grecian, thou doft not use me courteously,
To fhame the zeal of my petition to thee,
In praifing her: I tell thee, lord of Greece,
She is as far high-foaring o'er thy praises,
As thou unworthy to be call'd her fervant.
I charge thee, ufe her well, even for my charge;
For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,

the moral]-chief merit, its highest recommendation.
the port,]-the gate.

poffefs thee what he is.]-inform, acquaint thee with her cha"Is he yet poffefs'd?"

racter.

с

MERCHANT OF VENICE, Vol. II. p. 96.

Anth.

Save the thanks]-accept this my addrefs, in lieu of the thanks, &c. To fhame the zeal of my petition to thee,]-in treating my zealous petition fo negligently as to afford it no other anfwer, but what applies folely to the lady-the feal-Thus to flight the terms on which I promifed thee life, merely for the fake of paying a compliment to Crefid.

Though

Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.

Dio. O, be not mov'd, prince Troilus:
Let me be privileg'd by my place, and meffage,
To be a fpeaker free; when I am hence,
I'll answer to my luft: And know you, lord,
I'll nothing do on charge: to her own worth
She fhall be priz'd; but that you fay-be't fo,
I speak it in my fpirit and honour,-no.

Troi. Come, to the port.-I'll tell thee, Diomed,
This brave fhall oft make thee to hide thy head.-
Lady, give me your hand; and, as we walk,

To our own felves bend we our needful talk.

[Exeunt Troilus, Creffida, and Diomedes. Sound trumpet, Par. Hark! Hector's trumpet.

Ene. How have we spent this morning! The prince must think me tardy and remifs,

That fwore to ride before him to the field.

Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault: Come, come, to field with him;

Let us make ready straight.

Ene. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity,

Let us addrefs to tend on Hector's heels:

The glory of our Troy doth this day lie
On his fair worth, and fingle chivalry.

SCENE V,

The Grecian Camp.

[Exeunt.

Enter Ajax arm'd, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, Menelaus, Ulyffes, Neftor, &c.

с

Aga. Here art thou in appointment fresh and fair, Anticipating time with ftarting courage.

Give with thy trumpet a loud note to Troy,

e in appointment, &c.]-in thy accoutrements-ambitious of getting the start of thy challenger.

Thou

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-fwell the cholic of puff'd Aquilon :

Come, ftretch thy cheft, and let thy eyes fpout blood; Thou blow'ft for Hector.

Uly. No trumpet answers.

Achil. 'Tis but early day.

Aga. Is not yon Diomed, with Calchas' daughter?

Uly. 'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait;

He rifes on his toe; that spirit of his

In afpiration lifts him from the earth.

Enter Diomed, with Creffida.

Aga. Is this the lady Creffida?

Dio. Even fhe.

Aga. Moft dearly welcome to the Greeks, fweet lady. Neft. Our general doth falute you with a kifs. Uly. Yet is the kindness but particular; 'Twere better she were kifs'd in general.

Neft. And very courtly counfel: I'll begin.

So much for Neftor.

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

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

h

And parted thus you and your argument.

Ulyff. O deadly gall, and theme of all our fcorns!
For which we lose our heads, to gild his horns.

Sphered bias cheek]-standing out like the bias of a bowl.
Aquilon:]-the north wind.

in bis bardiment ;]-courageoufly.

Patr.

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

Men. O, this is trim!

Patr. Paris, and I, kifs evermore for him.

Men. I'll have my kifs, fir:-Lady, by your leave.
Cre. In kiffing, do you render, or receive?
Patr. Both take and give.

h

Cre. I'll make my match to live,

The kiss you take is better than you give;
Therefore no kifs.

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

Men. You fillip me o' the head.

Cre. No, I'll be sworn.

Ulyff. It were no match, your nail against his horn.May I, fweet lady, beg a kifs of you?

Cre. You may.

Ulyff. I do defire it.

Cre. Why, beg then.

Ulyss. Why then, for Venus' fake, give me a kiss.
Cre. When Helen is a maid again, and his.

I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.

Ulyff. Never's my day, and then a kifs of you. Dio. Lady, a word;-I'll bring you to your father. [Diomed leads out Creffida.

Neft. A woman of quick fenfe.

Uly. Fie, fie upon her!

There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,

Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton fpirits look out

i

At every joint and motive of her body.

k

O, thefe encounterers, fo glib of tongue,

h I'll make my match to live,]-I'll lay my life. i motive]-moving part.

encounterers,]-forward dames.

That

'That give a coafting welcome ere it comes,
And wide unclafp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader! fet them down
For fluttish fpoils of opportunity,

[Trumpet within.

Aga. Yonder comes the troop.

Enter Hector, Eneas, Troilus, &c. with attendants.

Ene. Hail, all the 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 fhall they be divided
By any voice or order of the field?

Hector bade ask.

Aga. Which way would Hector have it?

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

Acbil. 'Tis done like Hector; but fecurely done, A little proudly, and great deal mifprizing

The knight oppos'd.

Ene. If not Achilles, fir,

What is your name?

Achil. 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,

That give a coafting welcome ere it comes,]-That, like fhips, falute in paffing, by putting out their colours, before they can come to the fpeech of each other.

fluttish Spoils of opportunity,]-the eafy victims of every favourable opportunity. nknown?]-declared. fecurely-in the wantonnefs of fecurity.

excel themselves, &c.]-exceed their common degrees--he hath at once the greateft poffible valour, and the least imaginable pride.

The