N Troy, there lies the scenes from Ifles of Greece
The Princes orgillous, their high blood chaf'd,
Have to the port of Athens fent their ships,
Fraught with the minifters and inftruments
Of cruel war. Sixty and nine that wore
Their crownets regal, from th' Athenian bay
Put forth toward Phrygia, and their vow is made
To ranfack Troy; within whofe ftrong immures,
The ravish'd Helen, Menelaus' Queen,

With wanton Paris fleeps, and that's the quarrel.
To Tenedos they come·

And the deep-drawing barks do there difgorge
Their warlike fraughtage. Now on Dardan plains,
The fresh and yet unbruifed Greeks do pitch
Their brave pavilions. Priam's 'fix gates i'th' city,`
Dardan and Thymbria, Ilia, Scæa, Trojan,
And Antenorides, with massy staples
And correfponfive and full-filling bolts,
'Sperr up the fons of Troy.
Now Expectation tickling skittish fpirits
On one and other fide, Trojan and Greek,
Sets all on bazard. Hither am I come
A Prologue arm'd, but not in confidence
Of Author's pen, or Altor's voice; but fuited
In like conditions as our argument;

j

To tell you (fair bebolders) that our play,
Leaps o'er the vaunt and firftlings of those broils,
'Ginning 'th' middle: ftarting thence away
To what may be digefted in a Play.

Like, or find fault, do as your pleasures are,
Now good, or bad, 'tis but the chance of war.
A 3

1 fix-gated city,... old edit. Theob. emend.
2 Stir... old edit. Theob. emend.

DRA

PRIAM,
Hector,
Troilus,

Paris,

Deiphobus,
Helenus,

Æneas,

Pandarus,

Antenor,

A baftard fon of Priam, J

Agamemnon,
Achilles,

Ajax,
Menelaus,
Ulyffes,

Neftor,
Diomedes,

Patroclus,

Therfites,

Calchas,

TROJAN S.

GREEK S.

Helen, Wife to Menelaus, in Love with Paris.
Andromache, Wife to Hector..

Caffandra, Daughter to Priam, a Prophetess.
Creffida, Daughter to Calchas, in Love with Troilus.

Alexander, Servant to Creffida.

Boy, Page to Troilus.

Trojan and Greek Soldiers, with other Attendants.

SCENE Troy and the Grecian Camp.

The Story originally written by Lollius an old Lombard Author, and fince by Chaucer. Pope.

It is alfo found in an old English Story-book of the three deftructions of Troy, from which many of the circumftances in this Play are borrow'd, they being to be found no where else. Theobald.

TROILUS

A C T I. SCENE

I.

1

Priam's Palace within the Walls of Troy, but fuppofed to have a fituation a little distant from the rest of the City.

Enter Pandarus and Troilus.

TROILUS.

ALL here my varlet, I'll unarm again.
Why should I war without the walls of Troy,
That find fuch cruel battle here within ?
Each Trojan that is mafter of his heart,
Let him to field, Troilus alas! hath none.
Pan. Will this geer ne'er be mended?
Troi. The Greeks are strong, and skilful to their strength,
Fierce to their skill, and to their fierceness valiant.
But I am weaker than a woman's tear,

A 4

Tamer (a) Before this Play of Troilus and Creffida printed in 1609 is a Bookfeller's preface, fhewing that first impreffion to have been before. the Play bad been acted, and that it was published without Shakefpear's knowledge from a copy that had fallen into the Bookfeller's hands. Mr. Dryden thinks this one of the first of our Author's Plays: But on the contrary, it may be judg'd from the foremention'd Preface that it was one of his laft; and the great number of obfervations, both moral and politick, (with which this piece is crowded more than any other of his feems to confirm that opinion. Pope.