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

7    Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.
8    Now crack thy lungs, and split thy brazen pipe:
9    Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek
10   Outswell the colic of puff'd Aquilon:
11   Come, stretch thy chest and let thy eyes spout blood;
12   Thou blow'st for Hector.

13   No trumpet answers.

14   'Tis but early days.

15   Is not yond Diomed, with Calchas' daughter?

16   'Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait;
17   He rises on the toe: that spirit of his
18   In aspiration lifts him from the earth.

19   Is this the Lady Cressid?

20   Even she.

21   Most dearly welcome to the Greeks, sweet lady.

22   Our general doth salute you with a kiss.

23   Yet is the kindness but particular;
24   'Twere better she were kiss'd in general.

25   And very courtly counsel: I'll begin.
26   So much for Nestor.

27   I'll take what winter from your lips, fair lady:
28   Achilles bids you welcome.

29   I had good argument for kissing once.

30   But that's no argument for kissing now;
31   For this popp'd Paris in his hardiment,
32   And parted thus you and your argument.

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

35   The first was Menelaus' kiss; this, mine:
36   Patroclus kisses you.

37   O, this is trim!

38   Paris and I kiss evermore for him.

39   I'll have my kiss, sir. Lady, by your leave.

40   In kissing, do you render or receive?

41   Both take and give.

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

45   I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one.

46   You're an odd man; give even or give none.

47   An odd man, lady! every man is odd.

48   No, Paris is not; for you know 'tis true,
49   That you are odd, and he is even with you.

50   You fillip me o' the head.

51   No, I'll be sworn.

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

54   You may.

55   I do desire it.

56   Why, beg, then.

57   Why then for Venus' sake, give me a kiss,
58   When Helen is a maid again, and his.

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

60   Never's my day, and then a kiss of you.

61   Lady, a word: I'll bring you to your father.

62   A woman of quick sense.

63   Fie, fie upon her!
64   There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
65   Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
66   At every joint and motive of her body.
67   O, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
68   That give accosting welcome ere it comes,
69   And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
70   To every ticklish reader! set them down
71   For sluttish spoils of opportunity
72   And daughters of the game.

73   The Trojans' trumpet.

74   Yonder comes the troop.

75   Hail, all you state of Greece! what shall be done
76   To him that victory commands? or do you purpose
77   A victor shall be known? will you the knights
78   Shall to the edge of all extremity
79   Pursue each other, or shall be divided
80   By any voice or order of the field?
81   Hector bade ask.

82   Which way would Hector have it?

83   He cares not; he'll obey conditions.

84   'Tis done like Hector; but securely done,
85   A little proudly, and great deal misprizing
86   The knight opposed.

87   If not Achilles, sir,
88   What is your name?

89   If not Achilles, nothing.

90   Therefore Achilles: but, whate'er, know this:
91   In the extremity of great and little,
92   Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
93   The one almost as infinite as all,
94   The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
95   And that which looks like pride is courtesy.
96   This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
97   In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
98   Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
99   This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.

100  A maiden battle, then? O, I perceive you.

101  Here is Sir Diomed. Go, gentle knight,
102  Stand by our Ajax: as you and Lord AEneas
103  Consent upon the order of their fight,
104  So be it; either to the uttermost,
105  Or else a breath: the combatants being kin
106  Half stints their strife before their strokes begin.

107  They are opposed already.

108  What Trojan is that same that looks so heavy?

109  The youngest son of Priam, a true knight,
110  Not yet mature, yet matchless, firm of word,
111  Speaking in deeds and deedless in his tongue;
112  Not soon provoked nor being provoked soon calm'd:
113  His heart and hand both open and both free;
114  For what he has he gives, what thinks he shows;
115  Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
116  Nor dignifies an impure thought with breath;
117  Manly as Hector, but more dangerous;
118  For Hector in his blaze of wrath subscribes
119  To tender objects, but he in heat of action
120  Is more vindicative than jealous love:
121  They call him Troilus, and on him erect
122  A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.
123  Thus says AEneas; one that knows the youth
124  Even to his inches, and with private soul
125  Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.

126  They are in action.

127  Now, Ajax, hold thine own!

128  Hector, thou sleep'st;
129  Awake thee!

130  His blows are well disposed: there, Ajax!

131  You must no more.

132  Princes, enough, so please you.

133  I am not warm yet; let us fight again.

134  As Hector pleases.

135  Why, then will I no more:
136  Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,
137  A cousin-german to great Priam's seed;
138  The obligation of our blood forbids
139  A gory emulation 'twixt us twain:
140  Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so
141  That thou couldst say 'This hand is Grecian all,
142  And this is Trojan; the sinews of this leg
143  All Greek, and this all Troy; my mother's blood
144  Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
145  Bounds in my father's;' by Jove multipotent,
146  Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish member
147  Wherein my sword had not impressure made
148  Of our rank feud: but the just gods gainsay
149  That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,
150  My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword
151  Be drain'd! Let me embrace thee, Ajax:
152  By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms;
153  Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
154  Cousin, all honour to thee!

155  I thank thee, Hector
156  Thou art too gentle and too free a man:
157  I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence
158  A great addition earned in thy death.

159  Not Neoptolemus so mirable,
160  On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyes
161  Cries 'This is he,' could promise to himself
162  A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

163  There is expectance here from both the sides,
164  What further you will do.

165  We'll answer it;
166  The issue is embracement: Ajax, farewell.

167  If I might in entreaties find success--
168  As seld I have the chance--I would desire
169  My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

170  'Tis Agamemnon's wish, and great Achilles
171  Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.

172  AEneas, call my brother Troilus to me,
173  And signify this loving interview
174  To the expecters of our Trojan part;
175  Desire them home. Give me thy hand, my cousin;
176  I will go eat with thee and see your knights.

177  Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.

178  The worthiest of them tell me name by name;
179  But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes
180  Shall find him by his large and portly size.

181  Worthy of arms! as welcome as to one
182  That would be rid of such an enemy;
183  But that's no welcome: understand more clear,
184  What's past and what's to come is strew'd with husks
185  And formless ruin of oblivion;
186  But in this extant moment, faith and troth,
187  Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
188  Bids thee, with most divine integrity,
189  From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.

190  I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.

To TROILUS
191   My well-famed lord of Troy, no
192  less to you.

193  Let me confirm my princely brother's greeting:
194  You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.

195  Who must we answer?

196  The noble Menelaus.

197  O, you, my lord? by Mars his gauntlet, thanks!
198  Mock not, that I affect the untraded oath;
199  Your quondam wife swears still by Venus' glove:
200  She's well, but bade me not commend her to you.

201  Name her not now, sir; she's a deadly theme.

202  O, pardon; I offend.

203  I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft
204  Labouring for destiny make cruel way
205  Through ranks of Greekish youth, and I have seen thee,
206  As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
207  Despising many forfeits and subduements,
208  When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' the air,
209  Not letting it decline on the declined,
210  That I have said to some my standers by
211  'Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!'
212  And I have seen thee pause and take thy breath,
213  When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
214  Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;
215  But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel,
216  I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
217  And once fought with him: he was a soldier good;
218  But, by great Mars, the captain of us all,
219  Never saw like thee. Let an old man embrace thee;
220  And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.

221  'Tis the old Nestor.

222  Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
223  That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with time:
224  Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.

225  I would my arms could match thee in contention,
226  As they contend with thee in courtesy.

227  I would they could.

228  Ha!
229  By this white beard, I'ld fight with thee to-morrow.
230  Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time.

231  I wonder now how yonder city stands
232  When we have here her base and pillar by us.

233  I know your favour, Lord Ulysses, well.
234  Ah, sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
235  Since first I saw yourself and Diomed
236  In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.

237  Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue:
238  My prophecy is but half his journey yet;
239  For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
240  Yond towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,
241  Must kiss their own feet.

242  I must not believe you:
243  There they stand yet, and modestly I think,
244  The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost
245  A drop of Grecian blood: the end crowns all,
246  And that old common arbitrator, Time,
247  Will one day end it.

248  So to him we leave it.
249  Most gentle and most valiant Hector, welcome:
250  After the general, I beseech you next
251  To feast with me and see me at my tent.

252  I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysses, thou!
253  Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
254  I have with exact view perused thee, Hector,
255  And quoted joint by joint.

256  Is this Achilles?

257  I am Achilles.

258  Stand fair, I pray thee: let me look on thee.

259  Behold thy fill.

260  Nay, I have done already.

261  Thou art too brief: I will the second time,
262  As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.

263  O, like a book of sport thou'lt read me o'er;
264  But there's more in me than thou understand'st.
265  Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye?

266  Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body
267  Shall I destroy him? whether there, or there, or there?
268  That I may give the local wound a name
269  And make distinct the very breach whereout
270  Hector's great spirit flew: answer me, heavens!

271  It would discredit the blest gods, proud man,
272  To answer such a question: stand again:
273  Think'st thou to catch my life so pleasantly
274  As to prenominate in nice conjecture
275  Where thou wilt hit me dead?

276  I tell thee, yea.

277  Wert thou an oracle to tell me so,
278  I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well;
279  For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there;
280  But, by the forge that stithied Mars his helm,
281  I'll kill thee every where, yea, o'er and o'er.
282  You wisest Grecians, pardon me this brag;
283  His insolence draws folly from my lips;
284  But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
285  Or may I never--

286  Do not chafe thee, cousin:
287  And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
288  Till accident or purpose bring you to't:
289  You may have every day enough of Hector
290  If you have stomach; the general state, I fear,
291  Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.

292  I pray you, let us see you in the field:
293  We have had pelting wars, since you refused
294  The Grecians' cause.

295  Dost thou entreat me, Hector?
296  To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death;
297  To-night all friends.

298  Thy hand upon that match.

299  First, all you peers of Greece, go to my tent;
300  There in the full convive we: afterwards,
301  As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall
302  Concur together, severally entreat him.
303  Beat loud the tabourines, let the trumpets blow,
304  That this great soldier may his welcome know.

305  My Lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you,
306  In what place of the field doth Calchas keep?

307  At Menelaus' tent, most princely Troilus:
308  There Diomed doth feast with him to-night;
309  Who neither looks upon the heaven nor earth,
310  But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view
311  On the fair Cressid.

312  Shall sweet lord, be bound to you so much,
313  After we part from Agamemnon's tent,
314  To bring me thither?

315  You shall command me, sir.
316  As gentle tell me, of what honour was
317  This Cressida in Troy? Had she no lover there
318  That wails her absence?

319  O, sir, to such as boasting show their scars
320  A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord?
321  She was beloved, she loved; she is, and doth:
322  But still sweet love is food for fortune's tooth.