Stockdale's Edition of Shakespeare

In fortune's love: for then, the bold and coward,
The wife and fool, the artift and unread,
The hard and foft, seem all affin'd and kin :
But, in the wind and tempeft of her frown,
Diftinction, with a broad and powerful fan,
Puffing at all, winnows the light away;
And what hath mafs, or matter, by itself
Lies, rich in virtue, and unmingled.

Ulyff. Troy, yet upon her bafis, had been down,
And the great Hector's fword had lack'd a master,
But for thefe inftances.

The fpecialty of rule 4 hath been neglected;

And, look, how many Grecian tents do ftand
Hollow upon this plain, fo many hollow factions.
When that the general is not like the hive,
To whom the foragers fhall all repair,

Neft. With due obfervance of thy godlike feat, What honey is expected? Degree being vizarded,

Great Agamemnon, Nestor shall apply

Thy latest words. In the reproof of chance

Lies the true proof of men: The fea being fmooth,
How many fhallow bauble boats dare fail
Upon her patient breaft, making their way
With thofe of nobler bulk ?

But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage
The gentle Thetis, and, anon, behold
The ftrong-ribb'd bark through liquid mountains cut,
Bounding between the two moift elements,
Like Perfeus' horse: Where's then the faucy boat,
Whofe weak untimber'd fides but even now
Co-rival'd greatness? either to harbour fled,
Or made a toast for Neptune. Even fo
Doth valour's fhew, and valour's worth, divide
Ir. ftorms of fortune: For, in her ray and brightness,
The herd hath more annoyance by the brize 1,
Than by the tyger: but when splitting winds
Make flexible the knees of knotted oaks,

The unworthieft thews as fairly in the mafk.

The heavens themselves, the planets, and this
centers,

Obferve degree, priority, and place,
Infifture, courfe, proportion, feafon, form,
Office, and custom, in all line of order:
And therefore is the glorious planet, Sol,
In noble eminence enthron'd and fpher'd
Amidst the other; whose med'cinable eye
Corrects the ill aspects of planets evil,
And pofts, like the commandment of a king,
Sans check, to good and bad: But, when the
planets,

In evil mixture, to diforder wander,
What plagues, and what portents? what mutiny?
What raging of the fea fhaking of earth? [rors,
Commotion in the winds? frights, changes, har-
Divert and crack, rend and deracinate
The unity and married calm of states

And flies flee under thade, Why, then, the thing Quite from their fixure? O, when degree is shak'd,

of courage 2,

As rowz'd with rage, with rage doth fympathize,
And with an accent tun'd in felf-fame key,
Returns to chiding fortune.

Uly. Agamemnon,-

Thou great commander, nerve and bone of Greece,
Heart of our numbers, foul and only spirit,
In whom the tempers and the minds of all
Should be shut up,-hear what Ulyffes (peaks.
Befides the applaufe and approbation

The which,-moft mighty for thy place and fway,-
[To Agamemnon.
And thou most reverend for thy stretcht-out life,
[To Neftor.
I give to both your speeches,-which were fuch,
As Agamemnon and the hand of Greece
Should hold up high in brafs; and fuch again,
As venerable Neftor, hatch'd in filver 3,
Should with a bond of air (strong as the axle-tree
On which heaven rides) knit all the Greekish ears
To his experienc'd tongue,-yet let it please both,
Thou great, and wife,-to hear Ulyffes speak.
Agam. Speak, prince of Ithaca; and be't of lefs
expect

That matter needlefs, of importless burden,
Divide thy lips; than we are confident,
When rank Therfites opes his mastiff jaws,
We shall hear mufic, wit, and oracle.

Which is the ladder to all high defigns,
The enterprize is fick How could communities,
Degrees in fchools, and bictherhoods in cities",
Peaceful commerce from dividable fhores,
The primogenitive and due of birth,
Prerogative of age, crowns, fcepters, laurels,
But by degree, ftand in authentic place?
Take but degree away, untune that ftring,
And, hark, what difcord follows! each thing meets
In meer oppugnancy: The bounded waters
Should lift their bofoms higher than the shores,
And make a fop of all this folid globe:
Strength should be lord of imbecility,
And the rude fon fhould ftrike his father dead:
Force fhould be right; or, rather, right and wrong
(Between whofe endless jar juttice refides)
Should lofe their names, and fo fhould juftice too.
Then every thing includes itfelf in power,
Power into will, will into appetite;
And appetite, an univerfal wolf,
So doubly feconded with will and power,
Muft make perforce an univerfal prey,
And, laft, eat up himself. Great Agamemnon,
This chaos, when degree is fuffocate,
Follows the choaking.

And this neglection of degree it is,

That by a pace goes backward 7, with a purpose
It hath to climb: The general's difdain'd

I The brize is the gad or horf-fly. 2 It is faid of the tiger, that in ftorms and high winds he rages and roars most furiously. 3 Hatch'd in filver, may mean, whofe white hair and beard make him look like a figure engraved on filver. 4 i. e. the particular rights of fupreme authority. i. e. the center of the earth, which, according to the Ptolemaic system, then in vogue, is the center of the folar fyftem. 6. c. corporations, companies, confraternities. 7 That goes backward fep by Пер.

By him one step below: he, by the next;
That next, by him beneath: fo every step,
Exampled by the first pace that is fick
Of his fuperior, grows to an envious fever
Of pale and bloodlefs emulation 1:

And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own finews. To end a tale of length,
Troy in our weakness stands, not in her ftrength.
Neft. Moft wifely hath Ulyffes here difcover'd
The fever whereof all our power is fick.

Agam. The nature of the sickness found, Ulyffes, What is the remedy?

Ulyss. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns
The finew and the forehand of our hoft,-
Having his ear full of his airy fame,
Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent

Lies mocking our defigns: With him, Patroclus,
Upon a lazy bed, the livelong day
Breaks fcurril jetts;

And with ridiculous and aukward action
(Which, flanderer, he imitation calls)

He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon,
Thy toplefs deputation he puts on;
And, like a strutting player,—whose conceit
Lies in his ham-ftring, and doth think it rich
To hear the wooden dialogue and found
"Twixt his ftretch'd footing and the fcaffoldage,-
Such to-be-pitied and o'er-rested seeming

He acts thy greatness in: and when he speaks,
'Tis like a chime a mending; with terms uníquar'd,
Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon drop'd,
Would feem hyperboles. At this futty stuff,
The large Achilles, on his prefs'd bed lolling,
From his deep cheft laughs out a loud applaufe;
Cries Excellent !-'tis Agamemnon jult.----
Now play me Neftor ;-hem, and stroke thy
beard,

As he, being 'dreft to fome oration.'
That's done ;-as near as the extremeft ends
Of parallels; as like as Vulcan and his wife:
Yet good Achilles ftill cries, Excellent!

'Tis Neftor right! Now play him me, Patroclus, Arming to anfwer in a night alarm.' And then, forfooth, the faint defects of age Must be the fcene of mirth; to cough, and fpit, And with a palfy-fumbling on his gorget, Shake in and out the rivet :-and at this sport, Sir Valour dies; cries, O!-enough, Patroclus; Or give me ribs of steel! I fhall split all • In pleasure of my spleen.' And in this fashion, All our abilities, gifts, natures, thapes, Severals and generals of grace exact 3, Atchievements, plots, orders, preventions, Excitements to the field, or ipeech for truce, Succefs, or lofs, what is, or is not, ferves As ftuff for thefe two to make paradoxes.

Neft. And in the imitation of thefe twain (Whom, as Ulyffes fays, opinion crowns With an imperial voice) many are infect. Ajax is grown felf-will'd; and bears his head

In fuch a rein 4, in full as proud a place
As broad Achilles; keeps his tent like him;
Makes factious feafts; rails on our state of war,
Bold as an oracle: and fets Therfites
(A flave, whofe gall coins flanders like a mint)
To match us in comparisons with dirt;
To weaken and difcredit our exposure,
How rank 5 foever rounded in with danger.
Uly. They tax our policy, and call it cowardice;
Count wifdom as no member of the war;
Foreftall pre-science, and esteem no act
But that of hand: the ftill and mental parts,
That do contrive how many hands shall strike,
When fitnefs calls them on; and know, by mea
fure

Of their obfervant toil, the enemies' weight,-
Why, this hath not a finger's dignity;
They call this-bed-work, mappery, closet war
So that the ram, that batters down the wall,
For the great fwing and rudeness of his poize,
They place before his hand that made the engine
Or thofe, that with the fineness of their fouls
By reafon guide his execution.

Neft. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horfe
Makes many Thetis' fons. [Trumpet founds.
Agam. What trumpet? look, Menelaus.
Men. From Troy.

Enter Eneas.

Aga. What would you 'fore our tent? [you? Ene. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, pray Aga. Even this.

ne. May one, that is a herald, and a prince, Do a fair metfage to his kingly ears?

Aga. With furety ftronger than Achilles' arm 'Fore all the Greekith heads, which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general.

Ene. Fair leave, and large fecurity. How may
A ftranger to those most imperial looks
Know them from eyes of other mortals?
Aga. How?

Ene. I afk, that I might waken reverence,
And bid the cheek be ready with a blush
Modeft as morning when the coldly eyes
The youthful Phoebus:

Which is that god in office, guiding men?
Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?

Aga. This Trojan fcorns us; or the men of Troy Are ceremonious courtiers.

Ene. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd, As bending angels; that's their fame in peace; But when they would feem foldiers, they have galis, [accord, Good arms, ftrong joints, true fwords; and, Jove's Nothing fo full of heart. But peace, Æneas, Peace, Trojan; lay thy finger on thy lips! The worthiness of praife diftains his worth, If that the prais'd himfelf bring the praife forth: But what the repining enemy commends, That breath fame blows; that praife, fole pure,

tranfcends.

1 An emulation not vigorous and active, but malignant and sluggish. 2 Topless means fupreme; fovereign. 3 All our good of grace exact, means our excelle ice irreprehenfible. 4 That is, holds up his head as haughtily. We till fay of a girl, he bridies. A rank weed is a high weed.

Aga.

Aga. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Æneas? As may be in the world: His youth in flood,

Ene. Ay, Greek, that is my name.
Aga. What's your affair, I pray you?
Ane. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.
Aga. He hears nought privately, that comes
from Troy.

[him:
Ene. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper
I bring a trumpet to awake his ear;
To fet his fenfe on the attentive bent,
And then to speak.

Aga. Speak frankly as the wind;
It is not Agamemnon's fleeping hour:
That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake,
He tells thee fo himself.

Ene. Trumpet, blow loud,

Send thy brafs voice through all these lazy tents;
And every Greek of mettle, let him know,

What Troy means fairly, fhall be fpoke aloud.

[Trumpets found.

;

We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
A prince call'd Hector, Priam is his father,
Who in this dull and long-continu'd truce
Is rufty grown; he bade me take a trumpet,
And to this purpofe fpeak. Kings, princes, lords!
If there be one, among the fair'ft of Greece,
That holds his honour higher than his ease;
That feeks his praise more than he fears his peril
That knows his valour, and knows not his fear;
That loves his mistress more than in confeffion 1,
(With truant vows to her own lips he loves)
And dare avow her beauty, and her worth,
In other arms than hers,-to him this challenge.
Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks,
Shall make it good, or do his best to do it.
He hath a lady, wifer, fairer, truer,
Than ever Greek did compafs in his arms;
And will to-morrow with his trumpet call,
Mid-way between your tents and walls of Troy,
To roufe a Grecian that is true in love:
If any come, Hector fhall honour him;
If none, he'll fay in Troy, when he retires,
The Grecian dames are fun-burn'd, and not worth
The fplinter of a lance. Even fo much.

Aga. This fhall be told our lovers, lord Æneas;
If none of them have foul in fuch a kind,
We left them all at home: But we are foldiers;
And may that foldier a mere recreant prove,
That means not, hath not, or is not in love!
If then one is, or hath, or means to be,
That one meets Hector; if none elfe, I am he.
Neft. Tell him of Neftor, one that was a man
When Hector's grandfire fuck'd: he is old now;
But, if there be not in our Grecian hoft
One noble man that hath one spark of fire,
To answer for his love, Tell him from me,—
I'll hide my filver beard in a gold beaver,
And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn;
And, meeting him, will tell him, That my lady
Was fairer than his grandame, and as chafte

1 Confeffion for profefion.

I'll pawn this truth with my three drops of blood
Ane. Now heavens forbid fuch scarcity of youth'
Uly. Amen.

Aga. Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your hand
To our pavilion fhall I lead you, fir.
Achilles fhall have word of this intent;
So fhall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent;
Yourself fhall feaft with us before you go,
And find the welcome of a noble foe.
Manent Ulyffes and Neflor.

Ulv. Neftor,

Neft. What fays Ulyffes?

Uly. I have a young conception in my brain,
Be you my time to bring it to fome shape.
Neft. What is 't?

Uly. This 'tis :

Blunt wedges rive hard knots: The feeded pride
That hath to its maturity blown up

In rank Achilles, muft or now be cropt,
Or, fhedding, breed a nursery of like evil,
To over-bulk us all.

Neft. Well, and how?

Ulyff. This challenge that the gallant Hector fends,
However it is fpread in general name,
Relates in purpofe only to Achilles.

[flance,

Neft. The purpofe is perfpicuous even as fub-
Whofe groffnefs little characters fum up 3:
And, in the publication, make no strain 4,
But that Achilles, were his brain as barren
As banks of Libya,-though, Apollo knows,
'Tis dry enough,—will with great fpeed of judge

That can from Hector bring those honours off,
If not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat,
Yet in this trial much opinion dwells;
For here the Trojans tafte our dear'ft repute
With their fin'ft palate: And truft to me, Clydes,
Our imputation fhall be oddly pois'd
In this wild action: for the fuccefs,
Although particular, shall give a scantling
Of good or bad unto the general;
And in fuch indexes, although fmall pricks ↳
To their fubfequent volumes, there is feen
The baby figure of the giant mafs

of things to come at large. It is fuppos'd,
He, that meets Hector, iffues from our choice:
And choice, being mutual act of all our fouls,
Makes merit her election; and doth boil,
As 'twere from forth us all, a man diftill'd
Out of our virtues; Who mifcarrying,
What heart receives from hence a conquering part,
To steel a ftrong opinion to themselves?
Which entertain'd, limbs are in his inftruments,

2 An armour for the arm, avantbras.

of which is afcertained by the use of small characters, i. e. numerals.

3 Substance is eftate, the vale

+ i. e. make no diffuky,

no doubt, when this duel comes to be proclaimed, but that Achilles, dull as he is, will difcover the drift of it. 5 Small points compared with the volumes.

In no lefs working, than are fwords and bows Directive by the limbs.

Ulyff. Give pardon to my speech ;Therefore tis meet, Achilles meet not Hector. Let us, like merchants, fhew our fouleft wares, And think, perchance, they'll fell; if not, The luftre of the better fhall exceed, By fhewing the worst first. Do not confent, That ever Hector and Achilles meet; For both our honour and our fhame, in this, Are dogg'd with two ftrange followers.

Neft. I fee them not with my old eyes; What are they?

[tor, Ulyss. What glory our Achilles shares from HecWere he not proud, we all should share with him: But he already is too infolent;

And we were better parch in Africk fun, Than in the pride and falt fcorn of his eyes, Should he 'fcape Hector fair: If he were foil'd, Why, then we did our main opinion crush

In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery;
And, by device, let blockith Ajax draw
The fort to fight with Hector: Among ourselves,
Give him allowance as the better man,
For that will phyfick the great Myrmidon,
Who broils in loud applause; and make him fall
His creft, that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainlefs Ajax come safe off,
We'll drefs him up in voices: If he fail,
Yet go we under our opinion ftill,
That we have better men. But, hit or miss,
Our project's life this shape of fenfe affumes,--
Ajax, employ'd, plucks down Achilles' plumes.
Neft. Ulyffes,

Now I begin to relish thy advice;
And I will give a taste of it forthwith
To Agamemnon: go we to him straight.
Two curs fhall tame each other; Pride alone
Muft tarre 2 the maftiffs on, as 'twere their bone.
[Exeunt.

Ajax. Ther.

ACT

SCENE I.

The Grecian Camp.

Enter Ajax, and Therfites,

HERSITES,

II.

Ther. Thou art proclaim'd a fool, I think. Ajax. Do not, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch. Ther. I would, thou didft itch from head to foot, and I had the fcratching of thee; I would make thee the loathfomeft fcab in Greece. When

Agamemnon-how if he had boils thou art forth in the incurfions, thou strikeft as

did not the general run then were not that a Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his great

botchy core?

Ajax. Dog,

Ther. Then there would come fome matter from him; I fee none now.

Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's fon, canft thou not hear? Feel then. [Strikes bim. Ther. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mungrel beef-witted lord!

Ajax. Speak then, thou unfalted leaven3, fpeak: I will beat thee into handfomeness.

Ther. I fhall fooner rail thee into wit and holinefs: but, I think, thy horie will fooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book. Thou canst strike, canft thou? a red murrain o' thy jade's tricks!

Ajax. Toadstool, learn me the proclamation. Ther. Doft thou think, I have no fenfe, thou ftrik'ft me thus ?

Ajax. The proclamation,—

1 i. e. the lot.

3 Un

2 Tarre is an old English word fignifying to provoke or urge on. falted leaven, means four without falt; metaphorically, malignity without wit. 4 A crufty uneven loaf is in fome counties called by this name. 5 Pun is in the midland counties the vulgar and colloquial word for pound. In one way of trying a witch they ufed to place her on a chair or ftool, with her legs tied acrofs, that all the weight of her body might reit upon her feat; aud by that means, after fome time, the circulation of the blood would be much stopped, and her fitting would be as painful as the wooden horse. Airgo feems to have been a cat term for a foolish fellow. Afinega is Portugucle for a little ass.

Kkk

Ther.

Enter Achilles, and Patroclus.

Achil. Why, how now, Ajax? wherefore do
you thus ?

How now, Therfites? what's the matter, man?
Ther. You fee him there, do you?

Acbil. Ay; What's the matter?
Ther. Nay, look upon him.

Atbil. So I do; What's the matter?

Ther. Nay, but regard him well.

Achil. Well, why I do so.

Ajax. I fhall cut out your tongue.

Ther. 'Tis no matter; I shall speak as much as
thou, afterwards.

Patr. No more words, Therfites; peace.
Ther. I will hold my peace when Achilles'
brach bids me 1, shall I?

Acbil. There's for you, Patroclus.

Ther. I will fee you hang'd, like clot poles, ere

I come any more to your tents; I will keep where

Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for, there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.

whofoever you take him to be, he is Ajax.

Achil. I know that, fool.

Ther. Ay, but that fool knows not himself.
Ajax. Therefore I beat thee.

Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he utters! his evafions have ears thus long. I have bobb'd his brain, more than he has beat my bones: I will buy nine fparrows for a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of a fparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax,-who wears his wit in his belly, and his guts in his head,I'll tell you what I fay of him.

Achil. Nay, I must hold you.

Patr. A good riddance.

[Exit.

Achil. Marry this, fir, is proclaim'd through al
our hoft:

That Hector, by the fifth hour of the fun,
Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning call fome knight to arms,
That hath a stomach; and fuch a one, that dare
Maintain-I know not what; 'tis trash : Farewel
Ajax. Farewel. Who fhall anfwer him?
Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwife,
He knew his man.

jax. O, meaning you :-I'll go learn more of
[Exch

it.

Ther. As will ftop the eye of Helen's needle, Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris, and Helemus.

for whom he comes to fight.

Achil. Peace, fool!

Ther. I would have peace and quietnefs, but the fool will not: he there; that he; look you

Ajax. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour
of the proclamation, and he rails upon me.
Ther. I ferve thee not.

Ajax. Well, go to, go to.
Ther. I ferve here voluntary.

Achil. Your laft fervice was fufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an imprefs.

Ther. Even fo?-a great deal of your wit too lies in your finews, or else there be liars. Hector shall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; 'a were as good crack a fuity nut with no kernel.

Achil. What, with me too, Therfites ? Ther. There's Ulyffes and old Neftor,-whofe wit was mouldy ere your grandfires had nails on

Pri. After fo many hours, lives, speeches iper,
Thus once again fays Neftor from the Greeks;
Deliver Helen, and all damage elfe-

As honour, loss of time, travel, expence,
Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is confund
In bot digeftion of this cormorant war,
Shall be ftruck off:-Hector, what fay you to 't?
Hect. Though no man lefler fears the Greeks
than I,

As far as toucheth my particular, yet,
Dread Priam,

There is no lady of more fofter bowels,
More ipungy to fuck in the fenfe of fear,
More ready to cry out-Who knows what fellow; ?
Than Hector is: The wound of peace is furety,
Surety fecure; but modeft doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wife, the tent that fearches
To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go:
Since the firit fword was drawn about this queftion,
Every tithe foul, 'mongst maný thousand dilmes2,
Hath been as dear as Helen; I mean, of ours:
If we have loft fo many tenths of ours,
To guard a thing not ours; not worth to us,
Had it our name, the value of one ten;
What merit's in that reafon, which denies
The yielding of her up?

Troi. Fie, fie, my brother!
Weigh you the worth and honour of a king,

I He calls Patroclus, in contempt, Acl illes' dog.

2 Difme, Fr. is the tithe, the tenth.

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Stockdale's Edition of Shakespeare: Including, in One Volume, the Whole of ...