Appals our numbers: hafte we, Diomede,
To reinforcement, or we perish all.

Enter Neftor.

Neft. Go bear Patroclus' body to Achilles,
And bid the fnail-pac'd Ajax arm for fhame,
There are a thousand Hectors in the field:
Now, here he fights on Galathe his horse,
And there lacks work: anon, he's there a foot,
And there they fly or die, like fcaled fhoals
Before the belching whale: then is he yonder,
And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge,
Fall down before him, like the mower's fwath;
Here, there, and ev'ry where, he leaves and takes ;
Dexterity fo obeying appetite,

Shakespeare decypher him by fo dark and precarious a description? I dare be pofitive, he had no thought of that archer here. To confefs the truth, this paffage contains a piece of private hiftory, which, perhaps, Mr. Pope never met with, unless he confulted the old chronicle containing the three deftructions of Troy, printed by Caxton in 1471, and Wynken de Werde in 1503; from which book our Poet has borrow'd more circumftances of this play, than from Lollius or Chau cer. I fhall tranfcribe a fhort quotation from thence, which will fully explain Shakespeare's meaning in this paffage. "Beyonde the royalme "of Amafonne came an auncyent kynge, wyfe and dyfcreete, named "Efyftrophus, and brought a M. knyghtes, and a mervaylioufe befte "that was call'd Sagittarye, that behinde the myddes was an horfe, "and to fore a man: this befte was heery lyke an horfe, and had "his eyen rede as a cole, and fhotte well with a bowe: this befte "made the Greeks lore aferde, and flewe many of them with bisbowe.” This directly answers to what our Poet fays ;

-The dreadful Sagittary

Appals our numbers.

That our Author traded with the above quoted book, is demonftrable from certain circumftances, which he could pick up no where elfe, and which he has thought fit to transplant into his play; viz. The making Neoptolemus a distinct hero from Pyrrbus, who was afterwards fo call'd; the corruption in the names of the fix gates of Troy; Galatbe, the name of Hector's horse; the baftard Margarelon; Diomede getting one of Creffid's gloves; Achilles abfenting from battle on account of his love for Polyxena, and the messages of queen Hecuba to him; his taking Hector at a disadvantage, when he killed him ;

That

That what he will, he does; and does fo much, . That proof is call'd impoffibility.

Enter Ulyffes.

Ulys. Oh, courage, courage, Princes:
: great Achilles
Is arming, weeping, curfing, vowing vengeance;
Patroclus wounds have rouz'd his drowsy blood,
Together with his mangled Myrmidons,

That nofelefs, handless, hackt and chipt, come to him,
Crying on Hector. Ajax hath loft a friend,
And foams at mouth; and he is arm'd, and at it,
Roaring for Troilus, who hath done to-day
Mad and fantastick execution;

Engaging and redeeming of himself,

With fuch a careless force, and forceless care,
As if that luck, in very spite of cunning
Bade him win all.

Enter Achilles.

Achil. Where is this Hector?

Come, come, thou boy-killer, fhew me thy face:
Know, what it is to meet Achilles angry.

Hector, where's Hector? I will none but Hector. [Exit.

Re-enter Ajax.

Ajax. Troilus, thou coward Troilus, fhew thy head!

Re-enter Diomede.

Dio. Troilus, I fay, where's Troilus?

Ajax. What would't thou?

Dio. I would correct him.

Ajax.Were I the general, thou fhould't have my office, Ere that correction: Troilus, I fay, what! Troilus ?

Enter

Enter Troilus.

Troi. Oh, traitor Diomede! turn thy false face, thou traitor,

And pay thy life, thou oweft me for my horfe.
Dio. Ha, art thou there?

upon.

Ajax. I'll fight with him alone: stand, Diomede.
Dic. He is my prize, I will not look
Trei. Come both,you cogging Greeks, have at you both.
[Exeunt, fighting.

Enter Hector.

Heat. Yea, Troilus? O well fought! my youngest brother.

Enter Achilles.

Achil. Now do I fee thee; have at thee, Hector.
Het. Paufe, if thou wilt.

Fight.

Achil. I do difdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan.

Be happy that my arms are out of use,

My rest and negligence befriend thee now,
But thou anon fhalt hear of me again :

Till when, go feek thy fortune.

Hed. Fare thee well;

I would have been much more a fresher man,
Had I expected thee. How now, my-brother?
Enter Troilus.

Troi. Ajax hath ta'en Eneas; fhall it be?
No, by the flame of yonder glorious heav'n,
He fhall not carry him; I'll be taken too,
Or.bring him off: Fate, hear me what I fay;
I reck not, though thou end my life to-day.

Enter one in armour.

[Exit.

Hed.Stand, ftand, thou Greek, thou art a goodly mark:

No wilt thou not? I like thy armour well,

I'll frufh it, and unlock the rivets all,

But I'll be mafter of it; wilt thou not, beaft, abide? Why then fly on, I'll hunt thee for thy hide.

[Exit.

Enter

Enter Achilles with Myrmidons.

Achil. Come here about me, you my Myrmidons.
Mark what I fay, attend me where I wheel;
Strike not a stroke, but keep yourselves in breath;
And when I have the bloody Hector found,
Empale him with your weapons round about:
In fellest manner execute your arms.
Follow me, birs, and my proceeding eye:
It is decreed-

· Hector the great must die.

Enter Therfites, Menelaus, and Paris.

[Exeunt.

Ther. The cuckold, and the cuckold-maker are at it: now bull, now dog; 'loo, Paris, 'loo; now, my double. hen'd fparrow; loo, Paris, 'loo: the bull has the game : 'ware horns, ho. [Exe, Paris and Menelaus.

Enter Baftard.

Baft. Turn, flave, and fight.

Ther. What art thou?

Baft. A baftard fon of Priam's.

Ther. I am a baftard too, I love baftards. I am baftard begot, bastard instructed, baftard in mind, baftard in valour, in every thing illegitimate: one bear will not bite another (51), and wherefore fhould one baftard? take heed, the quarrel's moft ominous to us: If the son of a whore fight for a whore he tempts judg ment: farewel, baftard,

Baft. The devil take thee, coward.

Enter Hector.

[Exeunt.

Hed. Moft putrified core, fo fair without !-----
Thy goodly armour thus hath coft thy life.
Now is my day's work done; I'll take my breath:
Reft, fword, thou haft thy fill of blood and death.

(51) One bear will not bite another. So Javeral says mor: feriouf; fævis inter fe convenit uifis.

Enter

Enter Achilles and his Myrmidons.

Achil. Look, Hector, how the Sun begins to fet;
How ugly night comes breathing at his heels:
Ev'n with the veil and darkning of the fun,
To close the day up, Hector's life is done.

[They fall upon Hector, and kill him.
Het. I am unarm'd, forego this vantage, Greek.
Achil. Strike, fellows, ftrike, this is the man I seek.
So, Ilion, fall thou next. Now, Troy, fink down:
Here lies thy heart, thy finews, and thy bone.
On, Myrmidons, and cry you all amain,
Achilles hath the mighty Hector flain.

Hark, a retreat upon our Grecian part.

Myr. The Trojan trumpets found the like, my Lord.
Achil.The dragon wing of night o'erfpreads the earth;
And, ftickler-like, the armies feparates. (52)
My half.fupt fword, that frankly would have fed,
Pleas'd with this dainty bit, thus goes to bed.
Come, tie his body to my horfe's tail:

Along the field I will the Trojan trail.

[Sound retreat.

[Exeunt.
Shout.

(52) And, fickler-like, the armies feparate ;] So Mr. Pope in both his editions; by which means, the comparison ftands thus ;"The armies feparate of themselves, as fticklers feparate others." But with that editor's permiffion, we must call back the reading of the better copies; and then the fenfe will be this: "Night, ftickler"like, puts an end to the engagement, and feparates the armies.' I am apt to think, Mr. Pope did not know the word, or the office of the person intended by it. The French call these gentry, moyenneurs, arbitres, perfonnes interpofées. In this very play, Diomede and Eneas are fticklers to Ajax and Hector in their combat; seconds, to see fair play, and arbitrate the duel. The word was familiar both to Ben Jobnfon and Beaumont and Fletcher.

Who is drawn hither by report of your cartels, advanced in court, to prove his fortune with your prizer, fo he may have fair play fhewn him, and the liberty to chufe his flickler.

Cynthia's Revels.

Lop. He keeps his fury ftill, and may do mischief.
Mil. He fhall be hang'd first; we'll be ficklers, there, boys.

Spanish Curate.

Enter