Out of those many registred in promise,
Which you fay liue to come in my behalfe.
Aga. What wouldst thou of vs Troian? make demand?
Calc. You haue a Troian prifoner cald Antenor,
Yesterday tooke, Troy holds him very deere.
Oft haue you (often haue you thankes therefore)
Defird my Greffed in right great exchange.
Whom Troy hath still deni'd, but this Anthenor,
I know is fuch a wreft in their affaires :
That their negotiations all must flacke,
Wanting his mannage and they will almoft,
Giue vs a prince of blood a fonne of Pryam,
In change of him. Let him be fent great princes,
And he shall buy my daughter: and her presence,
Shall quite strike of all feruice I haue done,
In most accepted paine.
Aga. Let Diomedes beare him,
And bring vs Crefid hither, Calcas fhall haue
What he requests of vs: good Diomed
Furnish you farely for this enterchange,
Withall bring word if Hector will to morrow,
Bee answered in his challenge. Aiax is ready.
Dio. This fhall I vndertake, and as a burthen
Which I am proud to beare.
Achilles and Patro ftand in their tent.
Vli. Achilles ftands ith entrance of his tent,
Please it our generall paffe ftrangely by him:
As if he were forgot, and princes all,
Lay negligent and loofe regard vpon him,
I will come laft, tis like heele question mee.
Why fuch vnpaulfiue eyes are bent? why turnd on him,
If fo I haue derifion medecinable,
To vse betweene your ftrangnes and his pride,
Which his owne will shall haue defire to drinke,
It may doe good, pride hath no other glasse,
To show it felfe but pride: for fupple knees,
Feed arrogance and are the proud mans fees.
Aga. Weele execute your purpose and put on,
A forme of strangneffe as we pas along,
So do each lord, and either greet him not
Or els difdaynfully, which shall shake him more:
Then if not lookt on. I will lead the way.
Achil. What comes the generall to speake with mee?
You know my miade Ile fight no more 'gainst Troy.
Aga. What faies Achilles would he ought with vs?
Neft. Would you my lord ought with the generall.
Achil. No.
Neft. Nothing my lord.
Aga. The better.
Achil. Good day, good day.
Men. How do you? how do you?
Achil. What do's the cuckould fcorne me?
Aiax. How now Patroclus?
Achil. Good morrow Aiax?
Aiax. I and good next day too.
Ach. What meane these fellowes know they not Achilles ? Patro. They paffe by ftrangely: they were vs'd to bend, To fend their fmiles before them to Achilles :
To come as humbly as they vs'd to creep, to holy aultars.
Achil. What am I poore of late?
Tis certaine, greatneffe once falne out with fortune,
Muft fall out with men to, what the declin'd is,
He fhall as foone reade in the eyes of others
As feele in his owne fall: for men like butter-flies,
Shew not their mealy wings but to the fummer,
And not a man for being fimply man,
Hath any honour, but honour for thofe honours
That are without him, as place, ritches, and fauour,
Prizes of accident as oft as merit
Which when they fall as being flipery standers,
The loue that lean'd on them as flipery too,
Doth one pluck downe another, and together, die in the fall,
But tis not fo with mee,
Fortune and I are friends, I do enioy :
At ample point all that I did poffeffe,
Saue these mens lookes, who do me thinkes finde out:
Some thing not worth in me fuch ritch beholding,
As they haue often giuen. Here is Vliffes.
Ile interrupt his reading, how now Vliffes?
Vlif. Now great Thetis fonne.
Achil. What are you reading?
Vlif. A ftrange fellow here,
Writes me that man, how derely euer parted:
How much in hauing or without or in
Cannot, make boft to haue that which he hath,
Nor feeles not what he owes but by reflection:
As when his vertues ayming vpon others,
Heate them and they retort that heate againe
To the first giuers.
Achil. This is not strange Vlies,
The beauty that is borne here in the face:
The bearer knows not, but commends it felfe,
To others eyes, nor doth the eye it felfe
That most pure fpirit of fence, behold it felfe
Not going from it felfe: but eye to eye opposed,
Sallutes each other, with each others forme.
For fpeculation turnes not to it felfe,
Till it hath trauel'd and is married there?
Where it may fee it felfe: this is not strange at all.
Vliff. I do not straine at the position,
It is familiar, but at the authors drift,
Who in his circumftance exprefsly prooues,
That no man is the lord of any thing:
Though in and of him there be much confisting,
Till he communicate his parts to others,
Nor doth hee of himselfe know them for aught:
Till he behold them formed in the applause.
Where th'are extended: who like an arch reuerb'rate
The voice againe or like a gate of steele :
Fronting the funne, receiues and renders back
His figure and his heate. I was much rap't in this,
And apprehended here immediately,
Th' vnknowne Aiax, heauens what a man is there?
A very horse, that has he knowes not what
Nature what things there are.
Moft obiect in regard, and deere in vse,
What things againe moft deere in the esteeme:
And poore
in worth, now shall we fee to morrow,
An act that very chance doth throw vpon him
Aiax renown'd? O heauens what some men doe,
While fome men leaue to doe.
How fome men creepé in fkittish fortunes hall,
While others play the ideots in her eyes,
How one man eates into anothers pride,
While pride is fafting in his wantonesse.
To see these Grecian lords, why euen already:
They clap the lubber Aiax on the shoulder
As if his foote were one braue Hectors breft,
And great Troy fhriking.
Achill. I doe beleeue it,
For they paft by me as mifers do by beggars,
Neither gaue to me good word nor looke :
What are my deeds forgot?
Vliff. Time hath (my lord) a wallet at his back,
Wherein he puts almes for obliuion:
A great fiz'd monster of ingratitudes,
Thofe fcraps are good deeds paft,
Which are deuour'd as faft as they are made,
Forgot as foone as done, perfeuerance deere my lord:
Keepes honour bright, to haue done, is to hang,
Quite out of fashion like a rafty male,
In monumentall mockry? take the inftant way,
For honour trauells in a ftraight fo narrow:
Where on but goes a breft, keepe then the path
For emulation hath a thoufand fonnes,
That one by one pursue, if you giue way,
Or turne afide from the direct forth right:
Like to an entred tide they all rush by,
And leaue you him, most, then what they do in prefent:
Though leffe then yours in paffe, must ore top yours.
For time is like a fashionable hoast,.
That flightly shakes his parting guest by th' hand,
And with his armes out-ftretcht as he would flie,
Grafpes in the commer: the welcome euer fmiles,
And farewell goes out fighing. Let not vertue feeke,
Remuneration for the thing it was. For beauty, wit,
High birth, vigor of bone, defert in feruice,
Loue, friendship, charity, are fubiects all,
To enuious and calumniating time.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,
That all with one confent praise new-borne gaudes,
Though they are made and moulded of things paft,
And goe to duft, that is a little guilt,
More laud then guilt ore-dufted,
The prefent eye praises the prefent obiect.
Then maruell not thou great and complet man,
That all the Greekes begin to worship diax;
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