What he requests of us. Good Diomed,
Furnish you fairly for this enterchange:
Withal, bring word, if Hector will to-morrow
Be answer'd in his challenge:-Ajax is ready.

Diom. This fhall I undertake, and 'tis a burden Which I am proud to bear. [Exit Diomed and Calchas.

Enter Achilles and Patroclus, before their tent.

Ulys. Achilles stands i' the entrance of his tent,
Pleafe it our general to pafs ftrangely by him,
As if he were forgot; and, princes all,

Lay negligent and loofe regard upon him :-
I will come laft; 'tis like he'll question me,
Why fuch unplaufive eyes are bent, why turn'd on
him:

If fo, I have derifion med'cinable

To ufe between your strangeness and his pride,
Which his own will fhall have defire to drink;
It may do good: pride hath no other glafs
To fhew itself, but pride; for fupple knees
Feed arrogance, and are the proud man's fees.
Aga. We'll execute your purpose, and put on
A form of strangenefs as we país along;
So do each lord; and either greet him not,
Or elfe difdainfully, which fhall shake him more
Than if not look'd on. I will lead the way.

Achil. What, comes the general to speak with me? You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy. Aga. What fays Achilles? Would he aught with us? Neft. Would you, my lord, aught with the general? Achil. No.

8

Neft. Nothing, my lord.

Aga. The better.

derifion med cinable] All the modern editions have decifion. The old copies are apparently right. The folio in this place agrees with the quarto, fo that the corruption was at firit merely accidental. JOHNSON.

Achil. Good day, good day.

Men. How do you? how do you?

Achil. What, does the cuckold scorn me?
Ajax. How now, Patroclus?

Achil. Good-morrow, Ajax.

Ajax. Ha?

Achil. Good-morrow.

Ajax. Ay, and good next day too.

Achil. What mean thefe fellows?

Achilles?

[Exeunt.

Know they not

Patr. They pass by ftrangely. They were us'd to

bend,

To fend their fmiles before them to Achilles;

To come as humbly as they us'd to creep

To holy altars.

Achil. What, am I poor of late?

'Tis certain, greatnefs, once fallen out with fortune,
Muft fall out with men too: what the declin'd is
He shall as foon read in the eyes of others,

As feel in his own fall: for men, like butterflies,
Shew not their mealy wings, but to the fummer;
And not a man, for being fimply man,
Hath any honour; but's honour'd for thofe honours
That are without him, as place, riches, favour,
Prizes of accident as oft as merit:

Which, when they fall (as being flippery ftanders)
The love that lean'd on them, as flippery too,
Doth one pluck down another, and together
Die in the fall. But 'tis not fo with me:
Fortune and I are friends; I do enjoy

At ample point all that I did poffefs,

Save thefe men's looks; who do, methinks, find out Something in me not worth that rich beholding,

As they have often.given. Here is Ulyffes:

I'll interrupt his reading.- -How now, Ulyffes ?
Uly. Now, great Thetis' fon!

Achil. What are you reading?

VOL. IX.

F

Uly. A ftrange fellow here

Writes me, that man, 9 how dearly ever parted,
How much in having, or without, or in,

Cannot make boaft to have that which he hath,
Nor feels not what he owes, but by reflection;
As when his virtues fhining upon others
Heat them, and they retort that heat again
To the firft giver.

Achil. This is not strange, Ulyffes.

The beauty that is borne here in the face
The bearer knows not, but commends itself
'To others' eyes : nor doth the eye itself,
(That most pure fpirit of fenfe) behold itself
Not going from itself; but eye to eye oppos'd,
Salutes each other with each other's form.

For fpeculation turns not to itself,

Till it hath travell'd, and is marry'd there
Where it may fee its felf. This is not strange at all.
Ulyff. I do not ftrain at the pofition,

It is familiar, but the author's drift:
Who, 2 in his circumftance, expressly proves
That no man is the lord of any thing,

(Tho' in and of him there be much confifting)
Till he communicate his parts to others:
Nor doth he of himfelf know them for aught

WARBURTON.

bow dearly ever parted,] i. e. how exquifitely foever his virtues be divided and balanced in him. So in Romeo and Juliet, "Stuff'd, as they fay, with honourable parts, proportioned as one's thoughts would with a man.” I do not think that in the word parted is included any of divifion; it means, however excellently endowed, with however dear or precious parts enriched or adorned. JOHNSON

To others' eyes, &c.

idea

(That most pure Spirit, &c.] These two lines are totally omitted in all the editions but the firit quarto. POPE.

in his circumftance,-] In the detail or circumduction

of his argument. JOHNSON.

Till he behold them form'd in the applaufe
Where they are extended; which, like an arch, re-
verberates

The voice again; or, like a gate of steel
Fronting the fun, receives and renders back

His figure and his heat. I was much wrapt in this;
And apprehended here immediately

3 The unknown Ajax.

Heavens! what a man is there! a very horfe,

That has he knows not what. Nature, what things there are,

Most abject in regard, and dear in ufe'!
What things again moft dear in the esteem,
And poor in worth! Now fhall we fee to-morrow
An act, that very chance doth throw upon him,
Ajax renown'd! Oh heavens, what fome men do,
While fome men leave to do!

+ How fome men creep in skittish Fortune's hall,
While others play the idiots in her eyes!
How one man eats into another's pride,
While pride is 5 feafting in his wantonnefs!
To fee thefe Grecian lords! why even already
They clap the lubber Ajax on the fhoulder;
As if his foot were on brave Hector's breast,
And great Troy fhrinking.

Achil. I do believe it:

For they pafs'd by me, as mifers do by beggars,
Neither gave to me good word, nor good look.
What! are my deeds forgot?

3 The unknown Ajax.] Ajax, who has abilities which were never brought into view or ufe. JOHNSON.

4 How fome men CREEP in skittish Fortune's hall,] To creep is to keep out of fight from whatever motive. Some men keep cut of notice in the hall of Fortune, while others, though they but play the idiot, are always in her eye, in the way of distinction. JOHNSON. The quarto has fafting. Either JOHNSON.

5 — feafting] Folio. word may bear a good fenfe.

6

Ulyff. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,

A great fiz'd monster of ingratitudes.

Thofe fcraps are good deeds paft; which are devour'd
As faft as they are made, forgot as foon
As done: 7 perfeverance, dear my lord,
Keeps honour bright: to have done, is to hang
Quite out of fashion, like a rusty mail

In monumental mockery. Take the inftant way,
For honour travels in a ftreight so narrow,
Where one but goes abreaft: keep then the path;
For emulation hath a thousand fons,

That one by one purfue; if you give way,
Or hedge afide from the direct forth-right,
Like to an entred tide, they all rush by,
And leave you hindmost 8:

Or like a gallant horfe fallen in first rank,
Lie there for pavement 9 to the abject rear,

O'er run and trampled on: then what they do in prefent,

Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,] This fpeech is printed in all the modern editions with fuch deviations from the old copy, as exceed the lawful power of an editor. JOHNS. perfeverance, dear my lord,

7

Keeps honour bright: to have done, is to hang
Quite out of fashion, like a ruffy mail

In monumental mockery. Take the inftant way,
For honour, &c.] Thus the old copy.

former edition reads,

8

Dr. Johnfon's

perfeverance keeps honour bright:

To have done, is to hang quite out of fashion,
Like rufty nail in monumental mockery. STEEVENS.

and there you lie :] Thefe words are not in the fol. JOHN. Nor in any other copy that I have feen. I have given the paffage as I found it in the folio. STEEVENS.

to the abject rear,] So HANMER. All the editors before him read,

to the abject, near. JOHNSON.

1 O'er-run, &c.] The quarto wholly omits the fimile of the horfe, and reads thus:

And leave you hindmoft, then what they do in prefent. The folio feems to have fome omiflion, for the fimile begins, Cr like a gallant horie

JOHNSON.