The unity and married calm of states

Quite from their fixure! when degree is fhaken, (Which is the ladder to all high defigns)

"Then enterprize is fick. How could communities,
Degrees in fchools, and brotherhoods in cities,
Peaceful commerce from dividable fhores,
The primogeniture, and due of birth,
Prerogative of age, crowns, fcepters, lawrels,
But by degree, ftand in authentick place?
Take but degree away, untune that string,
And hark what difcord follows; each thing meets
In meer oppugnancy. The bounded waters
Would lift their bofoms higher than the fhores,
And make a fop of all this folid globe:
Strength would be lord of imbecillity,

And the rude fon would ftrike his father dead:
Force would be right; or rather, right and wrong,
Between whofe endless jar justice 7 'prefides,`
Would lofe their names, and fo would juftice too.
Then every thing includes it felf in power,
Power into will, will into appetite,
And appetite an univerfal wolf,

So doubly feconded with will and power
Must make perforce an univerfal prey,
And laft eat up itself. Great Agamemnon!
This chaos, when degree is fuffocate,
Follows the choaking:

And this neglection of degree is it,

That by a pace goes backward, in a purpose
It hath to climb. The General's difdain'd
By him one step below; he by the next;
That next by him beneath: fo every step,
Exampled by the firft pace that is fick
Of his fuperior, grows to an envious feaver
Of pale and bloodlefs emulation.

And 'tis this feaver that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own finews. To end a tale of length,

6 The

B 4

7 refides, ... old edit. Warb. emend.

Troy

Troy in our weakness lives, not in her strength.
Neft. Moft wifely hath Ulyffes here difcover'd
The feaver, whereof all our power is fick.

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

Ulyf. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns
The finew and the fore-hand of our hoft,
Having his ear full of his airy fame,

Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent
Lyes mocking our defigns. With him Patroclus,
Upon a lazy bed, the live-long day

Breaks fcurril jefts;

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

He pageants us. Sometimes, great Agamemnon,
Thy toplefs deputation he puts on;

And like a ftrutting player, whofe conceit
Lyes 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-wrefted seeming
He acts thy greatness in: and when he speaks,
'Tis like a chime a mending; with terms unfquar'd;
Which from the tongue of roaring Typhon dropt
Would feem hyperboles. At this fufty stuff
The large Achilles, on his preft-bed lolling,
From his deep cheft laughs out a loud applaufe:
Cries, excellent! 'tis Agamemnon juft!

Now play me Neftor-bum, and stroke thy beard,
As be, being 'dreft to fome oration.

That's done -

as near as the extremest ends Of parallels; as like as Vulcan and his wife; Yet good Achilles still cries, excellent!

'Tis Neftor right! now play him me, Patroclus,
Arming to answer in a night-alarm:

And then, forfooth, the faint defects of age
Must be the scene of mirth, to cough and fpit,
And with a palfie fumbling on his gorget,

Shake

Shake in and out the rivet at this sport,
Sir Valour dies; cries, O!— enough, Patroclus-
Or, give me ribs of steel, I shall split all
In pleasure of my spleen. And in this fashion
All our abilities, gifts, natures, fhapes,
'Sev'rals and gen'rals though of grace exact,
Atchievements, plots, orders, preventions,
Excitements to the field, or fpeech for truce,
Succefs or lofs, what is, or is not, ferves
As ituff for these two to make paradoxes.
Neft. And in the imitation of these 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, in full as proud a place,
As broad Achilles; keeps his tent like him;
Makes factious feafts, rails on our ftate 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 expofure,
How hard foever rounded in with danger.

Uly. They tax our policy, and call it cowardise,
Count wifdom as no member of the war.
Fore-ftall our prefcience, and efteem no act
But that of hand: the ftill and mental parts,
That do contrive how many hands shall strike
When fitness calls them on, and know, by measure
Of their obfervant toil, the enemies weight;
Why, this hath not a finger's dignity;

They call this bed-work-mapp'ry, 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 those that with the fineness of their fouls
By reafon guide 9 'its execution.

Neft. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horfe

8 Severals and generals of grace exact,

9 his

Makes

Makes many Thetis' fons.

Aga. What trumpet? look, Menelaus.

Men. From Troy.

SCENE VI.

Enter Æneas.

Aga. What would you 'fore our tent?

[Tucket founds.

Ene. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you?
Aga. Even this.

Ene. May one that is a herald and a Prince,
Do a fair meffage to his kingly ears?

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

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

How may

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

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 galls,
Good arms, ftrong joints, true fwords; and, Jove's accord,
Nothing fo full of heart. But peace, Eneas,

Peace, Trojan, lay thy finger on thy lips;
The worthiness of praise diftains his worth,
If he that's prais'd, himself bring the praise forth:
What the repining enemy commends,

That breath fame blows, that praise fole pure tranfcends.

Aga.

Aga. Sir, you of Troy, call you your felf Æneas? Ene. Ay, Greek, that is my name.

Aga. What's your affair, I pray you?

Ene. Sir, pardon, 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.
Aga. He hears nought privately that comes from Tray
Ene. And I from Troy come not to whifper him,
1 bring a trumpet to awake his ear,

To fet his fenfe on the attentive bent,
And then to speak.

Aza. Speak frankly as the wind,

It is not Agamemnon's fleeping hour;
That thou fhalt 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.

[The 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 bad me take a trumpet,
And to this purpofe fpeak: Kings, Princes, Lords,
If there be one amongst the fair'ft of Greece,
That holds his honour higher than his eafe,
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 profeffion
With truant vows to her own lips he loves,
And 'dares 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,
Midway between your tents and walls of Troy,

Το