456434Aga. Princes: what griefe hath set these Iaundies ore your (cheekes?

458435The ample proposition that hope makes,

459436In all designes begun on earth below,

460437Failes in the promist largenesse, checks and disasters,

461438Grow in the vaines of actions highest reard.

462439As knots by the conflux of meeting sap,

463440Infects the sound Pine, and diuerts his graine,

464441Tortiue and errant from his course of growth.

465442Nor Princes is it matter new to vs,

466443That we come short of our suppose so farre,

467444That after seauen yeares siege, yet Troy walls stand,

468445Sith euer action that hath gone before,

469446Whereof we haue record, triall did draw,

470447Bias and thwart: not answering the ayme,

471448And that vnbodied figure of the thought,

472449That gau't surmised shape: why then you Princes,

473450Do you with cheekes abasht behold our workes,

474451And call them shames which are indeed naught else,

475452But the protractiue tryals of great Ioue,

476453To finde persistiue constancie in men.

477454The finenesse of which mettall is not found,

478455In fortunes loue: for then the bould and coward,

479456The wise and foole, the Artist and vnread,

480457The hard and soft seeme all affyn'd and kin,

481458But in the winde and tempest of her frowne,

482459Distinction with a broad and powerfull fan,

B3 Puffing

483460Puffing at all, winnowss the light away,

484461And what hath masse or matter by it selfe,

485462Lyes rich in vertue and vnmingled.

486463Nestor. With due obseruance of the godlike seate,

487464Great Agamemnon, Nestor shall apply

488465Thy latest words. In the reproofe of chance,

490466Lies the true proofe of men: the sea being smooth,

491467How many shallow bauble boates dare saile,

492468Vpon her ancient brest, making their way

493469With those of nobler bulke?

494470But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage

495471The gentle Thetis, and anon, behold

496472The strong ribbd barke through liquid mountaines cut,

497473Bounding betweene the two moyst elements,

498474Like Perseus horse. Where's then the sawcie boate,

499475Whose weake vntymberd sides but euen now

500476Corriuald greatnesse? either to harbor fled,

501477Or made a toste for Neptune: euen so

502478Doth valours shew, and valours worth deuide

503479In stormes of fortune; for in her ray and brightnesse

505480The heard hath more annoyance by the Bryze

506481Then by the Tyger, but when the splitting winde,

507482Makes flexible the knees of knotted Okes,

508483And Flies fled vnder shade, why then the thing of courage,

510484As rouzd with rage, with rage doth simpathize,

511485And with an accent tun'd in selfe same key,

512486Retires to chiding fortune.

513487Uliss. Agamemnon,

514488Thou great Commander, nerues and bone of Greece,

515489Heart of our numbers, soule and onely spright,

516490In whom the tempers and the minds of all

517491Should be shut vp: heere what Vlisses speakes,

518492Besides th'applause and approbation,

519493The which most mighty (for thy place and sway

520494And thou most reuerend) for the stretcht out life,

521495I giue to both your speeches; which were such

522496As Agamemnon and the hand of Greece,

523497Should hold vp high in brasse, and such againe

524498As venerable Nestor (hatcht in siluer)

525499Should with a bond of ayre strong as the Axel-tree,

526500(On which heauen rides) knit all the Greekish eares

527501To his experienc't tongue, yet let it please both

528502Thou great and wise, to heare Vlisses speake.

534503Troy yet vpon his bases had beene downe,

535504And the great Hectors sword had lackt a master

536505But for these instances.

537506The specialtie of rule hath beene neglected,

538507And looke how many Grecian tents do stand,

539508Hollow vpon this plaine, so many hollow factions,

540509When that the generall is not like the hiue,

541510To whom the forragers shall all repaire,

542511What honey is expccted? Degree being visarded

543512Th'vnworthiest shewes as fairly in the maske.

544513The heauens them-selues, the plannets and this center

545514Obserue degree, prioritie and place,

546515In sisture, course, proportion, season, forme,

547516Office and custome, in all line of order.

548517And therefore is the glorious planet Sol,

549518In noble eminence enthron'd and spherd,

550519Amidst the other; whose medcinable eye,

551520Corrects the influence of euill Planets,

552521And posts like the Commandment of a King,

553522Sans check to good and bad. But when the Planets,

554523In euill mixture to disorder wander,

555524What plagues, and what portents, what mutinie?

556525What raging of the sea, shaking of earth?

557526Commotion in the winds, frights, changes, horrors

558527Diuert and crack, rend and deracinate,

559528The vnitie and married calme of states

560529Quite from their fixure: O when degree is shakt,

561530Which is the ladder of all high designes,

562531The enterprise is sick. How could communities,

563532Degrees in schooles, and brother-hoods in Citties,

564533Peacefull commerce from deuidable shores,

565534The primogenitie and due of birth,

566535Prerogatiue of age, crownes, scepters, lawrels,

567536But by degree stand in authentique place:

568537Take but degree away, vntune that string,

569538And harke what discord followes, each thing melts

570539In meere oppugnancie: the bounded waters

571540Should lift their bosomes higher then the shores,

572541And make a sop of all this solid globe:

573542Strength should be Lord of imbecilitie,

574543And the rude sonne should strike his father dead.

575544Force should be right or rather right and wrong,

576545(Betweene whose endlesse iarre Iustice recides)

577546Should loose their names, and so should Iustice to?

578547Then euery thing include it selfe in power,

579548Power into will, will into appetite,

580549And appetite an vniuersall Woolfe,

581550(So doubly seconded with will and power)

582551Must make perforce an vniuersall prey,

583552And last eate vp himselfe.

584553Great Agamemnon,

585554This chaos when degree is suffocate,

586555Followes the choaking,

587556And this neglection of degree it is,

588557That by a pace goes backward with a purpose

589558It hath to clime. The generalls disdaind,

590559By him one step below, he by the next,

591560That next by him beneath, so euery step,

592561Exampl'd by the first pace that is sick

593562Of his superior, growes to an enuious feauer

594563Of pale and bloudlesse emulation,

595564And 'tis this feauer that keepes Troy on foote,

596565Not her owne sinnews. To end a tale of length,

597566Troy in our weaknesse stands not in her strength.

598567Nestor. Most wisely hath Vlisses here discouerd,

599568The feuer whereof all our power is sick.

600569Agamem. The nature of the sicknesse found, Vlisses

601570What is the remedie?

602571Ulisses. The great Achilles whom opinion crownes,

603572The sinnow and the fore-hand of our hoste,

604573Hauing his eare full of his ayrie fame,

605574Growes dainty of his worth, and in his Tent

606575Lies mocking our designes: with him Patroclus

607576Vpon a lazie bed the liue-long day,

608577Breakes scurrell iests,

609578And with ridiculous and sillie action,

610579Which (slanderer) he Imitation calls,

611580He pageants vs. Some-time great Agamemnon,

612581Thy toplesse deputation he puts on,

613582And like a strutting Player, whose conceit

614583Lyes in his ham-string, and doth thinke it rich

615584To heere the woodden dialogue and sound,

616585Twixt his stretcht footing and the scoaffollage,

617586Such to be pitied and ore-rested seeming,

618587He acts thy greatnesse in. And when he speakes,

619588Tis like a chime a mending, with termes vnsquare,

620589Which from the tongue of roaring Tiphon dropt,

621590Would seeme hiperboles, at this fustie stuffe,

622591The large Achilles on his prest bed lolling,

623592From his deepe chest laughes out a lowd applause,

624593Cries excellent; 'tis Agamemnon right,

625594Now play me Nestor, hem and stroake thy beard,

626595As he being drest to some Oration,

627596That's done, as neere as the extremest ends

628597Of paralells, as like as Uulcan and his wife:

629598Yet god Achilles still cries excellent,

630599Tis Nestor right: now play him me Patroclus,

631600Arming to answer in a night alarme,

632601And then forsooth the faint defects of age,

633602Must be the scaene of myrth, to coffe and spit,

634603And with a palsie fumbling on his gorget,

635604Shake in and out the riuet, and at this sport

636605Sir valour dyes, cryes O enough Patroclus,

637606Or giue me ribbs of steele, I shall split all

638607In pleasure of my spleene, and in this fashion,

639608All our abilities, guifts, natures shapes,

640609Seueralls and generalls of grace exact,

641610Atchiuements, plots, orders, preuentions,

642611Excitements to the field, or speech for truce,

C Successe

643612Successe or losse, what is, or is not, serues

644613As stuffe for these two to make paradoxes.

645614Nestor. And in the imitation of these twaine,

646615Who as Vlisses sayes opinion crownes,

647616With an imperiall voyce: many are infect,

648617Aiax is growne selfe-wild, and beares his head

649618In such a reyne, in full as proud a place

650619As broad Achilles: keepes his Tent like him,

651620Makes factious feasts, railes on our state of warre,

652621Bould as an Oracle, and sets Thersites

653622A slaue, whose gall coynes slanders like a mint,

654623To match vs in comparisons with durt,

655624To weaken our discredit, our exposure

656625How ranke so euer rounded in with danger.

657626Vlisses. They taxe our pollicie, and call it cowardice,

658627Count wisdome as no member of the warre,

659628Forstall prescience, and esteeme no act

660629But that of hand, the still and mentall parts,

661630That do contriue how many hands shall strike,

662631When fitnesse calls them on, and know by measure

663632Of their obseruant toyle the enemies waight,

664633Why this hath not a fingers dignitie,

665634They call this bed-worke, mappry, Closet warre,

666635So that the Ram that batters downe the wall,

667636For the great swinge and rudenesse of his poise,

668637They place before his hand that made the engine,

669638Or those that with the fincsse of their soules,

670639By reason guide his execution.

671640Nest. Let this be granted, and Achilles horse

672641Makes many Thetis sonnes,

673642Agam. What trumpet? looke Menelaus.

674643Mene. From Troy.

675644Agam. What would you fore our tent.

676645AEne. Is this great Agamemnons tent I pray you?

677646Agam. Euen this.

678647AEne. May one that is a Herrald and a Prince,

679648Do a faire message to his Kingly eyes?

680649Agam. With surety stronger then Achilles arme,

681650Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice,

682651Call Agamemnon head and generall.

683652AEne. Faire leaue and large security, how may

684653A stranger to those most imperiall lookes,

685654Know them from eyes of other mortals?

686655Agam. How?

687656AEne. I, I aske that I might waken reuerence,

688657And bid the cheeke be ready with a blush,

689658Modest as morning, when shee coldly eyes the youthfull (Phoebus,

691659Which is that god, in office guiding men,

692660Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon.

693661Agam. This Troyan scornes vs, or the men of Troy,

694662Are ceremonious Courtiers.

695663AEne, Courtiers as free as debonaire, vnarm'd

696664As bending Angels, thats their fame in peace:

697665But when they would seeme soldiers, they haue galls,

698666Good armes, strong ioints, true swords, & great Ioues accord

699667Nothing so full of heart: but peace AEneas,

700668Peace Troyan, lay thy finger on thy lips,

701669The worthinesse of praise distaines his worth,

702670If that the praisd him-selfe bring the praise forth.

703671But what the repining enemy commends,

704672That breath fame blowes, that praise sole pure transcends.

705673Agam. Sir you of Troy, call you your selfe AEneas?

706674AEne. I Greeke, that is my name.

707675Agam. Whats your affaires I pray you?

708676AEne. Sir pardon, 'tis for Agamemnons eares.

709677Aga. He heeres naught priuately that comes from Troy.

711678AEne. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him,

712679I bring a trumpet to awake his eare,

713680To set his seat on that attentiue bent,

714681And then to speake.

715682Agam. Speake frankly as the winde,

716683It is not Agamemnons sleeping houre;

717684That thou shalt know Troyan he is awake,

718685Hee tels thee so himselfe.

719686AEne. Trumpet blowe alowd,

720687Send thy brasse voyce through all these lazie tents,

C2 And

721688And euery Greeke of mettell let him know,

722689 What Troy meanes fairely, shall be spoke alowd. Soundtrumpet.

724690We haue great Agamemnon heere in Troy,

725691A Prince calld Hector, Priam is his father,

726692Who in his dull and long continued truce,

727693Is restie growne: He bad me take a Trumpet,

728694And to this purpose speake. Kings, Princes, Lords,

729695If there be one among the fair'st of Greece,

730696That holds his honour higher then his ease,

731697And feeds his praise, more then he feares his perill,

732698That knowes his valour, and knowes not his feare,

733699That loues his Mistresse more then in confession,

734700(With truant vowes to her owne lips he loues)

735701And dare avowe her beautie, and her worth,

736702In other armes then hers: to him this challenge;

737703Hector in view of Troyans and of Greekes,

738704Shall make it good, or do his best to do it:

739705He hath a Lady, wiser, fairer, truer,

740706Then euer Greeke did couple in his armes,

741707And will tomorrow with his Trumpet call,

742708Mid-way betweene your tents and walls of Troy,

743709To rouze a Grecian that is true in loue:

744710If any come, Hector shall honor him:

745711If none, heele say in Troy when he retires,

746712The Grecian dames are sun-burnt, and not worth

747713The splinter of a Launce. Euen so much.

748714Agam. This shall be told our louers Lord AEneas,

749715If none of them haue soule in such a kinde,

750716We left them all at home, but we are souldiers,

751717And may that souldier a meere recreant prooue,

752718That meanes not, hath not, or is not in loue:

753719If then one is, or hath a meanes to be,

754720That one meetes Hector: if none else I am he.

755721Nest. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man

756722When Hectors grand-sire suckt. He is old now,

757723But if there be not in our Grecian hoste,

758724A noble man that hath no sparke of fire

759725To answer for his loue, tell him from me,

760726Ile hide my siluer beard in a gould beauer,

761727And in my vambrace put my withered braunes

762728And meeting him tell him that my Lady,

763729Was fairer then his grandam, and as chast,

764730As may bee in the world, (his youth in flood)

765731Ile proue this troth with my three drops of bloud,

766732AEne. Now heauens for-fend such scarcity of men.

767733Vlis. Amen: faire Lord AEneas let me touch your hand,

770734To our pauilion shall I leade you sir;

771735Achilles shall haue word of this intent,

772736So shall each Lord of Greece from tent to tent,

773737Your selfe shall feast with vs before you goe,

774738And finde the welcome of a noble foe.

776739Vlis. Nestor. Nest. What saies Vlisses?

778740Vlis. I haue a yong conception in my braine,

779741Be you my time to bring it to some shape.

780742Nest. What ist?

782743Vlis: Blunt wedges riue hard knots, the seeded pride,

783744That hath to this maturity blowne vp

784745In ranke Achilles, must or now be cropt,

785746Or shedding breede a noursery of like euill,

786747To ouer-bulk vs all. Nest. Well and how?

788748Vlis: This challeng that the gallant Hector sends,

789749How euer it is spread in generall name

790750Relates in purpose onely to Achilles.

791751Nest. True the purpose is perspicuous as substance,

792752Whose grosenesse little characters sum vp:

793753And in the publication make no straine,

794754But that Achilles weare his braine, as barren,

795755As banks of libia (though Apollo knowes

796756Tis dry enough) will with great speed of iudgement,

797757I with celerity finde Hectors purpose, pointing on him.

799758Vlis. And wake him to the answere thinke you?

800759Nest. Why tis most meete; who may you elce oppose,

801760That can from Hector bring those honours off,

802761If not Achilles: though't be a sportfull combat,

803762Yet in the triall much opinion dwells:

804763For here the Troyans tast our deerst repute,

C3 With

805764With their fin'st pallat, and trust to me Ulisses

806765Our imputation shalbe odly poizde

807766In this vilde action, for the successe,

808767Although perticuler shall giue a scantling

809768Of good or bad vnto the generall,

810769And in such indexes (although small pricks

811770To their subsequent volumes) there is seene,

812771The baby figure of the gyant masse,

813772Of things to come at large: It is suppos'd

814773He that meetes Hector, yssues from our choice,

815774And choice (being mutuall act of all our soules)

816775Makes merit her election, and doth boyle,

817776(As twere from forth vs all) a man distill'd

818777Out of our vertues, who miscarrying,

819778What heart receiues from hence a conquering part,

820779To steele a strong opinion to themselues.

824780Uliss. Giue pardon to my speech? therefore tis meete,

825781Achilles meete not Hector, let vs like Marchants

826782First shew foule wares, and thinke perchance theile sell;

827783If not; the luster of the better shall exceed,

829784By shewing the worse first: do not consent,

830785That euer Hector and Achilles meet,

831786For both our honour and our shame in this, are dog'd with

832787two strange followers.

833788Nest. I see them not with my old eyes what are they?

834789Vless. What glory our Achilles shares from Hector

835790Were he not proud, we al! should share with him:

836791But he already is too insolent.

837792And it were better partch in Afrique Sunne,

838793Then in the pride and sault scorne of his eyes

839794Should he scape Hector faire. If he were foild,

840795Why then we do our maine opinion crush

841796In taint of our best man. No, make a lottry

842797And by deuise let blockish Aiax draw

843798The sort to fight with Hector, among ourselues,

844799Giue him allowance for the better man,

845800For that will phisick the great Myrmidon,

846801Who broyles in loud applause, and make him fall,

847802His crest that prouder then blew Iris bends,

848803If the dull brainlesse Aiax come safe off

849804Weele dresse him vp in voices, if he faile

850805Yet go we vnder our opinion still,

851806That we haue better men, but hit or misse,

852807Our proiects life this shape of sence assumes

853808Aiax imploy'd plucks downe Achilles plumes.

854809Nest. Now Vlisses I begin to relish thy aduise,

855810And I will giue a taste thereof forthwith,

856811To Agamemnon, go we to him straight

857812Two curres shall tame each other, pride alone

858813Must arre the mastiffs on, as twere a bone. Exeunt.