My sacred aunt, should by my mortal sword

Be drained. Let me embrace thee, Ajax.

By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms.

Hector would have them fall upon him thus.

Cousin, all honour to thee.

AJAX I thank thee, Hector.

Thou art too gentle and too free a man.

I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence

A great addition earned in thy death.

HECTOR

Not Neoptolemus so mirable,

On whose bright crest Fame with her loud‘st oyez

Cries ’This is he!’, could promise to himself

A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

AENEAS

There is expectance here from both the sides

What further you will do.

HECTOR We’ll answer it:

The issue is embracement.—Ajax, farewell.

AJAX

If I might in entreaties find success,

As seld I have the chance, I would desire

My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.

DIOMEDES

’Tis Agamemnon’s wish—and great Achilles

Doth long to see unarmed the valiant Hector.

HECTOR

Aeneas, call my brother Troilus to me,

And signify this loving interview

To the expecters of our Trojan part.

Desire them home. ⌈Exit Aeneas⌉

Give me thy hand, my cousin.

I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.

Enter Agamemnon and the rest: Aeneas, Ulysses,

Menelaus, Nestor, Achilles, Patroclus, Troilus, and

others

AJAX

Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.

HECTOR (to Aeneas)

The worthiest of them, tell me name by name.

But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes

Shall find him by his large and portly size.

AGAMEMNON (embracing him)

Worthy of arms, as welcome as to one

That would be rid of such an enemy.

But that’s no welcome. Understand more clear:

What’s past and what’s to come is strewed with husks

And formless ruin of oblivion,

But in this extant moment faith and troth,

Strained purely from all hollow bias-drawing,

Bids thee with most divine integrity

From heart of very heart, ‘Great Hector, welcome!’

HECTOR

I thank thee, most imperious Agamemnon.

AGAMEMNON ⌈to Troilus⌉

My well-famed lord of Troy, no less to you.

MENELAUS

Let me confirm my princely brother’s greeting.

You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.

⌈He embraces Hector and Troilus⌉

HECTOR (to Aeneas)

Who must we answer?

AENEAS The noble Menelaus.

HECTOR

O, you, my lord! By Mars his gauntlet, thanks.

Mock not that I affect th’untraded oath.

Your quondam wife swears still by Venus’ glove.

She’s well, but bade me not commend her to you.

MENELAUS

Name her not now, sir. She’s a deadly theme.

HECTOR O, pardon. I offend.

NESTOR

I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft,

Labouring for destiny, make cruel way

Through ranks of Greekish youth, and I have seen thee

As hot as Perseus spur thy Phrygian steed,

And seen thee scorning forfeits and subduements,

When thou hast hung th‘advancèd sword i’th’ air,

Not letting it decline on the declined,

That I have said unto my standers-by,

‘Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life’.

And I have seen thee pause and take thy breath,

When that a ring of Greeks have hemmed thee in,

Like an Olympian, wrestling. This have I seen;

But this thy countenance, still locked in steel,

I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire

And once fought with him. He was a soldier good,

But—by great Mars, the captain of us all—

Never like thee. Let an old man embrace thee;

And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.

He embraces Hector

AENEAS (to Hector) ’Tis the old Nestor.

HECTOR

Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,

That hast so long walked hand in hand with time.

Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.

NESTOR

I would my arms could match thee in contention

As they contend with thee in courtesy.

HECTOR I would they could.

NESTOR

Ha! By this white beard I’d fight with thee tomorrow.

Well, welcome, welcome! I have seen the time.

ULYSSES

I wonder now how yonder city stands

When we have here her base and pillar by us?

HECTOR

I know your favour, Lord Ulysses, well.

Ah, sir, there’s many a Greek and Trojan dead

Since first I saw yourself and Diomed

In Ilium on your Greekish embassy.

ULYSSES

Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue.

My prophecy is but half his journey yet;

For yonder walls that pertly front your town,

Yon towers whose wanton tops do buss the clouds,

Must kiss their own feet.

HECTOR I must not believe you.

There they stand yet, and modestly I think

The fall of every Phrygian stone will cost

A drop of Grecian blood. The end crowns all,

And that old common arbitrator Time

Will one day end it.

ULYSSES So to him we leave it.

Most gentle and most valiant Hector, welcome.

⌈He embraces him⌉

After the General, I beseech you next

To feast with me and see me at my tent.

ACHILLES

I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysses. ⌈To Hector⌉ Thou!

Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee.

I have with exact view perused thee, Hector,

And quoted joint by joint.

HECTOR Is this Achilles?