Of Author's pen, or Actor's voice; but fuited-
In like conditions as our Argument ;)
To tell you, (fair Beholders) that our Play
Leaps o'er the vaunt and firstlings of thofe broils,
'Ginning i'th' middle: ftarting thence away, (2)
To what may be digested in a Play.

Like, or find fault,-do, as your pleasures are;
Now good, or bad, 'tis but the chance of war.

(2) Beginning in the middle, farting thence away,] Thus all the Editions, before Mr. Pope's. He, in the Purity of his Ear, has cafhier'd the laft Word, because the Verfe was longer than its fellows. I have chofe to retain it; (because, I am perfuaded, the Poet intended a Rhyme) and reduce the Line to Meafure by an Apocope fo frequent in his Writings.

Helen, Wife to Menelaus, in Love with Paris.
Andromache, Wife to Hector.

Caffandra, Daughter to Priam, a Prophetess.
Creffida, Daughter to Calchas, in love with Troilus.

Alexander, Creffida's Man.
Boy, Page to Troilus.

Trojan and Greek Soldiers, with other Attendants.

SCENE, Troy; and the Grecian Camp, before it,

Troilus and Creffida.

ACT I

SCENE, the Palace in Troy.

Enter Pandarus and Troilus.

TROILUS.

ALL here my varlet; I'll unarm again. (3) Why fhould I war without the walls of Troy, That find fuch cruel battle here within? Each Trojan, that is mafter of his heart, Let him to field; Troilus, alas! hath none. Pan. Will this geer ne'er be mended?

Troi. The Greeks are ftrong, and skilful to their

strength,

Fierce to their skill, and to their fiercenefs valiant.

(5)

Pll unarm again.

Why Should I war without the Walls of Troy,

That find fuch cruel Battle here within ?] I won't venture to affirm, that this Paffage is founded on Anacreon, but there is a mighty Confonance both of Thought and Expreffion in both Poets; particularly, in the Close of the Sentence.

Μάτlω δ ̓ ἔχω βοείην·
Τὶ γδ βαλώμεθ ̓ ἔξω,
Μάχης ἔσω μ' ἐχέσης ;

But

But I am weaker than a woman's tear,
Tamer than sleep, fonder than ignorance;
Lefs valiant than the virgin in the night,
And skill-lefs as unpractis'd infancy.

Pan. Well, I have told you enough of this: for my part, I'll not meddle nor make any farther. He, that will have a cake out of the wheat, muft needs tarry the grinding

Troi. Have I not tarried?

Pan. Ay, the grinding; but you must tarry the boulting.

Troi. Have I not tarried?

Pan. Ay, the boulting; but you must tarry the leav'ning.

Troi. Still have I tarried.

Pan. Ay, to the leav'ning: but here's yet in the word hereafter, the kneading, the making of the cake, the heating of the oven, and the baking; nay, you must

J

'Tis in vain that I have a Shield: for wherefore should I wear that out-
ward Defence, when the Battle rages all within me? I hope, my
Readers will forgive me, if I take Notice on this Occafion that the
Learned Tanaquil Faber quite miftook Anacreon's Senfe in this Line,
Ti j' Baxwμew,He has render'd it; Quid enim extrà, aut
Τὶ δὲ βαλώμεθ ̓ ἔξω,
foràs, tela mittamus, cùm intùs pugna fit? This is abfolutely foreign
from the Poet's Meaning. Madam Dacier feems to have understood it in
her French Verfion, but is repugnant to herself, when she gives it us in
Latin. C'est donc en vain que j'ay un bouclier, car à quoi fert de le
défendre au dehors, lorfque l'ennemi eft au dedans? I am furpriz'd,
after so just a Tranflation as to the Meaning, that she could fubjoin this
Remark. Les Interpretes Latins n'ont pas bien entendu ce vers qu'ils tra-
duifent, Nàm cur petamur extrà; & il falloit traduire tout au contraire,
nam cur petamus extrà. Petere hoftem, is, to attack an Enemy; which
is not Anacreon's Meaning. But Monf. De la Foffe has genteely anim-
adverted upon this Lady's Error. Anacreon ne fongeoit qu'au le défen-
dre, & non pas à offenfer. Ainfi petamus, qui eft une Action offenfive,
n'eftoit pas si jufte que petamur.,

In my Opinion, the Paffage fhould be thus render'd;

Fruftrà gero Clypeum;

Quid enim [illum] extrinfecùs objiciam,

Cum Pugna intus omninò ardeat?

The Tranflators do not feem to have remember'd, that Cannoμa (as its Compounds, αμφιβάλλομαι, ἐπιβάλλομαι, περιβάλλομαι) may tometimes fignify actively, induo, injicio, impong. Authorities are fo obvious, that it is unneceffary to alledge any.

-16

ftay the cooling too, or you may chance to burn your lips.

Troi. Patience her felf, what Goddess e'er fhe be,
Doth leffer blench at sufferance, than I do:
At Priam's royal table do I fit;

And when fair Creffid comes into my thoughts,

So, traitor!when fhe comes? when is fhe thence? Pan. Well, the look'd yefternight fairer than ever I faw her look, or any woman else.

Troi. I was about to tell thee, when my heart,
As wedged with a figh, would rive in twain,
Left Hector or my father should perceive me ;
I have (as when the Sun doth light a ftorm)
Buried this figh in wrinkle of a smile:
But forrow, that is couch'd in feeming gladness,
Is like that mirth Fate turns to fudden fadnefs.

Pan. An her hair were not fomewhat darker than Helen's well, go to, there were no more comparison between the women. But, for my part, fhe is my kinswoman; I would not (as they term it) praise herbut I would, Somebody had heard her talk yesterday, as I did: I will not difpraife your fifter Caffandra's wit, 1

but

Troi. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus

When I do tell thee, there my hopes lye drown'd, (4)
Reply not in how many fathoms deep
They lye indrench'd. I tell thee, I am mad

(4) When I do tell thee, there my Hopes lye drown'd, Reply not in how many Fathoms deep

They lye intrench'd.] This is only the Reading of the modern Editors:
I have reftor'd that of the old Books. For befides that, intrench'd in
Fathoms, is a Phrase which we have very great Reason to fufpect; what
Confonance, or Agreement, in Senfe is there betwixt drown'd and in-
trench'd? The first carries the Idea of Destruction, the latter of Security.
Indrench'd correfponds exactly with drown'd; and fignifies, immers'd in
the Deep, or, as our Poet in another Place calls it, enfleep'd.
So in his Venus and Adonis ;

O, where am I, (quoth fhe) in Earth, or Heav'n?
Or in the Ocean drench'd?

And in the Two Gentlemen of Verona we again find the Terms coupled. And drench'd me in the Sea, where I am drown'd.