One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,— That all, with one consent, praise new-born gauds,1 Though they are made and moulded of things past; And give to dust, that is a little gilt,

More laud than gilt o'erdusted.

The present eye praises the present object:
Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax ;
Since things in motion sooner catch the eye
Than what not stirs. The cry went once on thee,
And still it might, and yet it may again,

If thou wouldst not entomb thyself alive,
And case thy reputation in thy tent;

Whose glorious deeds, but in these fields of late,
Made emulous missions 'mongst the gods them

The reasons are more potent and heroical. 'Tis known, Achilles, that you are in love With one of Priam's daughters.3

Ach.

Ulys. Is that a wonder?

Ha! known?

The providence, that's in a watchful state,
Knows almost every grain of Plutus' gold;

1 New-fashioned toys.

2 Caused the gods themselves to enlist among the combatants. 3 i. e. Polyxena.

Finds bottom in the uncomprehensive deeps;

Keeps place with thought, and almost, like the

gods,

Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles.

There is a mystery (with whom relation
Durst never meddle) in the soul of state;
Which hath an operation more divine
Than breath or pen can give expressure to.
All the commerce that you have had with Troy
As perfectly is ours as yours, my
lord;
And better would it fit Achilles much,
To throw down Hector, than Polyxena:

But it must grieve young Pyrrhus now at home,
When Fame shall in our islands sound her trump;
And all the Greekish girls shall tripping sing,—
'Great Hector's sister did Achilles win;
But our great Ajax bravely beat down him.'
Farewell, my lord: I as your lover 1 speak;
The fool slides o'er the ice that you should break.
[Exit.
Pat. To this effect, Achilles, have I moved you:

1

A woman impudent and mannish grown

Is not more loathed than an effeminate man
In time of action. I stand condemn'd for this;
They think, my little stomach to the war,
And your great love to me restrains you thus.
Sweet, rouse yourself; and the weak, wanton Cupid
Shall from your neck unloose his amorous fold,

1 Friend.

And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane,

Be shook to air.

Ach.

Shall Ajax fight with Hector?

Pat. Ay; and, perhaps, receive much honor by him.

Ach. I see, my reputation is at stake;

My fame is shrewdly gored.

Pat.

O, then beware:

Those wounds heal ill, that men do give themselves.
Omission to do what is necessary

Seals a commission to a blank of danger;
And danger, like an ague, subtly taints,
Even then when we sit idly in the sun.

Ach. Go, call Thersites hither, sweet Patroclus.
I'll send the fool to Ajax, and desire him
To invite the Trojan lords after the combat,

To see us here unarm'd. I have a woman's longing,
An appetite that I am sick withal,

To see great Hector in his weeds of
peace;
To talk with him, and to behold his visage,
Even to
my full of view. A labor saved!

Enter THERSITES.

Ther. A wonder!

Ach. What?

Ther. Ajax goes up and down the field, asking for himself.

Ach. How so?

Ther. He must fight singly to-morrow with Hector; and is so prophetically proud of an heroical cudgelling, that he raves in saying nothing.

Ach. How can that be?

Ther. Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock; a stride and a stand: ruminates like an hostess, that hath no arithmetic but her brain to set down her reckoning: bites his lip with a politic regard,1 as who should say-There were wit in this head, an 'twould out: and so there is; but it lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not show without knocking. The man's undone for ever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the combat, he 'll break it himself in vain glory. He knows not me. I said, 'Good morrow, Ajax ;' and he replies, Thanks, Agamemnon.' What think you of this man, that takes me for the general? He is grown a very land-fish, languageless, a monster. A plague of opinion! a man may wear it on both sides, like a leather jerkin.

Ach. Thou must be my ambassador to him, Thersites.

Ther. Who, I? why, he'll answer nobody; he professes not answering: speaking is for beggars; he wears his tongue in his arms. I will put on his presence: let Patroclus make demands to me, you shall see the pageant of Ajax.

Ach. To him, Patroclus. Tell him, I humbly desire the valiant Ajax to invite the most valorous Hector to come unarmed to my tent; and to procure safe conduct for his person, of the magnani

1 With a sly look.

mous, and most illustrious, six-or-seven-times-honored captain-general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon. Do this.

Pat. Jove bless great Ajax.

Ther. Humph!

Pat. I come from the worthy Achilles,

Ther. Ha!

Pat. Who most humbly desires you, to invite Hector to his tent ;

Ther. Humph!

Pat. And to procure safe conduct from Agamem

non.

Ther. Agamemnon?

Pat. Ay, my lord.

Ther. Ha!

Pat. What say you to 't?

Ther. God be wi' you, with all my heart.

Pat. Your answer, sir.

Ther. If to-morrow be a fair day, by eleven o'clock it will go one way or other: howsoever, he shall pay for me ere he has me.

Pat. Your answer, sir.

Ther.

Fare well, with all
you

Ach. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he?

Ther. No, but he's out o' tune thus. What music will be in him when Hector has knocked out his brains, I know not: but, I am sure, none; unless the fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make catlings' on.

1 Catlings are small lute-strings made of catgut.