By him one step below: he, by the next; That next, by him beneath: so every step, Exampled by the first pace that is sick Of his superior, grows to an envious fever Of pale and bloodless emulation':
And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot, Not her own sinews. To end a tale of length, Troy in our weakness stands, not in her strength. Nest. Most wisely hath Ulysses here discover'd The fever whereof all our power is sick.
Agam. The nature of the sickness found, Ulysses, What is the remedy?
Ulyss. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns The sinew and the forehand of our host,- Having his ear full of his airy fame, Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent
Lies mocking our designs: With him, Patroclus, Upon a lazy bed, the livelong day
And with ridiculous and awkward action (Which, slanderer, he imitation calls)
In such a rein', in full as proud a place As broad Achilles; keeps his tent like him; Makes factious feasts; rails on our state of war, Bold as an oracle: and sets Thersites
5 A slave, whose gall coins slanders like a mint) To match us in comparisons with dirt; To weaken and discredit our exposure, How ranksoever rounded in with danger. Ulyss. They tax our policy, and call it cowardice; Count wisdom as no member of the war; Forestall pre-science, and esteem no act But that of hand: the still and mental parts,- That do contrive how many hands shall strike, When fitness calls them on; and know, by mea-
Of their observant toil, the enemies' weight, Why, this hath not a finger's dignity; They call this-bed-work, mappery, closet wart So that the ram, that batters down the wall, 20 For the great swing and rudeness of his poize, They place before his hand that made the engine; Or those, that with the fineness of their souls By reason guide his execution.
Nest. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horse 25 Makes many Thetis' sons. Trumpet sounds. Agam. What trumpet? look, Menelaus. Men. From Troy.
He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon, Thy topless deputation he puts on; And, like a strutting player,-whose conceit Lies in his ham-string, and doth think it rich To hear the wooden dialogue and sound 'Twixt his stretch'd footing and the scaffoldage,- Such to-be-pitied and o'er-rested' seeming He acts thy greatness in: and when he speaks, 'Tis like a chime amending; with terms unsquar'd, 30| Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon drop'd, Would seem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff, The large Achilles, on his press'd bed lolling, From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause; Cries- Excellent!-'tis Agamemnon just.— Now play me Nestor;-hem, and stroke thy beard,
As he, being 'drest to some 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 Nestor right! Now play him me, Patroclus, Arming to answer in a night alarm.'
And then, forsooth, the faint defects of age Must be the scene of mirth; to cough, and spit, And with a palsy-funbling on his gorget, Shake in and out the rivet :-and 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, shapes, Severals and generals of grace exact *, Atchievements, plots, orders, preventions, Excitements to the field, or speech for truce, Success, or loss, what is, or is not, serves As stuff for these two to make paradoxes.
Nest. And in the imitation of these twain (Whom, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns With an imperial voice) many are infect. Ajax is grown self-will'd; and bears his head
Agam. What would you 'fore our tent? [you? Ane. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray Agam. Even this.
Ane. May one, that is a herald, and a prince, Do a fair message to his kingly ears?
Agam. With surety stronger than Achilles' arm 35 Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice Call Agamemnon head and general.
Ene. Fair leave, and large security. How may A stranger to those most imperial looks Know them from eyes of other mortals? Agam. How?
Ane. I ask, that I might waken reverence, And bid the cheek be ready with a blush Modest as morning when she coldly eyes The youthful Phœbus:
45 Which is that god in office, guiding men? Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon? Agam. This Trojan scoms 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 seem soldiers, they have [accord, galls, Good arms, strong joints, true swords; and, Jove's Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Æneas, 55 Peace, Trojan; lay thy finger on thy lips! The worthiness of praise distains his worth, If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth: But what the repining enemy commends, That breath fame blows; that praise, sole pure, transcends.
Ar emulation not vigorous and active, but malignant and sluggish. sovers gn. 'Read o'er-wrested, i, e. over-charged.
2 Topless means supreme, *All our good of grace exact, means our exThat is, holds up his head as haughtily.We still say of a girl, she
A rank weed is a high weed.
Agam. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Æneas? Ane. Ay, Greek, that is my name. Agam. What's your affair, I pray you? Ane. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears. Agam. He hears nought privately, that comes 5 from Troy. [him: Ene. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper I bring a trumpet to awake his ear; To set his sense on the attentive bent, And then to speak.
Agam. Speak frankly as the wind; It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour; That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake, He tells thee so himself.
Ene. Trumpet, blow loud,
Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents; And every Greek of mettle, let him know, What Troy means fairly, shall be spoke aloud. [Trumpets sound. 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 rusty grown; he bade me take a trumpet, And to this purpose speak. Kings, princes, lords! If there be one, among the fair'st of Greece, That holds his honour higher than his ease; That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril; That knows his valour, and knows not his fear; That loves his mistress more than in confession', (With truant vows to her own lips he loves) And dare 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, wiser, fairer, truer, Than ever Greek did compass in his arms; And will to-morrow with his trumpet call, Mid-way between your tents and walls of Troy, To rouse a Grecian that is true in love: If any come, Hector shall honour him; If none, he'll say in Troy, when he retires, The Grecian dames are sun-burnt, and not worth The splinter of a lance. Even so much.
Agam. This shall be told our lovers,lord Eneas; If none of them have soul in such a kind, We left them all at home: But we are soldiers; that soldier a mere recreant prove, That means not, hath not, or is not in love! If then one is, or hath, or means to be, That one meets Hector; if none else, I am he.
Nest. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man When Hector's grandsire suck'd: he is old now; But, if there be not in our Grecian host One noble man that hath one spark of fire, To answer for his love, Tell him from me,- I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver, And in my vantbrace2 put this wither'd brawn; And, meeting him, will tell him, That my lady Was fairer than his grandame, and as chaste
As may be in the world: His youth in flood, I'll pawn this truth with my three drops of blood. Ane.Now heavens forbid such scarcityof youth! Ulyss. Amen.
Agam. Fair lord Æneas, let me touch your hand; To our pavilion shall I lead you, sir. Achilles shall have word of this intent; So shall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent; Yourself shall feast with us before you go, 10 And find the welcome of a noble foe. Manent Ulysses and Nestor.
Ulyss. Nestor,
Nest. What says Ulysses?
Ulyss. I have a young conception in my brain, 15 Be you my time to bring it to some shape. Nest. What is 't?
Blunt wedges rive hard knots: The seeded pride That hath to its maturity blown up
20 In rank Achilles, must or now be cropt, Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil, To over-bulk us all.
Ulyss. This challenge that the gallant Hector However it is spread in general name, [sends, Relates in purpose only to Achilles. [stance, Nest. The purpose is perspicuous even as sub- Whose grossness little characters sum up3: And, in the publication, make no strain', 30 But that Achilles, were his brain as barren As banks of Libya,-though, Apollo knows, Tis dry enough,-will with great speed of judge ment,
Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose 35 Pointing on him.
Ulyss. And wake him to the answer, think you? Nest. Yes, 'tis most meet: Whom may you
That can from Hector bring those honours off, 40 If not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat, Yet in this trial much opinion dwells;
For here the Trojans taste our dear'st repute With their fin'st palate: And trust to me, Ulysses, Our impntation shall be oddly pois'd
45 In this wild action: for the success, Although particular, shall give a scantling Of good or bad unto the general; And in such indexes, although small pricks To their subsequent volumes, there is seen 50 The baby figure of the giant mass
Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd, He, that meets Hector, issues from our choice And choice, being mutual act of all our souls, Makes merit her election; and doth boil, 55 As 'twere from forth us all, a man distill'd Out of our virtues; Who miscarrying, What heart receives from hence a conquering To steel a strong opinion to themselves? [part, Which entertain'd, limbs are in his instruments,
1 Confession for profession. 2 An armour for the arm,-avantbras. value of which is ascertained by the use of small characters, i. e. numerals.
3 Substance is estate; the
* i. e. make no difficulty,
no doubt, when this duel comes to be proclaimed, but that Achilles, dull as he is, will discover the drift of it. Small points compared with the volumes.
In no less working, thån are swords and bows Directive by the limbs.
In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery; And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw The sort to fight with Hector: Among ourselves, Give him allowance as the better man, 5 For that will physick the great Myrmidon, Who broils in loud applause; and make him fall His crest, that prouder than blue Iris bends, If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off, We'll dress him up in voices: If he fail, 10 Yet go we under our opinion still,
Ulyss. Give pardon to my speech; Therefore 'tis meet, Achilles meet not Hector. Let us, like merchants, shew our foulest wares, And think, perchance, they'll sell; if not, The lustre of the better shall exceed, By shewing the worst first. Do not consent, That ever Hector and Achilles meet; For both our honour and our shame, in this, Are dogg'd with two strange followers. Nest. I see them not with are they? Ulyss. What glory our Achilles shares from Hec- [tor, Were he not proud, we all should share with him: 15 But he already is too insolent;
And we were better parch in Africk sun, Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes, Should he 'scape Hector fair: If he were foil'd, Why, then we did our main opinion crush
That we have better men. But, hit or miss, Our project's life this shape of sense assumes,- Ajax, employ'd, plucks down Achilles' plumes, Now I begin to relish thy advice; Nest. Ulysses, And I will give a taste of it forthwith To Agamemnon: go we to him straight. Two curs shall tame each other; Pride alone Must tarre' the mastiffs on, as 'twere their bone. [Exeunt.
Ther. Then there would come some matter 45 from him; I see none now.
Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then.
Ther. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou [Strikes him. mungrel beef-witted lord!
Ajax. Speak then, thou unsalted leaten', speak: I will beat thee into handsomeness.
Ther. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness: but, I think, thy horse will sooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book. 55 Thou canst strike, canst thou? a red murrain o' thy jade's tricks!
Ajax. Toads-stool, learn me the proclamation. Ther: Dost thou think, I have no sense, thou strik'st me thus?
Ajax. The proclamation,
Ther. Thou art proclaim'd a fool, I think. Ajax. Donot, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch. Ther. I would, thou didst itch from head to foot, and I had the scratching of thee; I would make thee the loathsomest scab in Greece. When thou art forth in the incursions, thou strik'st as slow as another.
Ajax. I say, the proclamation,
Ther. Thou grumblest and railest every hour on Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpine's beauty, ay, that thou bark'st at him.
Ajax. Mistress Thersites !
Ther. Thou should'st strike him, Ajax. Cobloaf!
Ther. He would pun' thee into shivers with This fist, as a sailor breaks a bisket, Ajax. You whoreson cur!
Ajdx. Thou stool for a witch "!
Ther. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! an assinego' may tutor thee: Thou scurvy valiant thou hast no more brain than I have in my elbows; ass! thou art here put to thrash Trojans; and thou art bought and sold among those of any wit, like a barbarian slave. If thou use to beat me, I will begin at thy heel and tell what thou art by 60 inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou! Ajax. You dog!
leaven, means sour without salt; metaphorically, malignity without wit. Tarre is an old English word, signifying to provoke or urge on. 3 Unsalted
in some counties called by this name. word for pound. A crusty uneven loaf is Pun is, in the midland counties, the vulgar and colloquial, legs tied across, that all the weight of her body might rest upon her seat; and by that means, after In one way of trying a witch, they used to place her on a chair or stool, with her some time, the circulation of the blood would be much stopped, and her sitting would be as painful as the wooden horse. 2.Assinego seems to have been a cant term for a foolish fellow,-Assinega
Portuguese for a little ass.
- Ther. Nay, but regard him well.
Achil. Well, why I do so.
Ajax. I shall cut out your tongue.
Ther. 'Tis no matter; Ishall speak as much as thou afterwards.
Patr. No more words, Thersites; peace. Ther. I will hold my peace when Achilles' brach bids me', shall I?
Achil. There's for you, Patroclus.
Ther. I'will see you hang'd, like clodpoles, ere I come any more to your tents; I will keep where
Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for, 15 there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.
whosoever you take him to be, he is Ajax.
Achil. I know that, fool.
Ther. Ay, but that fool knows not himself. Ajax. Therefore I beat thee.
Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he 20 utters! his evasions have ears thus long. I have bobb'd his brain, more than he has beat my bones: I will buy nine sparrows for a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of a sparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax,-who wears his wit in 25 his belly, and his guts in his head,- -I'll tell you what I say of him.
Achil. What?
Ther. I say, this Ajax
[Ajax offers to strike him, Achilles interposes. Ther. Has not so much wit
Achil. Nay, I must hold you.
Ther. As will stop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to fight.
Ther. I would have peace and quietness, but the fool will not: he there; that he; look you there.
Ajax. O thou damn'd cur! I shall
Achil. Will you set your wit to a fool's? Ther. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will shame it.
Patr. Good words, Thersites.
Achil. What's the quarrel?
Ajax. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour of the proclamation; and he rails upon me. Ther. I serve thee not.
Ajax. Well, go to, go to.
Ther. I serve here voluntary.
Achil. Your last service was sufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an impress.
Achil. Marry this, sir, is proclaim'd through all our host:
That Hector, by the fifth hour of the sun, Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy, To-morrow morning call some knight to arms, That hath a stomach; and such a one, that dare Maintain-I know not what; 'tis trash: Farewell. Who shall answer him? Ajax. Farewell. Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise, He knew his man.
Ajax. O, meaning you :-I'll go learn more [Excunto
Enter Priam, Hector,Troilus, Paris,and Helenus. Pri. After so many hours, lives, speeches spent, Thus once again says Nestor from the Greeks; Deliver Helen; and all damage else
As honour, loss of time, travel, expence, Wounds,friends,and what else dear that is consum'd 40 In hot digestion of this cormorant war,-
Shall be struck off:-Hector, what say you to't? Hect. Though no man lesser fears the Greeks than I,
As far as toucheth my particular, yet 45 Dread Priam,
There is no lady of more softer bowels, More spungy to suck in the sense of fear, More ready to cry out-Who knows what follows? Than Hector is: The wound of peace is surety, 50 Surety secure; but modest doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go: Since the first sword was drawnabout this question, Every tithe soul,'mongst many thousand dismes2, Hath been as dear as Helen; I mean, of ours: If we have lost so many tenths of ours, To guard a thing not ours; not worth to us, Had it our name, the value of one ten; What merit's in that reason, which denies 60 The yielding of her up?
Ther. Even so?-a great deal of your wit too 55 lies in your sinews, or else there be liars. Hector shall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; 'a were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel.
Achil. What, with me too, Thersites ? Ther. There's Ulysses and old Nestor,-whose wit was mouldy ere your grandsires had nails on
Troi. Fie, fie, my brother! Weigh you the worth and honour of a king,
Disme, Fr. is the tithe, the tenth.
So great as our dread father, in a scale Of common ounces? will you with counters sum The past-proportion' of his infinite? And buckle-in a waist most fathomless, With spans and inches so diminutive
As fears and reasons? fie, for godly shame! [sons, Hel. No marvel, though you bite so sharp at rea- You are so empty of them. Should not our father Bear the great sway of his affairs with reasons, Because your speech hath none, that tells him so Troi. You are for dreams and slumbers, brother priest, [reasons: You fur your gloves with reason. Here are your You know, an enemy intends you harm; You know, a sword employ'd is perilous, And reason flies the object of all harm: Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds A Grecian and his sword, if he do set The very wings of reason to his heels; And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove, Or like a star dis-orb'd?--Nay, if we talk of reason, Let's shutourgates, andsleep: Manhoodandhonour Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their thoughts
With this cramm'd reason: reason and respect Make livers pale, and lustyhood deject.
Hect. Brother, she is not worth what she doth The holding.
you 'll avouch, 'twas wisdom Paris went, As you must needs, for you all cry'd-Go, go!), If you'll confess, he brought home noble pr.. e, (As you must needs, foryou all clapp'd your hands, And cry'd Inestimable !) why do you now The issue of your proper wisdoms rate; And do a deed that fortune never did, Beggar the estimation which you priz'd Richer than sea and land? O theft most base; That we have stolen what we do fear to keep! But, thieves, unworthy of a thing so stolen, That in their country did them that disgrace, We fear to warrant in our native place! Cas. [within.] Cry, Trojans, cry!
Pri. What noise? what shriek is this? Troi. 'Tis our mad sister, I do know her voice. Cas. [within.] Cry, Trojans!
Hect. It is Cassandra.
Enter Cassandra, racing.
Cas. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand And I will fill them with prophetic tears. [eyes, Hect. Peace, sister, peace. [elders, Cas. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry, Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes A moiety of that mass of moan to come. Cry, Trojans, cry! practise your eyes with tears! Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand; Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all. 30 Cry, Trojans, cry! a Helen, and a woe: Cry, cry! Troy burns, or else let Helen go. [Exit. Hect. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high
Of divination in our sister work
35 Some touches of remorse? or is your blood So madly hot, that no discourse of reason, Nor fear of bad success in a bad cause, Can qualify the same?
Troi. What is aught, but as 'tis valu'd? Hect. But value dwells not in particular will; It holds his estimate and dignity As well wherein 'tis precious of itself, As in the prizer : 'tis mad idolatry, To make the service greater than the god; And the will dotes, that is inclinable To what infectiously itself affects, Without some image of the affected merit. Troi. I take to-day a wife, and my élection Is led on in the conduct of my will; My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears, Two traded pilots 'twixt the dangerous shores Of will and judgement; How may I avoid, Although my will distaste what it elected, The wife I chose? There can be no evasion Toblench from this, and to stand firm by honour: 45 We turn not back the silks upon the merchant, When we have soil'd them; nor the remainder viands
Troi. Why, brother Hector,
40 We may not think the justness of each act Such and no other than event doth form it; Nor once deject the courage of our minds, Because Cassandra's mad; her brain-sick ruptures Cannot distaste the goodness of a quarrel, Which hath our several honours all engag'd To make it gracious. For my private part, I am no more touch'd than all Priam's sons: And Jove forbid, there should be done amongst us Such things as would offend the weakest spleen 50 To fight for and maintain !
We do not throw in unrespective sieve, Because we now are full. It was thought meet, Paris should do some vengeance on the Greeks Your breath of full consent belly'd his sails; The seas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce, And did him service: he touch'd the ports desir'd; And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held 55 captive, [freshness
He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and Wrinkles Apollo's, and niakes pale the morning. Why keep we her? The Grecians keep our aunt: Is she worth keeping? Why, she is a pearl, Whose price hath launch'dabove a thousand ships, And turn'd crown'd kings to merchants.
Par. Else might the world convince of levity As well my undertakings, as your counsels: But I attest the gods, your full consent Gave wings to my propension, and cut off All fears attending on so dire a project. For what, alas, can these my single arms? What propugnation is in one man's valour, To stand the push and enmity of those This quarrel would excite? Yet, I protest, 60 Were I alone to pass the difficulties,
And had as ample power as I have will, Paris should ne'er retract what he hath done,
'The meaning is, that greatness to which no measure bears any proportion. That is, into a common roider.
1. e. corrupt; change to a worse state.
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