Nest. What is't?

Ulyss. This 'tis.

Blunt wedges rive hard knots: the seeded pride,
That hath to this maturity blown up

In rank Achilles, must or now be cropp'd,

Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil,

To overbulk us all.

Nest.

Well, and how?

Ulyss. This challenge that the gallant Hector sends, However it is spread in general name,

Relates in purpose only to Achilles.

Nest. The purpose is perspicuous even as substance, Whose grossness little characters sum up: And in the publication make no strain, But that Achilles, were his brain as barren As banks of Libya, (though, Apollo knows,

'Tis dry enough) will, with great speed of judgment, Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose

Pointing on him.

Ulyss. And wake him to the answer, think you? Nest. Why, 'tis most meet3: whom may you else

oppose,

That can from Hector bring his honour off,

If not Achilles? Though't be a sportful combat,
Yet in the trial much opinion dwells;

For here the Trojans taste our dear'st repute
With their fin'st palate: and trust to me, Ulysses,
Our imputation shall be oddly pois'd

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
The baby figure of the giant mass

Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd,

3 WHY, 'tis most meet:] The folio, " Yes, 'tis most meet." In the next line

the quarto has those honours, and the folio "his honour.”

He, that meets Hector, issues from our choice:
And choice, being mutual act of all our souls,
Makes merit her election, and doth boil,

As 'twere from forth us all, a man distill'd
Out of our virtues; who miscarrying,

What heart receives from hence the conquering part,
To steel a strong opinion to themselves?

Which entertain'd, limbs are his instruments',
In no less working, than are swords and bows
Directive by the limbs.

Ulyss. Give pardon to my speech :

Therefore 'tis meet Achilles meet not Hector.
Let us, like merchants, show our foulest wares,
And think, perchance, they'll sell; if not,

The lustre of the better shall exceed,

By showing the worse 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 my old eyes: what are they?

Ulyss. What glory our Achilles shares from Hector, Were he not proud, we all should share with him": But he already is too insolent;

And we were better parch in Afric 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

In taint of our best man. No; make a lottery,
And by device let blockish Ajax draw

are"

• Which entertain'd, limbs are his instruments,] The word in after " crept into this line in the folio: this conclusion of the speech is not in the quarto impressions.

The lustre of the better shall exceed,

By showing the worse first.] So the quartos: the folio thus:-

"The lustre of the better yet to show

Shall show the better."

6 we all should SHARE with him:] The folio substitutes wear for "share."

The repetition of "share" is in the manner of Shakespeare.

The sort to fight with Hector: among ourselves,
Give him allowance for the better man',
For that will physic 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,
Yet go we under our opinion still,

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.
Nest. Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice;
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.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Another Part of the Grecian Camp.

Enter AJAX and THERSITES.

Ajax. Thersites,

Ther. Agamemnon-how if he had boils? full, all over, generally?

Ajax. Thersites,

Ther. And those boils did run?-Say so,-did not the general run then? were not that a botchy core?

7

for the BETTER man,] The folio, "as the worthier man."

8 Must TARRE the mastiffs on,] See respecting the word "tarre," Vol. iv. p. 65. Mr. Barron Field refers me to the following passage in Ben Jonson's Grammatica Anglicana. "R is the dog's letter, and hurreth in the sound; the tongue striking the inner palate with a trembling about the teeth." So Shakespeare in "Romeo and Juliet," A. ii. sc. 4, "Ah! mocker: that's the dog's name. R is for the dog."

Ajax. Dog,

Ther. Then would come some matter from him: I

see none now.

Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then.

[Strikes him. Ther. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mongrel beef-witted lord!

Ajax. Speak then, thou vinewd'st leaven', 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. 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 proclaimed a fool, I think.

Ajax. Do not, 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 strikest 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 Proserpina's beauty, ay, that thou barkest at him.

Ajax. Mistress Thersites!

Ther. Thou shouldest strike him.
Ajax. Cobloaf 2!

Speak then, thou VINEWD'ST leaven,] i. e. most mouldy leaven: vinewed is mouldy or decayed. In the folio it is misprinted whinid'st, but in the quartos unsalted is substituted.

1 When thou art forth in the incursions, thou strikest as slow as another.] These words are only in the quarto impressions. If Shakespeare subsequently omitted them, we are to recollect that he also originally wrote them.

2 Cobloaf!] "A cobloaf," says Minsheu, in his Dictionary, 1616, "is a little loaf made with a round head, such as cob-irons which support the fire.”

Ther. He would pun thee into shivers with his fist,

as a sailor breaks a biscuit.

Ajax. You whoreson cur!

Ther. Do, do*.

Ajax. Thou stool for a witch!

[Beating him.

Ther. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows; an assinego may tutor thee: thou scurvy valiant ass! thou art here but 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 inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou!

do.

[Beating him.

Ther. Mars his idiot! do, rudeness; do, camel; do,

Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS".

Achil. Why, how now, Ajax? wherefore do you this?

How now, Thersites? what's the matter, man?

Ther. You see him there, do you?

Achil. Ay; what's the matter?
Ther. Nay, look upon him.

Achil. So I do what's the matter?
Ther. Nay, but regard him well.

3 -PUN thee into SHIVERS-] "Pun,'" says Johnson, "is in the midland counties the vulgar and colloquial word for pound;" and Steevens adds, that "it is used by P. Holland, in his translation of Pliny's Natural History,' b. xxviii. ch. xii.: '—punned altogether and reduced into a liniment.' Again, b. xxix. ch. iv.: The gall of these lizards punned and dissolved in water.'"

4 Do, do.] This and the two preceding speeches are run together into one in the quartos, and given to Thersites.

5

66 - an ASSINEGO may tutor thee:] Assinego " is the Portuguese diminutive for an ass: it was often used in this sense by Ben Jonson and our best writers of the time.

Enter Achilles and Patroclus.]

quartos.

Their entrance is not marked in the