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 Africk sun, Than in the pride and salt scord 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 The sortt to fight with Hector: Among ourselves, Give him allowance for the better man, For that will pbysick 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 t 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. Ulysses, Now I begin to relish thy advice; And I wili' give a taste of it forth with 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. * Estimation or character. Character. + Lot. Provoke. ACT II. SCENE 1. Another part of the Grecian camp. Enter Ajax and Thersites. Ajax'. Thersites, Ther. Agamemnon-how if he had boils ? full, all over, generally? Ajar. Thersites, Ther. And those boils did run?--Say s0,-did not the general run then i were not that a botchy sore ? 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 mon. grel beef-witted lord ! Ajur. Speak then, thou unsalted 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 strikest me thus? Ajax. The proclamation, 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 oa Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpina's beauty, ay, that thou barkest at him. Ajar. Mistress Thersites! Ther. He would pun* thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks a biscuit. | Ajar. You whoreson cur! [Beating him. Ther. Do, do. Ajax. Thou stool for a witch! Ther. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord ! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows; an assinegot may tutor thee: Thou scurvy valiant ass, thou art here put to thrash Trojans; and thou art bought and sold among those of any wit, like a Bar barian slave. If thou usef to beat me, I will begin at thy heel, and tell what thou art by inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou! Ajar. You dog! (Beating him. Ther, Mars his idiot! do, rudeness; do, camel ; do, do. Enter Achilles and Patroclus. thus? Ther. You see him there, do you? • Pound. Continue. Ther. Nay, look upon him. Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for, whosoever you take bim to be, he is Ajax. Achil. I know that, fool. Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicuins of wit he urters! his evasions have ears thus long. I have bobbed 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 his belly, and his guts in his head, I'll tell you what I say of him. Achil. What? [Ajax offers to strike him, Achilles interposes. Ther. As will stop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to fight. Achil. Peace, fool! Ther. I would have peace and quietness, but the fool will not: he there; that he; look you there. Ajar. O thou damned cur! I shall- Ajax. I bade the vile owl, go learn me the tenour of the proclamation, and he rails upon me. Ther. I serve thee not. # The membrane that protects the brain. 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. Ther. Even so?-a great deal of your wit too 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 their toes,--yoke you like draught oxen, and make you plough up the wars. Achil. What, what? Ther. Yes, good sooth; To, Achilles ! to, Ajax! to! Ajax. I shall cut out your tongue. Ther. 'Tis no matter; I shall 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 hanged, like clotpoles, ere I come any more to your tents; I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools. [Erit. Patr. A good riddance. Achil. Marry, this, sir, is proclaimed through all our host: That Hector, by the first 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 ope, that dare Maintain-I know not what; 'tis trash : Farewell. Ajax. Farewell, Who shall answer him? Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise, He knew his man. Ajax. O, meaning you :-I'll go learn more of it. (Exeunt. * Bitch, hound. |