Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for whofoever 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 utters; his evafions 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 his belly, and his guts in his head, I'll tell you what I fay of him.

Achil. What?

[Ajax offers to ftrike him, Achilles interposes.

Ther. I fay, this Ajax

Achil. Nay, good Ajax.

Ther. Has not fo much wit

Achil. Nay, I must hold you.

Ther. As will ftop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to fight.

Achil. Peace, fool!

Ther. I would have peace and quietnefs, but the fool will not he there, that he, look you there. Ajax. O thou damn'd cur, I fhall

Achil. Will you fet your wit to a fool's?

Ther. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will fhame it. Pat. Good words, Therfites.

Achil. What's the quarrel?

Ajax. I bad the vile owl go learn me the tenour of

the proclamation, and he rails upon me.

Ther. I ferve thee not.

Ajax. Well, go to, go to,

Ther. 1 ferve here voluntary.

Achil. Your laft fervice was fufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary; Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an imprefs.

Ther. Ev'n foa great deal of your wit too lies

in

400

in your finews, or elfe there be liars. Hector fhall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; he were as good crack a fufty nut with no kernel.

Achil. What, with me too, Therfites?

Ther. There's Ulyffes and old Neftor, (whose wit was mouldy ere your Grandfires had nails on their toes,) yoke you like draft oxen, and make you plough up the wair.

Achil. What! what!

Ther. Yes, good footh; to, Achilles ! to, Ajax! to—
Ajax. I fhall cut out your tongue.

Ther. 'Tis no matter, I fhall speak as much as thou afterwards.

Pat. No more words, Therfites.'

Ther. I will hold my peace, when Achilles' brach bids me, fhall I ?

Achil. There's for you, Patroclus.

Ther. I will fee you hang'd like clotplotes, ere I come any more to your Tents. I will keep where there is wit ftirring, and leave the faction of fools.

Pat. A good riddance.

[Exit.

Achil. Marry, this, Sir, is proclaim'd through all
our Hoft,

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 ftomach, fuch a one that dare
Maintain I know not what: 'tis trash, farewel.
Ajax. Farewel! who fhall answer him?

Achil. I know not, 'tis put to lott'ry; otherwife
He knew his man.

Ajax. O, meaning you: I'll go learn more of it.

[Exeunt.

3 ere THEIR Grandfires] We fhould read, ere YOUR grani

fires.

SCENE

SCEN E III.

Changes to Priam's Palace in Troy.

Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris and Helenus.

Pri. A Fter fo many hours, lives, fpeeches spent,

Thus once again fays Neftor from the Greeks:

Deliver Helen, and all damage elfe

(As honour, loss of time, travel, expence,

Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is confum'd
In hot digeftion of this cormorant war)
Shall be ftruck off. Hector, what fay you to't?
Hest. Though no man leffer fear the Greeks than I,
As far as touches my particular, yet

There is no lady of more fofter bowels,

More fpungy to fuck in the fenfe of fear,
More ready to cry out, who knows what follows?
Than Hector is. The Wound of Peace is Surety,
Surety fecure; but modeft Doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wife; the tent that fearches
To th' bottom of the worst. Let Helen go.
Since the first sword was drawn about this question,
Ev'ry tithe foul 'mongst many thoufaid difmes
Hath been as dear as Helen. I mean, of ours.
If we have loft fo 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 reafon which denies
The yielding of her up?

Tro. Fie, fie, my brother:

Weigh you the worth and honour of a King (So great as our dread father) in a scale

Of common ounces? will you with counters fum

The vaft proportion of his infinite?

And buckle in a waste most fathomless,

With spans and inches fo diminutive

As fears and reafons? fie, for godly fhame!

Hel. No marvel, though you bite fo fharp at reafons,

VOL. VII.

Dd

You

You are fo empty of them. Should not our father
Bear the great fway of his affairs with reafons;
Because your speech hath none, that tells him fo?
Troi. You are for dreams and flumbers, brother Prieft,
You fur your gloves with reasons. Here are your
reafons.

You know, an enemy intends you harm;
You know, a fword imploy'd is perillous;
And reason flies the object of all harm.
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his sword, if he do fet
The very wings of reason to his heels,

+ And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,

Or like a ftar diforb'd!-Nay, if we talk of reafon,
Let's fhut our gates, and fleep: manhood and honour
Should have hare-hearts, would they but fat their
thoughts

With this cramm'd reason: reafon and respect
Make livers pale, and luftyhood deject.

Helt. Brother, fhe is not worth what the doth cost The holding.

Troi. What is aught, but as 'tis valued?

Hect. But value dwells not in particular will;

It holds its estimate and dignity

As well wherein 'tis precious of it self,

As in the prizer: 'tis mad idolatry,

To make the service greater than the God;
5 And the Will dotes, that is inclinable
To what infectiously itself affects,

• Without fome image of th' affected's merit.

And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a far diforb'd!-] Thefe two lines are misplaced in

all the folio editions.

Mr. Pope.

Mr. Pope.

5 And the Will dotes, that is inclinable] Old Edition, not fo well, has it, attributive. 6 Without fome image of th' AFFECTED merit.] We fhould 1ead,

th' AFFECTED's merit,

i. e. without fome mark of merit in the thing affected.

Troi. I take to day a wife, and my election Is led on in the conduct of my will; My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears, Two traded pilots 'twixt the dangerous fhores Of Will and Judgment; how may I avoid (Although my Will diftafte what is elected) The wife I chufe? there can be no evafion To blench from this, and to ftand firm by honour. We turn not back the filks upon the merchant, When we have spoil'd them; nor th' remainder viands We do not throw in unrefpective place,

Because we now are full. It was thought meet, Paris fhould do fome vengeance on the Greeks: Your breath of full confent bellied his fails; The feas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce, And did him fervice: he touch'd the Ports defir'd; And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held captive, He brought a Grecian Queen, whofe youth and freshnels Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes ftale the morning. Why keep we her? the Grecians keep our aunt: Is the worth keeping? why, fhe is a pearl, Whose price hath launch'd above a thousand ships, And turn'd crown'd Kings to merchantsIf you'll avouch, 'twas wifdom Paris went, (As you must needs, for you all cry'd, go, go :) if you'll confefs, he brought home noble prize, (As you must needs, for you all clap'd your hands, And cry'd, ineftimable !) why do you now The iffue of your proper wifdoms rate, And do a deed that fortune never did, Beggar that estimation which you priz'd Richer than fea and land? O theft moft bafe! ? What we have ftoln that we do fear to keep!

7 What we have foln that we do fear to keep!

Bafe thieves,-Oxford Editor. Vulg.

That we have foln what we do fear to keep!
But thieves.