Base thieves, unworthy of a thing fo ftol'n.
Who in their country did them that difgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!
Caf. [within.] Cry, Trojans, cry!

Pri. What noife, what fhriek is this?

Troi. 'Tis our mad fifter, I do know her voice.
Caf. [within.] Cry, Trojans!

Helt. It is Calandra.

Enter Caffandra, with her hair about her ears.

Caf. Cry, Trojans, cry; lend me ten thoufand
And I will fill them with prophetick tears.
Helt. Peace, fifter, peace.

eyes,

Caf. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled old, Soft infancy, that nothing can but cry, Add to my clamour! let us pay betimes

A moiety of that mass of moan to come:

Cry, Trojans, cry; practise your eyes with tears.
Troy muit not be, nor goodly Ilion ftand:
Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.
Cry, Trojans, cry! a Helen and a wo;
Cry, cry, Troy burns, or else let Helen go.

[Exit.

Het. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high

ftrains

Of Divination in our fifter work

Some touches of remorse? Or is your blood

So madly hot, that no difcourfe of reason,

Nor fear of bad fuccefs in a bad cause,

Can qualifie the fame?

Troi. Why, brother Hector,

We may not think the juftnefs of each act
Such and no other than event doth form it;
Nor once deject the courage of our minds,
Because Callandra's mad; her brain-fick raptures

Cannot

3

C

Cannot distaste the goodness of a quarrel,
Which hath our feveral honours all engag'd
To make it gracious. For my private part,
I am no more touch'd than all Priam's fons;
And, Jove forbid! there fhould be done amongst us
Such things, as might offend the weakest spleen
To fight for and maintain.

Par. Elfe might the world convince of levity
As well my undertakings, as your counfels:
But I atteft the Gods, your full confent
Gave wings to my propenfion, and cut off
All fears attending on fo dire a project.
For what, alas, can thefe my fingle arms?
What propugnation is in one man's valour,
To ftand the push and enmity of those
This quarrel would excite? yet I proteft,
Were I alone to pass the difficulties,

And had as ample Power, as I have Will,
Paris fhould ne'er retract what he hath done,
Nor faint in the purfuit.

Pri. Paris, you speak

Like one befotted on your sweet delights;
You have the honey ftill, but these the gall;
So, to be valiant, is nọ praise at all.

Par. Sir, I propofe not merely to myself
The pleasures fuch a Beauty brings with it:
But I would have the foil of her fair rape
Wip'd off, in honourable keeping her.
What treason were it to the ranfack'd Queen,
Difgrace to your great worths, and fhame to me,
Now to deliver her poffeffion up,

On terms of base compulfion? can it be,

That fo degenerate a ftrain, as this,

Should once fet footing in your generous bofoms?
There's not the meaneft fpirit on our party,
Without a heart to dare, or fword to draw,
When Helen is defended: none fo noble,

Dd3

Whofe

Whose life were ill beftow'd, or death unfam'd,
When Helen is the fubject. Then, I say,
Well may we fight for her, whom, we know well,
The world's large spaces cannot parallel.

Helt. Paris and Troilus, you have both faid well:
(a) But on the cause and queftion now in hand
Have gloz'd but fuperficially; not much
Unlike young men, whom Ariftotle thought
Unfit to hear moral philofophy.

The reasons, you alledge, do more conduce
To the hot paffion of diftemper'd blood,
Than to make up a free determination
'Twixt right and wrong: "for pleasure and revenge
"Have ears more deaf than adders, to the voice
"Of any true decifion. Nature craves,
All dues be render'd to their owners; now
What nearer debt in all humanity,
Than wife is to the husband? If this law
Of nature be corrupted through affection,
And that great minds of partial indulgence
To their benummed wills, refift the fame;
There is a law in each well-order'd nation,
To curb thofe raging appetites that are
Moft disobedient and refractory.
If Helen then be wife to Sparta's King,
(As, it is known, fhe is) these moral laws
Of Nature, and of Nation, speak aloud
To have her back return'd. Thus to perfift
In doing wrong, extenuates not wrong,
But makes it much more heavy. Hector's opinion
Is this in way of truth; yet ne'ertheless,
My sprightly brethren, I propend to you
In refolution to keep Helen ftill;

For 'tis a cause that hath no mean dependance
Upon our joint and several dignities.

[(a) But on the caufe.Mr. Theobald Vulg. And on the caufe]

Troi. Why, there you touch'd the life of our defign: Were it not glory that we more affected Than the performance of our heaving spleens, I would not with a drop of Trojan blood Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector, She is a theam of honour and renown; A fpur to valiant and magnanimous deeds; Whose present courage may beat down our foes, And Fame, in time to come, canonize us. For, I prefume, brave Hector would not lofe So rich advantage of a promis'd glory, As fmiles upon the forehead of this action, For the wide world's revenue.

Helt. I am yours,

You valiant off-fpring of great Priamus.
I have a roifting challenge fent amongst
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks,
Will strike amazement to their drowfie fpirits.
I was advertiz'd, their great General flept,
Whilft emulation in the army crept:
This, I prefume, will wake him.

[Exeunt.

S CE

NE V.

Before Achilles's Tent, in the Grecian Camp.

Ho

Enter Therfites folus.

OW now, Therfites? what, loft in the labyrinth of thy fury? fhall the elephant Ajax carry it thus? he beats me, and I rail at him: O worthy fatisfaction! 'would, it were otherwife; that I could beat him, whilft he rail'd at me: 'sfoot, I'll learn to conjure and raise devils, but I'll fee fome iffue of my fpiteful execrations. Then there's Achilles, a rare engineer. If Troy be not taken 'till these two undermine it, the walls will stand 'till they fall of themfelves. O thou

great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art Jove the King of Gods; and, Mercury, lofe all the ferpentine craft of thy Caduceus, if thou take not that little, little, lefs than little wit from them that they have; which fhort-arm'd ignorance itself knows is fo abundant scarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a fpider, without drawing the maffy irons and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or rather the bone-ach, for that, methinks, is the curfe dependant on those that war for a placket. I have faid my prayers, and devil Envy fay Amen. What ho! my, lord

Achilles!

Enter Patroclus.

Patr. Who's there? Therfites? Good Therfites, come in and rail.

Ther. If I could have remember'd a gilt counter, thou could'st not have flipt out of my contemplation; but it is no matter, thyfelf upon thyself! The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! heaven bless thee from a tutor, and discipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy direction 'till thy death, then if fhe, that lays thee out, fays thou art a fair coarse, I'll be fworn and fworn upon't, fhe never fhrowded any but Lazars; Amen. Where's Achilles?

Patr. What, art thou devout? waft thou in prayer? Ther. Ay, the heav'ns hear me?

Enter Achilles,

Achil. Who's there?

Patr. Therfites, my lord.

Achil. Where, where? art thou come, why, my cheefe, my digeftion-why haft thou not ferved thy felf up to my table, fo many meals? come, what's Agamemnon!

Ther.