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 no praife at all.

Par. Sir, I propose 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 treafon 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 compulsion? Can it be,
That fo degenerate a strain as this,

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,
5 For the wide world's revenue.

Hect. I am yours,

You valiant offspring of great Priamus.-
I have a roifting challenge fent amongst
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks,
10 Will ftrike amazement to their drowsy spirits:
I was advertis'd, their great general slept,
Whilft 3 emulation in the army crept;
This, I prefume, will wake him.

Should once fet footing in your generous bofoms? 15
There's not the meaneft fpirit on our party,
Without a heart to dare, or fword to draw,
When Helen is defended; nor none so noble,
Whofe life were ill beftow'd, or death unfam'd,
Where Helen is the fubject: then, I fay,
Well may we fight for her, whom, we know well,
The world's large spaces cannot parallel.

Hect. Paris, and Troilus, you have both faid well;
And on the cause and question now in hand
Have gloz'd, but fuperficially; not much
Unlike young men, whom Ariftotle thought
Unfit to hear moral philosophy :

The reafons 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 hufband? 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 those raging appetites that are
Moft difobedient and refractory.
If Helen then be wife to Sparta's king,-
As it is known fhe is,thefe moral laws
Of nature, and of nations, 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 fprightly brethren, I propend to you
In refolution to keep Helen ftill;

For 'tis a caufe that hath no mean dependence
Upon our joint and feveral dignities.

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 2,
I would not with a drop of Trojan blood
Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector,
She is a theme of honour and renown;
A fpur to valiant and magnanimous deeds;
Whofe prefent courage may beat down our foes,

[Extant

How now, Therfites? what, loft in the labyrinth 20 of thy fury? Shall the elephant Ajax carry it thus? He beats me, and I rail at him: O worthy fatiffaction! 'would it were otherwife, that I could beat him, whilft he rail'd at me: 'Sfoot, I'll learn to conjure and raife devils, but I'll fee fome issue 25 of my fpiteful execrations. Then there's Achilles, -a rare engineer. If Troy be not taken 'till thefe two undermine it, the walls will stand 'till they fall of themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art Jove the king of 30 gods; and, Mercury, lofe all the ferpentine craft of thy Caduceus; if ye take not that little little lefs-than-little wit from them that they have! which fhort-arm'd ignorance itself knows is fo abundant fcarce, it will not in circumvention deli35 ver a fly from a spider, without drawing the massy iron 4, and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or, rather, the boneache! for that, methinks, is the curfe dependant on thofe that war for a placket. I have faid my 4c prayers; and devil envy, fay Amen. What, ho! my lord Achilles !

45

Enter Patroclus.

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

Ther. If I could have remember'd a gilt counterfeit, thou would'st not have flipp'd out of my contemplation: but it is no matter, Thyfelf upon thyfelf! The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! heaven blefs 50thee from a tutor, and difcipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy direction 'till thy death! then if the that lays thee out, fays-thou art a fair corfe, I'll be fworn and fworn upen 't, The never throuded any but lazars. Amen. 55 Where's Achilles?

60

Patr. What, art thou devout? waft thou in prayer?

Ther. Ay; The heavens hear me !
Enter Achilles.

Achil. Who's there?
Patr. Therfites, my lord.

i. e. inflexible, immoveable. 2 i. e. the execution of fpite and refentment. 4 That is, without drawving their fwords to cut the web.

envy, factious contention.

3 That is

Achil

Ulyff. No; you fee, he is his argument, that has his argument; Achilles.

Neft. All the better; their fraction is more our with, than their faction: But it was a ftrong com

Ther. Thy commander, Achilles ;-Then tell 5 pofure, a fool could difunite.

|10|

Acbil. He is a privileg'd man.-Proceed, Therfites. Ther. Agamemnon is a fool; Achilles is a fool; Therfites is a fool; and, as aforefaid, Patroclus is a 20 fool.

Ther. Agamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles; Achilles is a fool to be commanded of Agamemnon; Therfites is a fool, to ferve 25 fuch a fool; and Patroclus is a fool positive.

Ther. Make that demand of the prover.It fuffices me, thou art. Look you, who comes here? Enter Agamemnon, Ulyffes, Neftor, Diomedes, and 30

Ther. Here is fuch patchery, fuch juggling, and fuch knavery! all the argument is a cuckold, 35 and a whore; A good quarrel, to draw emulous factions, and bleed to death upon. Now the dry Serpigo on the fubje&t! and war, and lechery, confound all! [Exit.

[To Agamemnon. 55 Neft. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him? Ulyff Achilles hath inveigled his fool from him.

Neft. Then will Ajax lack matter, if he have 60 Aga. No, noble Ajax; you are as ftrong, as vaAs wife, and no leis noble, much more gentle,

Re-enter Ulyffes.

[Afide.

Ulyff. The raven chides blackness.

[Afide.

Ajax. I'll let his humours blood.

Aga. He will be the physician, that should be

the patient.

[Afide

Ajax. An all men were o' my mind,—

[Afide

Ajax. He fhould not bear it fo,

20

He fhould eat fwords firft: Shall pride cany it?
Nift. An 'twould, you'd carry half.
Ulyff. He would have ten shares. · [Afide
Ajax. I will knead him, I'll make him fupple:-
Neft. He's not yet thorough warm: force him
with praifes:
[Afide.

Uly. Achilles will not to the field to-morrow. 15 Uly. Wit would be out of fashion.
Aga. What's his excufe?

In will peculiar and in self admission.

Aga. Why will he not, upon our fair request,
Untent his perfon, and share the air with us?
Uly Things fmall as nothing, for request's fake
only,

He makes important: Poffeft he is with greatnefs; 25
And speaks not to himself, but with a pride
That quarrels at self breath: imagin'd worth
Holds in his blood fuch fwoln and hot difcourfe,
That, 'twixt his mental and his active parts,
Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages,
And batters down himfelf: What should I fay?
He is fo plaguy proud, that the death tokens of it1
Cry-No recovery.

Aga. Let Ajax go to him.

Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent:
'Tis faid, he holds you well; and will be led,
At your request, a little from himself.

Ulyff. O Agamemnon, let it not be so!
We'll confecrate the steps that Ajax makes,

Pour in, pour in; his ambition is dry.
Uly. My lord, you feed too much on this dislike.
[To Agamemnon.

Neft. Our noble general, do not do fo.
Dio. You must prepare to fight without Achilles.
Uly. Why, 'tis this naming of him does him

When they go from Achilles: Shall the proud lord, 40
That baftes his arrogance with his own feam2;
And never fuffers matter of the world
Enter his thoughts,-fave fuch as do revolve
And ruminate himfelf,-fhall he be worshipp'd
Of that we hold an idol more than he ?

No, this thrice-worthy and right-valiant lord
Muft not fo ftale his palm, nobly acquir'd;
Nor, by my will, affubjugate his merit,
As amply titled as Achilles is,

By going to Achilles :

That were to enlard his fat-already pride;
And add more coals to Cancer, when he burns
With entertaining great Hyperion.
This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid;
And fay in thunder-Achilles, go to him,

45 Praife him that got thee, fhe that gave thee fuck:
Fam'd be thy tutor: and thy parts of nature
Thrice-fam'd, beyond all erudition:

But he that difciplin'd thy arms to fight,
Let Mars divide eternity in twain,

50 And give him half: and, for thy vigor,
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield

55

To finewy Ajax. I will not praife thy wisdom,
Which, like a bourn, a pale, a fhore, confines
Thy fpacious and dilated parts: Here's Neftor,
Inftructed by the antiquary times,

He muft, he is, he cannot but be wife ;-
But pardon, father Neftor, were your days
As green as Ajax, and your brain so temper'd,
You fhould not have the eminence of him,
60 But be as Ajax.

Alluding to the decifive fpots appearing on thofe infected by the plague.

3 To pheeze is to comb or curry. 4 i. e. ftuff him with praises (from farcir, Fr.), boundary, and fometimes a rivulet dividing one place from another,

2 Seam is greafe.

$ A burn is a

45

Pan. Friend, we understand not one another; am too courtly, and thou art too cunning: At 50 whofe request do these men play?

Serv. That's to 't, indeed, fir: Marry, fir, at the request of Paris my lord, who is there in perfon; with him, the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, love's invisible soul 1,

Pan. Who, my coufin Creffida?

Serv. No, fir, Helen; Could you not find out that by her attributes?

Pan. It fhould feem, fellow, that thou haft not
feen the lady Creffida.
I come to fpeak with 60
Paris from the Prince Troilus: I will make a

i. c, the foul of love invifible every where else,

3K 4

Par. What exploit's in hand? where fups he How chance my brother Troilus went not? to-night?

Helen. Nay, but my lord,

Pan. What says my sweet queen? My cousin will fall out with you.

Helen. You must not know where he fups.

Par. I'll lay my life, with my difpofer Creffida. Pan. No, no, no fuch matter, you are wide; come, your difpofer is fick.

Par. Well, I'll make excufe.

Pan. Ay, good my lord. Why fhould you fay-Creffida? no, your poor disposer's fick.

Par. I fpy 1.

Pan. You fpy! what do you spy?-Come, give me an inftrument.-Now, fweet queen.

Helen. Why, this is kindly done.

Pan. My niece is horribly in love with a thing you have, fweet queen.

Helen. She fhall have it, my lord, if it be not my lord Paris.

Pan. He! no, fhe'll none of him; they two are twain.

Helen. Falling in, after falling out, may make them three 2.

Helen. He hangs the lip at fomething ;-you know all, lord Pandarus.

Pan. Not I, honey-fweet queen.-I long to

5 hear how they fped to-day.-You'll remember your brother's excufe?

Par. To a hair.

Pan. Farewel, sweet queen.

Helen. Commend me to your niece.

Pan. I will, fweet queen. [Exit. Sound a retreat.
Par. They are come from field: let us to Priam's
hall,
[you

To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I muft woo
To help unarm our Hector: his ftubborn buckles,
15 With thefe your white enchanting fingers touch'd,
Shall more obey, than to the edge of steel,
Or force of Greekith finews; you shall do more
Than all the inland kings, difarm great Heftor.
Helen. 'Twill make us proud to be his fervant,
Paris:

20

Pan. Come, come, I'll hear no more of this; 25 I'll fing you a fong now.

Heien. Ay, ay, pr'ythee now. By my troth, fweet lord, thou haft a fine forehead.

Pan. Ay, you may, you may.

Enter Pandarus, and Troilus' man.

Pan. How now? where's thy mafter? at my

Helen. Let thy fong be love: this love will un-30 coufin Creffida's?

do us all. Oh, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid!

Pan. Love, ay, that it fhall i' faith.

[love.

Par. Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but
Pan. In good troth, it begins fo:

"Love, love, nothing but love, ftill more! 35
"For, oh, love's how
"Shoots buck and doe:

"The fhaft confounds "Not that it wounds, "But tickles ftill the fore.

"Thefe lovers cry-Oh! oh! they die!

"Yet that which feems the wound to kill, "Doth turn oh! oh! to ha! ha! he!

"So dying love lives ftill: "Oh! oh! a while, but ha! ha! ha! "Oh! oh! groans out for ha! ha! ha!

"Hey ho!" Helen. In love, i' faith, to the very tip of the

nofe.

Par. He eats nothing but doves, love; and that breeds hot blood, and hot blood begets hot thoughts, and hot thoughts beget hot deeds, and hot deeds is love.

Pan. Is this the generation of love? hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot deeds?-Why, they are vipers: Is love a generation of vipers? Sweet lord, who's a-field to-day?

Serv. No, fir; he ftays for you to conduct him thither.

Enter Troilus.

Pan. O, here he comes.-How now, how now?
Trei. Sirrah, walk off.

Pan. Have you seen my coufin?

Troi. No, Pandarus: I ftalk about her door,
Like a ftrange foul upon the Stygian banks
Staying for waftage. O, be thou my Charon,
40 And give me swift transportance to those fields,
Where I may wallow in the lily beds
Propos'd for the deferver! O gentle Pandarus,
From Cupid's fhoulder pluck his painted wings,
And fly with me to Creffid!

45 Pan. Walk here i' the orchard, I will bring her
ftraight.
[Exit Pandarus.
Troi. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.
The imaginary relifh is fo fweet
That it enchants my fenfe; What will it be,
5c When that the watry palate taftes indeed
Love's thrice-reputed nectar? death, I fear me;
Swooning deftruction; or fome joy too fine,
Too fubtle potent, tun'd too fharp in fweetness,
For the capacity of my ruder powers:

55

Par. Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenor, and all the gallantry of Troy: I would fain have 6c arm'd to-day, but my Nell would not have it fo

I fear it much; and I do fear befides,
That I fhall lofe diftinction in my joys;
As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps
The enemy flying.

Re-enter Pandarus.
Pan. She's making her ready, the'll come
ftraight; you must be witty now. She does fo

This is the ufual exclamation at a childish game called Hie, ffy, bie. 2 i. e. fays Mr. Tollet, the reconciliation and wanton dalliance of two lovers after a quarrel, may produce a child, and fo make

three of two.

blufe,