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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 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 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 difobedient and refractory.
If Helen then be wife to Sparta's King,
(As, it is known, she is) these moral laws
Of Nature, and of Nation, fpeak 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 dependance

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,

I would not wish a drop of Trojan blood

exprefs'd himself thus: 'Tis abfurd to fay, that People have talk'd well, and yet but fuperficially at the fame Time. I haveventur'd to fubftitute a Disjunctive inftead of the Copulative, by which we gain this commodious Senfe: "You have argued very well in the general, but have gloz'd too fuperficially upon "the particular Question in Debate,

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Spent

Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector,
She is a theam of honour and renown;

A fpur to valiant and magnanimous deeds;
Whofe prefent 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.
Hect. I am yours,

You valiant off-fpring of great Priamus.-
I have a roifting challenge fent amongit
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks,
Will ftrike amazement to their drowsie spirits.
I was advertiz'd, their great General flept,
Whilft emulation in the army crept:

This, I prefume, will wake him.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, before Achilles's Tent, in the Grecian

Camp.

Enter Therfites folus.

Hthy fury?ftall the elephant Ajax carry it thus?

OW now, Therfites? what, loft in the labyrinth of

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 iffie 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 themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art fove 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 fcarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a fpider, without drawing the mafly irons and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or rather the bone-ach, for that, methinks,

thinks, is the curfe dependant on those that war for a placket. I have faid my prayers, and devil Envy say 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 flip'd out of my contemplation; but it is no matter, thyself 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 coarfe, I'll be fworn and fworn upon't, the never fhrowdany but Lazars; Amen. Where's Achilles?

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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 thyfelf up to my table, fo many meals? come, what's Agamemnon!

Ther. Thy commander, Achilles; then tell me, Patroclus, what's Achilles?

Part. Thy lord, Therfites: then tell me, I pray thee, what's thyfelf?

Ther. Thy knower, Patroclus: then tell me, Patroclus, what art thou?

Part. Thou may'st tell, that know'st.

Achil. O tell, tell,

Ther. I'll decline the whole queftion. Agamemnon commands Achilles, Achilles is my lord, I am Patroclus's knower, and Patroclus is a fool.

Patr. You rascal

Ther. Peace, fool, I have not done.

Achil. He is a privileg'd man. Proceed, Therfites.

Ther.

Ther. Agamemnon is a fool, Achilles is a fool, Therfites is a fool, and, as aforefaid, Patroclus is a fool.

Achil. Derive this; come.

Ther. Agamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles, Achilles is a fool to be commanded of Agamemnon, Therfites is a fool to serve such a fool, and Patroclus is a fool pofitive,

Part. Why am I a fool?

Ther. Make that demand to thy creator ;— -it fuffices me, thou art.

Enter Agamemnon, Ulyffes, Neftor, Diomedes, Ajax, and Calchas.

Look you, who comes here ?

Achil. Patroclus, I'll speak with no body: come in with me, Therfites.

[Exit. Ther. Here is fuch patchery, fuch jugling, and fuch knavery: all the argument is a cuckold and a whore, a good quarrel to draw emulous factions, and bleed to death upon now the dry Serpige on the subject, and war and lechery confound all ! [Exit.

Aga. Where is Achilles?

Patr. Within his tent, but ill difpos'd, my lord.
Aga. Let it be known to him that we are here.
He fhent our meffengers, and we lay by (12).
Our appertainments, vifiting of him :
Let him be told fo, left, perchance, he think
We dare not move the question of our place;
Or know not what we are.

Patr. I fhall fo say to him.

Uly. We faw him at the opening of his tent, He is not fick.

[Exit

Ajax. Yes, lion-fick, fick of a proud heart: you may call it melancholy, if you will favour the man; but, by

(12) He fent our Messengers ;] Who fent, in the Name of Accuracy? What! did Achilles fend the Meffengers, who were fent by Agamemnon I make no doubt, but the Poet wrote; He fhent our Messengers;

i. e. rebuked, ill-treated, rated out of his Prefence.

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my head, 'tis pride; but why, why?- let him fhew us
the cause. A word, my lord.
[To Agamemnon.

Neft. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him?
Uly. Achilles hath inveigled his fool from him.
Neft. Who, Therfites?

Uly. He.

Neft. Then will Ajax lack matter, if he have lost his argument.

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

Neft. All the better; their fraction is more our wish than their faction; but it was a strong counfel, that a fool could difunite.

Uly. The amity, that wisdom knits not, folly may eafily untye.

Enter Patroclus.

Here comes Patroclus.

Neft. No Achilles with him?

Ul. The elephant hath joints, but none for courtefie His legs are for neceffity, not flexure.

Patr. Achilles bids me fay, he is much forry,
If any thing more than your sport and pleasure
Did move your greatness, and this noble state,
To call on him; he hopes, it is no other,
But for your health and your digeftion-fake;
An after-dinner's breath.

Aga. Hear you, Patroclus;

We are too well acquainted with these answers :
But his evafion, wing'd thus fwift with fcorn,
Cannot outflie our apprehenfions.

Much attribute he hath, and much the reason
Why we ascribe it to him; yet all his virtues
(Not virtuously on his own part beheld)
Do in our eyes begin to lose their glofs;
And, like fair fruit in an unwholsome dish,
Are like to ret untafted. Go and tell him,

We come to speak with him; and you shall not fin,
If you do fay, we think him over-proud,
In felf-affumption greater than in note

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