-

fee fome iffue of my spiteful 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 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 short-arm'd ignorance itself knows is so abundant scarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a spider, without drawing the maffy iron, and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or, rather, the bone-ache! 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'da gilt counterfeit, thou wouldst not have flipp'd out of my contemplation: but it is no matter, ' Thyself upon thyfelf! The common curfe of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! heaven blefs thee from a tutor, and difcipline 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 corfe, I'll be fworn and fworn upon't, fhe never fhrowded any but lazars. Amen. Where's Achilles?

it will not in circumvention]-it hath not skill enough to do fuch a feat-The powers of these Greeks lie all in their swords, not in their wits.

с

a gilt counterfeit, &c.]-fuch a piece of bafe metal, thou hadst found a place in my late ejaculation.

f Thyfelf upon thyself!]-My utmoft feverity towards thee is comprized in this fhort imprecation," remain only the dolt thou art." tby blood]-thy paffions.

Patr.

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.

Achil. Where, where?-Art thou come? Why, my cheese, my digeftion, why haft thou not ferv'd thyfelf in to my table fo many meals? Come; what's Agamemnon! Ther. Thy commander, Achilles ;-Then tell me, Patroclus, what's Achilles ?

Patr. Thy lord, Therfites; Then tell me, I pray thee, what's thyself?

Ther. Thy knower, Patroclus; Then tell me, Patroclus, what art thou?

Patr. Thou may'ft tell, that know'st.

Achil. O, tell, tell.

Ther. I'll 1 decline the whole queftion. Agamemnon commands Achilles; Achilles is

knower; and Patroclus is a fool.

Patr. You rafcal!

my lord; I am Patroclus'

Ther. Peace, fool; I have not done.

Achil. He is a privilèg'd man.-Proceed, Therfites. 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.

Patr. Why am I a fool?

Ther. Make that demand of thy creator.It fuffices me, thou art. Look you, who comes here? bdecline]-inveftigate. a privileg'd man.]-a licenfed jefter.

Enter

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

k

Achil. Patroclus, I'll fpeak with no body:-Come in with me, Therfites. [Exit. Ther. Here is fuch patchery, fuch juggling, 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 'ferpigo on the subject! and war, and lechery, confound all!

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 fent us meffengers; and we " lay by

m

Our appertainments, vifiting of him:

Let him be told fo; left, perchance, he think
We dare not " move the queftion of our place,
Or know not what we are.

Patr. I fhall fo say to him.

Ulyf. We faw him at the opening of his tent; He is not fick.

[Exit.

[Exit.

Ajax. Yes, lion-fick, fick of a proud heart: you may call it melancholy, if you will favour the man; but, by my head, 'tis pride: But why, why? let him fhew us a caufe.-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?

Ulyff. He.

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

all the argument]-the whole matter in controversy. 1 ferpigo]-tetter. m lay by]-wave all ceremony.

amove the question of our place,]-infift on our prerogative.

to bay]-to bark.

Ulyff

Uly. 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 compofure, a fool could difunite.

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

Re-enter Patroclus.

Neft. No Achilles with him.

Uly. The elephant hath joints, but none for courtefy; His legs are for neceffity, not for flexure.

Patr. Achilles bids me fay-he is much forry,
If any thing more than your sport and pleasure
Did move your greatnefs, 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.

Agam. Hear you, Patroclus;

We are too well acquainted with thefe anfwers:
But his evasion, wing'd thus fwift with fcorn,
Cannot out-fly our apprehenfions.

Much attribute he hath and much the reafon
Why we afcribe it to him: yet all his virtues,-
'Not virtuously on his own part beheld,-
Do, in our eyes, begin to lofe their glofs;
Yea, like fair fruit in an unwholefome difh,
Are like to rot untafted. Go and tell him,
We come to speak to him: And you shall not fin,
If you do fay-we think him over-proud,

P compofure,]-connection, bond of friendship.

a noble state,]-retinue, train of attendants.

attribute]-merit.

• Not virtuously, &c.]-Appearing to difadvantage under his haughty

demeanour-upheld.

VOL. III.

E

And

And under-honeft; in felf-affumption greater,

Than in the note of judgment; and worthier than himself,
Here tend the favage ftrangeness he puts on;

Difguife the holy strength of their command,
And under-write in an obferving kind

u

His humourous predominance; yea, watch
His pettish lunes, his ebbs, his flows, as if
* The paffage and whole carriage of this action
Go, tell him this; and add,

Rode on his tide.

That, if he over-hold his price fo much,

We'll none of him; but let him, like an engine
Not portable, lie under this report-

Bring action hither, this cannot go to war :
A stirring dwarf we do allowance give

Before a fleeping giant:-Tell him fo.

Patr. I fhall; and bring his anfwer prefently. [Exit.

Aga. In fecond voice we'll not be fatisfied,

We come to speak with him.-Ulyffes, enter you.

Ajax. What is he more than another?

Aga. No more than what he thinks he is.

[Exit Ulyffes.

Ajax. Is he fo much? Do you not think, he thinks himself

A better man than I?

Aga. No queftion.

a

Ajax. Will you subscribe his thought, and fay-he is? Aga. No, noble Ajax; you are as ftrong, as valiant,

t under-boneft; &c.]-fomewhat partial, affuming more confequence than juftly belongs to him.

under-write]-obfequioufly give way to his petulant humours. lunes,]-freaks, fits of frenzy.

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, Vol. I. p. 235. * The paffage, &c.]-the fate of this expedition depended entirely on his concurrence.

allowance give]-approve, prefer.

z fecond voice]-an answer by proxy.

a fubfcribe]-affirm.

As