And in such indexes, although small pricks
To their subsequent volumes, there is seen
The baby figure of the giant mass

Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd,
He that meets Hector issues from our choice:
And choice, being mutual act of all our souls,
Makes merit her election; and doth boil,

As 't were from forth us all, a man distill'd
Out of our virtues; who, miscarrying,

What heart from hence receives the conquering part,
To steel a strong opinion to themselves?
Which entertain'd, limbs are his instruments,
In no less working, than are swords and bows
Directive by the limbs.

ULYSS. Give pardon to my speech ;

Therefore 't is meet, Achilles meet not Hector.
Let us like merchants show our foulest wares,
And think, perchance, they'll sell; if not,
The lustre of the better yet to show
Shall show the better. Do not consent

That ever Hector and Achilles meet;

For both our honour and our shame, in this,

Are dogg'd with two strange followers.

NEST. I see them not with my old eyes; what are they?

ULYSS. What glory our Achilles shares from Hector,

Were he not proud, we all should wear with him:

But he already is too insolent;

And we were better parch in Afric sun,

Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes,
Should he 'scape Hector fair: If he were foil'd,
Why, then we did our main opinion crush
In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery;
And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw

The sort to fight with Hector: Among ourselves
Give him allowance as the worthier man,
For that will physic the great Myrmidon,

Who broils in loud applause; and make him fall
His crest, that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We'll dress him up in voices: If he fail,

Yet go we under our opinion still
That we have better men.

But, hit or miss,

Our project's life this shape of sense assumes,—
Ajax, employ'd, plucks down Achilles' plumes.
NEST. Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice;
And I will give a taste of it forthwith

To Agamemnon: go we to him straight.
Two curs shall tame each other: Pride alone
Must tarre the mastiffs on, as 't were their bone.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.—Another part of the Grecian Camp.

Enter AJAX and THERSITES.

AJAX. Thersites,—

THER. Agamemnon-how if he had boils? full, all over, generally?

AJAX. Thersites,

THER. And those boils did run?-Say so,-did not the general run? were not that a botchy core?

AJAX. Dog,

THER. Then would come some matter from him; I see

none now.

AJAX. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then. [Strikes him. THER. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mongrel beefwitted lord!

AJAX. Speak then, thou vinew'dest leaven, speak: I will beat thee into handsomeness.

THER. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness; but I think thy horse will sooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book. Thou canst strike, canst thou? a red

murrain o' thy jade's tricks!

AJAX. Toadstool, learn me the proclamation.

THER. Dost thou think I have no sense, thou strik❜st me thus?

AJAX. The proclamation,—

THER. Thou art proclaimed a fool, I think.

AJAX. Do not, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch.

THER. I would thou didst itch from head to foot, and I had the scratching of thee; I would make thee the loathsomest scab in Greece. When thou art forth in the incursions, thou strikest as slow as another.

AJAX. I say, the proclamation,—

THER. Thou grumblest and railest every hour on Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpina's beauty, ay, that thou bark'st at him. AJAX. Mistress Thersites !

THER. Thou shouldst strike him.

AJAX. Cobloaf !

THER. He would pun thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks a biscuit.

AJAX. You whoreson cur!

THER. Do, do.

AJAX. Thou stool for a witch!

[Beating him

THER. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows; an assinego may tutor thee: Thou scurvy valiant ass! thou art here but to thrash Trojans; and thou art bought and sold among those of any wit, like a Barbarian slave. If thou use to beat me, I will begin at thy heel, and tell what thou art by inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou!

AJAX. You dog!

THER. You scurvy lord!

AJAX. You cur!

[Beating him

THER. Mars his idiot! do, rudeness; do, camel; do, do.

Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS.

ACHIL. Why, how now, Ajax? wherefore do you this? How now, Thersites? what's the matter, man?

THER. You see him there, do you?

ACHIL. Ay; what 's the matter?
THER. Nay, look upon him.

ACHIL. So I do; what's the matter?

THER. Nay, but regard him well.

ACHIL. Well! why I do so.

THER. But yet you look not well upon him: for whosover 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! is evasions have ears thus long. I have bobbed his brain ore than he has beat my bones: I will buy nine sparrows ›r a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of sparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax,—who wears his wit in is belly, and his guts in his head,—I'll tell you what I say f him.

ACHIL. What?

THER. I say, this Ajax,-
ACHIL. Nay, good Ajax.

THER. Has not so much wit—

ACHIL. Nay, I must hold you.

[AJAX offers to strike him, ACHILLES interposes.

THER. As will stop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom

e comes to fight.

ACHIL. Peace, fool!

THER. I would have peace and quietness, but the fool will hot: he there; that he; look you there.

AJAX. O thou damned cur! I shall

ACHIL. Will you set your wit to a fool's?

THER. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will shame it.

PATR. Good words, Thersites.

ACHIL. What's the quarrel?

AJAX. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenor of the proclamation, and he rails upon me.

THER. I serve thee not.

AJAX. Well, go to, go to.

THER. I serve here voluntary.

ACHIL. Your last service was sufferance, 't was not voluncary; no man is beaten voluntary; Ajax was here the voluncary, and you as under an impress.

THER. E'en so; a great deal of your wit too lies in your sinews, or else there be liars. Hector shall have a great catch if he knock out either of your brains; 'a were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel.

ACHIL. What, with me too, Thersites ?

THER. There's Ulysses and old Nestor,—whose wit was mouldy ere your grandsires had nails on their toes,—yok: you like draught oxen, and make you plough up the war. ACHIL. What, what?

THER. Yes, good sooth. To Achilles! to Ajax! to! AJAX. I shall cut out your tongue.

THER. "T is no matter; I shall speak as much as the afterwards.

PATR. No more words, Thersites; peace.

THER. I will hold my peace when Achilles' brach bids m shall I?

ACHIL. There 's for you, Patroclus.

THER. I will see you hanged, like clotpoles, ere I come & more to your tents; I will keep where there is wit stirring and leave the faction of fools.

PATR. A good riddance.

[Es

ACHIL. Marry, this, sir, is proclaim'd through all our hos 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 stomach; and such a one that dare
Maintain-I know not what; 't is trash: Farewell.
AJAX. Farewell. Who shall answer him?

ACHIL. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise,
He knew his man.

AJAX. O, meaning you:-I'll go learn more of it. [Exer

SCENE II-Troy. A Room in Priam's Palace.

Enter PRIAM, HECTOR, TROILUS, PARIS, and HELENTS PRI. After so many hours, lives, speeches spent, Thus once again says Nestor from the Greeks: "Deliver Helen, and all damage else

As honour, loss of time, travel, expense,

Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is consum'd
In hot digestion of this cormorant war,—

Shall be struck off:"-Hector, what say you to 't?
HECT. Though no man lesser fears the Greeks than I,
As far as toucheth my particular, yet, dread Priam,