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ACT II.

SCENE I

THerlites,

The Grecian Camp.

Enter Ajax and Therfites.

Ajax.

Ther. Agamemnon-how if he had boiles→

full, all over, generally.

Ajax. Therfites..

[Talking to himself.

Ther. And thofe boiles did run-fay fo-did not the General run? were not that a botchy core? Ajax. Dog!

Ther. Then there would come fome matter from him; I fee none now.

Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's fon, canft thou not hear? feel then. [Strikes him. Ther. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mungrel beef-witted Lord!

Ajax. Speak then, thou unfalted * leaven, speak; I will beat thee into handfomenefs.

Ther. I fhall fooner rail thee into wit and holinefs; but I think thy horfe will fooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book: thou canft ftrike, canft thou? a red murrain o' thy jade's tricks!

Ajax. Toadstool, learn me the proclamation.

Unfalted leaven is in the old quarto. It means four without falt, malignity without wit. Shakespeare wrote firft unfalted, but recollecting that want of falt was no fault in leven, changed it to vinew'd. Johnfon.

The common reading was whiniď ft leaven; from whence we may, with great probability, collect, that the poet wrote,

› Speak then, thou vinniedst leaven.

Vinnied or vinewed is an old English word still in use in the western part of this island, which fignifies mouldy. Upton's critic, obfervat.

Ther. Doft thou think I have no sense, thou ftrik'ft me thus?

Ajax. The proclamation.

Ther. Thou art proclaim'd 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 fcratching of thee, I would make thee the loathfom'ft fcab in Greece *.

Ajax. I fay the proclamation

Ther. Thou grumbleft and raileft every hour on 'Achilles, and thou art as full of envy at his greatnefs as Cerberus is at Proferpina's beauty: ay, that thou bark'ft at him.

Ajax. Miftrefs Therfites!

Ther. Thou fhouldft ftrike him.
Ajax. Cobloaf!

Ther. He would pun thee into fhivers with his fift, as a failor breaks a bifcuit.

Ajax. You whorefon cur !—— [Beating him.
Ther. Do, do.

Ajax. Thou ftool for a witch + !

Ther. Ay, do, do, thou fodden-witted lord; thou haft no more brain than I have in my elbows; an Affinego may tutor thee. Thou fcurvy valiant ais! thou art here but to thrash Trojans, and thou art bought and fold among thofe of any wit, like a Barbarian flave. 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 fcurvy lord!

The old quarto adds thefe words, "When thou art "forth in the incurfions, thou ftrikeft as flow as no

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In one way of trying a witch, they ufed to place hér upon a chair or ftool, with her legs tied across, that alt the weight of her body might reft upon her feat, and by that means, after fome time, the circulation of the blood in fome hours, would be much to, and her utung would be as painful as the wooden horie. Ibid.

Ajax. You cur!

[Beating him.

Ther. Mars his ideot! do, rudeness; do, camel,

do, do.

SCENE II.

Enter Achilles and Patroclus.

Achil. Why, how now, Ajax? wherefore do you this?

How now, Therfites? what's the matter, man?
Ther. You fee him there, do you?

Achil. Ay, whrat'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 fo..

Ther. But yet you look not well upon him: for whofoever you take him to be, he is Ajax.

Achil. I know that, fool.

Ther. Av, but that fool knows not himself.
Ajax. Therefore I beat thee.

Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he utters; his evafions have ears thus long. I have bobb'd his brain, more than he has beat my bones. I will buy nine fparrows for a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of a fparrow. This Lord (Achilles) ajax, who wears his wit in his belly, and his guts in his head, I'll tell you what I fay of him.

Achil. What?

[Ajax offers to frike him, Achilles interpofes Ther. I fay, this Ajax

Achil. Nay, good Ajax.

Ther. Has not fo much wit

Achil. Nay, I must hold you.

Ther. As will flop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to fight.

Achil Peace, fool!

Ther. I would have peace, and quietnefs, but th fool will not; he there, that he, look you there. Ajax. O thou damn'd cur, I fhall

Achil. Will you fet your wit to a fool's?

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Ther. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will flame it.
Patr. Good words, Therfites.

Achil. What's the quarrel?

Ajax. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour of the proclamation, and he rails upon me. Ther. I ferve thee not.

Ajax. Well, go to, go to.

Ther. I ferve here voluntary.

Achil. Your last service was sufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary; Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an imprefs.

Ther. Even fo- a great deal of your wit too lyes in your finews, or else there be liars. Hector fhall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; he were as good crack a fufty nut with no kernel.

Athil, What, with me too, Therfites?

Ther. There's Ulyffes and old Neftor, (whose wit was mouldy ere your grandfires had nails on their toes), yoke you like draft oxen, and make you plough up the war.

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- Achil. What! what!

Ther. Yes, good footh; to Achilles! to Ajax !

Ajax. I fhall cut out your tongue.

Ther. 'Tis no matter, I fhall fpeak as much as thou afterwards.

Patr. No more words, Therfites. Peace.

Ther. I will hold my peace, when Achilles' brach bids me, thall I?

Achil. There's for you, Patroclus.

Ther. I will fee you hang'd like clotpoles, ere I come any more to your tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.

Patr. A good riddance.

[Exit.

Achil. Marry, this, Sir, is proclaim'd through

all our hoft,

That Hector, by the fifth hour of the fun,

Brach is the name of a species of dogs,

Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy, To-morrow morning call fome knight to arms, That hath a stomach, such a one that dare Maintain I know not what is trafh, farewell, Ajax. Farewell! who fhall anfwer him?

Achil. I know not, 'tis put to lott'ry, otherwise He knew his man.

Ajax. O, meaning you. I'll go learn more of it. [Exeunt.

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Changes to Priam's Palace in Troy.

Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris and Helenus.

Pri. After fo many hours, lives, speeches spent, Thus once again fays Neftor from the Greeks: Deliver Helen, and all damage elfe,

As honour, lofs of time, travel, expence,
Wounds, friends, and what elfe dear that is con-
In hot digeftion of this cormorant war, [fum'd
Shall be ftruck off. Hector, what fay you to't?
Hect. Though no man leffer fears the Greeks

than 1,

As far as touches my particular; yet, dread Priam, There is no lady of more fofter bowels,

More fpungy to fuck in the fenfe of fear,

More ready to cry out, Who knows what follows?
Than Hector is. The wound of peace is furety,
Surety fecure; but modest doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wife; the tent that fearches
To th' bottom of the worst. Let Helen go.
Since the first fword was drawn about this question,
Ev'ry tithe foul 'mongst many thousand difmes
Hath been as dear as Helen. I mean, of ours.
If we have loft fo many tenths of ours

To guard a thing not ours, not worth to us,
Had it our name, the value of one ten;
What merit's in that reafon which denies

The yielding of her up?

Troi. Fy, fy, my brother;

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